A December To Remember!

Oh my hell!!!! I should be beat!! I can't believe that I let myself get this far behind on my blog!!!  Never again!!  So I'm making up for lost time!!  Seriously!!! 

Christmas was great!!! How can Christmas not be great with kids!! It is magic, I love it!!  I love how you can almost see the vision they have of Christmas and Santa through their eyes! The excitement, the anticipation!!! There really isn't many things better!!! Joe came to our house again this year, he is one of the coolest traditions started in our family!! He creeps Tate out bad....... but he loves him still!  He is always a little relieved when he heads back to the North Pole!! He feels like he doesn't have to watch over his shoulder when he walks down the hall!!!  Now that it is February, i hope everyone else had a Merry Christmas too......oh....and Happy Valentines!!??!!! LOL!

 



Starting the month off with the tree!!  And since we are out of the baby stage we were able to set up Granny's train!! It was cool and bittersweet!!! It was also really loud... I'm sure that she was giggling in heaven, when Taylor and I were ready to crawl out of our skin!!





 

We made Candy!!!

 

 

We wrote important letters!!

 

 

We finally made it to Zoo Lights after 3 years of wanting to!!

WORTH IT!!!!

 

 

GG and Grandpa took us to Breakfast with Santa!! Fun!!! Food, crafts, cookies, and face painting....of course Whit had the whole place rolling with his pick of face paint!!!! Taylor said he looked just like Cody Demoss!!!

 

Christmas Eve with the cousins.....I am so happy that this happens...It means the world to my kids, and I love it too!!

 

 

We visited Grandpa Hopes!  Man I miss him!

 

 

And then it was here!! The chaos started!! 

 

 

 

Santa delivered!! The kids were all smiles!!  One of the best times of the year....hands down!! 

 

 

THE END!!

 

 

Party Hardy!!

We did A LOT of decorating this year!!! Trains.... Trees.... Sleighs, you name it we frosted it!! It was fun!! I would love to have a small stock in Christmas candy!  We bought enough for an army just to decorate with...but worth every penny!! 

The Larsen's came over for a little pizza and decorating too!!  Jaysten won the prize for most creative, his Santa was diving off a diving board!!! Geniuses!!!

 

If you want to be entertained you should show up at the Hopes Family Christmas Party!!  There is always some serious fun!!  I love seeing the little cousins play! It takes me back to being a kid, and going to my grandparents on Christmas Eve!! Eating shrimp, and sorting presents!!  You can see where we all get our sense of adventure....Hopes never disappoints on the fun factor!! She is always up for anything!! She was our snowman.....we won!!

 

 

Heaven help me!!! My kids LOVE Toni!!!! WTH!!!  No just kidding...with good reason, what is not to love, she's the best!! She's a spoiler, and kid herself.  My kids think she rocks!!! But I'd be lying if I said this picture didn't worry me just a little!!!!;) LOL!!

 

Garwee & Pee Pa's

Christmas wouldn't be the same now if we didn't have a party at Garwee's and Pee Paw Scott's!!!  The kids get to tell Santa what is on their list, and share presents with eachother!!  It was extra good this year, we had Lucy to celebrate with!! We ate, we decorated Christmas trees!! Good times!!  Thanks Scott and Robyn!!! We love you guys!!!

 

 

Happy 4th Whit & Reese~~~

Hard to believe they are 4.  Sad that the babiness is over ar our house, but excited for all the fun that come along getting a little bigger!!!  These two are hilarious, you just never know, and that is what makes them both so fun!  I'm grateful beyond words every time this year, that we are where we are with these two!!  Happy Happy Birthday kiddo's!!  We love you to the moon!!!

 

 

We started the big day at 5:50 that morning!!!! They got Innotabs, they call them IPADS, but whatever!

 

Tate got them each their own snake! He has wanted to get them one since last year, and they totally loved them!

 

 

The little stinkers changed their minds 50 times on the cakes...a day before Whit said he wanted a GOAT!!  What the heck!!! But ended up picking a horse like his original plan!

 

 

The rope and rope glove from Aunt Laur, and Uncle Buck took the prize!!! The glove was the best thing ever to Whit!

 

 

Lots of great family!!

 

 

Happy Happy Birthday!!

 

Reflections Contest 2012~!

 

We are so proud of you Tate!! Your entry was awesome!!! You worked your little heart out on your first reflections contest!!!!  GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!   

 

 

 

A Damn Sap!

 

 

So, I am pretty sure I have some kind of syndrome or something.   It is not life threatening, but very embarrassing.  It happens quite a bit and I hate it!!  Parent/teacher conferences were this past week , and  I love going, I also have a little dread about the damn appointment.  And it's not just parent/teachers that symptoms occur, it happens on other occasions too, because I  CANNOT have someone talk to me about the progress of my kid without CRYING!!!! 

 

It seriously is so embarrassing!!!! Anytime someone tells me something about the kids, I get all sentimental!   We go in and sit down in Tate's class, and the second Mrs. Urrutia  starts talking about him, I get all teary eyed and choked up.  I don't  want to tear up every time someone tells me something good about my kids, but I don't  have the ability to hold back the quivering lip, the big gulp, and the tears!!!  It really is embarrassing!!!  I had to tell the poor teacher before she even started that I am a damn sap, I can't help the emotions!! It just takes over!!  The poor people I am talking with don't know what to do, hand me a tissue, give me a hug, or just give me a look like why in the hell are you crying!!!!
 

The tears are not sad,  they're the polar opposite. They're  tears of  pride, and happiness, and this unbelievable sense of gratitude for getting these 3 little munchkins in my life!!!   But for hell's sake I can't cry EVERY TIME!!!   I feel those things all day everyday, so I don't get why I have to get so choked up in situations like this!!!   I have got to be able to pull it together!! I need to be able to talk back, not just nod and smile!!!!!  It makes me so frustrated!!!!!  I have things I want to say back, but I can't!!!!!lol!
Really ......I hope I gow out of this ......I hope one day I can sit down and smile, and have a two sided conversation in a school situation without feeling like I have to swallow big every 5 seconds, and wear waterproof mascara!!!

 



Halloween Hangover!

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We totally have Halloween hangover around here!!! Cally and I have decided that it should be some sort of rule that Halloween fall on the last Saturday in October!!! Whoever decided that it could fall on a school night did not have little monsters of their own!!!!  All I could think about today were those poor poor teachers!! LOL!! 

None the less it was a month of fun, topped off with the annual Halloween party at GG and Grandpa's!!! Their house is always a hit!!!  Full of yummy food, treats, and the most generous trick or treat bags on the block!!!!   I love seeing the costumes, people are so creative!!!  My kids had a blast with Brinlee and Rago, the entire Larsen family.... Shelly, Avery and my man Owen!!!  Lots more came, and I hope a great time was had by all!!! Until next Halloween....... I think I already have our costumes dreamed up!!!!

 Mrs. Aimee and Mrs. Charlee

The twins and their class sang songs to us and trick or treated us!!! So cute!!

 

I got to help in Tate's class with these cute Frankensteins!!!

Scariest skeleton ever!!!

 

 

Petunia!!

 

 

Whit was in heaven...his good buddy Stetson came to GG's and Grandpa's......and he was a cowboy too!!!!! They had a blast!!!! Whit did not want him to leave!

 

 

My spooks!!

 

 

My 5 little monsters!!!

 

 

The CUTEST bumble bee you've ever seen!!!! and her handsome cowboy brother!!!

I LOVE THESE TWO!!!!

I would keep them if I could!!!!

 

 

Part of the gang!! ( I'm bummed the Carson kids aren't in this one)!!

Kiezek, Jaysten, Myliee, Stetson, Tate, Whit, Reese, Avery, Owen, and Sienna!!

 

 

These eyes attached to this little boy....have the Taylor and Jorgenson households smitten!!!