Christmas 2012

December

Petey-Woody-Charlie was here making sure no one was naughty.
Daddy brought home santa cupcakes and a yummy cheesecake.
We did a lot of baking in December...and a lot of eating!

Friends and neighbors, we got together to play games.
Telestrations was pretty hilarious.  We also played Cards Against Humanity, which is essentially Apples to Apples gone wrong. It's inappropriate, yet hysterical.  We loved it. Ha!  

Riley and her class did presentations about Colonial Williamsburg.
She has mad skills doing string games.  She demonstrated Jacob's ladder and several other things that I would certainly have made into knots.

We spent most of the Christmas holiday at my parents house.

My brother and his wife (and their two fur babies) were home for Christmas this year.
Rowyn called him "Weird Beard" most of the holiday, to go along with "Sty Eye", the endearing name she made up for my mom when she had a sty in her eye.  Clearly, she excels at rhyming...and name calling.

The kids settled down for our annual Christmas Eve picnic.

This guy did dishes.
Love him.

We set the train up around the tree, which was derailed more times than I can count.
I used brown paper and twine for wrapping paper this year.
Tom and Jerry's...yummo!
The stockings were all hung by the chimney with care...


Christmas morning started with crying.  Someone was jealous.

Because someone else got her own personal trampoline.

He wanted Halo 4, instead he got a Halo figure.
Santa must have known there was too much shooting in the video game. ;)

The tears quickly ended when she started unwrapping.
Distraction, such a good thing.

Happy she got her incredibly creepy Lalaloopsy doll.

OMG...a 1D toothbrush!!! 
Ha!
She won't even throw the box away.
*sigh*
Young boy band love.  

Right in the middle of it all.
Boothie, of course.

A view of the chaos, post-wrapping paper pick up.
Rowyn is eating some sort of candy, gotta be sure to start rotting your teeth at 6 am.

Christmas night, we went to my parents.

The Hickey's were all together this year...I'm so thankful we could be.  

After dinner, we opened gifts and jealous tantrum #2 for the day ensued.

The next night we had our annual fondue dinner, except this year...

Brendan and Christina brought their chocolate fondue pot for dessert.  Oh.My.Heaven.

After Christmas, we got together with my sister Kathleen and her family.  We miss them and don't get together nearly often enough.

Christmas week was perfect.
Spent with family and friends.
I wouldn't have it any other way.

November: In Review

November flew by in the blink of an eye.

Clyde began his firefighter class and is now officially part of the Asbury Community Fire Department.  We're very proud of him and he seems to really be enjoying it.

Riley had a basketball tournament in Bellevue.  Digs went along with me.

In between games, they had some old fashioned fun on a vintage merry-go-round.

We had some pretty awesome seats.

Cooper's school celebrated Veteran's Day and he invited his Papa as his guest.

We went to Chicago for my sister Caitlin's Engagement Party.  We had Thai food at my sister Kathleen's before heading over to the party.

I also got to visit Maddux...my sister Caitlin's sometimes-naughty Basenji.

My beautiful sister and sister-in-law at the party.

My niece, Isabel, was allowed to make a brief appearance...she was pretty happy about it!

I can't believe I didn't get any pictures of the couple, after all, it was THEIR engagement party.
*sigh*  

I voted.  

Tashi realized Booth was the warmest spot in the house.

Rowyn found treadmilling in princess gear and heels wasn't impossible.  When there's a will, there's a way.

Rowyn's class made these cute candy turkey's.

Thanks to my sister, Caitlin, I'm hooked on Trader Joe's for protein shakes.

Digs was less-than-impressed when her Grammy made her a JibJab video...Gangnam Style.

We started watching Revolution.  Hooked.

I took family pictures.  Only once did I have to deal with one little drama queen storming off in a huff.

Petey-Woody-Charlie is back from the North Pole.

We celebrated Camdyn's 7th Birthday in everything rainbow.  She loved it!

 My mom prepared the perfect Thanksgiving meal.  I love being with family...wishing everyone could have been there, but we'll see them at Christmas.

 Rowyn found a vintage ball gown in my parent's basement.  Presh. ;)

And, last but not least, Lumpy went cannibal on the turkey leg.  Good God. 


There.  I updated.  A whole month.
No more nasty grams on my Facebook page.
Ha!

Halloween 2012

We had a spoooktacular Halloween.
The kids came home from school in a whirlwind, wanting to get their costumes on immediately.
I'll be honest, that first hour is not my favorite part.
Trying to get everyone something to eat.
Trying to find coordinating mittens, etc, because it was cold out this year.
Missing costume parts needing to be found.
Fighting over who gets what bag to carry.

But we got through it and then everyone was happy.

Well, not everyone...

Rowyn reached over and put her arm around Camdyn.
Camdyn protested briefly, hence the scowl.

Then the dog tried escaping.

Finally I enlisted help from dad (see his reflection in the window...haha!)
But I got them all looking and smiling.
Well, all but Cooper. ;)

Cue the goofy shot!




My little girls love the new song by Taylor Swift...We are never ever getting back together.

I busted Rowyn yesterday about to break it down. ;)