Saying Goodbye to 2010...

Another year comes to a close. Whew, did it fly by! Every year seems to go by faster than last. It has been an eventful year, but again, we are truly blessed. I am so grateful for our family and friends that are a part of who we are and what we do.

We look forward to the New Year and hope it brings us a peaceful year with good health, lots of laughter, and much happiness!

Redecorating!

This last week of break has been a busy one! Since our new couches were being delivered, there was a lot of work to be done. We took things down, moved out furniture, patched walls, and painted, painted, and painted! Mom and I did some shopping for fun new pictures and accessories, and Joe and I did the work. We still need a few more accessories, some window treatments and a lamp or two, but I am so happy with the results!

Finally...snowboarding!

We have been trying to get up to the mountains for snowboarding this season, but between all the crazy rain and our busy schedules, it has been difficult. After spending the last 2 days painting the family room and kitchen, I was ready to get out of the house and up to the fresh air! It was an absolutely gorgeous day and perfect for being on the mountain. Since we were only going for the day, and there are a lot of road closures from our recent storms, we headed to Snow Valley.
Zoe looked adorable in her new jacket and was ready to ride her new board!
Up the lift we go...

Bindings on and ready to head down...

Heading in for a lunch break...

By the afternoon, Coop was beat. His new board is a bit too big for him, so he had to work really hard today. I think he is going to use Jax's old board for the rest of the season until he puts a little more weight on!

We had a fun day, but we are officially exhausted! I love the smiling faces though!

More Christmas!

After an awesome time at Grandma and Grandpa's house, the kids couldn't wait to get home to see what Santa brought for them!
Cooper couldn't believe that he got tickets to a Lakers game!!
He also got the Jeremy Shockey jersey that he asked Santa for!
Zoe was thrilled to get her new iTouch, along with a bright pink case!

Then they moved on to their other gifts from us. They got walkie talkies, games, an ice cream maker, and a few other toys.

They got their fill of candy, itunes cards, hair clips and nail polishes for Zoe, decks of cards, etc in their stockings.
Even the dogs got their stockings filled with stuffed toys, treats and bones!

Joe was thrilled to get his new inversion machine. He asked for it a few months ago, and hopes it will help stretch out his back! He also got a new ring (since his broke a few weeks ago...I guess 14 years was just too much for it!)
I got the new Iphone docking station that I wanted, along with a few new cooking supplies! The kids then raced upstairs to see if their little stocking that are by the trees in their rooms got filled. Well, what do know? They did! Nail polishes, bracelets, and gum for Zoe...Football cards and gum for Coop.

It really was a wonderful Christmas holiday! We are truly blessed!

Christmas Day!

The kids were up bright and early this morning! I think Coop woke up at 6:15. They had to stay upstairs until everyone else was up and ready though, so I think we began opening presents a little after 7.


Everyone was spoiled by tons of gifts. The kids got lots of everything...including toys, legos, remote control cars, tons of clothes, earring, tech decks, a pottery wheel, crafts, and wii and ds games.

Joe and I were spoiled too...clothes, shoes, and money for our new family room couches! We are so excited...now we just need to repaint the room to get it all ready! After we opened presents we took a family photo...
The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys, visiting, and of course, eating! Sonya, Martin, and Martin's girlfriend Kendra, also came for part of the afternoon. It was so great having everyone together!!
Back at the kids table...
Jeff and Cathy loading up their plates...
I loved getting to spend time with both of my brothers this Christmas...
It was a wonderful Christmas Day with the family. I am so blessed to have a loving, supportive family. Thanks Mom for putting together another special holiday. Now it is time to head back home to see what Santa brought!!

Christmas Eve

The kids were eager for Christmas Eve to finally be here! We spent last night driving around looking at all the awesome light displays around town. This morning they were so happy to participate in more traditions.
They each opened up their new ornaments that they receive each year...
Cooper got a baseball ornament with Champ written on it (we thought it was a fun way to commemorate his World Series win last spring!)

Zoe got an "I Love Dance" ornament...

They also got to open the presents that they bought for each other...they really do love it! Zoe received a puppy pillow pet and Cooper got a new flick trix toy.
Zoe also still wraps up gifts for everyone that she either finds or makes, and we always open them on Christmas Eve. Daddy loved the new rock for his collection!

We set out our plate of cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, then it was off to the wonderful candlelight service at church...
I always love this service so much...the music, the message, and the hundreds of candles is a beautiful experience.

Then it was off to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a fun night and great food!
Uncle Greg was in town from New Orleans and it was so great to see him after 2 long years!
Zoe worked on some crafts before dinner...

Dinner was delicious, and with so many of us there, we spread out!
It was so nice to sit, eat, visit, and talk. We laughed and laughed and reminisced a lot! After the kids got into their Christmas jammies, we went to bed, anxiously awaiting Christmas Day.

Is that really the sun??

We actually woke up to see this!
It was quite a change since we have had non-stop rain for 6 days! We had everything from a light drizzle to heavy downpours, along with thunder and lightning and even some hail. The winds were atrocious 2 nights ago and kept us all up (including the dogs!) for hours.
We were worried about the pool overflowing, but luckily it held off...

We did have some overflow in our play area though!