Cousin Fun...

While Zoe was doing a dance workshop, Cooper got to go to Mimi's house to spend some time with Jax. They couldn't wait to ride scooters, finger board, and just hang out. Mimi also took them to Dave and Busters for some fun games too.
Cooper couldn't believe he won the jackpot!

These boys sure had fun and came away with some serious "loot"!

While they had fun there, Zoe and I met up with her BFF Lacey to go see a movie.


We were planning on going snowboarding again the next day, but with the very warm temperatures (making for some pretty slushy snow) and lots of holiday crowds, we decided not to go. The kids had so much fun ice skating, that they decided they wanted to do that again. So Zoe and I met halfway with Mimi and the boys in Riverside for a day of skating and lunch.


They had a great time skating and hanging out with each other.

What a treat!
Thanks for the fun Mimi!

Ice Skating!

Zoe has been asking to get to the Old Town Ice Skating rink since it opened 2 weeks ago. Our days have been filling up, and I knew we needed to squeeze it in last night. It turned out to be a great night in Old Town with all of the festive lights still up.

The skating rink isn't very big, but is still fun to be on, and looks so pretty in front of the new Civic Center.

The kids had fun skating around for about an hour.

They played music and even blasted some snow!

It was a fun unplanned night, and I'm glad we were able to make it before the week was over.

Christmas Day...Part 2

After a long drive home, the kids were anxious to see what Santa had brought them, and to open their presents from us.
Santa brought Zoe a new pogo stick and ballet necklace, and Cooper got a cool 10-1 game table.
They opened some more presents...Zoe got lots of dance clothes, leotards, and dance bag.
Coop got a Tebow jersey and more sports stuff...
Then it was time for their joint gift!
They couldn't believe we were surprising them with a trip to Disney World! We'll be leaving in less then a week!
Then it was time for stockings, even the little ones in their rooms!

We finished the late night with a few games on the new game table!
Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day...Part 1

The kids woke up early ready to get downstairs to open gifts!
Bobbie was up early too, and loved wearing her Christmas bell collar!
Cooper came down to find his new custom scooter...he was so excited!

The kids were once again spoiled with gifts! Lots of new clothes, shoes, and toys.
Cooper couldn't believe he got a Steelers mini-helment signed by Rashard Mendenhall!!
The rest of us took turns opening our gifts. Our big gift was our new computer, but we also got some clothes and gift cards!

Mimi always outdoes herself for Christmas, so we thought the Santa's Helper hat was perfect!
After presents, we enjoyed a yummy breakfast.

The kids spent the afternoon playing with their new stuff. Coop loves his scooter!
Zoe was practicing on her new rollerblades.
Coop sorted through all of his new baseball cards, and football cards...
Zoe worked on some ornaments...
Joe and I took a nice walk down to the beach and the Newport Pier. It was gorgeous!

We enjoyed an early Christmas dinner before heading home for part 2 of our day! Thank you Mimi and Gramps for another fantastic Christmas!

Christmas Eve!

I really can't believe that Christmas Eve is already here! The last few weeks have just flown by. We have tried to fit in all of our yearly traditions, but it wasn't easy. The kids had fun decorating a gingerbread village this week, did lots of holiday baking and some crafting, and we went on our tour of Christmas lights. This year we sat in a long line to go through an entire cul-de-sac that was lit and set to music. It was quite a sight, and we can't wait to go back next year. Today they each got to open their traditional ornaments. I just couldn't resist buying them each two this year, since they just seemed perfect.
Zoe opened her cell phone ornament that said Luv 2 Text on it! Then Cooper opened his that was a baseball catcher that said Regional Champs, Cooper 2011.
Cooper also got a football with his name and number for the season, and Zoe got a beautiful pair of pointe shoes.

I'm not sure which one will go in their yearly collection box, but I just couldn't decide! Then they got to open up their presents to each other. Zoe got Cooper a new Beyblade toy he had wanted, and Cooper picked out lots of sparkly lotion and girly stuff for her!

We got ready, tracked Santa on Norad, and headed out to Candlelight Christmas Eve service at church. This is my favorite service of the year, and I just love listening to the Message, hearing the music, seeing the lighting of the candles, and remembering the true meaning of our celebration. Once we left church, we headed to my parents house and made it in time to catch the beautiful sunset over the ocean.
We spent the evening eating, talking, laughing, visiting, and putting on our new Christmas pajamas.


Mimi put out quite a dessert table!
We ended the night watching Elf before heading to bed to wait for Santa!