Merry Christmas 2010

Uh-oh, somebody's not quite awake yet...

ahh..there he is...

Amber and Zach on Christmas morning.

I love seeing my kids on Christmas morning.

Sienna got some fun princess play jewelry.

I have to blog about this gift my sister Abby got for my sister Mandi who loves to watch British movies, specifically those adapted from classic British literature. Surrounding the hours of the clock are 12 leading British characters from some of her favorite movies. I can't think of a better, perfectly-matching, idea for a gift.

Here's a closer look at "The Clock"

♪ Soon it will be Christmas Day...♪

♪ Meeting smile after smile, in the air, there's a feeling of Christmas... ♪

Sunday before Christmas

Rusty's Pre-School Christmas Program

Christmas Eve Party at Grandma Sheffield's

Tubbed and Scrubbed...

...nothing beats a new pair of Christmas Eve pajamas.

Matthew @ 6 months

I love these pics of Matthew we took one night. He is about 6 months old. Notice how wet his onesie is...that's because the kid has already cut 4 teeth, although you can't see them in these pictures. What a kid!

Whoa...Steady...Steady...
TA-DA! He can sit up (almost) all by himself.

Thanksgiving 2010

Alright, here was our Thanksgiving Checklist for 2010:

Fresh Veggies and Dip... Check. Fresh Fruit... Check.

Massive quantities of Mashed Potatoes, Stuffing and rolls...check. (Holy Carbohydrate Batman!)

Seven Layer Bean Dip...Check. What? You don't have this for Thanksgiving? Pity.

Slaughtered pig and turkey...check.

Fresh baked pies (especially pumpkin!)...Check.

Oh boy, this is gonna be good! I'm sorry Matthew, that you didn't get to partake of this year's feast. Tough break. Maybe better luck next year. (It must be hard having all gums)

Happy Birthday Rusty

November 2010. Happy Birthday Rusty! Wow, 5 years old already and you're growin' like a weed (pardon the expression). This was Rusty's first "Friend" Birthday party. Previously, it was just a family deal. Mommy decorated the house, Rusty got to pick out one toy of his choice from Toy's R Us (He has been asking for a Bakugan toy for almost a whole year, I didn't even know what that was....Is that a sign that I'm getting too old and losing touch with the toy/cartoon world? Yep.

Sienna and Rusty posing with Rusty's new toy, the Bakugan Dragon.

And as is becoming Rusty's Birthday tradition, he prefers a very particular kind of "Birthday Cake."

Yup, that's a bone-fide Krispy Kreme Donut. Rusty's favorite.



Happy Birthday, pal.

Happy Halloween 2010

So like I was saying earlier ( in the pumpkin carving entry), Amber really got into Halloween this year which was way fun. We had just finished watching both Star Wars Trilogies before Halloween, so I guess you could say we were feeling the Force. (If you're wondering, I took the lazy man's way out and just put on a Star Wars Tee, a leather jacket, and took the helmet/blaster combo from Rusty's collection (Thanks Grandma Peterson!)

Matthew was our little Jedi Padawan learner, complete with the apprentice braid. Amber made the cloak and hood from scratch.

Rusty was Darth Vader (of course) and Sienna was our little Princess Leia (of course she wanted to be a princess, good thing there is one in the Star Wars Universe). By the way, while Rusty's was store bought, Amber made Sienna's leia costume herself. What a talent.

Okay, I had to include this picture just to capture the detail that Amber went to on her costume. Amber has crazy cool talent. She whipped this number up the day before Halloween, from scratch! Her Headress, a spool of yarn and cardboard from a diaper box, painted. Put her own makeup on, and made he the Queen Amidala gown from uncut fabric. She's amazing!
...Too bad the weather didn't cooperate, the kids only went to 5 houses and they were done. Who ordered the rain on our parade? Oh well, Happy Halloween 2010.

Carving Pumpkins 2010

Amber really got into Halloween this year... at least, more so than she usually does. She ended up carving everyone's pumpkin for them. They may not look like much when the lights are on. But lit up in the dark, you can really appreciate how much work Amber put into them...

My favorite has to be Darth Maul. This picture does not do it justice.

Rusty chose a Jack Skellington pattern, Sienna chose Dora the Explorer (although it looked better in the light, than lit up in the dark, Amber chose Darth Maul, and I got a little too ambitious by choosing the Maleficent Dragon from Sleeping Beauty. (Amber had to finish it for me)

And here they are with Audio Commentary...