End of an Era

Well, the time has come and we are now a crib free house. It's been 5 years we've had that crib and I can't believe we don't have to use it anymore. Drew has moved into her "big girl" bed and is pretty content so far. It's the cutest little Pottery Barn toddler bed that my cousin handed down to us. It is so tiny and low to the ground that we need to but some furniture so the rooms doesn't look so empy. It's only been 2 nights but she goes down easily and never gets back up. We'll see if it lasts but it's been nice. It's funny to hear her little foot steps at 5:15 in the morning running to our room and asking if she could watch Dora. I know I won't think it's funny or cute on Saturday morning when I can finally sleep in. She was really excited when she saw it and her afro looks exceptional in the pics don't you think? During the week I don't gel her hair so it seems to "fro" out but the weekends when we have things to do I always try to put some effort into it and it usually looks pretty cute if you ask me.

On Sunday's we usally turn off the TV and blast the music. We decided to put on mexican music and the kids went to town dancing with each other. It was the cutest thing. We're planning on buying a new camera that films little videos so we can do a better job documenting. For now the pictures will have to do justice.

Decorating

Now that everyone is healthy (Drew finally got over the flu Wed) we started decorting for Christmas. I can't believe how fast it's coming. We got a small tree this year to put on one of our end tables. We were afraid the dog and Drew would knock it down. Sure enough, the minute we put some ornaments Drew was jumping up trying to grab them but they were out of her reach. We're done shopping for all the kids we have to buy for so that feels good. Now, it' on to the adults. It seems like it gets harder and harder each year. Every year I swear I'm going to be done early and every year I wait till the last minute. I'm starting to become the scrooge and complain that I wish I didn't have to deal with Christmas this year. The line, the money, the wrapping....Of course, Christmas morning I'm wide awake at 5:00 dying for the kids to wake up and run to the living room to see the goods. That makes me forget about all the headaches and stress and reminds me that it was all worth it.

Today was our last soccer game and we lost. The kids were pretty upset but they got over it once they got medals. I of course forgot my camera so I have nothing to mark the occassion. We're having our end of the year party on Wednesday so I'll have to make a note not to forget that day. Tonight we're going to an adult only Wine Party at our friends The Hershbergers. I love going to their house and not having to worry that Drew might fall in the pool is going to be an extra bonus!

Peyton lost his front tooth Wednesday at school so here he is Thursday morning still trying to open his eyes. He called us from his room and didn't want to get out of bed until he re-enacted how he felt the dollar under his pillow and how it woke him up. Wouldn't it be great if there was a diet fairy who left a dollar under our pillow for every pound we lost....

Drew posing in her new Pj's

The Vegas

We're back. Vegas was fun, relaxing and unbelievably mellow. We weren't in party mode and went to bed pretty early every night according to Vegas standards. We got there on Friday afternoon and had a ton of fun but when we called to check up on the kids Saturday morning our trip took a turn. Both kids had been throwing up and not keeping anything down. My poor mom sounded so tired and was trying to talk but with both kids crying it was hard to hear. We wanted to come home but she assured us she could handle it so we continued on but it was hard since the sound was lingering in our heads. We walked the entire strip and took some fun pics along the way. All in all, I was so happy to go and get away. I can't wait till next time. We met up with Santa and made sure Peyton and Drew were on the good list. Peyton was very happy to see the proof and is counting down to Christmas eve....

Off to Vegas

We're off! We'll be back Monday with good stories and pictures. I'm gonna be the ultimate tourist this time. Lots of pictures, margaritas by the yard, anything to make Mark embarrased.

Not enough time

There is not enough time in a day. I feel like I'm constantly running to keep up and by the end of the day I'm laying in bed thinking of what the first thing I have to do is because I didn't get to it the day before. I'm sure it's just the holiday stress. So, to catch up on a few things, Peyton got his kindergarden and soccer pics. I think they turned out so cute. He normally doesn't show his teeth but since his front ones are about to fall out he loves to show them off all of a sudden. Sure, being a thumb sucker doesn't help with his overbite but what kid doesn't have braces nowadays. By high school he'll have a colgate smile!

So it was a goal to have our Christmas cards ordered and mailed before we left this weekend. Here are some of the results of trying to get the kids to smile for the camera at the same time. It was a much better experience than last year but I'm still a big fan of last years card. Most people loved it and even called to tell us how funny it was but some but some hated it. My reasoning was that it was my reality at the time, we're not a picture perfect family and that was the best I could do after hours of trying. Looking back at it makes me laugh.