Life Changing

About a week before Christmas we were all in the car driving and Michael asked Cade what his favorite Christmas present that he has ever received has been. To be honest, I can't remember what his answer even was because he followed it with this. . . "But I'm really excited about what I asked Santa for this year." (Star Wars the Clone Wars: The Complete Season 1) Michael asked him why he's so excited. "Because what I asked for this year. . . it's gonna change my life."

Thankfully, Santa delivered. . . not sure if it's changed his life yet or not?!

Christmas Traditions

Here are some of our Christmas Traditions. . . Baking Christmas Cookies
. . . .Christmas Pajamas . . . Setting Out Cookies For Santa!

Fun in the Snow

Cade Skywalker

Cade has wanted a set of Star Wars Encyclopedias for over a year now. We told him that if he wanted them badly, he needed to save his own money to buy them. Today, he received some Christmas money in the mail that brought him up to the grand total of the books. ($125.00 . . . can you believe it?) Michael took him to get this 3 volume (1190 pages) set that has every (and yes, I do mean every) thing you would ever imagine wanting to know about Star Wars inside. And look what we found right there on page 163 of volume 3. . . .apparently somewhere after the saga of movies ends, the story continues in books and Luke Skywalker's lineage includes a Cade Skywalker. . . who knew?!

Cade's Recital

Cade had his piano recital today. We were so proud of him. He played 2 versions of Silent Night and didn't miss a note!











Taking his bow. . .

Disney On Ice

We took the boys to Disney on Ice today. We were hoping there would be a big Toy Story showing since Quinn is very into them right now. The first half was very heavy on the princesses, so Cade and Quinn weren't thrilled, but we had popcorn and pretzels, so they coped! Right at the end, Buzz, Woody and the gang made a showing! It's a good thing. . . Quinn was about to fall asleep!

Say Payyyyers

So today, I was busy rushing around getting lunch ready. I had received 2 phone calls in the process, and by the time I got lunch on the table, I was ready to eat and proceded to do so. Quinn kept looking at me saying "Say Payyyers, Mommy". I couldn't figure out what he was saying. I kept throwing out guesses, and he kept saying, "No, Mommy. Say Payyyyers." Finally, I got it. . . ."Say Prayers"! Thank goodness my 2-year old keeps me in check!

Visiting Santa

Last night we took Cade and Quinn to see Santa! We were just sure that Quinn would scream and throw some sort of fit if we tried to put him on Santa's lap. But boy were we wrong!
In the second picture, Cade wanted to be sure Santa knew EXACTLY what he wanted! There's no room for error on this!

Fall Fun

Cade has always enjoyed jumping in the leaves. Last year was Quinn's first year, and he was terrified. So we were very excited that he enjoyed it so much this year! My parents had bagged up most of their leaves, but emptied them out into a big pile for the boys to play in (something they admit they never would have done for me - and I totally don't blame them!!). They had a great time tossing leaves on one another and seeing how far they could jump into the pile!

Quinn's (2nd) Dentist Appointment

It's the curse of the second child. . . .Mom forgets to take the camera to your FIRST dentist appointment, so you have to settle for pictures of your SECOND dentist appointment!! Quinn did a great job for the hygenist and Dr. Ana (much better than he does for us here at home). He checked out A-ok with no cavities and got to pick something out of the secret treasure chest because he was such a good boy! We love Fisher's Pediatric Dentistry! The staff there are just wonderful and they are so patient with our kids. They even provide sunglasses (as modeled by Cade in the last picture) so that the light doesn't hurt your eyes!

Halloween 2009

We had a great night Trick-or-Treating. Quinn didn't quite get the fact you are supposed to say "Trick-or-Treat", so he went around just saying "Candy" all night! He was THRILLED. Cade was so excited to get to spend another Halloween with Michael and Luke, his buddies!

Stuckey Farm

The boys and I headed to Stuckey Farm and their pumpkin patch on Thursday. We arrived early, so we were the only ones in the whole patch! The boys had a great time walking around and looking at all the pumpkins. The lady bugs were out in full force, so they got most of Quinn's attention!

Gatlinburg Trip

We recently spent a long weekend in Gatlinburg, TN with The Dettmans and Frenchs. (No kiddos, just adults.) We had a great time. Our first night down there, Michael and I stayed in Knoxville and had a great dinner with Trevor, Jamie and Landry Beaver. It was nice to sit and relax and talk after a long drive! The next morning after heading to The University of Tennessee to capture a picture of "Peyton Manning Pass" (below) for Cade, we headed to the Pigeon Forge/Sevierville/Gatlinburg area. We had a great weekend. The girls hit the spa and tea room while the boys golfed, we had some great dinners out. Michael and I went horseback riding. But one of the highlights for me, was seeing a mama bear and baby bear in their natural habitat. . . Smoky Mtn. National Park. I couldn't believe how close they came to the car! AMAZING!
Peyton Manning Pass.

Michael's horse. . . "Nellie", and my horse. . . "Daisy"!

The friendly bears!

Dina, Jenn and I at the Wild Plum Tea Room. . . which was FABULOUS!