Online Courses

Last fall I decided to take a couple online courses at the local college here (just you know so my brain doesn't turn to mush because the majority of its stimulation is playhouse disney) Online courses are great. You're pretty much guaranteed full marks on assignments or close to it if you like put forth any sort of intellectual effort at all. So I'm pretty happy to say I got an A- in Anthropology and an A in Sociology. Although I don't know if that just means I made a semi-intellectual attempt at doing the work or if I actually retained any information and learned the material. Looking forward to next semester in which I am taking Psychology (again), and a drug, lifestyle course. Hmmm....should be interesting.

New Year's non-resolutions

New Year's resolutions are kinda stupid. Really....who ever keeps them? After 2 weeks or so they're forgotten. Resolutions should be made all year round to improve upon one's life and family. I mean ofcourse there are things you wanna start doing differently with the start of the new year. I'm trying to resolve to start working out, try to get less frustrated with my children, be more at peace with myself, make a lot of money from a mobile programm application that I am going to MAKE Danny do :), get a second car. Progress is an ongoing thing though. So I'm not against New Year's resolutions just not for them but I am soooooo! looking forward to 2010!! Welcome welcome New Year!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

Well my baby is one. I can't believe what a little angel she is. Seriously she is like the best baby in the world (apart from the sleeping thing :)) During the day she practically sleeps like clockwork and when she's awake she just plays so good and if we take her anywhere she is better than gold. You have no idea how good this baby is!! I love you so much little girl. I am honored that you have graced us with your presence for a year and look so forward to many more years with you. Sometimes I honestly don't know why I am so blessed to have such a sweet little angel but I promise to love you with every fiber of my being forever and ever and do everything I can to take care of you and teach you to be a good person.
I gotta say how cute you were on your birthday! You knew something was up....you sharp little thing. You loved your cacke and attacked it! I put you down at about 8 but you didn't really go to sleep and started kinda fussing at 9 so I got you up and you just sat on your dad's lap making funny faces and laughing and knowing it was your special day and pigging out on marshmellows and banana, just being unbelievably incredibly unknowingly the cuteness and preciousness that you are. I love love love you beyond belief!!!!







The afternoon of Emma's birthday her brother and sister helped me with her Polar Express Cake (Ethan decorated the secoond car and the steam puffs all by himself...Aria did a few puffs but mostly ate :))

Christmas Day

Kids absolutely make Christmas!! What a joy it is to see the excitement! (although I need to work on not being so uptight about getting good pictures and videotape and having things organized because organized and kids on Christmas morning just don't go together!) The kids were up at 630 and we had everything including stockings opened by 710. It was like a fury of unwrapping. Ofcoarse I forgot to take some still pics. again cause we videotaped it but I took some afterward. I think Ethan's favorite from Santa was his kitchen. I just hope he has the same enthusiasm for cooking when he's 16! Aria got her pink bear and snowglobe that she wanted so much along with a singing magenta, some tinkertoys (which I think Ethan likes more) and some curious george puzzles. She's getting just as good as Ethan is at putting puzzles together. She's such a sharp little thing! Santa brought Emma a big brown bear (bigger than she is) She loves rubbing her face in soft things. She is such a cutie! They also got a bunch of other fun things including a WII for the family. (it'll probably take us a month to figure it out but it should be fun!) Danny got his big wrench so he can finally fix my bathroom faucets that drip and drive me crazy at night. And I got a food dehydrater that I'm really excited to use! This year we did the angel tree for 4 kids in a family. It was fun to shop for all the clothes and a few toys for people you don't know although next time I think it would be a better idea to break it up and not shop for all 4 at once! :) It feeld good to give to others. We are truly grateful for all the help we received during our "dark days" but are so grateful things are looking SO up and that we are now on the giving end. :) Hope everyone had a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a will have a super duper New Years! Looking forward to a bright and happy New Year! Love to all!

Semi-decent Christmas pics.

Each year for the past few years we get dressed up one day in dec. and take some family pics. (it's just too expensive to get professional ones) I think we do an ok job. (maybe next year we'll have a better camera) But boy oh boy I have the best lookin' kids :)

Christmas Eve

This year we started Chrsitmas Eve off with a yummy breakfast at IHOP. (gingerbread pancakes.....holy moly just like candy....deeelicious! hope they have em next year)Took us some doing to get there but we finally made it and the kids had a good time, they were so exicted for Santa. It was such a beautiful day out that when we got home and Emma layed down we went to the park to play on the "slippery slide". (No we didn't leave her home alone Danny stayed. We've only done that once ;) wink wink)
For the rest of the afternoon we just sat around, watched a muppet Christmas carol and relaxed. It seems like no matter how hard I try not to go out on Christmas Eve I always end up doing it (not for gifts thankefully cause its a mad house but for groceries) The kids had their special pizza dinner (thanks to kid cuisine :)) and mom and dad had their yummy fondue! Brocolli and hollandaise....oh yeah!! Once the kids were in bed Santa came and left all kinds of presents and filled their stockings. Danny and I also set up an art area for the kids downstairs. Then we capped the night off with the Christmas classic A Christmas Carol. What fun to see the kids in the morning!





When I was younger we always got a new pair of Christmas pajams on Christmas Eve and I always looked forward to my new pajamas....another tradition starting this year....the kids all got a new set of pajamas




I think Santa went a little overboard this year!

Holiday fun!

I always try to do some fun activities in dec. with the kids. (there's never enough time!) There's so many cute little crafts and things to do with kids dec. needs to be longer! We did make our window clingies which we make all year round. They are so fun...I think I enjoy them more than the kids :) We also painted some Christmas pots and made a Christmas collage for the front door. This year we bought one of those gingerbread kits to try (as I picked it up I heard someone say "ya those are cute, but they never work out). Yep didn't quite work out....almost though! the roof just kept slipping cause it was to heavy (probably from all the icing and candy we heaped on :)) Anyways it was fun. We'll probably do that every year as I'm certainly not ambitious enough to make my own gingerbread house. :) Ethan's kindergarden class made little graham cracker houses (which I ALWAYS did when I was a kid....I think my mom has made about a thousand of those) Then of course we had to do the sugar cookies. Well actually this was the first year (cause I couldn't find my cookie cutters that I purposefully put in a place so I wouldn't lose them :)) It was fun and will definately be a tradition. The kids really enjoyed decorating them with their smarties and m&ms. Ethan, Aria and I enjoyed taking a few "night walks" around the neighborhood to see the lights and we did make it downtown to see the lights (with only one fit near the end....not bad for the first time) but boy was it cold the night we went!! There's always so much more you wanna do before Christmas.....there's always next year!!