Trip to Daddy's Work

With two weeks off, I find myself desperate for activities after, I'd say, oh the first day. Luckily, Tim is nice enough to let us come by and visit from time to time! We went by his work and enjoyed lunch with him while the kiddies had fun riding around in the gator.

Lights, Lights, and More Lights!

 A few days ago we enjoyed a nice stroll with friends to enjoy the Christmas lights on a popular street in our town. Noah is hidden in this picture (he's next to Sophie), but he hung out with the big kids without a problem! He loved it! The lights were beautiful and the company was even better. Such a fun time!

Sophie with two of her close buddies!

Christmas 2010

 We had a wonderful Christmas this year and once again, we were blessed with loved ones and more than enough to share with each other. We had a full house this year with the new additions to our family, so it was extra special! Above is a picture of the kids with Auntie Michelle before we attended church.

 Mama and Papa with the kids!

 Sophie and Noah hugging it out

 The kids with Donna, Nancy, and Vanessa. We were very lucky to be able to have Vanessa over for the holiday (she is the girls' youngest sister but lives elsewhere).

 Nancy opening one of her gifts on Christmas morning!

 Vanessa helping Sophie with her new Hello Kitty Text Messenger game!

 Nancy trying out one of Sophie's presents....Dance Dance Revolution!

 Noah taking a quick break between playing with his toys!

 Auntie Jen getting a quick lesson on how to cook pancit!

 The pups are tired out!

Auntie Lourdes and my mom catching up and also supervising all the cooking from afar!

Christmas in the City

I always look forward to visiting the city during the holiday season. Even though it is crazy full of people and requires a lot of planning, patience, and energy, I absolutely love it and always leave feeling ready to enjoy all the special joys of Christmas. This year was no exception, except we changed it up a little and visited the city during the day instead of at night. Of course, we missed the beautiful lights but in exchange we were able to soak up the sun and enjoy the sights on a warm December day! Here are a few pictures from our day.

 Tim and the kids in front of the big tree in Union Square.

It was the first time in days the sun came out, so it made the trip even better!

Cookie Time!

We spent the last couple of days baking Christmas cookies and we are stuffed! I'm not quite sure if we were able to bake as quickly as we ate them, but thankfully we did have enough to share with our neighbors and hopefully will have plenty when family arrives later this week! Sophie was an awesome helper while Noah was an awesome eater. He didn't care too much to help out, but he certainly did his part in consuming cookies!

 Sophie putting her finishing touches on her snowman.

 Nancy, the perfectionist, creating a piece of art with each cookie.

And Noah, aka Cookie Monster!

Noah's Christmas Program!

We attended Noah's first Christmas program and he was so adorable (so were the rest of the kids ;-))! They sang several songs and we had a quick party afterward in the pre-school classroom! Such a fun day and was so proud of our little Noah! Great job, buddy!

 Entering the church!

 Noah and his buddy not quite sure if they are going to participate.

 Warmed up and singing nice and loud! Noah may look like he's doing his own thing, but he's actually doing what he's supposed to be doing!

 The whole class performing!

Noah and his handsome self walking back to class and ready to get his party on! Great job, Noah! We are so proud of you!

Christmas Picture

Merry Christmas everyone! Of the 50 shots I took, I think maybe 2 of them turned out decent. Thankfully, Nancy and Donna are troopers and incredibly photogenic!

Our Beloved Granny

Tim's beautiful maternal grandmother, Garnett Giangicomo, passed away early this morning in Ohio. Tim was blessed to be able to fly home a few weeks ago and spend time with her before she became too weak. He is thankful for that time and for the many years he has had to enjoy with her. One of my fondest memories of Granny was during our wedding. We were so excited she was able to fly out and I loved seeing the true joy in her eyes. Every time I look back at pictures from that event, the one with her sitting on top of the convertible as she waved to onlookers like she was just crowned Miss America will forever bring a smile to my face. Granny, you will be missed.

Right before her death, Lori found a poem that she dedicated to her three daughters. The love she had for her family and the love she had for her girls is evident. We love you, Granny.

Girls

I see you in the sun and stars

I hear you in the wind and rain

I feel your arms around me

To comfort all my pain

I know you're always with me

You're in my heart and soul

You gave me precious memories

And I'll never let them go

As time goes by without you

AS days turn into years

they hold a million memories

And a thousand silent tears

May the winds of love blow softly

And whisper so you'll hear

How much I love and miss you

And wish that I was there

Trimming the Tree!!

We were excited to pick up our tree this past week and the kids loved decorating it! It was probably the first year the kids really took over and I let them go at it! They had a ton of fun and I enjoyed every second watching them decorate our beautiful tree!

 Noah putting on all his race car ornaments!

 Sophie always knows when a camera is on her!

 An action shot of Noah bailing as he knocks a few ornaments down!

 Nancy realizing she needs to either grow a few inches or get a bigger ladder to put the angel on top of the tree.

 Yay! All done and it looks and smells wonderful!

Questions

Let me start this out by disappointing the grandparents and confessing that I do not have any new pictures to put up for this post. Yes, once again, I will just be ranting with reckless abandon about absolutely nothing. BUT.....I do promise to whip the camera out later this week and take pictures. I have even set a goal to get a Christmas card out this year. Can't you see the effort? (Don't answer that)

Lately, my life has been full of unanswered questions. I don't really feel the need to seek answers, but thought I'd at least share some questionable moments in the past couple of weeks.

1. Why did my Noah flush my keys down the toilet? I was ready to commit myself after searching for the stupid things for an hour and a half. Good thing nothing of importance was on them....only the keys to my car, house, office, parents' house, and sister's house were on there. No biggie....who needs to drive back home? Not us....especially since the parts dept. at Reno Honda doesn't work over Thanksgiving. 
2. Why does my 1st grader have more homework than my 11th grader? Does this make sense? I'm just sayin'.
3. Is there an illness for people who can't send birthday cards/gifts on time? I think I have it.
4. Why is writing becoming so dreadful? I used to love it and now I'm tapped out.