Monday, January 21, 2008

Christmas Morning

Addi had a fun Christmas this year. She got a market with the works! Including a shoping cart, cash register, and a lot of food! When she first came out of her room she was a little unsure but then after she opened her first gift she got into a rhythm. She kept saying, I'm so excited, I'm so excited. Then at one point she said I'm so thankful I have more presents! Ohhhh my!








We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas day at the Genzale's where we enjoyed and Italian Christmas with all of the traditional Italian food. It was really delicious and I think I gained 10 pounds during those two days alone. The Genzale's were very nice and gave Addi a princess backpack with Go Fish, Old Maid, and Crazy 8's I was surprised and how quickly she caught on. They also got her some markers and special paper which of course she loves. We all had a nice relaxing time in front of the fire, reading christmas stories, and sipping sparkling cider out of crystal glasses.

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Christmas Dress

This is Addi's Christmas dress photo shoot. It's amazing what cute pictures you can get when you use a lollipop as bait.




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Christmas Flashback

So, I got a little ahead of myself and I skipped over some really cute Christmas pictures and activities.

All the Joy School girls went to the Melrose Youth Ballet's production of the Nutcracker. The girls had tons of fun! I was surprised how much they liked it. I think it helped that they could let out their dancing tension by letting loose in a little area near our seats.
Later that day we had our dancing school/Joy School programs. It started with a tap dance to Jingle Bell Rock


Addi, Hazel and Amelia were so cute and did a great job!

Then the Joy School presented their Christmas program complete with songs and a dramatization of the Christmas story.


Addi was a cute little Shepherd. All of the girls did a great job. They really got into it and were very serious about their parts.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Daddy-Daughter Time



Randall had a very demanding fall semester this year, and was not home very often. Addi would wake up wondering where her Daddy was and asked about him several times throughout the day. While he was preparing for finals it was particularly hard for Addi, so Randall promised her that after his last final was done they would have two weeks full of "Daddy-Daughter Time". She was so excited! And all during the Christmas break when they were together (which was very often) she would get a big smile on her face and say we're having Daddy-Daughter time! We had a lot of fun together as a family but I think that this was the most precious moment. Addi wanted her Daddy to give her a "mani-pedi" (paint her fingernails) and Randall was not too sure of himself having never painted fingernails before but he was trying so hard to get them to look good for her. I just thought it was so sweet.
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Sunday, January 13, 2008

Black Thursday

So most everyone knows the story but I'm writing it anyway for those who haven't heard and because this is kind of like a journal for me. So the story begins on a bright January day. It is 9:30am and Addi and I are just getting out of the car for Joy School at Hazel's. I am going to be staying today to help with the 5 active girls that make up our Joy School. I grab my bag from off the front seat and think...I'll just leave this out here, one less thing for me to juggle while I'm here. So I tuck it kind of under the back seat. We go to Joy School and have a fun time. At around 11:45am we are all playing outside and waiting for moms to come, when one mom comes up to me and says did you know that one of your car windows is broken? I was NOT aware of this and went quickly to see. Sure enough the back, drivers side window had been litterally bashed in with glass everywhere and of course my bag was gone. It had my credit card, drivers license, debit card, my spare key (that doesn't sound like much but it was over $100 because it's computerized or something) temple recommend...everything, including the cute little digital camera I just got for Christmas.

So, we called the police and when he got there he was kind of un-interested. I know I shouldn't have left my bag out there but I thought I'd be OK in the morning in a "safe"neighborhood with it in the back. I understand that I shouldn't have done that, but this isn't my fault...I am not contributing to the crime here. He was also upset when he found out that my registration was out-of-state and 10 days overdue (I was waiting for my thing in the mail for heavens sakes) at that point he pretty much forgot about the felon that was on the loose and started threatening me that he'd better not see me driving around with expired tags and that if he did he'd tow my car with my kids in it. I called him on that one. I said, "really! you would tow my car with my kids in it?!" and he kind of back pedaled and said "well...no but I would tow your car, even if you had kids with you." What a tough guy.

And when Randall told me that this crime was a felony and if they caught this guy (which they won't because they're more worried about towing the cars of mothers with children) he could spend more than a year in jail. I kind of felt vindicated, no wonder I feel so upset about it...it's a real crime!

But that day I was SO thankful for the kindness of my friends. Saydi spent the afternoon scavenging in the garbage cans around the neighborhood hoping that he just took the camera, the 12 cents in cash and dumped the rest...but to no avail. She also offered the use of her car. So nice! I do not deserve such friends. We also went to Greg and Judy's to use their shop vac to vacuum out the glass and patch the window with garbage bags and duct tape...classy. And they invited us to eat dinner there, which I was so thankful for because as I was inhaling my ravioli's I realized that I had had nothing to eat but an apple before Joy School that day.

So it has been 4 days and all my accounts have been cancelled, we've signed up for "Life Lock" and we are trying to put everything back together and as I look back on it now, I am still upset, but I know it could have been worse and I am glad that they were just material things that can be replaced. My family is safe and we have each other and beyond that nothing else really matters.

Friday, January 4, 2008

Children's Museum

The days can get long and cold here so when we need some excitement we head on over to the Children's museum. We have a pass so for only a couple quarters for parking we can have a fun filled afternoon and be ready for a nap by the time we get home!! Yeah! This particular day we went with Ashley and the Harris boys, they had a lot of fun together. I'm so glad Addi has cute (not as opposed to ugly) friends to play with. I also very much enjoy talking with the moms.



On the way to the museum Addi found this little piano baby toy we were giving away and she said she needed her glasses to play me a song.


We rocked out all the way to the museum...we may have a musician on our hands!



On the Road Again...
Addi, Ben & Toby


Possibly the cutest lion ever!



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Was that YOU?!


Yee Haw!


Anchor's Away!


Ahoy!
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Clear for takeoff.



Look mom I'm on TV!!


I'm gonna' be a STAR!

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Trapped


Spider Girl


Already bored of school...this is not good.


Addi LOVES cutting paper, she was in heaven
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Pool Day

We had a rare pool day this week. Randall's parents are in town and we (and by "we" I of course mean Randall and Addi) got to go swimming at the hotel pool. Addi had tons of fun swimming with her Dad, Uncle Mike, Brooke, and Ashley. She was showing off the mad swimming skills she learned over the summer. It was so nice to enjoy this "summertime" activity when you can see from the picutres that it was quite snowy outside.


We have lift-off!




Mike ferrying the girls around the pool
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sweet goggles




Better safe than sorry...that's what I always say.
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