The Reason for the Season

My favorite & the best part of Christmas....the birth of Jesus. I love explaining & telling the story of Jesus's birthday to my kids. My kids are at the age where their minds are like sponges. They adsorb every detail & ask every question. However, I don't think they can grasp it all! So, it all became surreal to them when I took them to Bethlehem at a church nearby. Our good friends were Mary & Joseph, along with their precious baby Logan- she was baby Jesus. Inside the church they had it set up like Bethlehem. You could walk to about 10 different stations each showing the kids different things, like baking bread, making olive oil, making a broom, candles & the lay out of the manger with baby Jesus in it. It was breath taking!

Decorating cookies!

Another tradition we do around Christmas time is decorate cookies with the cousins! This is the time everyone gets doughy & all sprinkled up!! I also think it gets a lot more messy too! Oh well, it is so much fun to eat while you work! Lilly would have a little bit taken out of her cookie- a trademark for her. Brock seems to lick in between every icing & sprinkle decor- thank goodness we are family! Bryce, Hayden & Kayla are what you would call the sterilized cookie makers. Very clean & perfectionist!

Bryce using his cookie cutters.

Lilly pressing down really hard to get her sled shape.

Kayla making her cookies- so cleanly!!

Hayden getting started!

Brock eating as he goes!

Lilly a little messy. Actually, she looked like a big flour pot. If you think she looks messy, you should have seen where she was sitting?!?!

Bryce, like his sister, bathed in it!

What a great time we had- thanks Hayden & Kayla, can't wait till next year! However, my kitchen can!!!haha

The kids special ornament

One of our favorite things to do at Christmas time is to decorate the Christmas tree. The whole family participates & the kids seem to look forward to doing it every year!

Bryce adding his favorite Storm Trooper ornament!
Brock with one of the TMNT!

Lilly loves her "Max" ornament, it is a German Shepherd!

The whole gang having their second wind of the giggles. Every time the other one speaks, they all crack up at each other! Bunch of goof balls!

Our new addition

We have added 2 new additions to our family!! Lilly has 2 new kittens. There names are Rex(dark) & Rocky(wht & brown). They are so lovable, playful & most of all so full of energy. Like Shane & I don't have enough energizer bunnies around the house!! Lilly's specialists gave us the "Okay" upon getting the kittens. Lilly has had less than 5 breathing treatments in the year of 2008. God is healing her lungs everyday. The doctors always told us that Lilly just needs time to grow new lung tissue.... it is working. Once again we have time on our side, everyday, every hour, every minute & every second!!! Thank you God for inhibiting the growth of new lung tissue & letting Lilly fill her little clean, air sacs up with fresh air!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Long Update!!

Here is the start so bare with me thru this very long update......

Here are some pictures from our Sea World trip.



Bryce & Brock love feeding & petting the dolphins. Lilly, well you can see where her hands are.

Lilly can still touch her bottom with her head. She is still very flexible (wish I was).

Two peas in a pod- My sweet Bryce & precious Lilly

Look at those DIMPLES..... Brock had a great time feeding the ready-to-eat, all the time, birds.

On the other hand, Lilly wasn't to eager to touch or much less, let them touch her.

You can always count on charmer Bryce..... The bird just flew right on top of his head. Poor Bryce put a smile on, but was asking me constantly if the bird was going to poop in his hair!

The whole gang actually looking all the same way. You can't imagine how difficult it is to try & get everyone to look the same way, all eyes open, smiling & not pulling away from you! Amazing!!

Lilly with her Prince Charming..... Daddy!

The kids showing off their smores they made at the hotel campfire. They were messy, but boy were they worth it!

Here is the class project I made for Brock's class to auction off at there fall festival. All the hand prints I made into zebra's. It was darling & a lot of fun. It went up to $100. YEAH!

Bryce learned how to ride his bike w/o training wheels. Yeah Bryce, you did it(before you were 6yrs)!

There goes my BIG boy! Great job!

Halloween pictures:

Brock was Janga Fett

Bryce was Boba Fett

and Lilly was Goldilocks & the Three Bears(thought it suited her well, since she already has the goldilocks).

Sneaking a piece of candy!

We had a little get together with Shane's partners kids(Lilly's boyfriend, "Marshall") & cousins, Hayden & Kayla. Too much fun, along with CANDY! They still have buckets of candy left....it is almost December?!?!

Celebrating Brock's great season with soccer(he turned out to be quite a soccer player).

All he could think & talk about was getting a trophy like big brother Bryce. Now, he has a well earned trophy, that he keeps on his nightstand(doesn't let it go to far from him). Congrats Sweetie!

Bryce played a major role in his school play for Thanksgiving- He was the chief, the class had to repeat after Bryce's performance of memorized words. You did a fabulous job Bryce(lot of responsibility for being a Kindergartner).
Such a sweetheart!

Bryce's class

On the same day of Bryce's Thanksgiving play at school, it was actually Bryce's 6th Birthday! Shane & I had planned a surprise b-day party for him w/ 6 of his really good friends. Here is a picture of them hiding before Bryce arrived. We were all ready to jump out & say surprise!

SURPRISE BRYCE!!

He had a stunned look on his face at first........ not sure what to think. He was then, just thrilled to have all of his friends at his house to eat pizza, cake & accompany him to see the new movie, "Bolt". We had a great time & all the kids did fanaminal(we were a little worried about taking more than a van full-)haha. Yes, Shane & I traded in the Expedition & I have a new Honda mini van. I love it- hands down the best car I have ever owned & driven. So, I guess I am officially a soccer mom- feel blessed to be one!

When the party was over I was a little sad to think how fast Bryce is growing up. He is now in Kindergarten & I feel like I just brought him home from the hospital. I can even feel/remember the emptiness I felt leaving the hospital w/o him. I am afraid to blink, because of how time flies.

Bryce today is very well manned, has a heart full of compassion & love, unselfishness, carries generosity & is an everyday joy in our lives. His teacher describes Bryce as the kind of kid you want the whole class full of. We are super proud of you Bryce & the milestones you have accomplished in your life.

Everyone chowing down! Bryce was so busy, he didn't even take his jacket off!

Storm Trooper cupcakes.

Bryce opening up his gifts(still wearing his jacket).

After a busy Friday, following more parties on Saturday, we celebrated Brock's 4th Birthday party at Cypress Academy of Gymnastics. It is one of the best places to have a party. The coaches were so full of energy(something you need for fifteen 4yr. olds) & they both came with a great sense of humor(something you also need). I will have to say, the kids all looked wiped out when they felt.

Here is the Birthday boy, Brock!!!

Lilly loving the "pit"

Bryce also having a great time.

The party crew.

On Tuesday, we had both Brock & Lilly's school feasts.

Here is Lilly wearing her shirt she & her classmates made. Darling!

Here is Brock by his good friend, Grant(every Grant I know is just a cutie). Love those dimples!

So, on Wed. I went to pick Bryce up & well........this is what he was wearing. So, I had to dig for my camera & take a picture of my little Indian.

As you can all see how fast paced our lives our.....

Shane is still working with the HPD CRU division. He totally loves his job, but not more than the kids & I(we love to hear the cool stories). Bryce wants to know how many people he put in jail & Brock wants Shane to shoot them, instead of taking them to jail. Funny how their little minds work!

As for me...I stay busy with the kids schedules, making bows & more bows & have decided in the mist of all this to go back to school. Yes, that's right mommy will be going to school too! I am finishing up my teaching degree. I am nervous, since I have been out for 6yrs, but feel confident w/ all the support. However, I don't even think I have another extra hook to hang my backpack?!?! Bryce said, "Mommy we can buy you a new backpack & have your name put on it"(all the kids names are monogrammed on their backpacks). Then, Brock stated, "Mom, Mom you can just use my Transformer one". What would I do w/o my precious boys?

I hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving & lots of reasons to be thankful. I know I have a list going out the door.

Promise not to go so long w/o an update.