Happy New Year

Many wishes of a Happy and Healthy 2009! This was an amazing year. I have been reflecting on it all day. We have grown so much, accomplished so much and loved almost every minute of it! Pumpkin started school, Critter turned one, Hubby got a new assignment at work, I picked up my pace with photography; we have had a great year. I have two happy and healthy children. I have a life that I adore. I have wonderful family and friends. I love taking a moment at the end of a year to reflect on all that has occured during the year. I think that if you can look back and see the good and what has come of the not so good, then the new year is off to a great start. Especially with all that is going on in the world these days, our little family has it pretty good.

I am looking forward to 2009. I can see there being many new adventures in our lives. We have trips planned, a new class for Critter (yeah for him!), more school for Pumpkin and more things that I don't even know about yet. I hope that in this next year I will be able to slow down enough to enjoy all that our lives bring us. I hope that I have the courage to continue pursuing my photography in a slightly more open way. I hope that our family can strive for balance between work, friends, family and ourselves. I hope that each and every day my children go to bed knowing how much they are loved by so many. So, I guess these would be my "resolutions". I don't have anything that I am setting in concrete. My main goal of running a 1/2 marathon was met two years ago and will be met again in 3 weeks (yikes!). But, I see 2009 as a time for our family to remember what is important to us.

So, to end 2008....thank you to all our friends and family out there. We love you and appreciate all you do for us. Thank you to our friends who had us over tonight. It was the perfect way to end the year, being around people who love us and appreciate our craziness :) May this end of the year bring you peace and contentment in your hearts. May this new year bring a road of newness and happiness to your lives. We love you.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas at our home. It was filled with lots of love, food, presents, friends and family. We hope you enjoyed your day as well. The kids really enjoyed the day this year. Both kids are blessed by the people who love them. This is the kids before church, looking all clean and nice!
It is not Christmas without leaving cookies and a carrot out for Santa!

I have a tradition of having them wear matching pj's. Hopefully when they are older they will still humor me! Critter thought the game of the day was climbing all the presents!

Unwrapping presents is more fun when you get to sample the wrapping paper! Pumpkin actually really helped this year with handing out presents. She knows what her name and Critter's name look like, so she divided the pile for us.

She received this princess hat from one of my aunt's. It was on her head ALL day! It was hard to break it to her that she could not wear it to bed!

He did not keep this on for long, but he let me take a picture! Such a dapper young man...

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Sights of our season

This holiday season has been exceptionally fun for our family. It seems since Pumpkin is older she understands more about traditions and the meaning behind the season. She knows and understands that this season is not only about Santa, but also about focusing on the good and about the birthday of Jesus. I like that there is a balance in our home with this. I think I have gone a little overboard on activities this year, but they have all been worth it. Here is a snip it of what has been keeping us busy!

Nanny brought over a really neat gingerbread house to make. It is a creation of great love and skill. Pumpkin put each piece on with love and care. I love that it is our centerpiece next to our advent wreath.

This was Critter's first time with the man in the red suit. This is also the first picture we have of Pumpkin even close to him. Usually she gets about 4 feet away and then freaks out! We went to a little festival in our downtown. They had a parade and were lighting a tree made of tumbleweeds. We did not stay that late though, would have been MAJOR meltdown time for Critter. So, we went and saw the big man and then walked around. Pumpkin got a kick out of seeing the hotel where her daddy and mommy celebrated their wedding.

Only in Arizona (well, maybe somewhere else in the southwest as well) can you see a tree of Tumbleweeds decorated for Christmas. It sparkles in the sunlight and is really unique and beautiful.

Pumpkin was dressed up to go see the Nutcracker with Nanny and Papa. They like to take her somewhere special for a show around the holidays. She is always so excited. She has been dancing around like a dancer since she went. (I needed a new tree skirt this year and found this one! I just love it! It makes me smile every time I look at the tree. Such a perfect message...I Believe!

It has been so much fun around here this month. We have also been counting down the days with a fun advent calendar. Pumpkin gets to open a box each night after dinner. Also, before bed she tears off a piece of her paper chain in her room. She is now counting the number of pieces left and is getting more excited. We also baked cookies and fudge to bring to our neighbors and friends. I can not go a Christmas without making my Nanny's fudge. It just makes the holiday for me. So...we have been busy enjoying the days. Critter loves the tree and decorations. He walks up to them and points until we tell him what he is looking at. This has been a busy but wonderful season. I can not wait to see what Thursday is like! Hope you have been enjoying your own holiday traditions and what this time of year means to you :)

The reason for my smiles

We have been mighty busy this holiday season. A post will be coming on all of that. However, today was a special day for our Pumpkin. Today was her first "performance" at school. The parents were invited today to see our kids do their show. I had to put some snipits on here. She had so much fun. All week she has been talking about today. But, she has not said much since the teacher told them to have it be a surprise for all of us. They finished the day with giving us parents little presents. They made us picture frames, gingerbread ornaments and candy cane ornaments. I had to indulge my mommy bragging rights with this post. She was just so stinking adorable with her class. Hope this lifts your spirits like it did mine. Happy Holidays!

Okay, I had to do one more. The kids were just so darn cute!

One year already

Dear Son~

You are now one year old. I have been trying to wrap my brain around this fact for a few days. I could not write this on your birthday. You have brought so much to my life. Even though I was already a mommy when you came into this world, you have made me a better one. Before you were born, I did not know how I could love another child like I love your sister. Now I understand. You are my boy. You entered this world and nothing has been the same since. You are now walking around this house, tormenting your sister, laughing at the simple things and loving the big wet kisses you give everyone. You even have learned how to make the kiss noise when you want a kiss. Your latest cute act is shaking your head vigorously when you do not want something. You are apparently taking after your sister with the whole independent streak.

I really can not believe that a full year has gone by since you were born. You are such an amazing little boy. I love when you give hugs and pat us on the arm. I love how you play peek a boo with your towel after your bath. I love how you play shy with people and hide your face and then light up with a smile. You are trying desperately to talk to us. Your loving sister loves to talk for you, yet she is trying to teach you how to say words. You already love so deeply.

It is an amazing thing to be your mommy. It has been an adventurous year. You have grown so much and have brought so much to our lives. I adore you. I am excited to see what you learn next and what you teach me next. I love my baby boy. Happy Birthday!

Love~

Your mommy

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends. We love you and hope you have much to be thankful for today. Our day has been filled with laughter, lots of food and now many naps! I am so thankful for all the blessings in my life. Happy Thankgiving to all.

Adventure

We have been having quite an adventure in our house the past few days. Mainly the after-effects of a momma who was out of commission for a few days. We have been finding our balance and routine again. Both mine and the kids! I realized that I am behind schedule on some of my holiday items. Mostly my Christmas cards. I have made my cards for the past few years. I have come to admit that this year, there is simply not enough time to make the amount of cards that I need to. So...we will be doing a photo card this year. That meant I needed to get some cute pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits. Everyone (including me) was in a great mood after dinner. So, we went to the park up the road and I started just snapping away at the kids. Critter was not sure what to do with the lush green grass and Pumpkin was in a Princess-posing mood. I have to tell you, it made for some cute pictures. So, I had to post some here. I don't believe any of these will make it on the card, so those will still be a surprise!

He just loves her!
He is SO not sure about the grass or the new shoes

My little ham

He just loved to follow her around whether she was holding his hand...

Or running away!

I love how it looks like they are running together in this one. Critter is good at walking now, just not THAT good!

This was all her, not me posing her!

He is loving the ability to walk where he wants to, still not sure about his new shoes though.

Smiles

Hubby has been able to spend extra time with the kids lately because I have been sick and had a decent amount of photo shoots. (On that note, check out my new photography blog, the link is listed on the right of the page!). The kids have been LOVING daddy time. Their favorite thing lately is flying with him. He has been getting quite a workout throwing these two in the air. It reminds me of when I was little and my dad did this to me. Luckily for them, our ceiling is a little bit higher than ours when I was a kid! :) Thank you Hubby for helping me out so much lately. I love you....

I LOVE the huge smile on his face here!

Can you say crazy hair!

Thankfully she does not ask me to do this. Even with carrying around Critter, my arms and back are not strong enough to throw her in the air like daddy. Guess it can be a special thing for them! :)

Love

This just makes me smile....

The love they have for each other amazes me each day. I don't know if there are many sounds sweeter to my ears than these belly laughs!

Two dear friends

Happy Birthday Aunt B and Auntie C. We are beyond thankful that you two are in our lives.

B~Thank you for your friendship. You are an amazingly caring, understanding, loving and determined woman. You are an extraordinary friend, sister, daughter, mother and wife. My family is better because you are in our lives. I love that you are called Aunt by my children and godmother to my son. I feel blessed that we have gotten closer over the past few years and I can not imagine life without you as a friend. Enjoy your 30th!

C~Thank YOU for your friendship as well. It has been amazing getting to know you better over the past few years. You are someone I admire. You have such inner strength, beauty and love for those around you. You feel your emotions with all that you posses. My children and I are better people for having you in our lives. I feel blessed to call you friend and my children call you Auntie. You are an amazing woman. Enjoy your 30th!

Thank you both for all you bring to the lives surrounding you. We love you. Happy 30th Birthdays! Hope you can take a moment and realize all you have done with your lives and all that is to come!

Halloween Fun

We hope you had a wonderfully fun, safe and spooky Halloween! We sure had a busy day around here. In the morning we went to the park and hung out with my MOMS club friends. After both kids then took long naps, baths and had a healthy dinner, we went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. We only hit a few houses because most were not even handing out candy! Times have changed since I was growing up. Anyway, getting off track....we then went over to our good friend's moms house for a little party. A huge thank you to them for having us be the tag-along part of the family! It made the night much more fun for us. This was the first year since Pumpkin was born that Hubby had to work on Halloween. I made sure I got the kids dressed before he left for work, so at least he could see them. By being able to hang out with our extended family :) it made the night a little less gloomy for me!

Pumpkin chose her costume again this year. It was funny, she talked about being either Belle or Sleeping Beauty for DAYS before going to the store. When we got there, immediately she said she wanted Minnie Mouse. Now, as the practical mother, I questioned her for 15 minutes before I purchased it. She was quite funny though. She kept telling me "I know I said I wanted Belle or Aurora, but I changed my mind. It is okay to change my mind. I want Minnie Mouse". I just love conversations with her. Now, I had two costumes for Critter. I really wanted him to wear Pumpkins first real costume, which was Tigger. I tried it on him a month ago, and it was a tight fit. The way that kid grows I had no idea if it would fit for Halloween, so I got a back up costume of a cow. They both ended up fitting. So...he got to wear Tigger to the park and the Cow for trick-or-treating. Amazingly enough he did not mind the hood at all.

It was a great night. They both had a blast with all their friends. Thank you to all who made our day such a fun time!

He was loving the swing, especially with Pumpkin pushing!
Minnie at the park

I know I am biased, but I think he is the cutest little boy Tigger (I can't say cutest kid as Tigger because Pumpkin was the cutest little girl Tigger!)

I am still in shock that I got them both to sit, smile and look at me near their pumpkins.

My girl was still shy this year. I got her to say thank you at every house, just not trick-or-treat. Maybe next year!

My cute cow!

Yes, my friends got ME to dress up. I would not do this for anyone you know! Also, yes I know it is not my team. I did not have a jersey for the Cubs or Red Sox, don't yell at me family! This jersey was actually Hubby's from when he was about 7. I can not believe it fit me!

Can you tell by the glazed over look that it was about 2 hours PAST bedtime! She loved every part of this costume so much that she wanted to sleep in it. I did not think sleeping in tights was that smart of an idea though. I know...mean mommy!

It was about 3 hours past little guy's bedtime too. Yet, he was still having fun! Man both kids slept great last night. I wish that happened every night. As I say that, Pumpkin is still awake, wondering what I am doing even though I put her to bed over an hour ago. Gotta love the day after a fun one!

More picture catching up

It has been so nice in the afternoons and mornings we have been spending lots of time outside. Since someone was a very lucky girl on her birthday she has lots of new things to play with outside. Critter just hangs out in the stroller and I get to sit and enjoy watching my girl play. I also get in there and color a little on the ground, I don't know many people who can pass up some fun chalk! We have had so much fun going on in the past week. I have lots to catch up on, at least here is the beginning. Hope you are enjoying the weather! :)

Thank you Auntie C for the awesome scooter! Pumpkin loves it. It even matches her bike helmet!I know this is a strange picture. But...Critter loves to stick his leg up like this when he is in the stroller. I guess he is just relaxing to the fullest.

I love this picture of her. She was racing back and forth with a pretend friend and then they had to stop and take a break. She just stood like this for a minute and was off again. I love their imaginations!

What better way to play outside than with a prefectly sparkly pink necklace!

Don't interupt my snack Mom!

Our driveway has been covered with all sorts of animals...I love it when the weather cools off for this fun stuff.

He can't wait to get in the action with sister. Right now chalk is not really part of the diet though!

Late but....

better than never! I am finally getting around to transfering some pictures of Pumpkin's birthday party to this computer so I could upload them. We really need to connect the internet on my laptop! It was such a great day spent with amazing friends and family. Thank you all who helped make our girls day so special. I got her this really cool 5 ft. princess sign for the house. Now I know I can think, but really 5 ft. is bigger than you think it is! Pumpkin loved it. I had to take a picture of her posing next to each of the princesses. I love my little tomboy princess!

Thank you KeeKee for making the last 3 birthdays for our girl SO much fun. You have truly made them memorable!
I had to sneak a pic of Critter in here. He LOVED walking with Daddy on the big trampoline. He thought it was so funny!

This was the time when they threw those blocks at the parents. Hubby and I tried to hide from her, but she ran out of the foam pit to find us and throw the blocks.

Not only is the cake good, but so is ALL the icing on the bottom of the princesses dress. Sugar high anyone?

It was neat for me to see her loving this Kaliedoscope because I collected them as a little girl. Now she can start one too. It brought back so many memories!