I cried a little

So here it is.
The last picture my LOVING, trusty, wonderful camera ever took.

I was outside. Taking pictures of my family playing in the snow...
Building our 8 foot snowman...

I had taken all of the pictures...and was finally setting up the camera on the tripod, so that I could take a family shot in front of him.

I was twisting the camera on....which is a pain with the strap in the way. So, it got a little twisted up, and I walked around to the front to un-twist it, oh you know, so nothing would happen....
And I stepped on a pile of icy snow, and slipped...falling straight down onto my knee and elbow.

In doing so.
I hit the camera.
And being on a tripod, it was headed DOWN.
I tried to grab it...but I just fell hard and fast.
So did the camera...right on the snowy concrete.
Hard.
It was on the tripod, so it had that leverage...that made it go that much faster.

I thought it just hurt the lens, which was fine with me...because it was just the kit lens, not what I normally shoot with...BUT
when I went to switch the lens, all of the glass from inside fell out onto the counter.
:( :(
Needless to say...
I am saving my pennies and on the lookout for a new camera.

It wasn't a great time...because I had been wanting to upgrade...but of course was going to sell this camera first. Now, I certainly don't have the money to get what I wanted..and will just have to get some thing close to this model again.

So...from here on...until I get a new one...the pictures you will see, are more then likely from our little point and shoot.
I apologize in advance.
:)

Meet THE Snowman

Finally,
We got an AMAZING snowfall.
THE perfect snow to make a SNOWMAN!
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The kids wanted to BUILD...
So build we did!
On a mission to build...
"the biggest snowman"...

Some worked on the middle...

Some worked on the head.

The biggest worked on the bottom...

At this point...it was a question of physics.
How to get a 100 pound ball of snow, hoisted into the air, and set carefully atop a 200 pound ball of snow....
All while keeping everything intact...
It was so big, that Kevin and I together, could HARDLY lift that middle ball.
I mean if we had had to go any further up, it would have landed on the ground.
But we did it.


Then we sculpted...and molded....

He was so tall....his hat, had to be put on by ladder.
Speaking of the hat...it is a small bucket, not a hat.

Then we decorated...him.

We think he turned out pretty nice!


All 8 FEET of him!

As a side note....our neighbors decided to compete with us...
They did a really good job, but theirs fell down that same day.
Ours....
As it turns out...
Must have been made of concrete....
Because he just kept standing.
However, as the weather warmed little by little....
Our snowman leaned little by little...
Until he looked like this on the 1st.

We couldn't believe how he just kept standing.
We would make bets everyday, that by the time we got home from school or daddy got home from work he would have fallen over....
but it didn't happen until the 4th....

It was pretty cool!

Good memories...

The best kind!

Merry, Merry Christmas

I love Christmas.

If I had to list the reasons...I am not sure my list would ever end...and yet at the same time...not even sure I could start it.

How do you put into words that FEELING.
It is an indescribable mix, of the love that parents have for their children when seeing them giddy with excitement, AND that pure magic in one of the few times, as adults that we can whole-heartedly feel a little like a kid again.

I think it became real to me...when my world shifted, and I was finally much more excited to see my kids open their gifts and play off of their excitement, then I was to open mine.

Like I said...
Describing it...is next to impossible.
There is just a room-thickening warmth across the house.
I could sit and breathe it in forever.

2010, Christmas Morning Picture.
Karman just turned 18, Tyler 7, Makylie 4.

I adore when the kids, all of them, get excited about little tiny things.
Santa brought Makylie the same CO Bigelow Lemon lipstick that mommy has. She was THRILLED. He also brought her a little bottle of her very first body spray...Sweat Pea.
Of everything...those were her favorites...they were the first things she told people about.

Opening stockings while watching A Christmas Story is our tradition.
Stockings first...
Then breakfast....which consists, ALWAYS, of a big huge homemade egg casserole, and homemade sticky buns. Then when we are all done...we start with presents.

Silly Bandz were really big this year.
Santa brought Maky and Ty each two packages.
They split each package between themselves...so, in the end, they had a TON of them!

Also big this year.....just like last year...
like every minute, of everyday....
LEGOS

Ty is all about Legos. That set was HUGE!

Karman's computer stopped working. Out of nowhere.

She really needed one for school,

So she got a new CPU to replace her old one.
She was SO excited.

Santa brought Makylie the Dolphin Pillow Pet she wanted.

Ty got an MP3 player.

He LOVES music.

He sings ALL.OF.THE.TIME!

Seriously.

He was so happy, and so excited to get HIS favorite music put on it!

One of Makylie's Favorites, were these Cowboy Boots, from her grandma and grandpa Porter.

She thinks they are high heels....

She wore them all day long...WITH the nightgown!

I got Karman this really gorgeous, cowl-neck sweater in her school colors.

She really loved it, and it looked really nice on her.

Tyler's Puppy Pillow Pet.

Seriously....could that be a cuter picture?

Makylie got these fake Disney Princess nails.

Oh my goodness,

Yet another example of a little thing being so exciting!

She filled her hands with them.

I think she wishes they were permanant...but she still loves them! :)

Finally, Karman's BIG gift for the year....

Her first cell phone!

Yes, we had a teenager with no phone....*GASP*

But, she doesn't drive, and we always told her...she could get a phone when she could pay for a phone.

However, as time has passed...and she spends more time away from home, with other commitments, VERY late nights with debate, and out with her friends etc...we felt that it was time.

After everything that has gone on, SHE TOTALLY DIDN'T EXPECT IT!!!!

It was awesome.

She was SOOOOO excited.

She really loves music and listens to it, as a distraction, most of the time...so we got her an LG Chocolate....which is an AWESOME phone for a first phone, and it's main selling point is its MP3 quality speakers!
Anyway...Her excitement could be felt all around the neighborhood, I am certain!

I just love him.

He works so hard for our family, and never ever complains about any of it.

I couldn't ask for a better man to teach our kids about what a daddy, a man, a person should be.

I cherish our time that we get to spend together...

I am so thankful, not only to be his wife, but to have the privledge of knowing him.

Spending Christmas together, as a family, and also as a couple...

Just Makes Me HAPPY!
As per normal, Christmas came and went...and there are no pictures of me.

I promise kids, I really was there!

Soaking in every single minute of being fortunate enough to be the mommy to this family.

Traditions...

For our family,
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are simply loaded with tradition.
Every year, we go to my In-Laws house.
We celebrate Christmas and family and have a nice dinner.
By doing this...we have made the choice to stay home on Christmas Day..
which we REALLY love!

(Above, is what Makylie wore on Christmas Eve day.
I found the outfit at a local consignment and FELL.IN.LOVE
So perfect for Christmas...Valentines day...
any other day that I feel like having Maky look A-dorable!!! :)
I just wanted to showcase how cute she looked!)

Oh Christmas....
How I love thee!

So also, every year...after we get home from grandmas...there is a gift waiting for each of the kids. We started this...when Karman was 5 years old, and have continued it every year since.
The kids get so super excited...even though the gift inside is always the "same".
They get together...I snap some pictures....then they rip them open!

*It was fun, because to Makylie, who doesn't quite remember last year yet....it was so new...she just had no clue what was inside at all. She was GENUINELY jumping-up-and-down excited.*
That is what makes all of this so worth it!


Checking out each others loot...

Then we show what we got...

Sometimes they are Christmasy, sometimes they aren't. We have found as Karman has gotten older, that if we get her the Christmas thememd Pajamas, she will only wear them through December, where the little kids will wear their Santa jammies in July...because they don't care what anyone thinks.

Then they all go change into them.

The idea is that we don't get out of our jammies on Christmas day at all.

So they are nice, new, cute Pajamas for all of the pictures on Christmas Morning.

Of course....we have the Santa plate tradition. The kids leave out all of the homemade cookies.

They pick each individual cookie out themselves, and are meticulous about which one of these, or those are good enough for the big guy in Red.

We NEVER forget those reindeer either.

And either milk or cocoa for Santa.

I always read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas....

Then we hurry and get to bed, so that we can fall asleep as fast as possible.

*******

Nothing can top the giddy excitement of Christmas Eve.

*******

You know,
This season rolls along.

As much as I love it...I do get wrapped in the activity of it all...and I tend to have a lot to do everyday. Most of it revolves around the kids, obviously...from making cookies, to decorating the tree, to doing crafts...but there is just, overall, a lot to do.

As it begins to come to a close...I find I can breathe a little lighter...and just be.

Enjoy the sights, and sounds,

the laughter and the love.

The fact that my family is all together...

And that is just what I am doing today

Merry Christmas family and friends!

Cookies for all...

Cookies...Cookies...Cookies.

Cookies...
Frosting...
Sprinkles...
Toss in a couple kids....
And a lot of mess.

Get....some of THIS....

And a lot of THIS.
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And a lifetime of memories.

A Little Comfort.

I firmly believe...

There isn't much...

That the PERFECT HOMEMADE sugar cookie....

Can't make, at least a little bit, better!

**********************

Even if you just stare at it.

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I love Christmas.

To another year...

Today....

I turned 34.

I am wondering how many more years I will be OK putting that number down in print... :)

I am just kidding.
I am a lucky lucky woman.

I float around in my world of privledge.

Privledged to be my kids' mommy.

Privledged to be my husbands wife.

Privledged to be a part of all of my friends lives.

Privledged to have all that I have.

Privledged to be able to give, what I have to give.

Privledged.

I am a lucky 34 year old, today!

A Visit with the Man in Red!

Molbak's Nursery.
Best thing EVER!
*******************
We discovered Molbak's last year from a friend.
Santa just hangs out by this huge Poinsetta tree in the middle of the building.
He stands there and smiles and waves.
The kids can go talk to him...he gives them a candy cane...and then he will sit with a picture with them.
You get to take your own pictures.
You can do pictures of just the kids...or do a family shot. People even bring animals.
There hasn't EVER been a line...and Santa is simply not scary when you can approach it like that.

The kids told Santa their lists...and he chatted with them for a few minutes...

Then we got these AWESOME shots!

This is the first picture of Makylie with a genuine smile with Santa.

The first year she was not uneasy AT ALL.
It was also the VERY first year that Karman wasn't in the Santa photo. I had wanted her to be in the yearly photo through high school...but this year that wasn't possible.

Then he chatted with the kids again.

Tyler, was in a little bit of heaven.

To him, Santa is a superhero...so I think he could have sat there with Santa all day...

Just to be in the presence of Greatness! :)
The other nice thing about the nursery...is that there are all kinds of beautiful backdrops to take pictures in front of.

It would be a wonderful place to bring people for a photoshoot.

Usually, there are huge gorgeous Christmas trees to take pictures in front of as well...but we ended up going late enough in the season this year, that they were all gone.
The kids were kind of not feeling super cooperative, at the point of random pictures.

I was having to bribe smiles out of them. :)

Considering what was going on in our lives at this very point...

It was a VERY nice day spent enjoying each other and focusing just on what needed to be focused on.

Definately, one of the highlights of the season.

Especially for the kids! :)

Merry Christmas!