Happy Birthday, James!

Today is James' birthday! He went paintballing this morning (while we had a basketball game, a birthday party, and the Nutcracker), and then we went to Outback for dinner. He's not a big cake fan, so he got a chocolate pudding pie for his birthday!

The Nutcracker

The girls' dance studio does a performance of the Nutcracker every year and we went to see it this afternoon. They loved it (though Ashley did comment that there was way more to the story than that and she wanted it to be longer and more like the book...). They weren't in it, but you can bet that Paige has the part she wants to be next year all picked out!

Student of the Month!

Ashley was chosen as student of the month for December! The word of the month is kindness and she was chosen by her teacher and her classmates as the student who best represents that trait. I'm so proud of her. She really is kind to the other kids in her class and works hard to make sure that everyone is included when they're playing.

Santa Visit!

Santa came to our house last week! He gave the kids presents and left them with magic candy canes to put in their windows on Christmas Eve so he will be sure to find them!

Redskins Game!

James won tickets through work to go to a Redskins game and he took the kids. It was a beautiful day, even though, as Michael put it, "the bad white guys won...the good red guys lost." I told Ashley to take some pictures, and here's what she took--no pictures of football at all, but lots of the band and cheerleaders...ha!One of the first things the girls told me was that the cheerleaders, "were only wearing panties! Red panties! No skirts! Well, they might have had skin-colored leggings on, but we couldn't tell! They did come out later in the game with some pants on, though." haha!

Meanwhile, Douglas took a 3 1/2 hour nap and I had some lovely quiet time!

Ashley's 1st Basketball Game

Ashley is playing basketball this winter. She almost sat out the first game because the ref told her she had to take out her earrings. She was so worried her holes would close up, but after some (ahem) convincing, she took them out and had a good game. There are some really good players on her team, so they won 16-0. Ashley was really good at running to where she was supposed to, but wasn't that into the competitive thing. Maybe as the season progresses...Sitting in real bleachers was so much fun!

Paige's Pink Poodle Party

We were in Chicago for Paige's 7th birthday, so she got to celebrate with some of her cousins! She wanted a pink poodle party, so I made poodle skirts for the girls. She had a great time, but my camera battery died and this was the best picture I got: I took pictures with someone's pink camera...and am hoping those turned out better!

Paige--Student of the Month!

Paige was chosen to be Student of the Month in November for honesty! She got a book written by her classmates, a medal, and a pin from the principal! We went to a nice breakfast for her and are so proud of sweet, honest Paige! :)The principal putting on her medal.

Too Much Candy!

James took the girls out trick-or-treating and they got so much candy! I hid it for a while (and no one noticed...) and then put it in a laundry basket so we could sort out all the good stuff. Douglas really liked helping with that! He's really good at finding treats and figuring out how to open them! He's really nice about sharing, too.

Ewww! Don't eat it now...

Fun Run!

Right after school on Halloween, the girls did a mile long fun run. They both ran the whole way and did great! Ashley was the first girl to finish and Paige was right behind her!

Halloween Night

Preschool Halloween Parade

Michael's Preschool Pictures

Here's why they should hire real photographers to do school pictures:

I just love this little boy. I hope when he's taller than I am that I'll remember the days we've spent together, just us, while Douglas naps and the girls are in school. September and October just flew by, and I don't see it slowing down in the near future. In the picture below, I was making "witch hat" rolls for our Halloween dinner and saved some of the dough out for Michael. He loves to help in the kitchen, and is good at cracking eggs, measuring ingredients, and loves turning on the mixer. Earlier that day, he noticed my painted fingernails (which hardly ever happens) and said, "Wow, Mom! I didn't know you could do that all by yourself!" He then asked for a marshmallow, and when I said he could have one, he jumped up and down shouting "YESSS!" He is just about the sweetest boy I could imagine. He broke a bowl this morning and said, "I'm sorry, Mom," then gave me a kiss and said, "Are you happy now?" At least three times a day, he asks if I can "nuggle" with him on the couch. It's hard to resist!

Apple Picking!

My parents came out last week and one day, we went apple picking!

We liked the apple picker :)

I love this picture my mother got of Michael. That's a look I see a lot.

"I picked one!"

Douglas slept on my back for at least an hour!

Checking out the huge pig!

About as close to the Donkeys as Michael wanted to get.

My dad convinced Michael to get a little closer.

Getting a hug from my sweet little boy. Seriously, he asks me at least 3 times a day if I can sit and snuggle with him. I love it!

This little guy is getting pretty tough.

My mother posed for us.....

...and Michael tried to copy her :) Pretty close! It was a fun day, and we got tons of apples!