Happy New Year!!!

We have just finished our New Years Eve meal chosen by the kids (chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit) and one of our favorite desserts, chocolate fondue-YUM!
 Then it was onto family games.  We have played a dice racing game (Colby's choice), a marathon game of Uno Attack, and are now going down to karaoke on the Wii before we get the kids to bed.  A great night, such fun!  We wish you all a happy and healthy 2010!  Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  We are having our traditional Christmas Day; kids in their jammies all day playing with new toys, games, and puzzles, french toast casserole for breakfast, lasagna for dinner, and rest and relaxation!!!  We hope everyone is having a very Merry Christmas!

Letters to Santa

Here is the children's letter to Santa this year...written by CC...

Dear Santa,
I can't wait for Christmas.  It's my favorite holiday.  I love all the food and happiness, but Colby and Brayden can't wait for their presents!  Brayden says he really wants a blue camera and a 2-wheel scooter.  He also wants a webkinz to put on the computer.  The last thing he want is something to paint your car.  He called it a paint your car thing, but no one knows what it actually is.  Colby wants a snowboard that he can ride  down the front hill.  He also wants juggling balls and Lincoln logs.  The last thing he want is a 3-lane Super Speedway.  I don't know what it is but is sounds like something he would really want.  Jess wants a pain white shirt to match some of her pants.  She also wants a nice every day outfit.  I want a digital camera because I think it would be so much fun to take my own pictures.  I want a flashlight too because it's a good thing to have that I don't have.  I also want a sewing machine.  I love to sew and make my own clothes. The thing I want most is diablos.  They seem like so much fun and I would love to throw it up in the air really high and catch it.  Thank-You so much for making Christmas special!  Merry Christmas!

Love,
Cecilia, Colby, Brayden

PS I hope you like the cookies and carrots for the reindeer!

Snow Days!

We had our first official snow day from school on Wednesday.  The kids were thrilled!  Colby began the day by sitting in front of the tv and watching ever so closely for GRANBY-CLOSED to scroll across the screen.  When he finally found those letters and read CLOSED he was jumping for joy.  And all this from a kid who LOVES school.  I think it is just the novelty of the situation that excites him, all day to play in the snow!  We had a fun day making mulling spices, doing some crafts, watching Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, and of course, sledding!
All three kids had a great time sledding, but Brayden got cold after a few times down the big hill.  He waddled over to me and said through his chattering teeth, "Mom, I am so cold, my feet are drowning!"  I took him in, took off the hat, gloves, neck warmer, snowpants, and finally boots.  I was shocked and had a bit of that bad mommy moment when I saw a ton of snow that had gotten down his snowpants and into his boots.  His ankles and calves were bright red, and his socks and feet were soaked!  We went right up for a nice warm tubby, and he was all set!

We need a vacation from the vacation!

We left on Thanksgiving to fly to Orlando for a week in Sea World and Disney.  It was a wonderful trip, full of laughter, fun, and family; a great combination!  There was lots of walking, I think next time we should bring along pedometer to track just how far we walked throughout the week.  The kids did fairly well, Brayden got tired and needed to be carried often, but everyone else hung in there most of the week.  We were surprised at Brayden's ambitions to go on so many thrill rides at the ripe old age of four!  He even went on the Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios, (which in turn made Grandma Sue go as well, she was such a good sport!)  We all loved seeing the orca whales at Sea World, and we all got an up close and personal taste of the whales when we got SOAKED by the biggest orca during their holiday show.  We were sitting 10 rows up and thought we wouldn't get toot wet that far away, maybe a couple of splashes, but we were dead wrong!  The orca splashed us with his huge tail, and all of us, except Colby and Troy who were on the aisle and ran up the steps, got soaked.  CC and Colby loved the roller coasters and went on all of them that they were big enough to ride.  It was fun to let them go together if they wanted to ride something more than once, one of the benefits of getting older.  One night, Troy and I took CC and Colby to the Cirque de Solei show, La Nauba.  It was amazing, the kids LOVED it and can't wait to go to another Cirque show.  Overall, it was a great trip, but now we need some rest!  :)