Soccer Anyone?

Sports are new to this one...she had done a bit of gymnastics and a few swim lessons but that's all we were able to talk her into until this season...

She openly admits that she only plays for the treats after the game. Oh well, I guess we all need a little incentive...

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Todd LOVES the rain! He claims he would be happy living in a place like Seattle but I would beg to differ. I would have difficulties there....and if mom isn't happy - no one is happy!

Unfortunately, Todd's car did not love the rain. I say "did" because his car is no more...

One fateful rainy week in January, Todd pulled a 180 through a puddle of standing water on the freeway. The result seemed a small thing, so the first week of February we took it to the shop for a little repair work expecting the inconvenience of sharing a car for about a week. A month and a half later, we are finally back to being a 2-car family. Sadly the insurance company opted to total our happy little civic. I know, it was a bit old (2002) and it had close to 150k miles on it...but it had at least another 5-7 years left and we were going to milk it for all it was worth. Apparently that wasn't much so we were forced to spend the last month hunting for the perfect deal...or should I say, "the cheapest deal". Not wanting to add to our total "debt worth" we needed a replacement, something to get him from point A to point B. That car just happened to be a 2002 Mazda Protege with a price tag to make this family beam with pride.

Now we can better focus on our newest responsibilities...right Bishop Nelson?!!

What is wrong with this picture?

Yes, he did dress himself. First they went on correctly but..."Buzz Lightyear" was on his bum and he couldn't see him. So, he put them on again exactly to his liking! Now if he could only keep from getting "Buzz" all wet!

How Do I Look?

It's been 2 weeks and I have yet to post about my favorite haircut ever...

Yes, Ava went for a short, sassy look. We think it's pretty fabulous (thanks Tracy!) Todd has a hard time seeing his little girl looking so grown up. Her preschool teacher told her that she looked like a "real" kindergartner now. Maybe we should have waited until August!

See? ....sassy!

My Semi-Homemade Christmas...

I was crafty this Christmas....

I decoupaged this cute wooden box and then 48 wood tiles with family pictures in matching sets.
TA-DA! Family Memory! Now I want one of my own...

Oh and don't forget the journal jars and designer (well, "personally embellished") journals. Now I can only dream of the day that our parents return these to us completely written in. I was amazed at how little I know about them. Hopefully this will help remedy that.
Maybe I should work on one myself!

Now for the Christmas posts...late and in brief.

Yes, we did see Santa this year! The gift opening was a tad chaotic...2 year olds and wrapping paper do not mix!

We spent some time sledding in the snow. Andrew (along with everyone else) loved it!

There were some interesting pile-ups on this sledding hill...what the heck happened here?

We enjoyed some great company and ate lots of good food.

The kids performed the traditional nativity though the entire ensemble was not willing to take a group photo.

The cousins loved being together...it happens so rarely! And I loved spending time with my family. We miss you all!

Catch Up - Kids Birthday's and Good Times

Sadly, due to my lack of blogging...I have failed to publicly celebrate Ethan and Ava's birthdays this year. So we are going to quickly recap some of the happenings and just what makes them special to me.

First, Ethan turned 7 this year (in October). He invited 3 friends to come miniature golfing and then had dinner and cake afterwards.

Ethan is such a great kid. I don't think he has it in him to be anything but great. He gets good grades, enjoys school and especially science and reading, LOVES to play with his friends and is learning to be a wonderful big brother. This kid always has favorites. This year they are as follows: Pokemon, Nintendo DS, Poptropica and any other computer game he comes across, Magic Treehouse books, and playing handball and baseball. I want to be able to share the depth of my love for this, my eldest son. But as I think about him, I find my words are completely inadequate. I love his innocence, his sensitivity (though I love this about him, I also dread it...nothing like trying to console a small boy crying over something I can't possibly relate to), his innate desire to please everyone and to make good decisions, his touch of shyness, his love for rules and structure, his ability to focus his energy and accomplish whatever task he has been given, his willingness to take care of himself - get up in the morning, shower, pour himself a bowl of cereal, brush his teeth and prepare his backpack for school. All I have to do is make his lunch and he's out the door. Wow! If only it could always be this way! Ethan, I love you. It's been a great seven years!

And now for Ava. She turned 5 in December and we played hooky from school and work and went to Disneyland for the day (thanks to Aunt Jody for the free passes!). She was a little disappointed not to invite friends but was fortunate to have Jackie and her family meet us there. We had a lot of fun and then continued the celebration on Sunday when Aunt Karley, Aunt Tammy and Erin and Uncle Randy came over for dinner and cake. Having a birthday one week before Christmas sure makes for an overload of gifts but she loved each one and especially the attention she received. The day really was all about her !

Ava is a sweetheart, a cuddly little teddy bear, a kind, loving angel....most of the time. I think we girls are wired with the "drama" gene. If we're a little tired, we behave irrationally. If we're a bit hungry, more craziness. Some days we just can't be consoled and that's when we need some time alone.

This girl is no different. I look forward to many interesting days and moods with her! She loves to have her hair down and free flowing...mainly a tangled mess. Loves comfortable clothing, sweat suits and soft shirts with no tags. Loves to wear jewelry if only for a moment and begs to wear makeup. For her birthday she asked for a curling iron, but in true Ava form, she will rarely let me use it on her hair. She is quick to share and notice when someone else is unhappy. She'll usually do whatever it takes to change that frown to a smile. She loves animals, her kitty here at home and every dog she sees. She's becoming a big help in the kitchen and with some of my cleaning chores and loves to spend time here with me. She loves her gymnastics class and is excited to try soccer on for a change this spring. This beautiful little girl is slowly breaking me down. I'm not the cuddly type. I rarely sit down long enough to truly enjoy anything and I'm not the best at spending that quality time with my kids. I am always busy...but with what? That's a great question and as this little girl works on me, forcing me to pause and to just play, I am learning that it's those moments that are most important. I am learning the just sitting and cuddling can be among the most wonderful activities of my day. I am learning to enjoy the sweet and generous spirit of a beautiful daughter of God. I hope that she continues to work on me and I continue to allow my heart to soften for I know, it is these days and the tender love of a small girl I will miss the most.