We Love Christmas.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"

"Oh Christmas Tree, How Lovely Are Your Branches"

My Caden boy is getting so tall!!!


Check out my Ambree's mischievous grin...
She's probably hiding a cricket in her mouth. Ha ha.


He's got a million dollar smile :D
She's got no patience for photos ;)



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Aren't our kiddos so cute in front of our fire?

That's right, after all these years, this if the first time we used our fireplace since we moved here (almost three years ago). I asked Adam to make sure the chute was opened... Ha ha. But in his defense, we discovered there was TWO levers that needed to be pulled in order to completely open the flu. Who woulda thunk?
Caden discovered the smoke first, and then we discovered that all our smoke detectors work - and they are VERY loud. Ha.

Ambree did really well about not touching the fire. She just kept wanting to blow on it.
We roasted up some smores and they were DELICIOUS!
There's something magical about a fire in your very own fireplace :)

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We went out to see Christmas lights around town and made a special surprise trip to this house:

Its lights were set to music and the big wreath in the middle was like a movie screen.

We let Caden get on the roof of the Xterra. Adam and I took turns being up there with him while Ambree danced her little booty inside the back of the car.

It turned out to be a very fun little family night!

Silly Stuff

~Pumpkin Time~

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I look so sweet...

...but I Poke Your Eyes.


Glasses can protect you.


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Everyone at the school had fun dressing up like a character from a book.

Caden was the cutest.

Happy Halloween 09

~Their new spooky parents!
Apparently Ambree prefers ME. She's a bit attached.


~Our Pumpkin and our Bug!
They got matching pumpkin and spider treat bags from Nana. Thanks!



And Did I mention Ambree is totally WALKING!

Look UP

Life comes at you fast and in an instant, life can catch you by surprise.

I am soooo grateful for modern medicine, good food to eat each day, the human body's ability to heal itself, little noses to wipe, little hands to hold, laughter through pain, and the opportunity to experience the ups and downs of life.
Without the downs, there could be no ups ... and the ups are what make life worth living.
Life is what you make of it.
Take control and create an up today.

Speaking of UP - have you seen that movie? I was pleasantly surprised.

A Few Photos

Our Princess!
She's actually walking without a walker now!


Our crazy monkey boy!
He is doing great in school - reading and writing now!


My beautiful fall flowers from my husband.
He was helped while I was to and from the hospital after my dad's accident.


Her hair is growing!
And so is she ~ entirely too fast!

He would eat "marshmallow" cereal for every meal if I let him!
With a dagger as a spoon too!

I wouldn't trade this family for anything in the whole wide world!

 

The Calm After Our Storms

After we all recovered from the no good horrible awful terrible flu,

We went to the Aquarium.
Unfortunately, Grandpa had to stay in the hospital.

We were so happy to be able to spend some time with Trevor and his girlfriend.

Caden's quite the lady's man and told Patricia she could kiss him any time she wanted.

Making sure his sister can see...

so she can check it all out.


In the shark tunnel...


Very Cool!


Not quite sure why that is in an aquarium, but it sure is a beautiful animal!

AFTER the aquarium, we went to the lake for dinner and ice-cream.



That baby niece of mine is so cute!


About to be thrown overboard and still smiling :)


Thumbs up from Ambree.

It was a pretty perfect day.

Backtrack to Turner Falls

The first weekend in October, we took my parents, met up with a bunch of friends, and went on one of the best camping trips ever. I think it should be a yearly tradition!

The kids were very helpful packing up. They couldn't forget their daggers!

My manly man - in Turner Falls, Oklahoma! Did I mention, it was raining? And the water comes from a natural, freezing cold spring.


Heading up to the castle... lots and lots and lots of steps. We didn't mind though. We LOVE hiking. And the ruins were totally worth it.

Caden asked if he could feel the water. I thought he meant with his hands. Nope, he meant with his feet... socks, shoes, and pants.

Checking out the caves. It was such a fun adventure. Grandpa asked Caden how it felt to be able to climb up a mountain and Caden replied, "I feel like a dummy. It's certainly hard." Ha ha.

Perhaps he wasn't feeling so great because the sun/heat causes Caden to get hives and he broke out with them all over his face. Once I took off my hat to give to him, his shaded his face got better, but it was quite crazy looking for a while there. They kept moving from cheek to cheek to head to chin, etc. I was worried it was poison ivy or oak for a minute.

Fun With Friends!

AWESOME views!


Lots of smiles ;)

So glad we took the opportunity to go!

*Weird to think that only a day after this trip, my dad's accident happened.

Life Comes At You Fast

One second can change your life.




What happened?! :
My parents and I had just picked up Trevor from the airport returning straight from Afghanistan.We stopped at IHOP on the way home. Once home, my parents decided to take the van into the shop so it would be functional for our week of visitors and activities. My dad in the little Chevy metro was following my mom in the van. She turned around a bend and a few moments down the road, she received a phone call saying my dad was in an accident and was seriously injured.

Long story short, he was in a head-on collision. I watched as they cut him out of the car. The image of MY DAD pinned in the car with his left arm hanging out of the back door in such a freaky way will haunt me for a long time, but I was very calm as I kissed his head and told him I loved him just before they life-flighted him to the hospital. The five arm fractures (which were so bad, his bones were protruding through his torn skin) and the BADLY bruised nerve were the worst of his injuries. The doctors put plates and screws in his upper and lower left arm during his first surgery. He was told this might make it difficult to get through security at the airport. He also had a collapsed lung which required a surgical procedure (without anesthesia) and they kept a tube in for a few days. (That's two surgeries.) He had a torn/ruptured spleen which they almost took him in for surgery, but thankfully his internal bleeding and oozing stopped in a few days. He had to get blood transfusions. He had eight broken ribs (six of which are flailing, or free floating). He also had breaks and fractures throughout his feet, his knee, his hip, a pelvic fracture, and numerous cracks in his bones, bumps, and bruises.

They don't expect him to be anywhere near what he was for a full year. But if you know my dad, he will break all the records and heal faster than anyone believed possible. He is very lucky to be alive, but I also can't help but think about how lucky I am I still have my dad and my kids still have their grandpa. We love him so much!