It's my Birthday!!

Happy Birthday to me!! I know everyone is celebrating today :}:}

HO HO HO

Megan was up bright and early around 7am or so and patiently waited on the couch for the rest of us to join her. I think she may be one of the only children who wouldn't run to wake everyone else up so they could open presents. She was very cute.

Of course it didn't take long for the mayhem to begin as wrapping paper went flying and presents were opened. They kids loved seeing what they got and had even more fun getting to play with their new toys.

We had a wonderful Christmas and have enjoyed a nice Christmas day so far. We wish all our friends a Merry Christmas and hope everyone had as much fun as we did :}

Christmas Eve

As today is Christmas Eve I was thinking about traditions and what exactly today meant to me. As a child in my earliest memory I can remember getting in the car in the evening driving around our neighborhood looking for Santa in his sleigh. We could never find him and would return home after about 15 minutes of searching. When we would arrive home the tree would be filled with presents and the excitement would begin. We would then begin to open all of our Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. It was so much fun to get them several hours earlier than the average family. We then got to play with the stuff we got for the rest of the night and it didn't matter when we woke up the next morning. As I got older of course the car ride searching for Santa stopped but the opening of the presents on Christmas Eve continued throughout my life. I always loved the fact that we opened everything on Christmas Eve. It wasn't until I got married and began my own family that I experienced the rush of Christmas morning presents and the surprise and happiness my children get from it. I love how I grew up but I also love how much my children look forward to Christmas morning.


This Christmas Eve we went to Ken and MarGene's for a bit. We had some yummy homemade crispy chicken salad with buttermilk ranch. Let's just say it was really really good!! The kids got to share in opening their stockings and a few presents and just plain had fun hanging out.

I think this may have been one of the first times that Andrew was actually pretty calm. He was really good in my opinion and it was nice to not have the usual stress. We got to spend some time playing a board game that Megan got and a little Wii Fit.

The kids loved the Wii Fit. They loved taking turns and trying out the different stuff that they had. It was great fun watching them and seeing how good they could be on their first try. I'm thinking I may see a Wii Fit in our future :}

After we got home we had a little snack and started a 2nd round of gifts. These were from my Dad. He sent them a week ago and the kids have waited very patiently so we decided to go ahead and let them open those tonight as well. I think the kids had a great Christmas Eve and I know they can't wait for the main event tomorrow.

Sledding Fun!!

We are awaiting a huge snow storm at some point today so we decided to have a little fun while we could. Jeff took the kids out for a little sledding. It was tough to find a good spot with a hill but we did find a little one that worked well for us. They were having so much fun they wanted to stay and play after we had been out there for an hour. They had bright pink cheeks and runny noises.

It was very cold but also very fun!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow......

We have had our first real snow fall today. It actually started on Saturday just a tiny bit. It wasn't even enough to cover the ground hardly, but it was very very cold. This morning Megan and I woke up to look out the window and see it snowing. My kids both love the snow so it was very exciting in this house. I got a call that school was cancelled today because of the snow so we get to cuddle and play all day.

We've already geared up once to go outside for a snowball fight and to make a snowman. Megan had several attempts at a snowman which Andrew kept trying to ruin. That made her very frustrated and the snowball fights would flare up. She did get one little one made with sticks for arms and legs.

We've already had a ton of fun. We got to come in to warm up with hot chocolate and bundle up in our blankets. The kids are currently watching Mary Poppins and just enjoying a relaxing day. Oh let it snow, let it snow.....

School Photos

School pictures for this year are finally here. We've got Megan's 1st grade picture at age 6 and Andrew's 2nd year of preschool pictures at age 4. We had a bit of a mix up with Andrew's photos and it has taken a while to finally sort it all out. Andrew's did turn out cute but they took off his sweater that I sent him in for some reason. Megan's smile is interesting and it almost seems like she smelled something funny. My kids seem to always sit still and look at the camera for school photos so that is nice. I look forward to watching them grow over the years and see how much they change.

My Daddy

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! As I looked through my box of photos I was reminded of so many memories and how much I really am Daddy's little girl. You're an awesome Dad and I'm sad to have moved so far away. I hope you have a wonderful day and know that I love you!!

Dear Santa....

This is Megan's first handwritten letter to Santa at age 6. When she got home from school today she went to her room to color and draw. She came out later and gave this letter to me and asked that I give it to Santa. To help translate it says:

Dear Santa,

What I want for Christmas is two hair salons, a Nintendo DS, and a barbie doll house. Andrew likes cars and toys. From, Megan V.

Our second try

This is Andrew after his very first dentist appointment in pretty good spirits after getting a cleaning for the first time.

This was our second try in trying to get him checked out at a dentist. Lets just say our first visit was at a family dentistry place that wasn't prepared for an Andrew. We left that visit with little information and we were both sad and worn out. Andrew wouldn't sit still or open his mouth for anything. Needless to say it was very hard and stressful. It was not something that I even wanted to try and attempt to do again any time soon.

It has taken me about 7 months since that last tough visit and this time I took him to a pediatric dentist that would be able to sedate him if necessary. I was a ball a nerves remembering the last visit and just hoping this would go a lot smoother. We arrived at 7:30am and Andrew was all over the place in the waiting room. He started off trying to unwrap some presents that they had as decoration and then moved on to a toy donation display where he saw something he liked and wanted. The ladies at the desk were friendly but you could tell they weren't exactly happy to see such an active child so early. They rushed us off to a room where a nurse helped to distract Andrew with the water squirter and suctioner thing while I filled out the paperwork.

The dentist came in and did a quick evaluation to find that Andrew has no cavities and would only need a cleaning. He opted for no sedation but that I hold him while he scrapped the build up off. It took about 15 minutes and he was such a big boy. He got upset when the scraper would hurt his gums but he did so well. The worst part was the watermelon fluoride that they brushed on in the end. This was his undoing and he cried. He kept telling me "yucky yucky mouth." He got some water to rinse and we were done. The nurse said she had seen much worse behavior and he did really well. Andrew got a red balloon and a toy for being such a big boy.

I'm so glad it is over with and that I finally got his teeth cleaned at age 4. It has been something that I've wanted to do for at least a year now. He had some build up on his bottom 4 teeth that made me feel bad and know I needed to get him in. It is such a relief and I'm very happy we are done for another 6 months. They of course want to see him regularly for his 2 cleanings to try and stay on top of any issues. It just feels really nice to be done with it. Yippeeee!!!

Mini us

I've been going down memory lane lately and finally found my box of photos. I've been looking for this picture since we got back from Disneyland and finally found it. I love that our girls look so much like us. Lets hope they like what their future looks like :} Enjoy the memories Laur!!

This takes concentration

We made Gingerbread houses last night with Andrew's preschool. This is our second year getting the chance to go and the kids just love it. The school provides the graham crackers and the frosting with the milk cartons to help with structure and the foam trays to build it on. Each family is responsible for their own decoration items. We loaded up at Winco in the bulk section so the kids had several items to choose from in decorating their houses.

Andrew loved playing in the frosting. He had it all over him but didn't even care. He loves to get in and get messy. I think building the house was just as much fun for him as decorating it. He was concentrating so hard that I couldn't ever get him to look at the camera and smile. He wanted his candies placed in just the right spot. A few times he pushed so hard to place the candies that his house began to fall apart. Jeff was there to save the day and help fix any structural damage :}

Megan got a bit frustrated when it came to making the house. The frosting was too messy and when I told her to lick her fingers she said "yuck." She didn't like getting messy at all. As she was trying to put frosting on the house to cover it things kept falling off. Once again Dad had to come to the rescue for structural help. After the outside was done and she got to decorate it she loved it. She thought long and hard about where she wanted to place things and how she wanted a garden outside. I think she enjoyed the decoration part the best, especially the eating of them.

At the end we let the kids pick up their house and tried to get them to stand next to each other for a picture but Andrew of course didn't want to cooperate. It was a bit scary as Andrew was walking I thought for sure it was going to end up on the ground. We had to settle for putting them back on the table where all Andrew wanted to do was admire his work.

We had a blast!! I'll be sad for next year when Andrew will not be at that preschool. We might have to brave it and make our own at home. It will be crazy but probably just as much fun.

Black Friday

Well I've gone and done it and joined the ranks of the insane. I got up at 4am to hit the day after Thanksgiving day sales for the first time ever. There were 3 of us ladies that hit the sales and braved the sea of people. Let me tell you I was certainly not prepared for the 5am rush at Walmart. I've never seen a crazier example of people acting like animals all to save a few bucks. There were people everywhere and a few nasty exchanges occurred close to me a few times and all I wanted to do after about 30 minutes of trying to just get through the crowd was leave. Needless to say I didn't get what I came for but live and learn. We did head to several more stores after that and the shopping was much much calmer and easier. It was a more organized chaos if that is possible. All in all I think I got all my Christmas shopping done except for stocking stuffers. Yippeeeeeee.

After I was done with shopping I met Jeff at a school where his coworkers were gathering to play a little flag football turkey bowl. It was a squeeze for us to finish by noon and get over to the football field but we did our best. It is tough trying to get 3 ladies Christmas shopping done and brave those crowds to get back. I wanted to take a picture of Jeff playing but I got told no, plus I forgot my camera. Oh well I think we had a fun Black Friday and I've learned a few lessons about insane shoppers.

Wii Boxing

So here we are on Thanksgiving playing the Wii and one of Andrew's favorite games was the boxing. He was so dang cute with his pink cheeks that we decided to get a little video of him playing. As you can see he gives it 100% and them some. This boy has tons of energy!! This was a great activity for him. You only need your hands for this but Andrew felt it necessary to include some leg action as well. Sorry it is a little dark and no sound. Still trying to figure out the camera.

Gobble Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We decided this year to have a nice relaxing day at home with our little family of four. It seems like we've had such a busy year on the go that the thought of chasing after Andrew was just too stressful. It was nice to just stay home and hang out with each other.

Megan drew us a fabulous family portrait of our Thanksgiving feast. We ate our meal all around the table talking about what we are thankful for. Andrew didn't really participate but did try to say a few things that no one could understand. He did this all while tearing apart his dinner roll and making a nice mess around his place setting and floor. When it was Megan's turn she said this: I am thankful for my family, my mom, my dad, and my brother. I'm thankful for God and all that he created. After this she looks at Jeff and I with a smile. Then says and oh yeah I'm thankful for our house too. Simple and short to say the least but from the heart. It was really cute. Jeff and I did add our thankful list to what had been said. It was just a nice time to be with each other. It felt really special and intimate.

Right now the kids are playing the Wii with Jeff and having a blast. They seem to really be into games this year. I've got a mess in the kitchen to clean but I'm so stuffed I don't want to move just yet. I guess that is the one draw back of having your own Thanksgiving is the mess to clean up. I think that is why I've decided to blog instead. It is also alot more fun to watch the kids play.

Well I just want to say that I'm Thankful for all my friends and family that love and support us. I've enjoyed many good times and cherished the help during the bad times. Without a good group of people around you it makes it tough to get through life so Thank you all for always being there. I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving.

Orange Rolls - Yum!!

It's that time of year again when Jeff makes the ever so popular Thanksgiving orange rolls. This year I made the kids aprons in my sewing class and they loved wearing them around so much that we thought we'd put them to good use. The idea was that they'd each get turns helping Daddy with various parts of the process. What really ended up happening was Andrew played in the flour and Megan wanted to do it all by herself.

Andrew ended up making trails and piles of flour on the table, chair, and floor. Megan really didn't have a spot on her till Andrew decided it was time to make a game of it and starting trying to throw little pinches of flour at her. He didn't make much of a dent but was able to get some on her face and hair.

Megan was really only focused on Jeff and how much action in helping she could actually get. She watched everything he did and was ready to jump at any request for her turn. She is not good at standing by to watch. She is definitely a hands on type of girl.

All in all the kids had a great time. They loved getting involved and Megan has enjoyed eating the fruits of her labors. Andrew hasn't been too interested in eating them but that isn't surprising. It was fun in the kitchen for the kids. It just made more work the Mom and Dad but that's what parents are for right?!? :}

Where are you from??

So the other night Megan and I started talking about where members of our family were born. Megan thought that all the VoFo family that she lived with in California was all born there. When I told her that we all did live in California but weren't all born there she was didn't seem to like that very much. In a way it kind of bugged her but she was interested in where other people were actually born.

Fast forward to a family outing when we were all in the car out running an errand and Jeff turned on his favorite 100% all the time Christmas music station. We were trying to play name that tune with Megan and having a difficult time. One song came on and it was Silent Night sung in a different language. We were all very quiet and listening when Megan says "Dad I know you can tell what they are saying." I asked Megan why would Dad know the words when it was in a different language. She replied, "cuz he's from Colorado!" Hee Hee Hee

We all got a good laugh after that. I love it when she says funny things like that.

Good Morning

This morning I was up with the sun. My kids were still in bed and I was starting to get my day going. I went outside to take out some trash and all was so quiet out there. The sun was just coming up over the houses and there was that early morning chill in the air. As I was placing my trash bag in the garbage can I hear this squawk squawk sound. It was not pretty in the least and I started to look around wondering what was making such a sound.
As I looked up across the way I saw a lone little seagull. I looked at him and he gave another squawk. I think as no one else was around he was saying "Good Morning." It was a nice way to begin my day even though his squawk was anything but soft and beautiful. It was just something about this little guy that was peaceful that made me feel nice inside.

I would like to pass it on and say "Good Morning" to all my friends and family!!

Therapy

Another fun filled Normandy girls retreat has passed. I will cherish the memories that we create each year and the priceless therapy that it gives to me. This morning I cried in the shower as I realized it was really over and time to go back to the normal routine of life. I thought I had cried most of my tears this weekend but atlas there were more. There is just something about being with these ladies that share the same genes as I do. It is refreshing to be able to talk about all our problems of the world, eat yummy food, and squeeze in activities like shopping and the movies. It was a ton of fun and emotional for me as always. As much as it fills me with a flood of emotions to go without my mother and be around women just like myself I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I shared some very special moments and shared some things that I've never told anyone before. It was cleansing to get things off my chest that I carry around on a daily basis. I love these women with a passion I cannot describe and all I can say is these weekends are truly "priceless" to me and even that does not do it justice for what is in my heart. Thank you ladies for all your love and support. Till we meet again.......

**Next year ladies we've got to work on my pictures. I hardly had anything to work with as you can see :}

And the award goes to.....

Once a month Megan's school has a CARE assembly to reward kids for doing outstanding. Megan was chosen to get an award for cooperation. She said it was so fun when they called her name and she got to go up and get her award. It really made her feel special. This is the first time she has gotten a big award and we even got our first bumper sticker :} Yippee for Megan!!