Christmas Card Pics

November 5th, 2011

Every year, I love, love, love to send out Christmas cards with a recent picture of our family. I always try to capture what my family is like at that particular moment in time. The girls grow & change so much - it's always so very touching & important to me.

And every year, the actual taking of the Christmas card pictures is a total nightmare.

Let's just say that the children do not enjoy it.

The kinda, sorta matching clothes, the sisterly poses, the 15 minutes that feels like 15 hours... There is much complaining, whining & arguing that usually ends in with bribes, followed by threats and general unpleasantness...

Every year, although my intent is to accurately portray my very sweet family, I feel like it's actually a huge deception...

If people had any idea what was actually going on at that particular moment...

However, this year, suprisingly, actually went better than usual.

The kids weren't happy about it by any stretch of the imagination... It was windy & cold with no snow.

I had to bribe Ryann with a new scarf & hat. Mad & Skye with a promise of Pinkberry.

Then, seconds before the very first picture, the crazy, crazy wind picked up Bayli's winter coat and tossed it right into the pond in front of us. She of course, started crying hysterically. Her big cousin Logan tried to fish it out with a stick... All the while Corey's trying to take pictures before we freeze, trying to keep Logan from falling in the pond, while I'm trying to get Bay to smile just for a second... Here's what that pic looked like... :)

Luckily, the wind was so strong, it soon blew Bay's coat to the shore, where it was quickly retrieved & she was suitably pacified... Then we took as many outside pictures as my freezing cold children could tolerate...

It was just too cold, so we decided to head inside for a few more, and on the way, Ryann took these super cute shots of Garrett helping Bayli up the hill. Bayli absolutely adores her big cousin, who is the only person she knows who can talk as much as she does, & I thought these were just the cutest thing ever...

In the end, Corey worked her magic and we actually ended up with some super cute pictures of my very beautiful girls...

And we actually kinda had fun this time around... :)

Visiting Cooper

November 3rd, 2011

Even though my Cooper went to live with Jim, Joanie & Walter over a year ago, that ginormous boy never, ever left my heart.

Bay feels exactly the same way.

Sometimes we just get to missing him something fierce.

I know that he is in the very best place ever, with a mom & dad that love him as much as we do and have plenty of time for him, and a big brother for him to play with all day long... but that big place in my heart that is all his own just aches for him sometimes...

And I am so incredibly lucky that his new mom & dad are the most wonderful people that happily allow us to come visit him. I will never be able to thank them enough for loving him like I do and providing him the perfect home, but the fact that they keep in touch & let us visit is just so far above & beyond. There is a very special place in my heart for them as well...

Bay & I did get to missing Cooper a lot, and made plans with Joanie to stop by for a visit. Wow, did it ever do my heart good!! He was so, so excited to see us, forgetting all his newly learned good manners, jumping up, knocking my lens cover off, knocking Bayli into the wall... And I couldn't have been happier at my welcome. That's one of the things that I first fell in love with - his gigantic loving heart and his enthusiasm for everything!

Joanie made us tea & hot chocolate and we visited with her while we loved on both the beautiful boys. The hour went way, way too fast.

Bay cried when we left. :(

But I am still nothing but grateful for having this giant, beautiful, sweet, sweet dog in my life for a little while and the wonderful people he lead me to meet...

Love you sweet boy.

Can't wait to do it again...

Early Christmas Present! (x2)

November 2nd, 2011

I love Christmas.

I mean, I really, really love Christmas.

The only thing that I don't completely love about Christmas is that it doesn't last nearly long enough.

So last year when I had to dismantle my beloved Christmasy House, I decided that I was going to decorate early this year. When we got a Snow Day today, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to put up my beautiful 2nd tree (my newest tree for the family room...) early. It brings me such happiness, I can't even begin to tell you. Combined with my new carpet, it's like total giddiness whenever I walk in the room... :) So the first early Christmas present was for me - putting my 2nd tree up early!! :)

Also, I bought the girls the most amazing, wonderful early Christmas gift back in September. I have just been dying to give it to them, but I didn't want to do it until this month.

So I took advantage of the fact that Ryann was sleeping in and therefore unavailable to hassle me, and put up my beautiful tree while the snow fell outside.


I wrapped up the girls present and waited for Ryann to wake up. Everyone was excited to get to to open a Christmas present right away, but not nearly as excited as I was to give it to them... :)


Skye & Bayli did the honors, and unwrapped the beautiful package to see a white envelope sitting perfectly on the red tissue paper. They quickly threw both on the floor looking for the present underneath, which of course, totally made me laugh, because the envelope WAS the present...


Inside... FIVE tickets to see The Lion King in Denver this month!!

I don't know who is more excited, me or the kids... :)

Ryann & Madi were really wanting to go, but the little ones didn't know much about it, so Ryann immediately got her laptop to show Skye & Bay some YouTube videos of the Broadway show. :)

I can't help but feel so very blessed to be able to do such wonderful things with my sweet girls.

We can't wait!!!!

Just one more... :)

My favorite Blue Monster heading to school with her backpack. :)

The morning after Halloween, we had our very last Halloween party... Bayli's fun Costume Parade and Party at preschool!

It was the cutest thing ever.

Grandma & Grandpa came to watch the parade.

Afterwards, the kids had fun snacks (make-your-own pizzas & cookies) and played games. Bayli loved it so much!!

I am so blessed to be able to send my little big girl off on such fun adventures! :)

Trick or Treat!

I really love the opportunity Halloween gives me to just focus on my sweet girls and things that are fun for them. Everything is more exciting when seen through the eyes of a child.

Things I want to remember about this Halloween...

• 
  
  the perfect weather


• 
  
  the sweet, heartwarming way that Skye ran to grab my hand after every single house :)


• 
  
  the way Bay ran full-on TO every single house!


• 
  
  enjoying our traditional Halloween dinner of take-out chinese with my Mom & Dad, who stayed to pass out candy


• 
  
  Ryann feeling too old to Trick or Treat, but having fun going out with us & taking pics with my new camera


• 
  
  missing Mad who spent the night with dance friends!


• 
  
  the mandatory candy trade on the family room floor


• 
  
  still having to carry Bay the whole way from Chancellor home...

Just another day where I feel so very blessed to have these beautiful girls in my life that make everything more fun... :)

Bumblebee :)

I just love this pic of Bayli!!

She was invited to a costume/birthday party for one of her little preschool friends & I knew she'd be way too hot in her cute Blue Monster costume, so I came up with this from my closet...

She looked so darn cute!

It is so hard to get a good picture of her due to her constant state of motion, but I just loved this one anyway....

precious little bumblebee

Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo with the cousins is one of my favorite Halloween traditions!

The beautiful lights, the incredible view, the super cute kids, the fun bus ride (which we skipped this year!), the photo ops, the time with some of my most favorite people in the world and, for the kids, the CANDY - it can't be anything but wonderful.

Dinner at Red Robin was super delicious, I had fun trying out my new camera (although I am definitely going to have to invest in a tripod for my night shots!), and I loved, loved, loved watching Bay get some quality time with her Uncle. The lights were so gorgeous. I really just loved the whole night.... :)

My favorite shot every year, the cousins...

Love this wonderful family of ours!!