A Merry Christmas it was!

Chistmas morning came way too early for me, after a late night of last minute wrapping and waiting for Hailey to finally fall asleep! But bright and early, I heard footsteps RUNNING into my room, Parker could barely contain his excitement! He'd peeked down the stairs and saw that Santa had left him his very own, pint-sized drum set! Needless to say, within 30 seconds the rest of the house was awakened by his very first drum solo! I think it may have woken a few neighbors as well! :) Yes, Santa must have thought that Parker was ready to pursue his musical talents with drums....after all, Daddy was a drummer. I just wish they came with a volume knob!!! hahahahaAfter a whirlwind of bows and paper, the gifts were opened and the playing began. The big boys got a Wii, so they were pretty much MIA the rest of the day. And Hailey was perfectly content playing with her new baby and Disney nursery set.

Thank you Santa for another job well done! We hope everyone's Christmas' were equally as Merry and that through it all, the true meaning of the season was able to reside inside everyone!

My favorite gift was having my college girl home for Christmas morning! I love that girl! And I know she'll be back to school before I know it :(

Thank you all for your cards and Christmas wishes. I hope you all had a beautiful holiday!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas...

Christmas came and went in a hurry! Doesn't it always seem to do that? Well, unfortunately for us, Hailey was feeling a little less Hailey than normal this Christmas Eve, she had a fever and a tummy ache and spent most of it curled up on the couch waiting for the Motrin to work. So needless to say, we missed Christmas Eve services at Canyon Ridge Christian church, which is sad because they always do such a great Christmas Eve program to help keep everyone in the right Christmas spirit:( But after a cool bath and some new Christmas jammies, everyone was feeling better, so we left cookies and milk for Santa on the fireplace and read Christmas stories in bed instead! It was a nice quiet evening at home with much anticipation for what Santa might leave us under the tree! Hailey is old enough now that she was sooooo excited, when I was trying to get her to sleep she kept getting frusterated with her lack of fatigue. She kept putting her hands over her eyes and saying "Stop it eyes! Go to sleep! Mom, they won't stay closed!" She cracks me right up! Thank goodness her eyes eventually cooperated and she finally fell asleep!

Snowballs

Here are some cute videos with Hailey playing in the snow with her daddy learning to make snowballs

Let it snow!!

I know Vegas and snow are not two words used together very often, but yesterday we had one heck of a snow storm blow through town - well more like, stay for 6 or 7 hours and then move on! We live in the far Northwest of the valley closer to the mountains, so whenever there's weather, we usually get more of it up here! And while most of the Las Vegas valley enjoyed a light dusting of the white stuff - we got dumped on!! By the time it was through with us we had upwards of 4 inches, on the ground! It was so much fun to play in! We put aside all chores yesterday and had a snow day! Parker and Hailey had a blast throwing snowballs, making snow angels and building their first snowman - sad as he was! It is so much fun to have snow - as long as it only comes around once every year or so!!! :) Oh, and I almost forgot the coolest part! Hailey and Rich were on the news! We were standing outside of a Starbucks showing her how to catch snowflakes on her tongue and local news crew was in the area interviewing people. They saw Hailey and came right over to say hi and see if they could put her on the news, well, she is adorable, but I'm just a little biased! She didn't really want anything to do with them at first, but once Daddy picked her up she was a total show off - catching snowflakes and saying they tasted like bubble gum! It was so cute to see her on TV - she was quite proud of herself! A star is born!

This is when we were in front of Starbucks when the news guys came over.

Going to Town at Garehime Heights

The other night, Parker's school (Garehime Elementary, a.k.a. Garehime Heights) hosted their fall festival, ushering in the holiday season. Parker and Hailey COULD NOT believe that Santa had time to come all the way to Parker's school! How great was that? Well, for Parker and Courtney it was great, Hailey decided she really didn't know why she was so excited about talking to him once we got her to his lap! This was the absolute best picture I could get of her with Santa without a completely disgusted look on her face! The only thing she would utter when Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas was "Derella" in a teeny, tiny whisper - Dad had to explain that that means Cinderella....her favorite princess of them all.

Parker, on the other hand, was so excited to tell Santa that all he wanted for Christmas was stacks and stacks of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards....hmmmm.

And of course Courtney doesn't want much - just a new cell phone, a lap top, a new bike and oh, some new shoes and clothes if it's not too much to ask! Dream on sister!:)

So, a great time was had by all once we put Santa in our rear view. It was onto the arts and crafts booths and then a game of Twister, played on the BIGGEST Twister mat I'd ever seen!!

Family Pics

Happy December everyone!! I just wanted to post some of the great family pictures we were able to get taken while Elissa was in town for the Thanksgiving holiday! I'm so grateful to all who helped get everyone together to take the shots...I was so worried it wasn't going to happen - it's so hard to get everyone together now that they're getting older :(
We had so much fun taking the pictures...thank you Elissa! We love and miss you and can't wait to see you at Christmas!!!

On Sunday, our family had the pleasure of attending the Retirement ceremony for my exceptional husband Rich, after 24 years of unfaltering and dedicated service to the US Navy. It was a beautiful and meaningful ceremony filled with traditions as old as the Navy itself. If you ever have the opportunity to attend one, I highly recommend it...it is a very moving experience.

My friend Leah and I spent the entire month of October and into November preparing every last little detail of the ceremony, and I have to say that it went off without a hitch. We had family from 2 different states make the drive into town to be a part of this monumentous event, and to those of you who could not make the trip, we fully understand and we appreciate your cards and phone calls.

I just want to take a minute to thank my husband for being who he is. He is probably one of the most honorable people I've been blessed to know. He has been a beacon to me and to our family. He is so patriotic and proud of this beautiful country in which we have been blessed to live, and watching him retire and "stand relieved of his watch" was a bitter sweet experience. I know he will miss the commeradery of his shipmates and the honor of wearing his Navy uniform in service of our country. I know closing that chapter of his life was hard, and I just want to thank him for giving us the opportunity to honor him with a ceremony. (no, he did not want one - but I insisted! I think he's kind of glad I did now.) I am so grateful that the Lord saw fit to bring our lives together. He always knows best!!

That said, I hope to have the pictures and videos of the ceremony soon, as I was trying to focus on the event itself and at the same time keep the kids somewhat quiet, I really didn't do much picture taking. But there were at least 4 other cameras going the entire time. So, I should soon have discs of the entire thing to share with you.

Congratulations babe!! It is all so well deserved!! You're the best!

Bowling with 6 year olds!!

Ok - I'm FINALLY getting pictures from Parker's birthday party up...I know, I know. But I've always lived my life better late than never!!
Rich and I, with the help of a couple of my bff's (because heaven knows I couldn't function without them!) took ten, yes I said 10!, 5 & 6 year olds bowling! To be honest, besides the noise, it was a lot of fun! They bowled their little hearts out! I'm sure the bowling alley had some new dents in the floor by the time we were done, but they had a good time making them!

I think that ball weighs more than Parker does!

Johnney's going for the wind up!!

And there's the release!!

Parker's trying to get some tips on form from Dillon.Hailey's turn!waiting....We're still waiting to find out if that ball ever did make it all the way to the pins!

Beautiful Boy...

Today is Parker's 6th birthday! I can't believe 6 years have passed so quickly, I remember the day he came into our lives like it was yesterday. In the short time that he has been in this world, he has blessed our lives so immensely, with his loving hugs, his beautiful smile, his sweet disposition and caring ways. I fell so completely in love with that little boy the first time I held him in my arms, and I have continued to love him more everyday. I am so thankful that he was sent to our family, so thankful that a wiser, higher power knew what was best for me, for all of us.
Happy Birthday Boo! We're so grateful to be your mommy and daddy and we love you with all of our hearts!

Ghosts and Goblins...

Parker and Hailey had a fun night knocking on doors and collecting their "treats". Poor Daddy had to work, so we hit the road, just the 3 of us, with some of our friends. Hailey and her little friend Becca were so adorable in their matching Cinderella dresses, riding in their daddy drawn carriage - (Becca's Daddy that is). And thank goodness Parker, I mean Optimus Prime, was there too keep us all safe from the bad guys! It was a fun, safe, night for all - well, except for Daddy...we missed you!

He's on Two Wheels!!!

Today Parker's Daddy took his training wheels off, and off he went!!! No wobbling or anything...he was up and down the sidewalk all afternoon!
Way to go Parker, you're growing up so fast!

The Great Pumpkin!

This weekend was our annual outing to one of the gazillion local "pumpkin patches"! Parker and Hailey had a great time in the petting zoo, sliding on the giant slide and being bounced high in the sky! Oh, and we got a couple of pumpkins too! I love the holidays!

My little sugar sitting with the "sugars"...
So cute!!
Parker and Hailey - she was pretty much ready to go!
Parker and his big brother...
The 4 of us sitting amongh the pumpkins...you wouldn't believe the hives I got from that bail of hay! Good thing I didn't grow up on a farm! :)