Happy New Year's...Eve...

Can you believe another year is gone?  Where did 2009 go to?  I remember being pregnant with Zach and thinking..."I will have him this year" and here it is almost 2010.  My do the years fly by as we get older! 

We have been very blessed this year.  We welcomed Zach into our lives in April and he is a healthy and very happy little boy who looks just like his Daddy.  Both Maddie and Emily are both healthy and happy, well Emily is semi-happy, and growing by leaps and bounds.  I can't believe Emily will be 13 in 2 days...I will be a Mom to a teenager!  Larry is still with the Air Force (yikes 21 yrs), which is a blessing in this ecomony, and has just started going back to school as well.  I am feeling very blessed being able to stay home with my kids and to go back to school to pursue my dream of being a nurse.  All in all this has been a great year and we are looking forward to what 2010 has in store for us. 

With this blog, I will start taking pics of the family everyday so that I can keep a record of how much they have grown, because sometimes we just don't take the time to really "look" at our kiddos when we are home with them every day!    We also will track how our lives will change now that we have found a church we want to become involved with and have decided we want to be a more God centered family than we have been in a very long time.  I know both Larry and I are looking forward to the changes that we will see and feel in our lives.  We also plan on following the Dave Ramsey plan to get us out of debt and start saving.  That will be a very big change for us as I am not a budget gal but I am sure will be worth it to be debt free! 

Wow looking at all that I am very excited to start 2010!  Wishing all my friends and family a very blessed 2010 and look forward to spending 2010 with you! 

My soon to be 13 yr old...

All the kids playing together...ah harmony! 

Already wednesday?

This week is just flying by!  Why is it always that way when my hubby is off from work?  And why must we have to have the cars worked on when he is off?  Today he took his almost 12 yr old car to get looked at since it is dripping oil.  Well 2 hrs later we find that the seals in the back are leaking (why they couldn't find that when they fixed the front ones I have no idea) and that the front left tire rod is about to go.  Well on the way to pick him up (yes they still have his car) it started to snow and I went to turn my windsheild wipers on and guess what?  They didn't work so we took a little detour to the dodge dealer.  Of course they could not look at the van and miraculously the wipers started to work slowly.  So saturday my van goes there to have them check the wipers and now the back vents do not blow any heat...why oh why when this van will be paid off in 3 months!    Never fails!  At least hubby can get his new truck soon to pull our pop up camper this summer.  Can't wait to start camping!

I am so excited to say I am typing my blog on my new hp touchsmart computer!  Hubby felt so bad that I didn't win a new one and I think got tired of seeing my drooling over them, he told me yesterday to go find the computer I wanted!  I got our computer savvy friend Bob to go and look at them with me and he helped me decide.  Hubby is not left out in the cold...he found a new laptop..unfortunately we had to get a raincheck but still getting himself a new one as well!   Out of all of us, I think Emily is the most excited since Maddie and she will be sharing our old one. 

Here are some pics from our trip to Colorado and our ride on the Polar Express....a must do for anyone that can do it.  The kids had so much fun! 

  Yeah we are here!

Still traveling and looking happy!

The Polar Express

The Polar Express

High up but oh so pretty

Zach enjoying the train ride

Maddie and Emily enjoying some hot chocolate

Maddie lovin' her chocolate!

Having the story read to them

Larry and his clone, Zach

Santa giving the girls their bells

The girls having fun...and not fighting!

Happy Holidays....

Well I missed a couple days of blogging....Maddie was not feeling well Christmas Eve (sorry to the diners in Gardinos when Maddie lost her cookies 4 times) after church service so I had to baby her that night so she would feel better for Santa.  And that day Zach was having issues with these 2 teeth that just don't want to break through...as he still is today! 

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and got everything they wanted! 

Today we are off to Durango, CO to ride on the Polar Express.  The kids and I are very excited.  I think I am more excited to be getting away, even if it is for just a day or so!  I will post pics when we get back. 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

Zach having fun with the paper

Emily with her New Moon shirt...got team Jacob! 

Maddie with her princess nightgown

Our tree

Day 3 of break....

Yeah yeah, another boring post by me!  Today we did wake up to a little bit of snow which Maddie decided to go play in till she got too wet and cold.  Who knew snow was wet and cold, go figure!  The roads were a bit slick, so with me being the Floridian I am, I stayed in not to scare other drivers on the road with my slick icy driving skills!  It was a good thing since Zachy man woke up cranky as anything which in turn makes Mommy cranky! 

We did , well I did, make cookies which are almost gone (thank goodness).  I received my last order from Amazon which had a gift for Zach for his birthday, Maddie's leapster 2 and some gifts for Emily's birthday.  I am still in shock that I will be the Mom to a teenager in just a couple days.  Where did the time go? 

Now to post my pics of the day....got lots of pics of the kids having fun...

Outside lights...

Maddie worn out from working so hard

Emily being Emily

Zach eating...and wondering why I stopped feeding him

Christmas trees we made

A sweet moment...

Awesome giveaway.....

I keep forgetting to blog about this great giveaway...an hp touchscreen computer.....


here's a link! 

http://kellyskornerreviews.blogspot.com/2009/12/hey-who-wants-to-win-free-computer.html?commentPage=30

2nd day of break...

Ahhh, what a nice day I had with the kids.  Emily stayed the night at a friend's house but I had a substitue for her today, Emmery.  Emmery is Emily's very good friend (and my friend Dawn's kid) and like another daughter to me.  We spent the day shopping and making felt ornaments as gifts.  Emmery also decided to wrap quite a few gifts for me which I very much appreciated.  So now I have 3 girls laying on the floor in the living room watching the Santa Clause and having a fun sleepover! 

I did get some awesome finds at Old Navy for Zach and found Maddie more new pants at Goodwill but no great finds for me (sorry Colleen). 

Here are some pics from our day.  Maybe tomorrow I will have pics of the snow the forecaster claims we will get tonight and tomorrow...I know that would put us a little more in the holiday spirit! 

Zach trying to creep/crawl

Emily and Emmery wrapping gifts

Maddie putting ornaments back on tree cat knocked off

1st day of break..we survived!

Well we didn't make it out of the house but we did have a pretty good day! Emily is now at a sleepover with a friend so down to just 2 kiddos. Zach is playing on the floor and Maddie is watching christmas movies...still! I was busy trying to clean up and get rid of piles of papers that seem to accumulate all over the place! Still have lots of wrapping to do but with no tape I am kind of SOL!

Here are my pics of the day....nothing fancy just the kids being themselves!

The computer shopping trip...

We found LOTS of computers (the new HP touch is awesome and I would love to have one) but have decided to wait until after christmas to see if they go on sale, grudingly. I am plating the seed for the new computer in Larry's head.... No goodwill trip for me but do plan on going tomorrow, if the kids are good for me. Emily starts her break tomorrow so one good thing..sleeping in!

I did snag a great deal on the Leap Frog Tag Junior...only $10!!! Madison and Zach will have lots of fun with it since Zach loves listening to his sister "read" to him. Also got some Twilight stuff for Emily since she is just so into the Twilight stuff! Also got Madison her Leapster 2 for $39. She will be so happy since BJ chewed the pen off the Leapster she has now.

Tomorrow will be a busy day...crafts to do and errands to run and maybe bake some cookies too! I just hope we have a great day!

Lazy Sunday

I have to say our lives are pretty dull...on the weekends we usually just hang out at home since Larry works so much and the kids miss him so.
Today we have been websurfing looking for a new desktop for me and a new laptop for Larry. So frustrating with so many choices!
The girls are watching "A cricket on the hearth" and actually being nice to each other.
Zachary is napping since he is trying to start crawling, he wears his poor self out so quickly.
After reading Colleen's blog I want to run to Goodwill to see if I can find a great buy to showcase my china I have never used!
Well off to shower and go on my adventure today!

Long time!!!!

Our life is so busy now....I am back in school as is Larry trying to get his Bachelor's Degree so he can finally retire from the Air Force. Emily is doing pretty good in school...just needs to get herself together and more organized. Maddie is Maddie....she is desperate to go to school and be a big kid. She goes to the KidsZone program and loves it. One of her gifts this year is dance classes...I am aure she will love them! Zachary is grwoing by leaps and bounds...he is already 8 months and is a happy little guy!

Slowly getting ready for the holidays...Larry works so much that it is hard to really get into the spirit of the holidays. We are excited to try a new church this Christmas Eve..hopefully we will like it and start attending regularly.

Well that is us in a nutshell. Not exciting but it is our life!