Wednesday, December 30, 2009

SNOW...SNOW...SNOW

We headed up to the snow today for a couple hours with our cousins. It was snowing while we were there and we enjoyed a bunch of new powder snow. The boys have a blast running around in the snow and sledding down the hill. Allie actually enjoys herself quite a bit, despite being bundled and in boots that are 3 sizes too big. I think she may turn into a little dare devil. Kate and Allie also loved sitting in the snow and eating it...like two little old ladies. We had a great morning and now it's a quiet house with napping children.

our attempt to take a picture of the 6 six...Andrew and Luke are posing


















We Love Great Grandma "E"

I love this picture of the three kids and grandma E. My amazing grandma is going to be 91 in a few days. She is a true example of a woman of strength. She loves my kids so much and they sure love her. It is so special to me that my kids have great memories with their great grandma and they are able to learn from her example. We love you lots grandma E and we are so glad you came to visit for Lukey's birthday.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

A Christmas Tradition I Don't Want to Forget

Although I took no pictures of this tradition, I don't want to forget it. We love walking our local street of Christmas lights here in Rocklin. The kids can't get enough of it. We walked the street 8 times this year. It is about a mile loop. Everytime we went the boys were just as excited as the time before. Andrew was like a little excited tour guide walking the street. I loved how excited they would get every single time we went. We went with many friends and our family. Maybe next year I will get a picture of my kiddos walking the lights. Just imagine them all bundled up with hot coco in hand, and maybe a cookie or two.

Happy 4th Birthday Lukey James

Our little Luke is 4...wow!!! His birthday fell on a Sunday this year so we combined his friends party with a family party. After church we all headed over to Cool River Pizza for a "puppy party" It was perfect for Luke. H loved having his friends there with him and even though he acts kinda shy, he didn't stop talking about all his friends who came to his party. We got Luke a geotracks train and my family got him pieces as well. He was very excited about this gift. The boys have been spending many hours playing trains.
Luke has had a big year....he started pre-school, learned to ride his scooter, made some new friends at school, has began to enjoy art and coloring, and managed to make his daddy and mommy laugh a lot at his comments. He has a heart of gold...always thinking of others (mainly his family at this stage). Pictures are always colored for daddy and mommy, gifts are bought for Andrew and Als, and toys are shared when others want them. He loves to wear his footsie pajamas and cozy clothes...jeans are not an option for this boy. You can often find him with no undies on (he will wear them to school, but often takes them off when he gets home), never wears socks, which is why he wears crocs 99%of the time, and doesn't like to wear sweatshirts (except for one that grandma E gave him). Luke is very independent. He likes to get himself dressed, brush his teeth, and buckle himself in the car. Although independent he likes to do things on his time. We often wait in the driveway or parking lots for him to get buckled in, all the while he has no idea that everyone is waiting. He is a free-spirit and I know this will serve him well in life, as well as help his daddy and mommy take a step back and enjoy all the little things he takes his time to enjoy.
We love you Lukey James...our little Christmas Boy!!!














Happy 31st Birthday Daddy

Daddy turned 31 on the 26th. We were in Merced so Oma made a special cake for daddy and Luke. The kids brought their new Michigan attire from Aunt Emmie and Uncle Gary to wear for daddy on his birthday. Allie was so excited to wear her cheerleading outfit. We had a low key day, which is how daddy likes it. We drove home in the afternoon and just hung out at home for the afternoon. We are so blessed to have such an amazing daddy. We love him so much.






Christmas Day with the VandenAkker Family

Christmas Day was spent in Merced with the whole Vanden Akker clan. Pake and Oma have been working hard on their house to have all the kids and grandkids over for Christmas. I wasn't too good about taking many pictures. Andrew got to be Santa when we opened up gifts, and he enjoyed his job tremendously. Oma made a big Christmas dinner and we enjoyed a walk to the local park. We decided to spend the night this year and it was so nice to tuck the kids in and be able to relax a little with all the family. We were especially excited to have Ryan, Christy, and Noah here from Kansas City to celebrate with us.



Oma was very busy this year making all the adult kids blankets and the kids sleeping bags