Decorating at my parent's house...

So my step-dad has Degenitive Osteo Arthritis and this year has finally gotten the better of him. He has spent most weekends home in bed because traveling for work is taxing him. So Dan helped out this year which made some funny memories!

Here is Camryn trying to help my mom put togehter a snowman when she obviously needed her glasses, LOL!

These are my abominal snow girls....


My brother posing as Chester the Molestor... or a robber, still not sure.

Yes I know he's crazy! Guess what word he was saying here?!?!?!?!


The Girls all trying to make a snowman, who was sqare shaped (I was too flippin cold to go back and get the picture over at the neighbor's with no boots on!!!)

The girls thanking Sunshine for the Hot Chocolate!

More Holiday Decorations, I just love the santa's etched on the glass!

The Holiday Express is HERE!!!

The school puts on this great event every year and we just LOVE IT! The kids get to see santa, listen to Mrs. Claus read stories, shop for family with helpers, make ornaments, eat junk food, and hang out with friends and the parents FINALLY GET TO MEET!!! It's a social event, they look forward to it, and it's FREE! Cam was excited to go, can you tell???


So here are the highlights!!!


The main attraction? Yes, the "Santa's Helper" was a big hit, don't ya love Elli's tummy shot?





Mr. Jason just loves to find Camryn and distract her. Then again his wife and son were galavanting in the festivities and he was left all alone, LOL!

There was graphiti..

There were art projects...


There was singing....

And there were treats!

Mrs. Claus reading stories to the kids!



And then it was time to go!

Born Drama Queen

Some days I wonder if I was supposed to submit her to some contest where she could be "found", ya know?

I wish there were more glimmers...

So Mikayla is getting older, there is no denying it. Not when she has a mouth, an attitude, and stomp followed by a door slam like no other. She's in 4th grade now and between school, the gifted program, and school activities, we just feel like she's finally getting to that stage where she is pulled more by her peer's opinion than ours. We knew it would happen, we were pretty sure it would happen soon, but I am not sure we thought she would be so capable of fury at this age. She is short with her siblings and often snaps as an automatic response to everything. As a parent it's challenging to begin with but the longer I work outside of the home, the more I become impatient with this attitude. Doesn't she know how lucky she is to be surrounded with her core family? She's not a child of divorce, she's not a child of a blended family, she's not the child of uninvolved parents. So I guess I wonder "What does she really have to gripe about? It could be worse!" And I know being the oldest is hard, it makes you patient, even when you don't want to be. I know that with four kids, the house is loud, it can make you crazy at times. I know that it's frustrating when others get into your stuff. I just wish she would breathe before she reacts, yk?

And as I see this negative behavior, I do get infuriated with the explosiveness of it all. I find myself using breathing activities quite a bit! And then WHAM! This small little random act of kindness glimmers in front of me. She will do something so nice, so selfless, so remarkable that I will often find myself asking, is this my kid? Is this the kid that just screamed at a sibling for not sharing markers? No... it can't be! And then I am proven wrong. It's her, I am getting through to her, we are starting to see her use the information around her, the teachings we have tried to instill, and her own self making the "right" decisions! It's this glimmer of hope that she is going the way she needs to in decifering right from wrong, good from bad, and consideration instead of selfishness.

All school year her gifted program has been earning something called Hartmann Hearts. They represent $$$. At the end of every trimester they are holding an auction (prizes bought by the teacher) and they need to bid in their range. Now there are several things available to them... music, lip gloss, jewelery, books, all sorts of toys and more. Mikayla had $450 Hartmann Hearts and that was a decent amount of money to bid with. So when she has the opportunity to bid on things I know she loves I think of what her normal reaction is. To get what she wants because she wants it. Mikayla took a different route. She knew that Camryn made it 7 weeks going seizure free and she wanted to help Camryn celebrate with a "prize". So she bid on a doll she knew that Camryn would love. Just to do something for her sister. Now tell me that doesn't say something....

Daddy's Little Girl

She can be sweet, honest! She can!


I love these shots. The one's where she doesn't quite know what to make of it, but at the same tolken, she doesn't change the way she's acting. It melts my heart!

1-2 inches they say...

Snowfall #4 is here, and we are stuck inside. Not because of the 35 mph winds, not because most people become idiots on the roads with even flurries, and not even because the 5 degree temps are making the snow quite icy. The reason that we are stuck inside is because the weatherman is paid way to much to play roulette with our day and I am really tired of it. I have tried racking my brain to find out why this is the only profession that gets paid to be wrong. Am I wrong here? Or are ya with me??? Here's the proof...




Now by the time this storm was done (over 24 hours) we had 6 inches. Now I know that I complain about the snow and the weatherman and how he's out to get me, but seriously, do they get paid 6 figures just for the humiliation and ridicule? I think I could handle that!

FRUSTRATION!!!!!

ARGH! My computer that has been tried and true all year long for downloading photos is currently being stubborn and not turning on. I think it's becaues I moved the USB from the computer to my laptop to print from. Now yes, I know that it's a "power" issue, but I just mean becaue it's 5 feet in the air and I can't see behind it without moving the 17 inch monitor to see if I knocked lose a different plug. So I am left with text. Not a bad thing, just not MY thing, yk???

I will be back when I find my mojo. Or when some one explains to me how I find a driver to load on my laptop so that I don't have to rely on my "old" computer...

I will miss you my dear sweet blog... in the mean time, since my friends have commented on how they hate when a good blogger goes on hyatis, I am offering another blog I have been keeping up on and it's mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm good!

BLOG CANDY RAK!!!!

My very talented friend is giving some fun stuff away to celebrate her son's birthday and I am more than happy to spread the word for something as fun as this!!!

http://blueprintsketches.blogspot.com/2008/12/blog-candy-rak.html

Seriously???

I have often thought about Camryn's condition and found myself needing reminding that she can do anything, this will not stop her, slow her down, or prevent her from a normal life. I have often thought she would work with children, maybe even special needs children to try and give back everything she has been given, or maybe a teacher??? In all this time, in all the talent she has shown us there are certain things that I never thought could be a possitiblity and not because of ability, but just because those professions are often not sought after (which explains why we pay through the nose for those services!!!) but none the less, someone's gotta do it, right??? Some people are just born to do certain things...





I just would have never guessed a plumber, honestly, NEVER.

And just in case you didn't get to see enough the first time...


Ok, I will stop now :)

Was that it???

Man... this holiday keeps passing faster every year! I feel like if I blink I will be in the same spot, just with more people opening gifts! Could this be? I am getting older and feeling just how fast the world goes round??? There are no words, so I will post pictures!
I think they forgot to spread the branches up and down as well and just stuck with side to side, LOL! (As long as I don't have to do it, I DON'T CARE!!!)

Can you find Mikayla?







My own little snowflake!



For those of you who know what the TUTTIE TAH dance is!



I hope you all had a little of the Christmas Spirit today!