Happy New Year!!!

Our family would like to wish your family a Happy New Year! I am going to try to catch up on all our happenings that I haven't had a chance to post right now...

Sledding ( I don't remember sledding as a child, I might have done it, but it doesn't stand out! ) Brian, his dad, Gavin, Bryce and I went sledding after that last storm we had. We live on a large hill and the ice let us go really fast. I had a blast, but was scared at the same time. I don't have the "no fear" in me as I did as a child. Bryce was very cautious as well. He enjoyed slidding down the hill on his bottom the most. Gavin scared us by sledding under the car trailer and scrapping his face on the ice... (what a great uncle and aunt we are sending our nephew home with a black eye.) Pop Pop had so much fun with the grandsons. I am looking forward to the next snowstorm so we can sled.

We had an eventful Christmas eve, which I posted below... finishing up creating presents, wrapping, baking cookies and rice krispie houses, putting the cookies that Bryce and I made out for Santa (he was so proud)... Bryce normally sleeps on the couch, we told him that Santa didn't want to wake him up, so he should sleep on the bed in Clara's room (his bed, he just doesn't use it), after we put the cookies out, he grabbed his frog pillow and blanket and ran into his room. He was asleep within 2 minutes. Clara on the other hand couldn't sleep, but she can't when she knows something is going to happen. (Santa coming!)

Christmas morning, I was coming back up stairs from the kitchen when I saw Bryce just sitting on the floor in front of the tree in pure amazement... his eyes were so wide and just sitting and staring at the presents... (he totally missed his stocking in his bed). Clara was in her crib trying on the new shoes that Santa left for her. Clara's reactions to the presents were the best this year... she would just barely open them and she would go "wow!!!" or "oohhh!" or "ahhh!" It was like we were looking at Christmas lights... hahaha.

Christmas Morning- Santa Gifts...

We served breakfast for Brian's family in the morning (tradition). The bacon was the best part. Then we stuffed our stockings and headed back up to the family room to open them.

After stockings came regular presents... check out this pile of presents...

Later that evening, we went to Brian's cousin's house for cookies.

Over the weekend, we went up to visit my family for Christmas. My aunt came down from New York and we all had a grand time spending time with each other. Brian also got a Wii for Christmas from me and we took that along, we had so much fun creating our Mii characters and playing on the big screen tv. We enjoyed 2 wonderful dinners up there, visited my dad and then headed home.

We love our doll house and tractors... Nana and Pap Pap!

I spent the beginning of the week, scrapbooking while the kids played with their new toys. I have finished the fall layouts that I have printed. Yeah! Clara enjoyed doing her "Scrappin Stuff, too"

New Year's Eve ended up being my favorite night of the year! (It has been a tough one, but not that bad.) Anyway, Brian, the kids and I went to Giant and all picked out whatever it was that we wanted to eat... I had lobster and shrimp scampi, the kids wanted "Chickadonalds"... aka McDonalds... Brian wanted McDonalds too. Plus we picked out all kinds of junk food to eat too. When we got home, we ate dinner, danced to Tooty Ta (Check out Dr. Jean's website to learn more) and went on a Bear and Frog Hunt around the house... (we used the bear pillow and frog pillow) the kids and us never laughed so much in our lives... We also sang, "There's a spider on my leg" We used the kids' McDonald's toys to be the "spider." The kids then drew while we set up the Wii. Then the 4 of us played a 1/2 round of bowling, before they lost interest. The kids went up to the family room to watch some of their new movies... while Brian and I played Olympics on Wii... so much fun, I can't swim though! Clara made it to 11:15, then fell asleep ( I thought it was going to be her year... but not yet) Bryce made it to see the ball drop, this is his 3rd out of 4 years that he has stayed awake until New Year. He loved it, then passed out almost instantly, after talking to Aunt Cathie.

We climbed the big mountain during our Bear and Frog Hunt!

We danced the night away!

Wii was a lot of fun!

Happy New Year!!!

Brian's parents got home and we all played 2 rounds of bowling and his dad and he boxed a match. His dad almost really hit him in the beginning, it was really funny!!!

Other odds and ends...

Most of my gifts this year were handmade... I gave each family the book The Secret and a "grateful" can. At thanksgiving, I had each family member tell me 10 things they were grateful for... not knowing what I was asking for... then I typed them up and placed those 10 things in their can. In the book, they suggest that you write down 2 things you were grateful for from the day and 1 thing you hope to be grateful for... Brian and I have started the tradition of before going to bed having the kids write down as many things as they could think of that they are grateful for... yesterday, we forgot the night before, and Bryce in the morning, brought me his can and said he was grateful for "milk." He wanted me to write it down and put it in his can. *Here are some things he is learning from us doing this... to be grateful for all things, we hope the kids get passed the tangible things and start mentioning the really meaningful things in their life, but still be thankful for each and everything. Being a teacher, that writing has a purpose.

Bryce and Clara made handmade ornaments again this year for everyone... here is what they looked like during the process of creating them...

here they are after...

I have started Project 365... I will post more on that soon. It is a quick and easy way to record an entire year. I am also going to be doing a spoof on that "Project Build" for documenting our building of the log cabin.

I hope everyone's New Year is spectacular. I know ours will be. Our dream home in 2009.