New Years Eve Snowday!

Day after Christmas

The grandkids all enjoying opening their stockings...

Uncle Nana handing out gifts...

Mike preparing for the dart-war that was about to take place. The blur in the screen is him actually shooting me as I took the picture!





Miss Breanna showing off her harp skills. She plays so well!

Christmas Afternoon

Christmas Evening, we had our family on Mikes dads side come over for a small bite to eat and to open gifts (remember the blog about the cat Chezney confiscated?)
My nephew Austin being his usual cute self...

My sister Tonya made all the kids blankets and even sewed their names into them.

Christmas Morning- Our House

Here's a few pictures of Christmas Morning in our home, aside from opening the mystery gifts- which I already blogged pictures of a couple of.
Ethan with a dress up camo outfit, snowboarding goggles, snowbording pants, and a nerf gun all put into one outfit...

Danissa getting a much needed pair of tennis shoes.

Cohen trying to ride Spidermans ATV.

Trying out the snowboards that Santa brought. Santa couldn't find a girl snowboard so {s}he had to paint it and decorate it his{er} self so Danissa could have one that matched her coat.

Ethan with just one of the many different types of guns he got for Christmas. This is a marshmellow gun =) Chezney with her twin babies...Meow and Button.

Cat

Grandpa Ben and Grandma Billie got Danissa a robotic cat that moves much like a real cat. So real that most adults truly dislike the cat. However, Chezney has laid her claim on this cat to the point that Danissa can't even hold it. So we convinced Danissa to let her have it and told her we would take her to the store to get her another one.
Chezney hugs this cat and carries it around ALL DAY LONG. I've never in my life seen a child attach themselves to a toy like this.
The cat moves it ears, mouth, eyebrows, eyelids, swishes its tail and lays down. It meows and even hisses! I think Chezney truly thinks it's a real cat.

Mystery Gift Unveiling

It was a new experience watching my kids open gifts that I don't know the origin of or what is in it. It was really fun and the kids got a lot of needed clothes along with a toy each. I just hope whoever was responsible gets to see this and our recieve our thanks! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Miracle

Mike was reading the kids T'was the Night Before Christmas and I was sitting there taking pictures of them when the phone rings.
I answer and the completely *so I thought...* unfamiliar voice says "There are a whole bunch of presents sitting on your doorstep."
I'm trying to process this so I don't think to ask questions like...who is this....who are they from...anything. My first thought was....delivery people call you at home? Why didn't they just knock? So I stumble through a "thank you" and hang up.
Mikes telling me not to open the door. Who knows who might be lurking out there? I open the door anyway. There are three large bags full of presents.
After much debate I finally opened the one that is for Mike and I. It's a $250 gift card to Top Foods. WOW!
I just can't fathom this and as much as I think...well...we really don't deserve it, and how my kids do have gifts under the tree already, I can't help but think, too...I was getting gifts under the tree in the cheapest way possible just so they would have something to open. So to me, this truly is a HUGE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE. I feel guilty to be on the receiving end of something so wonderful but wow....MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! And thank you to whoever had their hand in it...!

Santa Comes to Visit

This year, Santas visit really was more about the twins than the older two kids. Danissa and Ethan have figured out that this Santa is most definitely Grandpa, but Chezney and Cohen are completely entranced with the magic of Santas visit.

Cohen ran up to him and gave him the biggest hug! He is a Santa boy ;) Chezney on the other hand immediately informed Santa that she needed her mommy and wouldn't go near him. The candy cane eventually won her over, though!

Chezney trying to size up who this man is....

I love how Cohen is still hugging his leg, while Chezney is still trying to make sure nothing going on that she doesn't know about...

Starts with an E

When I find this in the bathroom sink...it can only mean one thing...

One of my kids cut their hair....I'll give you four guesses but it starts with an E.

Melting

Cohens vocabulary has been growing everyday but his choppiness hasn't much improved. He breaks words up in their syllables which comes out very cute.
Tonight, Cohen was laying down in the bathtub and it was time to get out. I held up a towel and he, still laying down, says "I melt-ing!" I said "You're melting, huh?" and he replied "Yeah...The wa-ter go-ing down. I-melt-ing!"
I thought that was just adorable!

'A' Honor Roll

As far as I know, second grade is the first year at TRA that the kids can make an "honor roll". Danissa was on the 'A' Honor Roll for Trinity Term and we are very proud of her. I also heard that Breanna was the another student out of three in 2nd grade that made honor roll, as well!

Shabby- Chic

I've had this piece of furniture for awhile...I wish I had a "before" picture. It came with some hideous cushions that smelled like cigarettes and was a dark oiled wood...almost the color of the cushions I bought for it. Today I gave it a paint job. It's not done,...it needs a few more coats but it's good enough to have in the house till I can get more paint.

The Boys

The boys were watching Snow Buddies. I walked in and found them like this.....

Ugly Christmas Sweater Party

Our Small Group had an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party tonight. We got a chance to hang out, let the kids color and play Wii (and a few adults doing those things, as well! =). We played Uno and ate yummy food. It's so great to just hang out with this group! I absolutely love their company. Poor Mike got called into work 3 hours before the party and ended up working till about 20 minutes before I got done at the party so he never did get to wear his sweater that he labored over getting. He's very very disappointed but happy that we all had a good time, while missing him, of course.

The kids went to see Santa today. Ethan and Danissa had their want list and were more than ready to go see Santa. Cohen was OVERJOYED to see Santa. It was adorable! In the car and parkinglot, and all down the mall he was talking about Santa "We go see Santa! We go see Santa now!" Then he leaned on the fence that seperated us from Santa just staring at him like he was the greatest thing ever!

Chezney on the other hand was less than thrilled. She wanted nothing to do with him and we finally just handed her to him for the photo op. =) She this was todays picture with Santa:

2008

2007

Interesting Interests

I've been trying to price out and figure out things to get the kids involved in either athletically, musically, or both. So I figured I would get Danissa into piano and possibly iceskating. I debated on getting Ethan either into Karate or Gymnastics to work on getting that energy out and to learn focus.
Yesterday I thought I should ask them what they wanted to do if they could do anything...any instrument (Danissa) and any sport (both of them). I was a bit surprised at their answers. Ethan was not as interested in gymnastics or karate as I thought he would be. Instead he wants to learn to snowboard and iceskate (given his excitement, I would say mostly snowboarding). And Danissa wants to do iceskating and tennis, which are not the surprise...the big surprise to me was that when she was able to pick any instrument, she picked violin or flute! I have to say...those are some instruments that hadn't crossed my mind!

Warm Springs Inn

Last weekend we got to go to Warm Springs Inn to stay the night and celebrate 9 years of marriage. My dad and mom watched all four kids (you should visit my link to her blog on the right side of the screen to see what happened during that weekend!! LOL) The inn was so pretty and comfy and I think I could have sat there sipping tea and watching it snow all day (had checkout not been at 11 and had it been actually snowing!). I highly recommend staying there as long as you don't mind the friendly atmosphere with the owners and the other guests =)

TRA Music

The River Academy puts out an annual CD with all of the grades performing their Christmas pieces. I *painstakingly* figured out today how to put my kids songs and recitations on my blog playlist so if you turn up your speakers, you can hear them perform. If you scroll down the page to the actual playlist, you'll see the name of the piece and which grades performed them.

Gerber Chezney

Chezney insists that the tag in her jammies with the picture of the baby is a picture of her. She goes around showing us the gerber baby and saying "See Chezney?"

SNOW!

I have to say...this girl isn't so great at being photographed but this is one of my favorites ever!
Ethan will do anything for a picture....

Right here, Chezney was saying for the hundredth time: "Mom! It's on my eyes! It's on my eyes!"

And Mr. Cohen...who couldn't even touch snow last year...is bathing in it this year!