pictures worth a thousand words

Collin has a thing for trains, especially Thomas the Tank Engine. Check out these fun pictures in succession as he opens his first ever Thomas the Tank Engine set for Christmas!

Libby helps Collin open his Thomas the Tank Engine Set. Right now Libby looks more excited about it than Collin does!

This one is my all-time favorite! Realization dawns. Don't you just love the expression on his face! Classic little boy Christmas excitement!

Collin lovingly caresses the box while Libby helps remove the final wrappings.

This one isn't Thomas-related, but I still loved it! Collin desperately wanted a Spiderman from Santa. At the ward Christmas party, he confidently asked Santa for a Spiderman and was rather dismayed when Santa only offered him a candy cane! We had to explain to a somewhat confused Collin that Santa doesn't actually have the presents ready until Christmas Eve. Here he proudly shows off his long-awaited Spiderman to Mom with Julia.

a merr-wii christmas

At last! Libby, Bailey, and Julia finally in possession of the coveted Wii! They were, in a word, excited. Bailey was the first one up Christmas morning at 5:00 am [not including when I told him to get back to bed after I heard him creaking down the stairs near midnight] and the rest were up at 6:00. They were allowed to explore their stocking fare, but the family rule is that we open gifts all together. Bailey and Libby had already scoped out a box that they thought might contain a Wii [we had told them we might not have it in time for Christmas, just to keep them in suspense]. Just as soon as it was opened, it was out of the box and Owen was getting it set up. They spent most of Christmas day taking turns playing the various games they had selected.

Here Libby practices along with High School Musical, with Julia wielding a Wii remote to perform the background percussion for her. She's getting pretty good at the songs now! I think I will have them all memorized myself before too much longer. Maybe when the kids go to bed I'll have to take over the mike and see how I fare. Actually, I will most likely have to wait until Owen beats the current Wii game he's playing. It was hard getting him to take his turns like everyone else yesterday! And when the kids went to bed he kept playing until bedtime. Fine by me-it finally gave me a chance to try out my new Nintendo DS [from Owen] with a really fun vocabulary builder game that Santa slipped into my stocking.

in the days before christmas

Some things we've been up to while preparing for Christmas!

• attended Julia's Christmas program [the above picture is Julia coming down from the stage with her class after their performance]
• watched two adaptation of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" [a holiday favorite of ours-the kids swear that the black and white version is way spookier]
• watched "Little Women" several times [a holiday and everyday favorite of the girls in the house]
• Aisha spent two weeks scheduling for and running the 4th grade field trip fundraiser at school-Santa's Secret Shop and the kids came in every morning the shop was open to help set up and be my crowd control and price check assistants
• getting busy in the kitchen making a variety of candy and treats for neighbors, ward members, and for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• driving around town delivering treats and treating ourselves to the beautiful Christmas lights around the neighborhoods
• Aisha and Collin got to attend two class parties on the last day of school-we just went from one right to the next bringing treats
• Libby and Aisha made pom-pom pets [by American Girl] for Libby's teacher and friends at school

how old is your brain?

It all started with Libby. A couple of months ago, she earned and saved enough money to buy a used Nintendo DS. Since I don't allow unrestricted access to video games [whether or not they bought it with their own funds] the DS is stored in my closet until she has permission to use it. It sits right where I can see it every day when I walk inside.

One night I am running errands and Christmas shopping by myself at Target and suddenly I find myself perusing the video games. I stop in front of the DS games and right at eye level is Brain Age. I've heard about Brain Age before. Adults play Brain Age. I, too, am an adult. And I love brain teasers, games, and sudoku, all of which are included in Brain Age. I have access to a Nintendo DS. I decide to buy my first ever video game. I'm feeling younger already.

And I'm hooked! I love competing with myself [and other family members] for the high score. One game card allows you to have four files on it, so Owen, Bailey, and Libby have been playing as well. There are daily training segments, and the more days that you train, the more games and options that are opened to you. And of course there is the namesake Brain Age Check. I currently hold the household high score of 24 [not too bad for a 35 year old mom 'o four]. The best Brain Age is 20, because apparently when we are 20 our minds are as sharp as they're going to get. And if you think about that fact for too long, it gets a little scary! The lowest score is 80. I'm determined to [someday] get to that score of 20. And I'll make sure and let you know when that happens!

Find out more about Brain Age at their website. I've already got my eye on Brain Age 2!

the perfect family

Wishing You a Perfect Christmas! by Jeff Holmes Photography

My cousin Jeff Holmes [not to be confused with my brother of the same name] entered this photo in a holiday card competition and won in the Funniest category!

Congratulations to Jeff and his wife Chanel for a brilliant joint effort! As winners, their card will be sold in a pack of cards containing all the winning entries. So, basically their family's picture will be sent everywhere this Christmas! So awesome. It's making my Christmas cards look pretty lame.

I think my favorite part is the hilarious look on Lake's face! He's a total ham. And Libby looks very comfy nestled in the crook of her dad's arm. Check out Jeff's flickr link for more good stuff! And click on this flickr link to see all the winning entries and runners-up.

the annual cousin photo shoot

We have a tradition in our family. Every Christmas we gather all of my siblings' children [including our own], dress them in coordinated clothes provided by Grammie, and have a photo shoot. This year we have The Big Twelve--12 cousins, all of varying ages ranging from just a few months to 12 years old. It's always an interesting event to behold, as the two and three year olds generally provide the most frustration and amusement! This year we had 3 two-to-three year-olds [Ruby, Barrett, & Collin], so the fun was, as you might suspect, non-stop.

Collin [3], Libby [9], Bailey [12], Julia [7]

We started things off with sibling groups, just for fun. Here's my favorite of our bunch. Isn't Collin quite the little man in his suit! [While he was getting dressed that morning, he kept talking about wearing his "soup." Well, at dinner time he's not too far off the mark!] We did everyone's families separately, then gathered the whole lot of them together for the Big Group Shot. And that's when things predictably started falling apart!

I was taking candids off to the side-the kids are looking at Grammie's camera. Everyone looks good here except the two little boys! They finally buckled under the pressure of the paparazzi and just couldn't take any more. They sobbed throughout most of the group shot [they're on either end]. Hopefully Grammie got some better ones than I did! I did manage to get Ruby [in the white dress] in the shot just before she ran off again. She was in and out the whole time-it was pretty funny trying to get her to stay put for long!

Over the years we've just learned that there's nothing we can do, so we just focus on the fact that we're just keeping things real by capturing them as they are.

Plus, there's always next year!

honor roll

Congratulations to Libby for making the Superintendent's Honor Roll at school for the first trimester! Way to go! By the way, the Superintendent's Honor Roll is a cut above the regular honor roll, so Libby is really putting forth her best efforts in school. We are very proud of her!

happy 7th birthday julia!

Our little bitty Julia is 7 now! Here she is, gearing up for the big blow-out. We had chocolate cake and cake batter ice cream from Coldstone to mark the big day. Plus, I brought one of Julia's favorite snacks for her class today: chocolate chip cookies and milk! The kids really seemd to enjoy it. After school we headed over to the mall so she could redeem her Build-a-Bear gift cards! It was our first experience with Build-a-Bear and it was fun! We may have to do it again!

Step one: Choose your bear! Julia immediately fell in love with the koala bear-there was really no contest as to what the bear would be!

Step two: Stuff your bear! She even got to put a special red heart inside her bear that she kissed and made a wish on. Very cute. Then comes the fluff, and you can fluff as little or as much as you desire.

Step three: Dress your bear! Julia enlists Libby's fashion advice and selects an outfit, shoes, pajamas, and accessories for her bear.

And here's the finished product, all ready for Christmas! Her name is Alaa. You know, as in Ko-ala, and also the name of a friend in her class. [At least she didn't spell it a certain, ah, Islamic way and get herself in trouble with the government. Oh, that's right. We live in America!] Julia had a fun 7th birthday, spent just the way she likes! Except for the fact that she did in fact have to go to school and do her homework. I guess there are some advantages to summer birthdays after all. . .

today's quote

Seen on a t-shirt worn by a toddler at the mall after our visit to Build-a-Bear:

"What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's."

'Nuff said.

thanksgiving video by libby

Since I was limited on picture/video space on the last post, Libby's Thanksgiving post is being presented in two installments!

Ambika in the kitchen, and Andrew kickin' it on the hearth!

A short video Libby took while chasing Barrett downstairs.

Warning: you may want to take Dramamine before viewing.

thanksgiving by libby

After dessert I took a break from the kitchen and took advantage of the opportunity to hold baby Sammy. While he fell asleep in my arms in the rocking chair, Libby got a hold of my camera and got some amazingly good candids of the family! I thought they were certainly worthy of a post a la Libby.

Barrett finds a haven on the floor and in between the gamers.

Anthony gives Libby a sweet smile for the camera!

Libby catches Bailey in usual form.

Uncle Jubba[aka Jeff]-like a deer in the headlights! Seriously. The flash was really blinding everyone.

Grammie hams it up for the camera!

giving thanks

Thanksgiving 2007! As has been the tradition for the last several years, we gathered together at our home to celebrate Thanksgiving and have a wonderful dinner [and desserts!]. Mom and Dad, Ana and Ian, and Ambika and Jeff, along with all their children, were able to attend. As usual, we had way too much good food!

After we got the children served and situated outside, the adults retired inside to enjoy their dinner in peace! The kids really enjoyed their Thanksgiving picnic and had fun playing outside with their cousins.

Table for two, although I'm pretty sure cousin Barrett never actually sat down to eat! Collin enjoyed his dinner, though.

A nice, peaceful Thanksgiving inside! The baby bottle is where Ambika was sitting, although Sammy didn't let her sit for very long. He was having a fussy day and would only accept his mom's attempts at consolation. She ended up eating at the counter so she could hold him and use a fork at the same time!

Later, Sammy takes a break outside with Grammie and cousin Libby. Here, Libby is marvelling at Sammy's enormous jowls. They really are quite the sight! After dinner I finished cleaning up while the adults walked the kids over to the neighborhood park to shoot off homemade rockets brought by Ian and Anthony. Apparently they soared to a height of about 3,000 feet! I'll have to take their word for it-I was elbow deep in soap suds! When everyone got back from the park, we served dessert and the cousins battled each other on the GameCube.

go elf yourself!

Last Christmas my sister-in-law Deana got me hooked on the OfficeMax "Elf Yourself" website. This year it's back and better than ever! Now I can have all four of my dancing elves on the same page! Check it out here for a good laugh! And if you make your own, you'd better send it to me, 'cause I want to laugh at yours, too! For even more laughs, click on this link to see actors from "The Office" getting their elf on.

coast getaway

Over Veteran's Day weekend we spent some time over at the coast. It was a pretty lazy weekend. We didn't actually get there until Saturday just before dinner, so after we unloaded our stuff, we headed into downtown San Luis Obispo to get some dinner. After dinner we made our ritual visit to Coldstone Creamery for a half gallon of cake batter ice cream and took it back to the condo to enjoy.

Sunday we took it easy. Collin woke up in a foul temper and we decided against taking him to church. Instead had a quiet spiritual message in front of the fire. In fact, we kept the stove burning all day and just lazed about in front of it. In the late afternoon, after Collin's nap, we headed over to explore the nearby Elfin Forest. It is pretty, but I was worrying so much about the kids touching the poison oak that surrounded us on all sides [in huge, overhanging bushes at times] that I was undeniably relieved when we headed back. I believe in the above picture that Owen is telling the kids [again, because it was constant] NOT TO TOUCH THE PLANTS. NONE OF THEM. AT ALL.



Bailey and Libby's conversation at a vista point in the Elfin Forest:

Libby: Bailey, come and play patty cake with me!

Bailey: No way! Do I look like a wussy boy to you?

Libby: Do you really want me to answer that?

Can't you just feel the love?

After we left the poison-oak-infested Elfin Forest [it really is pretty, just not much fun with little kids] we headed south to Montana de Oro. We went to one of our favorite spots, with the huge pebble beach and the many caves. The kids all had fun collecting rocks and pebbles and exploring the rocky hills and caves there. We stayed there until just before sunset, then went home and Owen put the kids in the shower while I put the gluten-free pasta bake into the oven for an easy, warm dinner.

Collin enjoyed throwing the many rocks at Montana de Oro back into the ocean. He looks pretty serious about it in this picture. Fortunately we never had a problem with him aiming his missiles at anything living. He was pretty intent on making big splashes in the water.

Monday morning we cleaned up the condo and spent some time in Morro Bay [walked around the Embarcadero and had lunch by the bay] and San Luis Obispo. The kids have a favorite toy store downtown called Tom's Toys. They have a lot of things that the kids really like, so they got to pick their favorite [within reason]. Then I got to hit Banana Republic while Owen took the kids for a walk--and even found a cute blouse on sale! We decided to head back early to avoid the holiday traffic, so that was the extent of our big weekend! It was nice to get away from the house for a couple of days and just hang out together. If we'd been at home we would just have been doing **GASP** chores and **DOUBLE GASP** yardwork!

marching band

looking good in uniform!

Earlier this month the marching band at Bailey's school had their final band review and I was able to get some good shots of him in uniform and of the school band in action. They had a pretty good marching season and placed at nearly every competition. Most of the schools they compete against only have 7th and 8th graders marching, but at Bailey's school, being K-8, they have students as young as 5th grade marching in the band. It's quite a learning experience!

I couldn't help remembering my own marching band days in the 7th and 8th grade. I hated marching. I just thought it was so lame. And my super-ugly uniform was always way too huge on me, so that certainly didn't help my attitude towards the entire experience! Of course I haven't relayed these sentiments to Bailey so as not to taint his own experiences. He seems to enjoy it OK. And his band uniform is a lot sharper looking than the one I had to endure!

The morning of this particular band review was so foggy and cold; so foggy, in fact, that there was a major accident on the freeway that morning. There was a 100 car pile-up in the fog just north of our exit at the same time we were traveling that morning. I didn't even hear about it until that evening. We felt so blessed that we weren't involved in any accidents.

A short video clip of the band in action. You can't see Bailey because I ended up on the wrong side of the street and didn't realize it until it was too late to go back across! But you can at least see them all marching and playing.