Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to everyone! We hope you enjoyed the holiday as much as we did.

Eli and Carli realizing that Santa visited our house.

Sammy got new mittens in his stocking and he absolutely loves them! He would keep them on all day if I let him! He sat on this chair for a good fifteen minutes admiring his new mittens and striking poses.

Carli got a new Red Wings hat from Uncle Dru--and it's pink!

This is what you get when Dad takes the kids shopping at the dollar store for Mom's Christmas present. A package of pink disposable razors and a tube of multicolored miniature bath scrubbies. How did they know just what I wanted??

Most successful present: The animal train from Nana and Papa. Sammy loves it and all three kids have been playing with it. I keep trying unsuccessfully to put it away, but it has now taken up permanent residence on the main floor.

Eli got a bunch of Ben10 stuff this year, including the Omnitrix (the watch that turns Ben into 10 different aliens. It's like an alien zoo around here!

Cute Nana and Papa. We're so blessed to be able to have them visit us for Christmas!

Best reaction this year, if I do say so myself. I was absolutely stunned at the present Jane and Bill got us this year--a new Nikon D40 digital camera. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Ben fooling around with our new camera. This is his "Blue Steel" look.

A perfect first grader's reaction to getting underwear for Christmas!

Nana and Papa looking through the memory book of our trip to St. John (our gift to Ben's parents, sister, and brother).

I got some awesome new running shoes from Dru (Ben's brother). This is the perfect gift for me. I love the color too!

Papa and his extra long ties.

Ben's favorite gift of the year: The Abominable Snowman figure by Jim Shore. Thanks Susie!

Carli and her new Cootie game.

This is what happens when Nana gets runover by a reindeer.

Me and Susie outside Old Chicago restaurant. I'm so glad she got to come for a few days. I wish she lived closer so we could see her more often--she's honestly one of the funniest people I know! But now that we have new phones with text, we can keep in better touch! Yay for texting!!

Happy Birthday Sammy!

On December 21st, Sammy turned one year old. I can't believe how fast this year has flown by! In one year Sammy has gained 16 pounds, grown 10 inches, sprouted 8 teeth, gotten a lot more hair (even though it's still not much!), learned to roll over, sit up and crawl, fallen down 3 flights of stairs, smashed one big toe, gotten two major infections, and he's been smiling through it all! We love our Sammy!

He was a good sport with the cake, even though he didn't feel well. Earlier that same day he was in urgent care and was diagnosed with croup. After getting a prescription he felt a little better and we were still able to have the party.

Nana and Papa got him the cutest little plush doggy that makes barking sounds. He loves to hug his little animals.

Poor Sammy! He was so sick all he really did was sit there while Eli and I opened his presents for him. Hopefully next year he won't be sick on his birthday!

Here is the cake before Sammy got to it--as you can see, I am a professional cake decorator! (That's about the saddest looking cake I've ever seen!)

Ben's Home!

I'm a little late, but wanted to report that Ben got home safely on December 5th. It's always nice when the deployments get home on time! As always, it is wonderful having him home and we have a had a great time being together as a family. It's especially fun to have him home just in time for the holidays. He surprised Eli and Carli with authentic chopsticks and brought me home some real pearls-- necklace, earrings and bracelet! They are beautiful! We're so happy to have him home.