Siblings

There is just something that seems to captivate me as I watch my kids get along. There are more of these times then the fighting. To see them enjoying each other's company and having fun is what siblings should be about.

Easy

Ok I love big, yummy breakfasts. But I also love the mornings when I get to pour cereal for everyone. There are just some mornings when I want a quick and easy start to my morning. I try to keep a variety of cereal types so that everyone is happy.

Project 365

Ok I just have to tell you about a new kit coming out. I'm a sucker for kits, but this one really caught my eye. It's all about taking a photo a day. Now if you're like me you start off really well and then it all goes to pot.lol Well this kit will hopefully keep me on track. And I'm hoping a few of my friends also decide to do this. Then maybe we can help each other. I want to do this to hopefully step up my photography skills and then you also have a really cool album for the year. Now this is not going to replace my scrapbook albums but as an additional memory keeper of everyday life. So here is a link that shows the kit.
Project 365

Shopping

We decided to venture to the stores today. We didn't go out yesterday because the weather was not the nicest. We stopped at the mall to check out Bath and Body Works. The lotion I was looking for was gone. And also some perfume I had wanted and that wasn't even on sale. Next we stopped for lunch and then hit Target. The kids had gift cards to use. They each found something and we found some little things too. And last we went to WalMart. We know better than to just say we're going to look around.lol I found pj's for the girls on super clearance. And then we found some great serving items. An 18pc punch bowl set for $7.75. I have been wanthing a nice set for a long time. Then found a 12 pc set of wine glasses for less than $1 a glass. And last a 2pc serving set. It's a nice plate with a bowl for dips. Those were probably the best finds of the day.

More Photos

Our Christmas

We had a very nice day. Before the kids could eat breakfast they just had to open gifts. They got some nice gifts. Lillian is still into Dora, though Barbie seems to be a big hit. So maybe another year or two and Dora will fade into the background. Victoria loves Littlest Pets. And she received a good amount of gymnastics leotards and shorts. Good thing because as much as she's at the gym those leotards are washed quite often. Gabriel loves his legos and bionicles. They all received DVD's and ps2 games. Tony and I got our main gift a few weeks ago. But we both had small items in our stockings. Oh adn we can't forgot how excited he was to see our joint gift of a puzzle. lol Our dinner was so good though I forgot take photos. And we also took a family photo too.

Tradition

Every year the kids and I build a gingerbread house. Now I wish I could say that I'm a great homemaker and make it from scratch. Well, sorry, but that is not the case. lol The kids have fun and look forward to doing it every year.

Glow

Now that the tree is finished, our tree seems to glow a bit more. Must be all those shiny ornaments reflecting the lights. I love our collection of ornaments from shiny ones to those special ones that hold so much meaning.

Complete

Tony and the kids finished decorating the tree tonight. Christmas music played in the background and nothing got broken! I'm glad it's done and the last tote can be stored away till January when everything comes down.

Beautiful

Hubby and the kids bought flowers for Lillian's ballet performance. She just loved getting them. They are blooming and sitting on our counter. So I decided that I better get some pics because they got ugly.

Warm & Cozy

We are very lucky to not have tons of snow and cold all winter. But it does get cold here. And up until this week we haven't even thought of turning on the heater. In fact it still isn't on. But I have noticed how chilly the mornings are. We have a fireplace and when we bought the house I really didn't care that it did have one. To me it's always been decoration for the house. lol But last winter we turned it on a few times and loved it. So I finally lit it yesterday morning and it really helps to take the chill off. Plus there is something about a nice fire going that warms your mood and heart. Plus, this is super easy to light and no adding logs or anything. So a lazy fireplace is the way I like it.

Black Friday

I never did post anything about our Thanksgiving. We went to NM. And can you believe that I didn't take one photo?! How is that? I had my camera there and everything. Oh well. We had a good time. And of course Tony and I got up and did our Black Friday shopping. We got just about everything we had on our list. Or should I say on my list. lol I did go to El Paso later on that afternoon and my sisters and I got a photo with Santa. The first year ever with all of us. And since we were there I decided to get the kids' photo done too. So these are the only photos from the whole trip.

Almost Done

After Friday's performance I decided to try and get most of the Christmas decorating done. I got the tree out, our nativity display and some other items out. Pretty much the only thing that needs to be done is to get the ornaments on the tree. For some reason I couldn't get the lighting figured out but here are two photos. And hopefully the ornaments will get put on the tree this week.

The Nutcracker

Lillian has been getting ready for The Nutcracker all week long. We've been at the theater every night for rehearsals. Finally the Big Night came and it went really well. Amazingly how quickly 2 hours goes by. This is Lillian's second year performing in The Nutcracker and mom finally has all the make-up and costume changes down. This year is a bit crazier because she has 3 parts. And not much time to change and get hair and make-up done between the last two parts. She loves sitting backstage and watching all the dancers. Too bad that she doesn't smile enough while on stage because she comes off so happy. We only have one more performance on Sunday. Here are some photos!!!

Friday Night

End of Season

Gabriel had his last soccer game last Thursday night. It was cold and windy. Gabriel played well and scored two goals. After the game was the end of season party. And then the kids got trophy's. I am glad the season is over and now Gabriel is looking forward to baseball season.

Roger's Rangers

Gabriel played the best all season!!!! He scored 6 goals!!!! He also did great on passing and helping his teammates. We only have one more game left in the season.

Dreamin' Disney

Desert Thunder had their 2nd Annual Dreamin' Disney competition. Victoria did really well. It was her 3rd competition. Her she did an outstanding job on her floor routine. Her form all around has improved so much. Of course knowing her routines I know she has some work to do on beam which is mainly memorizing the routine. She had a lot of fun and took 1st in the All Around in her age category for Level 4.

Balloon Glow

For the last few years we have gone to Veteran's Park to see the Hot Air Balloons take off. This year we didn't get to see the launch as it was a very busy week. And getting up at 6am was something that didn't happen. The weather was beautiful so we got to see the balloon glow for the first time. Though this year they didn't have very many balloons. But the kids enjoyed it.