Our visit with Santa

Here are some pictures of our visit with Santa this year. We picked a random weekday and thought it would not be busy. We arrived at 4:30 in the afternoon and STILL waited an hour! Oh well! Cadence was a little shy, but Blake was very outgoing and told Santa EXACTLY what he wanted! Blake asked for a LEGO x-wing fighter and a REAL computer and Cadence asked for a Littlest Pet Shop! Their first Christmas actually asking for what THEY want, not what mommy and daddy want them to get!

Thanksgiving at Rainbow Lake

This year we decided to relax a bit for Thanksgiving and spend a few days at a rented cabin with Scott's family. His cousin's family, parents, sister and our nephew all joined us for the weekend. We shared a wonderful Thanksgiving meal, played in the snow, the men fished on the lake and we all enjoyed playing games by the fire. We LOVED our time spent together and can't wait to pick a new destination for next year! Enjoy some pictures of our Thanksgiving!

Halloween 2008

Blake wanted to be Lego Batman this year, so I made his costume. After hours of work on his costume, Blake decided that perhaps this costume wasn't the best idea. He did not want to wear the mask and he ended up refusing to walk while trick-or-treating. The first picture is what he did everytime he decided to pout and stop walking. Oh well, the costume at least looked good, right?




Cadence could not be left out and so she, too, had to have a homemade costume. I had planned on her being "Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz, but she has no clue who she is since she refuses to watch the "scary movie." So, she decided she wanted to be the "Little Mermaid" I had grand plans for her costume, but ran out of time, so this is what she ended up with. Not bad, but not my best work either. I especially like the picture of her "grabbing" her shell bra. Nice!

The next Picaso?

Here are some pictures of artwork that Blake has created lately. They both were done at school and the 'Circle Guy' was displayed at recent art show at his school! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Carving

We decided to carve pumpkins with Scott's family on the Sunday BEFORE Halloween. My brilliant idea! However, our pumpkins never made it to Halloween. By Halloween night they were moldy and virtually crushed. We never got pictures with the lights off and a candle inside, but they were still great! We let the kids draw their own faces on their own pumpkins and Cadence got in on pulling the seeds and pulp out.

We enjoyed a yummy dinner of lasagne, salad and bread. It was a great start to a new tradition!

Blake's Indiana Jones Adventure Party

You are invited to join Dr. __________ (aka Blake) on an adventure to the remote corners of Peru. Help Dr. __________ unlock the secrets of the ancient tombs, the forgotten explorers and the city of gold.

Don't be late and be sure to wear your Indy Attire.



We held Blake's party at Papago Park in Phoenix, AZ. Blake picked the spot after we took a morning hike to the pyramid that sits on a hill at the top of the park. He fell in love with the pyramid and it was all that he talked about for weeks!

The location was perfect!





There were old stone canals running around the perimeter of the ramadas, that the kids absolutely loved. We really didn't need any planned activities, as that is all they wanted to do.

However, me being the party planner that I am, had several 'clues' for the kids to find as they completed each obstacle or 'adventure' In an effort to be fair, each child was to complete an obstacle by finding a clue that had their name on it and a golden coin.

The first adventure was crossing the alligator canal and searching for their clue on the other side. Once every child found their name, they had to find a large puzzle piece that would eventually lead them to the treasure hidden in the rocks next to the pyramid.

After the alligator pond, they had a relay to see which team could fill the bucket with the snake's blood the fastest. I purchased plastic skull margarita glasses at the dollar store and they had to fill them up with water colored with red food coloring and run to the plastic buckets set up on a table.




They dug through a bucket filled with wet sand, coffee grounds and slimy bugs. They dove into a 'snake pit' which was an inflatable pool purchased on clearance and they dug through monkey brains (green jello and ramen noodles.)

They found all of their large puzzle pieces and put the puzzle together to reveal that the treasure was in the pyramid. They made the trek up to the top of the hill and found the crystal skull and a treasure box filled with jewels, gold coins and ring pops. The kids all received a satchel that was purchased from the dollar store to keep all of their findings in. Here are some more pics from the party. We really had a great time and now all of his friends want an Indiana Jones Party. It was very inexpensive and the most memorable of all of Blake's parties.







Happy Birthday Blake! We love you so much! From the moment we found out we were having a baby, we were in love. You have brought so much joy into our lives and you are truly special! You are a wonderful big brother, you are so creative, kind and loving. I love all of the wonderful pictures you draw for us and you are doing such a great job at writing your name and learning how to read!

Happy 5th Birthday! We are truly blessed to have you in our lives!

Kung Fu Panda Pandemonium!

Today we took the children to the much anticipated movie, "Kung Fu Panda." They couldn't have been more excited. We thought we would get into the theme of the evening by first taking the children to eat at Panda Express.








We dined on noodles, orange chicken and, of course, fortune cookies. The children had fun trying chopsticks for the first time and hardly touched their food as I am sure their bellies were swelling with excitement.





We finished our meal and made our way to the movies. A fun time was had by all and the children even stayed awake and quiet throughout the WHOLE movie! Now that is an accomplishment!

Cadence's Third Birthday Party

Cadence asked for a 'Princess Dress-up Party' for her birthday this year. Money was a little tight, so I created this party for under $150. My parties are known to be a little extravagant, but I just couldn't do it this year. Here are some pictures from her special day.



Grandma gave Cadence a pedicure.



Her pretty 'piggy toes.'



All dressed up!







I swear that my cake was not as bad as she is making it out to be. She just didn't like the fact that it was purple!






We couldn't leave out the boys!



Cadence's first birthday flowers.