What a Year!!!

Taking time to look back as well as thinking of the year ahead...

Gavin:

Age: 3

Favorite Color: green, black, and purple

Favorite Activity: jumping on the trampoline with Claire

Favorite Book: Going on a Bear Hunt

Favorite Food: watermelon, chocolate, and grapefruit

Greatest Lesson Learned: learning to go potty

Hardest Thing of the Year: going potty at other people's houses

Favorite Memory: going to New York City

What I Loved Most about 2011: Claire

What I Want to Learn in 2012: going potty supper fast so I don't pee my pants even a little bit

What I Want to Get Better at in 2012: being nice to Zachary

Biggest Goal for 2012: learn my ABC's

Zachary:

Age: 7

Favorite Color: black

Favorite Activity: playing the Wii

Favorite Book: A to Z Mysteries

Favorite Food: meat balls

Greatest Lesson Learned in 2011: "Watch the Wave"

Hardest Thing of The Year: leaving Mom at home

Favorite Memory: going to Great Wolf Lodge

What I Loved Most about 2011: my family

What I Want to Learn in 2012: golf

What I Want to Get Better at in 2012: soccer

Biggest Goal for 2012: finish the Book of Mormon before I'm baptized

McKenna:

Age: 9

Favorite Color: blue

Favorite Activity: sports

Favorite Book: James and The Giant Peach

Favorite Food: mashed potatoes

Greatest Lesson Learned in 2011: get blessings for keeping the Sabbath Day holy

Hardest Thing of the Year: reading the Book of Mormon in one year for my second time

Favorite Memory of 2011: getting in to Challenge Soccer

What I Loved Most About 2011: spending time with my family

What I Want to Learn in 2012: tennis

What I Want to Get Better at in 2012: improving in soccer with my dribbling and shooting

Biggest Goal of 2012: make Jamboree Soccer Team

Abigail:

Age: 10

Favorite Color: green and purple

Favorite Activity: reading

Favorite Book: Harry Potter #7 (read for the second time this year)

Favorite Food: raspberries

Greatest Lesson Learned in 2011: rule #6--"Don't take yourself too seriously"

Hardest Thing of the Year: math

Favorite Memory of 2011: New York City/Virginia Beach

What I Loved Most About 2011: spending time with my family

What I Want to Learn in 2012: to receive personal revelation better

What I Want to Get Better at in 2012: reading/studying my scriptures

Biggest Goal of 2012: write in my journal once a week

Emily

Age: 33

Favorite Color: red

Favorite Activity: cooking/photography

Favorite Book: must be the pregnancy brain because I don't remember what I've read this year!

Favorite Food: Lindor Chocolate Balls, yummy pasta

Greatest Lesson Learned in 2011: from dear friends I learned what it really means to be of service to those around you. And with that I offer a HUGE, heart felt THANK YOU for all they have done for me and my family!

Hardest Thing of the Year: hands down...PREGNANCY!!!

Favorite Memory of 2011: New York and Virginia Beach

What I Loved Most About 2011: focusing on being the best mom I could

What I Want to Learn in 2012: I want to learn how to use my camera really well in manual mode and I want to learn how to edit my photos in lightroom

What I Want to Get Better at in 2012: taking pictures

Biggest Goal of 2012: have baby #5, loose the baby weight and get in great physical shape

Bret:

Age: 35

Favorite Color: blue

Favorite Activity: golf

Favorite Book:

Favorite Food: fish (which he seldom gets to eat because I don't cook it)

Greatest Lesson Learned in 2011: humility/patience

Hardest Thing of the Year: Comprehensive Exams

Favorite Memory of 2011: Virginia Beach

What I Loved Most About 2011: teaching

What I Want to Learn in 2012: Leader Development

What I Want to Get Better at in 2012: empathy

Biggest Goal of 2012: 5 articles submitted to journals

Christmas Day

I think everyone would agree that this was a perfect Christmas Day...so great and fun. The 3 oldest kids woke up at 5:30, we promptly sent them back to bed. When they came in again at six we decided we might as well get up...so they went to wake up Gavin.

Gavin cried while trying to take their picture on the stairs to go see his presents

Zachary's highlights for the day: Lego's and video games...a boys dream

Abby even got Harry Potter Lego's.

Other highlights for her included: a book she's been dying to have, a watch and new bedding for her room...her very own room makeover.

Gavin's highlights: Lego's, a helicopter, and Star Wars toys

McKenna's highlights: roller blades, a soccer net, and new bedding/room things.

After opening presents we ate a yummy breakfast and got ready for 9:00 church. After coming home we all promptly changed back into our PJ's and spent the rest of the day playing. It couldn't have been a better Christmas.

Christmas Eve

We all love ice skating Christmas Eve day...thanks Crane's for passing this one on to us! This year I was the official camera lady...they were having so much fun I wished I could have joined them.

I was surprised at how much Gavin enjoyed it. The kid was in heaven!

McKenna was great and pushed him around a lot.

This was Abby's best year ever! She only clung to the wall the first 10 minutes or so and then was out in the middle having fun.

That evening we headed over to the Quinn's house and spent Christmas Eve with them and the Evans...our family away from family. We had an appatizer dinner and chocolate fountain for dessert.

We did the nativity followed by a talent show...Abby was the angel, McKenna was Mary

And Gavin and Zachary were shepherds.

Then home for our own little thing...of course we opened up new PJ's. But this year we also decided to have the kids exchange the presents they got each other on Christmas Eve. This way they seemed a little more special, stood out more instead of getting lost in the mix, and the kids were a lot more excited about them then if we open them on Christmas Day.

Abby gave Gavin some Star Wars guys

McKenna gave Zachary a pillow pet

Zachary gave McKenna a CD that he and Bret put together off of itunes...this girl who loves music was over the moon excited!

And Gavin gave Abby a necklace.

After watching a little of a movie and leaving cookies and milk for Santa it was off to bed where they all slept in the same room. Not sure what time they eventually fell asleep, but it definitely took awhile!

December Highlights

Some highlights of our month of December include:

Relatively warm weather where my kids have still been able to play outside most the time.

Basketball season starting up for McKenna and Zachary....Bret loves watching his little girl hustle down the entire length of the court to make a big defensive stop and practicing with the kids in the culd-a-sac.

Getting a new flash for my camera for my birthday from Bret and Christmas from my parents...now I'm learning how to use it just right...

...just a fun camera effect I like...

Gavin and Claire continue to play twice a week...they even exchanged Christmas gifts with each other. She gave him a sword and a shield and he gave her a sparkly my little pony.

Hosting our traditional Christmas party with friends

we did minute to win it games again and white elephant gift exchange

Jared stacking ding dongs on his forehead

Me, Amy, Emily and Jodi

Rich throwing the water bottle and trying to get it to land standing up

Ryan blowing balls off the table but trying to keep three specific ones on

Amy spinning a toilet paper roll

And then there was the couple match off...

Jodi and Jared Harris

Rich and Emily Evans

Ryan and Amy Quinn

Bret and I...both a little competitive biting our lower lips

Abby had a ballet showing...

She also had a play at school where she was a dancing piece of candy...

My girls and Kate threw a Christmas party for their friends...

the party planners

We did a hot chocolate bar...

a gift exchange...

The third grade girls...

The fifth grade girls...

And we went caroling

...but it was trick-or-treating style as they girls ran from one house to the next

We went to Bethlehem Village to the live nativity with the Quinn's and the Evans...both the boys loved the Roman soldiers who were collecting taxes...

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the kids being home from school. We've had plenty of PJ days, played games, done puzzles, watched movies, and played Lego's.

Taking the kids to see Santa...Gavin was sure to tell him his WHOLE list which included: lots of Lego's, Pokemon cards, a black car, and a bell from Santa's sleigh.

Our shepherds dinner...

Going to see a Christmas Carol at a nearby Shakespearean theater. It was a fabulous production and we even got to sit on on stage.

A night at our Bishop's house where we went on a little journey seeking the Christ child. We encountered Isaiah, 3 wise men, Roman guards, angels with spot lights on them trumpeting their trumpets, shepherds in a field, and finally Mary and Joseph in a barn. It was a real highlight of the entire Christmas season. Each person we encountered talked to us a little about their search for the Christ child, we'd sing a song with them, and then they would join us on our journey. This was not a ward activity, but something that this good family does several times every year and invites different families to participate with them.

And then of course there is Christmas itself...but that deserves posts of it's own!