December happenings in pictures

I didn't blog much during the holidays. We had so much fun doing NOTHING!
Sam was home for 16 days straight!!! That hasn't happened...well, EVER! Within those 16 days we
celebrated our 10 year anniversary, Sam's birthday, Christmas, and New Years. Can you say JUNK FOOD!?
Each mouthful was justified!
I don't want to try to give details of all the fun. Let me just post pictures and say games, games, games,
yum,yum,yum, and is it morning already?


Jen's picture for 12 days (11 stamped picture)


Sam finished the Joseph Smith book!
We LOVE the Whos your Hero Books!!!! Highly Recommended! Thanks Gma Trena!


Sleepy Princess


Revealing to our Neighbor we were "Santa's Helpers" for the 12 Days of Christmas. (She requested we reveal ourselves so she could give the kids gifts. She knew all along it us...very obvious)


Christmas loot


Too much excitement!


Nerf Wars!!!


Jen is upset she is such a great target!






I Love this picture! What studs!


Yeah, I know how you feel!




again?? Jace hasn't lived long enough to build up immunity to sleep.


yes, that's Sam on the top bunk! They never thought to look there for him. Good hiding spot to read.


I was thinking the same thing.


too cute. All by herself making angels. I took this picture from the window while on the phone. (little blurry)


this is how Jen plays Go Fish. She can't hold all the cards so she built a fort to protect them. (Notice Jarom oblivious to his show and tell)


watching the fire! I love our fireplace!!!




Hide and seek.


they said they were playing Trick or Treat.


I love my crazy kids!

2008 Picture Slideshow

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Santa's Visit!!

Santa saw our sign outside and decided to pay a visit! What a surprise!







We asked him to deliver the gift to our Neighbor for the 12 Days of Christmas!! Surprise!!



The Kids glued to the window looking for his Sleigh. Even the Dad is still a fan!

Let it Snow!

Christmas Cards?

I can't seem to get my act together to create Christmas cards. I have a few great ideas but I'm really lacking in the excecution department. I tried taking photos before church but found one REALLY grumpy child that I wanted to threaten a lump of coal to. This is what I got:

Peace On Earth??

Humm...Apparently PEACE on EARTH needs to be reviewed.

I love telling Jace the story of baby Jesus every morning. I love the soft glow from the Christmas tree. I love the Magic I can see in my kids eyes when they sing carols. I Love the warm house and decorations that bring me closer to my kids this Season.
I decorated to the theme "Believe in the Magic of Christmas." The Magic I have witnessed is how the love for baby Jesus transforms people. As I teach my 3 small kids about Christmas, I see Magic everywhere! I do Believe in the Magic the Savior of this world brings, if we make room for Him.

The Holidays!

It all starts at Thanksgiving!
First of all I turned 30!! Whoooo Hoooo! A greatly anticipated event for me! (More about that later)

Jennica performed at the Kindergarten Feast!
And explained how to cook a turkey!



We ventured into the City to peek at the Macy Day Balloons, along with 1 million others. I experience my 1st Human Traffic Jam!

Immediatly after the Turkey was devaured Christmas went up!

Jennica's Pink tree


Jarom and Jace's Blue Tree




Dad surprised us with a new train...Polar Express!!!


Jace LOVES this train. He LOVES everything about the Polar Express!

Party Time!

I haven't posted in awhile. Life suddenly got really fun!
I have such fun crazy friends.

AWESOME 80's Birthday Party:

Kristen you are the best looking 40 year old I know! You throw a great party too!


My best friend Treva...a shock to us all!
Earned Best Female Costume!

A party isn't complete without Rock Bands:



Me and the Birthday Girl

Company...

While Sam is in New York tonight, the fun isn't lost on me!
Tonight, I sat around the fireplace with my Star Wars friends.
Even they enjoy a "pink" moment.
I'm looking forward to a Princess bath too.

Birthdays

A friend asked me to take pictures at her son's party today. It was so much fun. I am in heaven when taking pictures!
There's something about capturing memories of youth that I am obsessed with.
Last month I took pictures for my friends daughter's baptism and made a video for her. It was my favorite project yet!
Next weekend I'm doing another one! I can't wait. This time it's for a boy. I hope I can still capture the "sweetness" in a boyish way.

It's been really hard not to sit at my computer ALL day and work on my projects.
Sam had Tuesday off work and told me I could have the whole day to my projects while he watched the kids!! It was WONDERFUL!
I finished a few projects I was working on and got a lot of great idea's for the future!!
The kids loved playing with dad. He took Jace to IHOP for breakfast then went to school and had lunch with Jenny and Jarom, then took them to the Park and out for Pizza after school! I think they'd like the idea of dad and I switching roles!

A STUPID DATE

Last thursday Sam took me on a date. A date I refused to go on, but he insisted. I was a brat and told him if he wanted me to go he had to find the babysitter, so he did! I grumbled about it all day and decided to get ready 10min before the babysitter arrived.

He took me to Sacred Heart University where Pulitzer Prize winning Author, Doris Kearns Goodwin, gave a lecture on her book; 'Team of Rivals, The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.'

Once I got out of the house and away from the kids for 5 min. I decided I was pretty darn lucky to be out on a date with this good looking lad, and decided to shape up. As it turned out-I had such a good time. She is an amazing speaker. She knew so much about Abraham Lincoln, and told it all in a very engaging way. Add me to the list of Abraham Lincoln fans! What an amazing man!

Not only was the lecture great but the company as well. Sam and I had a moment (at Sam's expense) that had me rolling with laughter unlike ever before! He made me laugh so hard I was crying and had side aches!!

That night on a Stupid date; I feel in love, yet again, with the boy next door!

Good-Bye Fall

Fall has come and gone!

I have thoroughly enjoyed Autumn in CT! I am so happy I live in this area. I'm constantly admiring the beauty that surrounds me. I am so sad to see it go!

SOCCER

With Fall came Fall soccer.
Sam and I coached Jarom's 1st Grade Boy's team. After the 2nd week I fired Sam and made him do the dishes for missing practices.
We had a very talented team. Too bad the Coach that taught me to play soccer didn't know a thing about it. I, therefore, passed his knowledge down to them! I taught them NOTHING! But it was fun to play with them each week.

We were the Red Dragons.


It was so fun seeing Jennica play on the Kindergarten team. I called her the "Bulldozer." Her coach would have her stand at mid-field and once the other team neared the line he would say, "Go, Jennica!" And she would take off and attack. (This tactic worked well because Jennica is like a 4th Grader among pre-schoolers!)

I think we've discovered her Sport!

Playing in the Attic

Lately I have been obssesed with cleaning my attic.
Last summer, after tripping over one too many toys, I gathered them up and took them on a field trip.
Every toy went in the attic.
AHHHH! I had my floor back.

But, my poor kids didn't have any inside toys. I decided to clean out the attic and make it a playroom.

This is when the attic transformation began. I went through EVERTHING Sam and I have EVER kept in the 10 years we have been married and the 11 moves we have endured and I tossed out the JUNK we have been towing along.

After a few trips to the Dump my attic was off to a great start.
I'll tell you It feels great knowing I have that cleaned out!

My attic has been an after school favorite for quite some time.
Rule #1 You can not bring toys down the ladder!

It sure beats the cost of buying a bigger house with a playroom!
We'll see how it goes in the winter. We may have to bring up a heater.