My REALLLLY long Christmas post!

Merry Christmas from the Lee's.
I tried to stay on top of all of my shopping and Christmas stuff and get it done early so that I wouldn't be so stressed out and busy as Christmas drew closer, but that didn't happen. I did get most of my Christmas cards out, but I did not get them all out- so if you didn't get one sorry this will have to do. This the picture that we ended up using for our card this year.

So, now that Christmas is over I finally have a little bit of time to sit down and document all of the fun that we have had in the month of December. It is a lot, I have trouble narrowing down the pictures to just a few..................

Our community had it's annual tree lighting celebration, this was the first year we have attended- we never knew about it in the past. We got there late and it was a cold cold night so we had some hot cocoa(the cookies were all gone) and checked out Mrs. Clause and some carolers. Then we were able to go on a horse and carriage ride- a first for us. The kids loved it, we will definitely be doing that again next year!

Shivering in front of the Stonebridge Ranch tree, sipping hot cocoa

Bundled up under a blanket on the carriage

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The weekend before Christmas we went to downtown Frisco to see the lights. They also had a lot of activities for the kids. They had bounce houses, rock climbing walls, video games, a train, and Santa and it was all free- it doesn't get much better than that!

This is the first picture of my kids with Santa EVER! I have tried year after year but they were always too scared, this year it was no big deal(well, Paige was pretty terrified)!

If you look closely at this picture you may notice that Addyson is missing one of her top right teeth. She was standing in line for the train and thought her tooth seemed wiggly. She said,"mom, my tooth is loose." I tried to wiggle it and said,"It doesn't feel loose to me." Addyson says,"yes it is!" and pushes it out with her finger and the tooth goes flying! Wha, how did that happen! So, she was right but sadly we couldn't find the tooth(the second time a tooth got lost before the tooth fairy could get it). Luckily she wrote the tooth fairy a note explaining where she lost it and the tooth fairy was able to find it- whew!

Rock climbing

Ethan was so brave

Paige also had her first experience in a bounce house. The attendant who was manning the bounce house had a great idea to let the little little kids all go together for a round so they wouldn't get trampled. Paige LOVED it! She was so happy bouncing around and falling all over the place. Then, someone accidentally unplugged the power cord to the bounce house and it started to come down on all the little ones- a bit scary but they all got our safe.

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Christmas Eve we decided to try out a couple of new things, possibly some new traditions. One thing that was so much fun was acting out the nativity story with the kids. Addyson was Mary, Ethan was Joseph, Paige was a shepherd, I was the angel, and Dave was the narrator/filmmaker. Dave read the story and the kids played their parts as he read it. Paige had a little trouble once baby Jesus was born because she wanted to play with the baby and didn't want anyone else touching him. After we were done we watched it and laughed so hard, and then we watched it again and again.

Our little shepherd

Ethan as Joseph

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Christmas morning I awoke to the sound of the kids already rummaging through their stockings, I guess we should have laid down some ground rules before bed. Luckily they didn't touch their presents, although Addyson organized all of her presents into a nice pile.

No stocking is complete without a toothbrush and toothpaste.

Addyson got her webkinz!

The babydolls and stroller were the biggest hit for Paige! She wasn't sure what she thought about opening presents until she opened these. She has been carrying her baby around with her 24/7 since Christmas.

Ethan got some really cool gifts, I was so excited to see his face when he opened them! What a letdown, he didn't really get excited about any of them- huh, you asked for them kid! The only gift he really cared about was his Bakugan rollers, which by the way he got 3 of and one is lost and one is broken what like 5 days later- ugh!!

Addyson's favorite gift was her Heelies! She has been asking for them for a while. I don't think those things have left her feet, she has gotten really good at them.

So, this is what I discovered this year.......they don't need a lot of gifts, they only need 1 or 2 really good gifts! When I was a kid I loved waking up Christmas morning and seeing a ton of presents under the tree, it was always so exciting. I wanted to re-create that feeling for my kids. The problem is, they just don't appreciate all those gifts when they get so many all at once. Next year I am saving my money!

Christmas Day was a wonderful day spent with family and friends. We are so blessed to be surrounded by so many loved ones! We hope everyone had as an enjoyable Christmas season as we did!

Annual Christmas party!

Our Friends Justin and Nissa-Lynn have begun a tradition of hosting a Christmas party for our group of friends every year. We left the kids at home and partied as couples. We ate some tasty appetizers and played some fun and sometimes questionable games. A Christmas party is never complete without a white elephant gift exchange, which proved to be just as hilarious as always- a little more G rated than last year though. I know I always blog about the fun we have with our friends, but seriously we have the best group of friends!

Dave is displaying our white elephant treasure- puzzles. Thanks Dave for ruining the otherwise great couples picture. BTW- the photography is courtesty of Justin, I could never take picture this good.

100 things
I saw this on my friend Jessica's blog and thought it looked fun. However, after seeing all of the things that I haven't done, I am feeling like such a boring person. I have a lot of things to do and places to see in the next 40 years! All things that I have done is highlighted in red.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (not fluently by all means though)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
\39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David(Does the one in Ceasar's Palace count?)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (too many times, I have a big hole in my arm to show for it!)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car(someday, someday)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Book of Mormon or Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Dead Sea
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

My Birthday, Thanksgiving, and Black Friday

My 29th Birthday!

On Monday the 24th I turned 29. My day started out at 5:30 in the morning when my Bro and his family arrived from Tennessee. It was a crazy day of trying to get things done, working at the YMCA and hanging out with my brother and his wife and kids. My awesome friends suprised me by taking me out to dinner at Olive Garden, and we had tons of fun- as always. When I arrived home my family was waiting for me with Cake and presents.

I am not a huge "cake" fan so they decided to pick up this little gem at Dairy Queen.
This may be the ugliest cake I have ever gotten, it sure beats all of the turkey cakes by far. I will be sending me submission to one of my favorite blogs- Cakewrecks.

The black frosting was not fun to try to clean off of the kids, but it was a yummy cake!

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Thanksgiving Day

Dave and my brother Ken started the day off with a Turkey Bowl football game with a bunch of guys from church. Carrie and I decided to take the kids to watch them for a while.

After the Turkey Bowl we decided to play some football with the kids.

Then the kids had a great time playing at the park, it was such a nice day!

So, Thanksgiving dinner didn't quite turn out like I had planned. The day before my heating element in my oven decided to break and catch on fire.......nice! That isn't one of those parts you can go to the store and get, apparently you have to order it. So, plans changed and we ended up having it at my moms house. Things were a little crazy with 9 kids and 8 adults in a small home, which is why I didn't get any pictures- I never really do on Thanksgiving. It turned out to be a great day with family and great food, especially dessert. My brother left that night and we were so sad to see him go but we were so grateful to have them for 4 days.


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Black Friday

I decided to get a little crazy this year and get up at 3:00 in the morning to shop with the other crazies in McKinney. I went with 4 other friends and it was an experience. We went to Walmart at 4:15 to get a head start on the 5a.m. sale and I couldn't believe how intense so many people were about getting a good deal. I thought I was going to witness a couple of brawls over electronics, good thing I wasn't trying to get any of those big ticket items. We followed Wal-mart with Target and then headed to Sam's Club for some free breakfast and then we were off to Walgreens and CVS for a little coupon shopping. We scored a lot of loot, so much that we could hardly pack everything into Yvette's Yukon.

Prego Tiarre took full advantage of the automated carts, 8 months pregnant and trying to battle her way through crazy shoppers- that was the way to go. We were only dissappointed that they didn't go faster, that could have helped us out a ton.

I have always avoided black friday because I hate crowds and I like sleep but it was a blast going with friends. I will definitely be doing it again next year.

This past weekend we braved the cold weather and set out on a camping trip with some friends. We went to one of our usual spots at Lake Ray Roberts. I thought that since we were not camping during the summer and would not need eletricity for fans, that we could camp in one of the more primitive sites. Little did I know that primitive meant you had to hike into your spot- what the *@! Luckily, they had one site left in an area that didn't require hiking so we changed our reservation and camped there. The site was awesome, it was nestled back in the trees and had tons and tons of room for the kids to play. The best part is that it fit all 4 tents and there was still room for more. I think it has been decided that there will be no more summer camping trips, it is just way too hot! Even though it was cold, it was so nice to sit by the fire and sip hot cocoa all night. Suprisingly, we slept pretty well all snuggled into tons of blankets- I think it was like 40 degrees. The kids had a great time-they love camping, and I think all of the adults had a pretty great time as well.

The kids love playing in the tent!

Cyndi and Aprille cleaning up after breakfast

This is how we kept the kids under control:)

Tigerthon

On Friday Addyson ran in the annual Tigerthon at her elementary school. Every year the students at the school run laps to raise money. Last year I didn't watch her run because I guess I didn't know that I could. This year Addyson asked me to come and watch her run so I was definitely there with Ethan and Paige in tow. As Ethan and I waited on the sides for her to make her 1st lap, I could tell that she was looking for us. When she saw us standing there, she was so happy and excited! I sadly had to leave after only 15 minutes of watching her because I had to go to a training in Dallas. I DID NOT want to go, I felt so terrible about leaving when I knew how happy she was to have us there supporting her. Although most of the work that I do does not interfere with my kids activities and time with them, this was one of those moments when I wish that I could just be strictly a stay at home mom. She did a great job and ran 8 laps! I am so proud of her, I think that is 2 miles? She was up really late the night before at a soccer party so when I got home later that night she was sooo tired!

These pictures were taken courtesy of my friend Holly, I forgot my camera in my car. Thanks Holly!!

Go Addyson!!!

Election 08'

So, since this is sort of my journal, I have felt it necessary to journal this past election because it is pretty historic. Even though I am happy that we have come to a place where an African American can be elected I am not happy that it had to be him, the most liberal politician there is. I am not going to go into my feelings on the subject because I just may go off and possibly say something that may offend someone. So, I will simply say Heaven help us all ya'll, pray, pray, pray!

Another Halloween is gone:(

I love this time of year, one holiday after another, and more and more memories created with our kids. The First celebration..... Halloween! Our Halloween festivities always include pumpking carving. This was Paige's first year of really getting in on the action and she liked it!

Mmmmm...... pumpkin guts
Of all my kids, Ethan is the one who doesn't really like to get his hands dirty. He thought pulling out the pumpkin guts was pretty gross. Isn't is supposed to be the other way around, with the girls thinking it is gross??
Ethan picked the angry face for his pumpkin. I actually wanted to try pumpkin carving this year(Dave usually does it) and this is how mine turned out. Not bad for a beginner.

Addyson picked the witch face, I let Dave carve that one since it was a little more difficult. We all think that he did a great job.

In my attempt to fill the kids belly's with some healthy food before the sugar fest began I made this spread. My efforts were wasted though, because they hardly ate a thing! Oh well, at least I tried! I will probably save myself the trouble next year!

On our way to the trunk-or-treat at the church, Paige saw my bowl full of candy, and did not waste any time pumping herself full of good stuff.

Ethan as Darth Vader

Paige as an elephant. This was Addyson's costume when she was a baby- so I saved myself some money and re-used it. Halloweens here in Texas are a bit different from Oregon. She probably cooked in this costume with our 80 degree weather. She wore this costume the other night at our YMCA fall festival and everyone kept calling her a boy. Of course this annoyed me, so I put a bow by her ear.

The traditional "sitting and eating our candy shot" that we get of them every year.

If you can't tell Addyson was a witch. However I don't think that she wore her hat all night long!

After the trunk-or-treat we went back home and did some trick-or-treating in our neighborhood. We have the best street for trick-or-treating right next to us. One lady was handing out full size candy bars and she gave each of my kids 2, including Paige. Another lady was handing out $1 store gifts. All they have to do is go down that street and their bags are pretty full, and with good stuff. Ethan was happy with what he got and wanted to go home, but Addyson was not ready to stop. Dave took Ethan and Paige home and Addy and I kept going. This is the first year that she has been so into it, I loved it. I remember the days when I used to go trick-or-treating for hours, to get as much candy as I could. We walked for quite a while, until her bag was filled to the top. The problem now is what the heck do I do with all that candy? She isn't eating all of that!! I may have to hide some away for Christmas. It was another great Halloween, it is so great remembering the holidays when you were a kids and now getting to see the joy that it creates in your own children! So fun!

Snorkeling photos

We got our pictures back from our underwater camera and I finally got them scanned in and on the blog. It was pretty difficult taking pictures under the water because we had these big ole' goggles and then the camera encasing was a little bulky so it was tough to see through that little hole but they turned out better than I thought.

That's me:)
That's Dave:)!
I don't how many people know this, I didn't, but when you are in salt water you are bouyant?! I have been in the water in California, Florida, and Oregon and I have never experienced it before but there was no need for lifejackets in this water- you couldn't drown even if you wanted to. We kept trying to swim further under the water to take pictures or get closer to the coral and it felt impossible.
Some of the awesome fish we swam amongst.

I put this picture in here to show just how close the fish were. It was amazing how quick they were, we were literally surrounded by them and I was trying my darndest to touch one and they were just too quick and nimble..... I go crazy when I hear a cymbal, oh sorry I got carried away!

Our guide took this picture, we couldn't get that deep.

I loved, loved, loved, going snorkeling- I din't want to stop. I was so in my element, outside and one with nature and then ad turquoise water and tropical weather and I am in heaven. I hope to go back someday and take a much longer tour. Or even better, get our diving certifications and do some serious underwater exploration. I will have to ad that to my "things I look forward to list" below(I think I only put 7 on there).

Dave and I on the boat heading back to the shore:( Nice snorkel face Dave!