Christmas 2010

We had a very "low key" Christmas this year! We feel like just being with our family may just not be all its cracked up to be. We always say it's too much to travel during the holidays to visit with grandparents and cousins, but I think this year may have changed our minds. All in all, it was a relaxing day which is something we SO needed!
Some of the memorable moments were these....
1) Cozy lost her favorite "Ling Ling" doll when we lived in Spokane. Okay that was when she was 2 and she is still talking about it! She asked Santa to find her and of course Mimi helped him. This doll looks exactly like Ling Ling but taller. Cozy was almost in tears!
2) When Benny was younger his parents had some things set aside for their Christmas and asked if they would give them up to donate to another family. Every Christmas I hear the story of the GI Joe Tank and how he gave it up for a boy his age. This year Santa heard his wishes (along with some ebay bid wars by Mom Dame! Thanks for making that special!!)
3) Atticus asked Santa for DRUMS and an electric guitar. Of course he had to clear it with us and so he got a Paper Jamz and a digital drum set! Later we found out that he was asking for a guitar for a friend. Ummmm, you cant do that!!! He is working on creating a band called BONE and is graciously trying to get instruments for all his members!
4) Scarlett was just happy jumping in her borrowed Johnny jump up!
5) We also got a painting from Mom which we just LOVE! (I am sure it is on loan!)
It was opened Christmas Eve when the kids were asleep by Benny! He just couldn't wait! Now what to do with the huge crate it came in??
6) I don't have a photo, but I must say the RING Benny got me is just beautiful!! It is his birthstone (a citrine gem which is yellow). I need to get it re-sized since my fingers are not as fat anymore!
We hope you all had a Merry Christmas!!!
Practicing with the tree up for next year!

Sugar Cookie making the night before! We didn't get out this year to carol, but had a fabulous Jazz Band come caroling to our house!
(Really it was a 2 person instrument band with their parents and siblings!
Fab. just the same!)

Comfy PJs from the Rowlands!

GI JOE Tank ('80 old school)

Paper Jamz!

Russian Painting!

LING LING is back!!

Note from LING LING aka MOM or MIMI.

Scarlett in a 9 mos. outfit (she's 6 mos) that Auntie MEL got her!
The darling headband was made by Aunt Suzy!

Just think MAUI thoughts!

I am not a huge fan of SNOW, but when it comes like this... who isn't thrilled!?
We ALL got ski passes to our ski hill just a few minutes away and then Benny found out he can't ski because of his hernia repair. Too bad for him!!!
He will be the babysitter!
The last two photos I took as a before and after. It shows how much dumped down in just a few short hours! Though it is pretty and I am trying hard to embrace it, I still would rather take a nice sandy beach over this any day!

To do list for today- 12/10/10

-take son to school
-pick up Oreos and red box movies for later
-play with my new bow and arrow I got from birthday money
-have surgery

Today Benny had a Hernia repair surgery done. He had the initial one done at 17 and then has had some troubles with it in the past few years! He kept saying he was going to take care of it... and then finally he did!
In the many years we have been married I have seen him sick maybe 5 times and NEVER in the hospital! It was SO weird for me to be on the other side (hence the photos) and for him as well since he is usually the one cutting into people. For the most part I think doctors don't like to be the patient. He did admit that he'd rather be the one with the knife!
So far he is doing well and has already started in on the Oreos. I warned him and then brought up a bucket just in case!
Thanks for all the well wishes!!
WELL BEFORE (playing Robin Hood)

BEFORE (Atticus really wanted to go into the OR, but settled for a demo on the IV)


AFTER IN RECOVERY (Both Atticus & Scarlett came while Cozy stayed for preschool and to play at a friends)

Barbies Do YOGA!

I told COZY today that I was going to go with a friend to do some HOT YOGA and that she'd have a babysitter. After putting the baby down I came into her room to see this. Socks for the Mats and lots of really good poses! She is a clever girl, but
I am sure it won't look anything like that for me!
TOO CUTE!!
(Thanksgiving photos to come later later!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BENNY!

Benny's bday was the day before thanksgiving! We celebrated by going out to Wapato Winemakers Grill for dinner (without ANY kids/baby) and then swimming and hot tubing in the Wapato indoor pool (thanks Shannon!) It's nice to go their for dinner in the off season because you get the place to yourself.
The night before his birthday he needed to deal with his Dahlia tubers. These are Benny's little babies and I say "babies" because they are the most high maintenance flower ever. He dug them out of the ground through the snow and then had to separate them, cut out the eye, and then label and tag them. I put a photo of what they look like in their prime so you can see how gorgeous they are in the Summer! My favorite is the HAWAII which is in the middle vase in the back with white at the ends, pink and then orange in the middle.
The next day we went to Spokane for Thanksgiving which I will post later!
5 Favorite things about BENNY,,,,
~ He puts his heart in his work! Many people come up to me and tell me about their doctor appointment and how much they love him! Mostly they say how they appreciate the time he takes and the fact that he is really listening.
Half the job is being a good listener and being patient!
~ He makes our kiddos smile & laugh! (sometimes this is a bad thing when laughter turns to crying which is 80% of the time!)
~ He never has said a thing about how messy the house is or complain about whats for dinner (even when I put pancakes over spinach)
~ It is a natural thing for him to be a good person! (He is an example of a good Samaritan in everything. I find that he keeps me honest and in check with whats right esp. with raising the kids)
~ He is a "pleas er".
I am the opposite in that I kind of do what "I" want first and
so he is a good example to me of someone who puts others needs before his own!

I LOVE YOU BENNY!!!! HOPE YOU HAD A HAPPY BDAY!

christmas cards anyone?

So, this is one thing I love about the holidays!! I have a closet passion for taking photos. This is just a few in the making. A hobby that keeps me fresh on my photo skills and creativity. It always helps when the people are cute .....
(tried to not use the actual ones they are using) ENJOY~

A spinach snow pop?

Our first SNOW and lots of it!

"How many baby licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?"
Atticus asked this after a quiet drive home. Scarlett's first sugar coma! I couldn't help but laugh and then the lecture came later!

Spinach for every meal!
Spinach smoothie for breakfast,under soup, pasta and chicken and in place of lettuce.
We had breakfast dinner and I had to do it!
It was actually delightful!

Fall Photos

our little BUMBO

This is the most recent photo of Miss Scarlett
(Atticus calls her that with a southern droll...pretty cute!)
Her hair is still growing on top and curls after a bath. She has some bald spots in the back too! She rolls to one side and then gets angry on her tummy (don't all babies hate that?)
We borrowed this little chair "BUMBO", but she just goes forward and spits up. Not ready for that, but she looks so funny in it!
She is delighted by the ceiling and her siblings mostly!
Very content & happy little baby!

Dames Goosebumps Haunted House

The original flyer Atticus made without our knowledge.
I saw it posted in the halls at school when I went for PT conferences. Then I heard that the principal was helping him get the word out. You kind of have to go forward and actually do it at that point, right?

The final flyer Daddy made.

The staircase with spider webs led up to this cocooned skeleton in the bathroom.

Playroom was the cemetery. (with strobe lights & fog)

Atticus. We had all the lights changed to flicker bulbs (those aren't cheap!)

Thanks to Brian Kenck for all the masks and stuff!

I scared myself when I saw this! Our cast was 5 (me the Inn keeper, Benny the sick dr.,Jeff the alien, Logan the grim reaper in the cemetery and Atticus who took the money/can food!)

Benny and his Dr. room with real xrays, body parts, and scary dolls!

Piano man that played freaky piano music!

We offered brain (jello) and blood (punch).

We were very shocked that we counted 90 people! I think this may become a Dame Halloween tradition...right up their with the MAUI every other year thing!!!

Mummy Pops

I heart HALLOWEEN, but never again will I spend my evening hours creating these OREO mummy pops! So very cute, but not worth the time if you ask me! The kids are excited to take them to school on Friday and so I guess its ALL worth it!
(This is what you do instead of going to bed early with a baby that wakes you up a couple times in the night! I say ...Embrace the sleep deprivation!)
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Trick or Treat smell my feet......

VOTE for what you think Scarlett should be for her first Halloween.
"KITTY and kitty friends"

"What should I BEE?"

This is Atticus' lego scene I promised he could do if he helped me with the photo shoot.