Goodbye 2010

Now that the year is almost over, winter finally decides to arrive. We had about 4 inches of snow yesterday. It went from being in the 50's to 5 degrees. Whoa....it's cold!

Today, after countless games of pictionary we decided to brave the cold and go sledding. There's a great little hill by our house. Olivia didn't join us, she wanted to stay in and sit by the fireplace (smart girl).

We are looking forward to 2011. Stay tuned, I have a feeling there will be many changes in the coming year! :)

We had a great ride in 2010 and now.....
we're ready to slide into 2011. Happy New Year!!!

Merry Christmas

Our house was filled with much excitement Christmas Eve after returning home from Aunt Diane's and Uncle Ricky's. We came home and sat in front of the tree talking about all the things that have made this year great.

The kids wanted to open up one present before bed. They all got Christian tees from

Wild Olive. They are fun t-shirts with great messages. The kids loved them.

We also decided to give each of the kids non-material gifts. A few years ago, our pastor did an entire sermon on giving non-material gifts to those you love. I wasn't going to write about this on our blog, but thought it might give others the idea of non-material gifts and it's something I want to remember. This is our family scrapbook and I feel it's important to document it.

We talked to the kids about non-material gifts and then we proceeded to tell them the gifts we had chosen for them.

We gave Olivia the gift of "discernment" we told her we really want her to make good choices and choose good friends. We want her to be able to discern what is right and good for her. This is so important now as she's entering into the teen years.

We gave Jack the gift of "self-control" Jack is quick tempered and quick with his tongue. We really want him to stop and think before he reacts to situations, especially the ones involving his sisters. :)

We gave Lucy the gift of "peace" We want Lucy to have peace in her heart. Peace knowing that everything that has happened in her life has ALL been part of God's plan for her. If you have been reading our blog, you know that lately Lucy has been asking us many questions about her adoption and her time in China.

A Merry Little Christmas Eve

We went to Jeff's sister, Diane's house to celebrate Christmas Eve. Diane and her family live just an hour away from us. We don't get to see them as often as we'd like, but when we do get together we always have such a good time.

While, we were eating dinner I kept looking out at this great little barn behind Diane's house and I couldn't wait to get out there and take some fun photos.

After, dinner and games we decided we should get some photos before the sun went down.

Here's just a few of the photos.

Lucy loves Uncle Ricky, she even says, "he's my favorite person" They are pretty smitten with each other. I think it's fun to say Lucy and Ricky. :)

Cousins, Chris and Matthew

Chris and his girlfriend, Jordan.

That's My Girl!

Lucy and I went out today for a little photo shoot.

I found this great crochet flower today at a local boutique. I thought about adding it to Lucy's many Christmas presents, but decided to just give it to her today.

Lucy has the best sense of humor and is always make us laugh. She has a strength and inner beauty about her that just shines. She is very enduring and everyone who knows her, really loves her and her silly, giggly ways.

That's my girl!

Wordless Wednesday

Lunar Eclipse

We went out tonight in our jammies to watch the lunar eclipse. We drove to the top of Daniels Park, it's a great lookout close to our house. We even had some friends and neighbors join us. The kids enjoyed staying up late and witnessing such an amazing sight.

Santa Baby

Saturday night we went to the mall for a little shopping and dinner. I thought it would be fun for all of us to get a photo with Santa.

Lucy was the only one who was thrilled by my idea. :) I told everyone we're going to have to do it again next year!

Here's the scanned in version of our photo.

A matched set...

I'm very sentimental, especially when it comes to the things my children make.

This year, Lucy is in 1st grade and thankfully she has the same teacher that Olivia and Jack had when they were in the 1st grade.

Every year Ms Bowen has her class make wooden snowmen for their gifts for the parents. I absolutely adore these cute little guys and I'm excited to now have a matched set.

Olivia's snowman 2004

Jack's snowman 2007

and Lucy Lu's 2010
....finally, a matched set! I will cherish them for many years to come.

Sassy in glasses

Lucy has to wear glasses. She is far-sighted just like me, Olivia and Jack. She loves them and I think she looks adorable! I took this photo this morning before she left for school.

What $300 could buy me....

I'm wallowing in self-pity after getting my speeding ticket yesterday. I was going 35MPH in a 15MPH (school zone) so, my fine was $297. I'm not going to lie, it hurts! All I can do is think of the ways I could have spent $300 on things I enjoy. :( Bah Humbug!!!

This awesome Electra Cruiser bike, of course there would be some extra money involved because I would need a bell and a basket.

a great new lens for my camera

or 100 Chai Tea Lattes from Starbucks, that's roughly a years supply for me...
BOO-HOO!!!

I'm so generous!

I decided this afternoon it might be nice of me to make a very sizable donation to my local county sheriff's office. I'm just generous like that. It's these random acts of kindness and generosity that really help me get into the holiday spirit.

Tree Day!

Last Saturday we went to get our Christmas Tree. This is my favorite day of the year. I love tromping through the woods to find just the right tree. It has become a family tradition and this was our 10th year.

We always bring lots of yummy donuts and muffins and yes, lots of hot chocolate. My friend, Suzanne came all the way from California and our good friends the G family joined us again this year.

This years tree

The G family with the twins first Christmas tree hunt

Then it was girls night out!

Love you Suz, thanks for coming to see us!

Fall Fun

I took my kids and some friends to the park to day to take some photos. I love fall photos! It was chilly, but we still had fun.