Traditions

Christmas time is all about traditions. I love taking what Luke and I grew up with and combining them to make our own. So far It' s worked out really well. Growing up my parents would get each of the kids an ornament for Christmas. I loved it because when I got married my mom handed me my box of ornaments. I had so many that we were able to fill our tree up. We decided to do the same with our kids, but we changed it just a little. I love Hallmarks ornaments. They seriously have the best ones to chose from. The only problem is they are expensive. That's why I wait until after Christmas when they are 90% off. I save them for the next year. Then when it's time to decorate the tree I let them open up their new ornaments. They love it and get so excited. Here is what they received:

Nick got Star Wars

Sammy got Tinkerbell

Parker got Captain America
Noah was sound asleep but he got the Little People school bus. We had so much fun doing the tree this year. I can't wait until I can put ornaments all over the tree instead of the top.

Christmas cards

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is receiving Christmas cards in the mail. I have always been like this. As a little kid I loved going through all the pictures and letters we received from friends and families that we haven't seen in a long time. In the last couple years I have noticed that we have received less and less. That's why I was so excited to see that Shutterfly was doing a great deal on their cards. I love their selection. I feel like they are very classy and the quality is great.

We just got our family pictures taken and I love all of them. I am having a hard time deciding which picture to use. That's why I like Family Wall Red, so I can put more than just one picture on there. I also like With Love Chartreuse. Another one I would love to get is Pretty Poinsettia.

Shutterfly has some really great things. I think this Desk Calendar is a perfect gift for grandparents, their birth announcements are so cute, and don't forget about the cute thank you cards you are going to need after this holiday season.

Go on over there and look at their great deals and products. I printed a book from there and it turned out amazing. The quality was great.

ONE

One year ago this big lip baby came into my life

A year later he still has his big lips and is even cuter. I'm pretty sure Noah knew it was his birthday. The kids sang Happy Birthday to him at least a hundred times and he had the biggest grin everytime. Today we had a little party for him. He didn't quite know what to do with his cake.

He eventually started to take little bites. What a polite little baby.

A quick family picture.

I'm don't know how to feel about Noah being one. I am so sad because he is my baby, but I am excited about my kids getting older and being able to do more things. Everyday Noah grows out of things and I am forced to put them in my garage. In the past I have known that I would have to use my baby things again. Not now. I know that I won't need them again. I love babies, but I know that we are done. Four is plenty for us. Noah has been such a great addition to our family. He definitely keeps us on our toes. A few things about Noah:

-he is blowing kisses
-loves to play with the toilet brush
-hurts himself at least 3 times a day
-is getting his molars
- weighs around 23 lbs
-still hates his shoes
-still hates his car seat(really looking forward to our Utah trip)
-can hold his own now. He has these huge hands and loves to smack everyone . It doesn't feel good.
-he is a happy boy who loves to smile
-loves to chase his siblings
-he loves to play catch

We love our little Noah. Still can't believe my baby is 1.

8 Years

We made it another year. Hip hip hooray!!

I realize this picture is total cheese, but It was the only recent picture I have of us. Today is our 8 year anniversary. Holy crap 8 years? I feel like we have been married way more than that. Last year we did nothing for our anniversary because of Luke's job situation. Actually we have never really been big anniversary celebrators. We do dinner and that's it. No presents. Our anniversary just happens to be right around a lot of birthdays and holidays, so the funds are limited. This year I wanted to do something different. I splurged a little. I also made it a surprise because I know my loving (cheap) husband wouldn't approve. I found places for my kids to go to for 24 hours(thanks Mom and Lindsay). I booked a hotel room at Green Valley Ranch Resort. It was awesome. The rooms were great and the best part was everything was there. A ton of places to eat, shopping, and a movie theater. We had a blast. They even sent up a little Happy Anniversary present.

Yes that's champagne my friends, and no i didn't drink it. Thank goodness there was saran wrap on top of the glass or I might have been a little tempted. Not really, okay maybe a little.

We ate dinner, went to a movie, went back to the room and watched another movie. Let me tell you, I was so excited to sleep in. I was up at 6:45 and couldn't go back to bed. We got ready and went to breakfast, and then treated ourselves to a little spa treatment. Then we went and finished up our Christmas shopping. We saved the best for last. We went to Cafe Rio. Sure it doesn't seem like a big deal but it has been so long since I have sat in Cafe Rio with my Diet Coke and actually enjoyed it without kids going bonkers. Loved it, and loved the time I got to spend with Luke. Four kids has really throw things for a loop. It's very rare these days to have uninterrupted time together. We really needed this.

I am so lucky to have found Luke. He truly is the best husband,father, and best friend I could have asked for. I'm pretty sure if Luke had a blog he would say the same thing about me. Or he might just tell you to listen "My Chick Bad"(if you don't know what that song is, don't try to find it, unless you can find a clean version) because that's how cool I am.

Love you Luke!!

2 Peas in a Pod

Nicholas and my Dad are 2 Peas in a Pod. They are so seriously so much alike that it scares me a little. They both share a love of sports and love going to UNLV games together. They have this special bond that I love seeing. I love that Nicholas has grandparents that are active with him. Both my grandpas died at a young age and I don't remember too many things about them.

The other night Nicholas went to a UNLV football game. He has recently learned all the calls and things about football so he was really excited to follow the game and actually know what was going on. He asked me if I could paint his face red. We compromised on this:

When my Dad came to pick him up he thought it looked cool so he asked for some. Nicholas thought that was awesome. So awesome that he decided to throw some up some gangsta signs.

So glad my kids have awesome grandparents who take an active role in their lives.

Child Labor

When it comes to work we like to start our kids young. Noah LOVES to push my chairs all around the house. It kind of drives me crazy, but I don't mind it when I am sweeping or mopping. The other day I decided my floors were just too gross so I started the process of cleaning them. My chairs make a lot of noise when they are being moved and the minute Noah heard that noise he started running towards the kitchen. He does a great job. Here he is with the first one:

Almost done! He did all of them himself.

And he was pretty proud!

The End

This was the end of our festivities. Kids had fun. Got too much candy. Mom and Dad ate it all. Goodbye Halloween!!!