Christmas 2008

We had an amazing Christmas! The kids were so absolutely fun that it was indescribable. They were enamored on Christmas morning and couldn't hardly contain themselves. Tim and I relished every moment because we know that our days of magic are numbered. They had a great break from school, and I just can't believe how fast it went. I took advantage of not having to get up and get kids to school every morning. I am just not a morning person to say the least, so not having to get up every day was a real treat for me. There were so many events through Christmas that I don't know where to even begin.

The Thursday before school let out they both had parties in their classes. I knew that I would be spread thin from running back and forth, so I asked my wonderful sister to come help Claire with her Gingerbread house. She was excited to be a part of the action, and it made my day so much easier. Claire did 10x better with her than she ever would have with me, so it made the whole experience fun. The funniest thing is that neither one of them like to have their hands messy, and boy oh boy are gingerbread houses messy! Brock was funny at his party and came home buzzing from a sugar high. Can you tell why? The first family event happened on Monday before Christmas at my Mom's house. We had her whole family at her house and everyone had a great time until....about 20 people who were there got the stomach virus, a bad one. We were some of the lucky ones that actually escaped the agony which still surprises me since we always get those type of bugs.

Christmas morning was something that stories are written about for us. The kids were hilarious figuring out what all Santa had left for them and reading the letter he had written to them. Brock got a double pop-a-shot basketball game that Tim and I play as much as he does. But when you live on a hill like we do, there is not a good place for a true basketball goal. Claire got Bitty Baby Twins from American Girl that she really likes. She got a matching nightgown to their pajamas so that was fun. One of the bright spots for her was that she and I were wearing matching pajama pants. I had kept mine a surprise for Christmas morning and that really thrilled her. SO much fun.

After we had our family time on Christmas morning we went to my Mom & Dad's again for the Wood Family Christmas. It is always so much fun, even though the other kids are really getting so big. They help my kids get the most out of their presents. We had fun trying to take a group shot with the timer. If the lighting had been better we could have had a good one, but oh well.

Tim's family came the following Sunday afternoon. They got us some really cool gifts and we had a nice visit with them here. Amy came bearing her normal gifts that only an aunt would buy including a whoopee cushion and a can of peanuts with a springy thing that Brock thought was hilarious!

New Years Eve was a very fun time too! We had a blast over at the Bowman's house with the Chaffin's, McClain's playing Wii American Idol and watching the ball drop. Of course, we watched in at 11 on CNN, but hey it counts when you have a bunch of tired little people, and a few fuddy duds! I will have to steal some of Cortney's pictures to post on here. It was our kids first true experience on New Years and I think they are hooked. We will have to make it a tradition for sure!

One bad note is that my mom's Mom, Gran, took a spill on the 28th and broke her hip. She had surgery and repaired that good as new. She will stay in the rehab center a little while longer, but should be home again.

All in all it was a wonderful holiday and we can't wait to see what the 2009 year will bring. Craziness I am sure!

Fall Pictures

Claire 8 Yrs old

Brock 5.5 years old

Thanksgiving Pictures

Thanksgiving this year started with the annual lunch that they have at Baker. This year Heidi, Poppy, Sheila, Tim and I all got to go with the kids. It was great and we got a seat on the stage where there was a table big enough for all of us to sit. Trouble was that one of us (Brock) wasn't about to sit on stage when there was a room full of people to perform to. I don't think that he touched his plate the entire time. I was able to get some really cute family pictures.

I got this really cute one of Claire and Pops so of course I wanted to get a good one of Pops & Brock, but Brock had a mind of his own and I ended up with one of the funniest series of shots ever! Enjoy...

Brock wouldn't smile so..

Noone will smile this time

Thankfully we were able to get some good ones of the girls!

and even a family picture too!

Claire's class had a special presentation they did for guest which was really fun. They were willing to perform at a moments notice so we had them present to us before lunch, and they did awesome.

Andrew

Two years ago today, my good friend suffered a stroke that ultimately took his life. He was a good guy, a funny guy, a guy that should have lived a long, happy life. But he didn't, instead he lived a short life and impacted many young people along the way. Andrew was one of a kind and will always be missed. He is someone that I will tell my kids stories about and laugh at the funny things he did. I hate that he isn't around to hear Brock stories, because he would have LOVED Brock stories. His loss is sad, but he wasn't a person who had a great appreciation for sad. SO in honor of Andrew I want to keep this happy. Today, instead of being sad, I am going to list a top 5 favorite memories of Andrew!

#5 - Fighting with Andrew - He and I had some really great fights over the years!

#4 - His Hair - I knew Andrew for over 20 years and his hair never changed.

#3 - The fact that I still can't say the name Robert without saying "and Andrew". They will always be connected. Their friendship isn't confined to this world.
#2 - Basketball games our Sr. Year - Thanks Coach V for cutting him, it made my Sr. Year so much fun! Andrew was SUPER smart, extremely creative and very outspoken. He could infuriate an opposing team faster than anyone I have ever seen! Sitting by him at a ballgame was so much fun and just a little bit dangerous.

#1 - Andrew fighting with Mrs. Stholdrier (sp?)! This is one of my very favorite high school memories which says a lot because I have some fantastic memories. Only Andrew could have gotten away with that one!

My thoughts and prayers are with his family. They have been amazingly strong the past two years and he would be so proud of them. I know how much I miss him and I just can't fathom how deep their pain is facing the past two years without him.

Kelly's Kids Half Price Sale

Hey everyone, I have several things from my trunk that I am selling at half price. Email me if you are interested and I can tell you what I have in the size you are looking for! There is some really cute stuff left!

So What does your son draw in Art class?

Earlier this week Tim picked up the kids from school and brought them home (I was there with the AT&T Uverse guy). When they got to the house, I could tell by Tim's face that he was amused about something, but I could never have imagined what it was. I was asking the kids about their day and realized that Brock was getting a piece of paper out of his folder. He opened it up and showed me what he had drawn in art that day. I was looking at the paper and couldn't exactly tell what he had drawn so I said "That's neat Brocky, what is that?" His reply was not quite what I was expecting and he said "It's a bunch of BUTTS". Oh boy!

We've Been Busy!

Whew, things have been hectic around here so I have several things to blog about. Bear with me, this could get lengthy. I will start with the special dress up days that the kids have had at school.

Brock had 50's day to celebrate the 50th day of school. I called my Dad the night before and got my instructions on how to dress him. He looked so adorable. So adorable in fact that the little girls at school called him "hot". My FIVE year old! The result of that was that for several days after that we had to fix his hair "handsome". It was pretty funny!

Claire's class did a unit on Charlotte's Web which she loved. She knows that story inside and out! At the end of the unit they celebrated with Charlotte and Wilber Day. The kids all dressed up as their favorite character from the book, and Claire went as a very adorable Fern! We had her in overalls, two braids, and Cowgirl boots. One of the teachers brought some of the animals from her farm for the kids to see which Claire would have NOTHING to do with! She was not interested in getting anywhere near the horse, colt, cow, calf and there was no amount of coaxing her to get her over there.

Claire's I don't want to get near the animals face

Claire's they are not making me get near the animals face

A safe distance away

The girls in Claire's class

Halloween was so much fun this year! The kids were absolutely adorable and loved every minute of it. Claire was Pocahontas and looked so cute with her war-paint. Brock was the Red Power Ranger. He stayed in character for most of the night. I think he might have a future in acting. He sure enjoys entertaining people around him that is for sure! My nieces and Vanesa came over and ate some Chili and joined us on the hunt for excessive amounts of candy. Since our neighborhood is so hilly we put the kids in the back of Tim's truck and took them on a "Hayless Hayride" as the girls were putting it. We ended up picking up several of the neighborhood kids along the way which made the ride even more fun. We trick or treated for about 2 hours until both kids were asking to come home. (I didn't know that could happen!) It was a fun night and only made me more aware of how much fun I have with my kids (and nieces!).

We met up with a few school friends along the way too

It is so hard to believe it is already November! By the way... Happy Birthday Shannon King! I love you even though you still don't answer the phone, hope that you have had a great day!