Super Oscar!

Oscar got this KILLER handmade cape for his birthday last month. His best friend's mom made it for him and it is seriously awesome. It's reversible, has a velcro closure and has some old school comic/super hero fabric. He can pretty much conquer the world in this cape. 

Yes, he can even fly. 

From our family to yours!

If you didn't get a holiday card it's because I'm the biggest slacker ever! I managed to send out about half of them shortly after (yes, after) Christmas, but then I ran out of stamps and was too busy (ahem...lazy) to get more and now it just seems too late to even bother. So, if you missed out on our family photos...here ya go!

Catching up

Okay, I had big plans to do all of these posts with photos, to catch up. Reality has sunk in, though, and it's so not going to happen. Instead, I'll just write a little to fill in the last month or so. 

Thanksgiving...

We had a wonderful day here at home. Just the five of us. In our pajamas. Eating turkey and watching football. It was heavenly.

December....

Instead of the twelve days of Christmas, we had the twelve days of illness. We had sickness in our house for twelve days and it was awful. It hit everyone at different times and poor Karson had it twice, starting nine days apart. With just 12 days of illness we got ridiculously behind on everything else...my work, Christmas shopping, laundry, you name it! We did manage to pull it all off, though, and the remainder of of our winter break was awesome. We sort of just shut ourselves off from the rest of the world and enjoyed each other. We also got a lot of projects around the house finished, including our master bathroom! Karson also had his first piano recital and did SUCH a good job. We were so proud of him!

Anniversary...

December 19th marked our 13th wedding anniversary. We were fortunate enough to get (literally) a four hour break from illness...just enough time for us to go car shopping and purchase a new vehicle! My car, which we were so fortunate to have had for the last year (after my van died) finally broke down one too many times. After almost being stranded on the way to the piano recital I realized it was time to buck up and get a new car! So, I got a 2010 Dodge Journey. It's a small SUV with third row seating. So far, I freaking love it!

Now...

All three boys are participating in Destination Imagination on three different teams. I am managing 2 of those teams. So, that has us occupied at least 3 times a week. All three boys are also playing basketball through the YMCA. They've each had one practice and loved it. So, that also keeps us busy in the evenings. Games start this weekend and I had to spend a significant amount of time figuring out our schedule for basketball games. It's going to be crazy! 

30 days of gratitude...DAY 30

Day thirty...

The holidays!

I always love the fall and winter holidays.

We are all counting down the days until Christmas. I love listening to Christmas music and drinking hot coffee with peppermint. I love going and cutting down our own tree and letting the kids decorate it...nothing like getting a 10 ft tree and having the kids put all of the ornaments in one small spot right in the front.

This is the holly bushing our front yard, which ben cut down, but seems to

have grown back just in time for the winter holidays!!

30 days of gratitude...DAY 29

Day twenty nine...

My husband's job.

I'm grateful that today my husband still has a job. I'm grateful everyday that he does.

He's at great risk for getting laid off, due to budget cuts, so at this point we

appreciate every day that he has his job.

(again, no photo...sorry!)

30 days of gratitude...DAY 28

Day twenty eight...

Education.

I'm grateful that my husband and I were able to attend college

(Not just because we met there, but because we got college educations there.)

I'm grateful that my kids are in good schools and receiving decent educations.

No, they're not the best schools in the world, but they have good teachers who care about them, and parents who work with them at home to make the most of their education.

There are far too many children around the world that do not have this.

(sorry, no photo today)

30 days of gratitude...DAY 27

Day twenty seven...

Serenity.

I am grateful for the quiet moments in my life when I can breath in the fresh air and feel good.

Those moments where all I hear is the sound of the wind chimes outside my window.