Jonas Brothers Mania

I was beginning to wonder if Emma was really my daughter. I remember having a HUGE crush on two boys all through elementary school. Yes, Em did have a boyfriend in Kindergarten (they even held hands!!!) and in second (different boy), but hasn't mentioned a boy she likes for quite some time. Don't get me wrong, I am absolutely thankful that my eldest hasn't become boy crazy like her mother. But I can officially report that she finds Nick Jonas to be "cute". Go figure.
Emma, her friend Beth, Olivia and Sarah and I all went to the Jonas Brother's 3D Concert Experience today. It was well worth my time and money.

Emma reports "It was the best movie EVER!"

Here you can see the girls all dolled up to go. We told O she had to wear pants - David did not like that she wore a dance outfit out in public. Whatever. She wasn't naked at least.

Emma refused to smile because she poked her self in the eye. (yes, I had to struggle to not laugh). But aren't these girls simply gorgeous???











Don't you love those candid smiles? Sarah is just glowing...
Don't smile, don't smile!!!

what was lost is now found!

I found my camera yesterday. As I breathed a sigh of relief, I commenced taking photos! So, later today you will see some photos...some from the past 4 weeks up until last night. :) Check in later!

SNOW SNOW SNOW

Okay, I first must say, SORRY. I can't find my camera, so you will just have to trust me that 12 inches of snow fell at my house today. While I did not like driving in it (even short distances were a hassle), I walked in the door and exclaimed "Get your snow pants on and let's go outside!" Which was then followed by 30 minutes of me attempting to squeeze sweet Maggie into boots, gloves, snowsuit and a hat. I want you to envision "Christmas Story" (and I cannot remember Ralphie's little brother's name). Then after that chaos, we all went out to the deck. Oooh wee, it was deep! Not only did we get 12 fresh inches, we already had a few inches from the weekend.
So, me - excited; Emma - excited; Olivia - excited; Maggie - excited until I put her down. She screamed unless I was holding her. Then she got upset about not being able to touch the snow; then she was mad that the snow was cold on her hands (pulled the gloves off). So finally I gave up on Maggie. David made dinner and kept her inside while I got to play in the snow with the older girls. It was so much fun! I loved it.
Emma started building a fort. So of course I decided to build my own fort. I currently have a nice little wintery abode outside. I couldn't sleep in it (I don't do Klondikes) but it is rather cozy. We had a rousing snowball fight. Emma made a killer snowball on the deck and dropped it on Olivia's head. I thought for sure Olivia was going to scream in pain and anger. She giggled! It was a great time. Finally after 2 hours of this, we went inside and had a delicious dinner.
Overall today was a great snow day! I can't wait until the next one!

Pictures of GOM and Papa Stan

I can only add 5 pics at a time, so mom and Stan get their own entry - they are just that special

Holiday's with my family

Lucy - good dog!

Patty got down and played with Mags - two fashionistas!

How many men does it take to put a hat together? Russ came over to help...

Grandpa Mike and Mags (she was the only girl to come with us because she flies free)

We were able to see both my parents this holiday season. We visited Redding to see my dad and my mom flew out to see us on the way home from KS.

It was very a pleasant visit with my dad and Patty. We just relaxed and enjoyed each other. We also were able to have a nice dinner with friends Russ and Deanna as well as Deanna's son Roger, his wife Shelley and their kids. David's present was a new(er) truck - we bought my father's diesel truck. So after a nice few days, we drove home. It took us 15 hours - UGH.

Christmas day, we got pummeled by a huge storm. I loved it! However, with my mother arriving the next day, and more snow was forecasted, I wasn't begging for more snow. We had mom and Stan cancel their rental and we went down and picked them up in a 4WD vehicle.

The girls really loved seeing my mom and Stan. Stan is so cute with the girls too. He had a blast with our new "quesadilla grill" - he showed me just how much fun it could be.

The time between viosits is always too long and the visits themselves tend to be too short. I do wish that I had been able to see my sister and her family... soon I hope.

Happy New Year!

Game Night

It has been a ritual for the past year or so (since Auntie C came to visit - she is Angela's aunt and we adopted her) for a few of us to get together and play "hand and foot." While the game is fun, it is the conversation and competitiveness that makes Game Night what it is - absolutely hilarious!

Here is the New Year's inaugural game. Angela was laughing so hard, we had to get her a pot (not some pot, a pan pot) in case she spewed. Believe me, it has happened before. Name calling does occur, but rarely does any swearing happen.

I will admit that we are obnoxious when we play - but it is all in fun! By the way, the boys lost this night, but they kicked our butts in 2008. Go girls in 2009!

Update - New Year and some holiday news

Okay, I realize that I have been remiss in posting new updates and photos. It was one of the things I planned to change this year. However, 6 days into 2009, I slipped on the commuter train floor and broke my elbow. Yes, I am typing one handed. So please forgive me for the number of photo posts I am about to put on....

I want to say I am very excited about my blog because my wonderful husband bought me a new camera for Christmas. Apparently it takes video too. I haven't figured out how to post that yet... soon.

Well on to the uploading!