Bah-humbug!

I took this little quiz and posted the results for everybody to see because I have been called a grinch and a scrooge in the past (even by my own husband, what's up with that?). But look, I passed the quiz. I love the Christmas season! The thing is, that I am not into all the gifts and I don't really stress the Santa stuff to my kids (there you go, all of you are calling me a bah-humbug now). But really, my kids love Christmas and are excited about GIVING more than getting. And I think they know that Christmas is really about the Savior, at least that is what I am trying to teach them. So everyone celebrate however you want...just have a merry Christmas!

You Are the Furthest Thing From A Grinch

You love and live for the holidays. You even love the Grinch! You're in the holiday spirit year round... because you're all about celebrating and giving.

Are You a Grinch?

So take the quiz and see how Christmas-y you are or are not!

We're playing basketball

Our basketball stars! Every semester the kids get to sign up for different after-school sports. Emma has done swimming and circus and Dallin has done soccer and tennis. This semester they both decided to do basketball together (which sure helped my schedule). They were the youngest kids in the class with mostly 3rd graders, but I think it pushed them and they learned a lot. I saw their red little faces smiling each week, so they enjoyed it and that's what matters most (not winning, right Jared)!

M*I*C*K*E*Y

Here is our big, scary attack dog, Mickey. The kids think he was named after Mickey Mouse and Jared thinks he was named after Mickey Mantel, whatever, it's all the same to me. We've had our ups and downs, but I think he's here to stay. I have threatened to get rid of him and even hoped he would run away a few times, but besides silly puppy behavior, he is a good dog. He's really sweet to the kids and makes a lot of noise when strangers are around (which I guess is good for security purposes). He's a very BIG dog for only 9 months old, but he still thinks he's a puppy and tries to snuggle in your lap. So that's the story of our perro!

La Mar

It was a great experience to see and be in the ocean (especially for those of us that grew up in land-locked Oklahoma). This was the 1st trip to the ocean for the kids (1st of many, we hope...pleeeease daddy). The weather was quite cool this day, but it didn't stop us from splashing around.

Mundo Marino

We had a long holiday weekend in October and so we drove to Mundo Marino (Argentina's version of Sea World). We had a great time!

Jardin (Pre-school)

Here is Annie in her school uniform. The the clothes just swallow her up and she looks so cute, like a little person. She goes to school 3 mornings for 3 hours. She loves it! Her teachers and friends all speak Spanish and she comes home saying more words everyday.









This was Annie in her end of the year school program. She and all the 2 year old giraffes did a little dance. It was precious! She did great, followed the teacher, looked so comfortable, like she didn't see the 200 people watching her--maybe she'll be a performer!!!

Annie

This is our little Annie at the beginning of 2008.

We'll just call this "the accident" as we still aren't officially sure what happened. The damage was a severed tongue (she bit through it) with stitches on top and bottom, stitches on the chin, a lost tooth, and a fractured jaw. Kids are tough though. The day she left the hospital she got in the car, heard the music, and started to dance!

Sometimes we worry about what the future might hold for them, how they will react to the pressures of the world. Annie has really gotten into the 80s hair-styles. This picture was taken in Oklahoma while back for the 4th of July.