23 December 2011

Sledding on Mt. Hood

The girls are here!!  They've been here for almost a week now, and time is going by fast.  Apparently that happens when you're having fun.  ;)
Here are some pictures from our trip up to Mt. Hood yesterday.  We had a blast sledding and playing in the snow, even if there wasn't much snow to play in.  (We've been having strangely clear skies lately, and I love it.)  ;)  Anyway, we're making the most of our time together as a whole family before the girls head back to North Carolina on Monday.
Here are the kids listening to Justin Bieber on Shel's iPod.  Now Maddie claims to be "in love."
 Noel came down with the flu on Monday, but he was feeling well enough to come up for the ride and eat some Doritoes.  It's great to see him smiling after a rough few days.
 Emma is a fan of Doritoes too.  And she has just enough of her face poking out from all the layers to pop some in her mouth.  Ha.
 Our beautiful Mt. Hood.
 Where's Emma??
 There she is!  :)
 Here's our lovely Shelby.
 And Damian with all the kids.
 Maddie put Shelby to work, pulling her around.  :)
 Here's our lovely Raylee.
 Emma had a blast being spun around in circles in the tubes.  She's crazy like that.
 That's Raylee starting down the hill, on her tummy, with Mad in front.
 Here is a rare picture of me!... and Damian and Ems.  ;)
 Me and my love.
 Sisters!!
 Shelby took this picture of us, heading back down to the car.  I'm glad there wasn't as much snow, otherwise I'd be sliding down this hill, hurting myself, instead of walking nicely.  :)
 And here's one last group shot before heading home.  We were only up there for 3 hours, but everyone was exhausted!

11 December 2011

Happy Birthday, Noel!!

Happy Birthday, Noel!!

You're 4 today!!  
We love you, Bubs, and are so very proud of you.  You're a wonderful son and brother.  xx

09 December 2011

Emma is 2 today!


Happy birthday, sweet Emma-bean!!
Two years ago you surprised us in the middle of the night by your sudden arrival into the world.  But that's just how you do things.  :)  We love you and are blessed to have you in our family.  
 xx   Happy birthday!   xx

Christmas Round-up Rodeo

 Well Howdy Howdy... we went to a rodeo last weekend.  Maddie was over the moon to see all the horses and the rodeo Queens and Princesses riding them around the arena in their sequined jump-suits.  The rest of us were stepping in poo and freezing our doodles off.  Ha.  But here are pictures from our morning there.  In this one, Maddie got to meet one of the Queens and sit on her horse.  It was a VERY big deal for Mad.  :)
 Noel would have absolutely nothing to do with the horses.  Apparently he's scared of them.  But, being the boy that he is, he entertained himself a safe distance back playing with sticks and exploring a field.
 Emma didn't let me put her down the entire time.  There were a lot of people there and it overwhelmed her.  But she loved seeing the horses, and especially the wrangling of the bulls.  Go figure.
Maddie got to ride around the arena after the rodeo.  She was so happy, it's hard to describe.
Noel stayed as far back, pressed into the corner, while watching Maddie ride around.  He still refused to take a turn, even when Damian offered to ride with him (and that's a big deal since Damian is not a horse guy either).
 Maybe next year...  :)

Christmas tree a huntin' and choppin'


 Here are some pictures from our trip to the tree farm.  The kids had a blast running around and getting lost in the trees, while Damian and I (okay, mostly I) took our sweet time picking out just the right tree.  It's true, I was being picky, but I also was enjoying the beautiful, crisp day.
 Family photos in front of our tree.
Maddie, trying her luck at sawing it down.
 Damian had to take over.  ;)
 Yup, it's a big one.  But we managed to carry it back to the car and hoist it on top.
 Sweet, snotty Emma-bean.
 Gravel is really fun to play with while waiting for your parents to pay and strap the tree down for the ride home.
 Another Emma picture, with bunny ears... or maybe a peace sign.  :)
 Happy kids!  Now to go home and decorate it...!!