Fun with Cousins

We were able to hang out with cousins for a couple of days during Christmas vacation.

The kids were easily entertained. They played outside, at the park, at the roller skating rink, made gingerbread houses, made crafts, and played video games.

Hannah ate a little too much!
Just kidding the kids stuffed their bellies with blankets and went outside to play on the trampoline. I guess they wanted to be like sumo wrestlers.

I've had a bucket of beads for over a year and never used them. My niece Chandler found the bucket and asked if she could use them. What a great idea! The kids were busy making their creations for hours.

Kaleb ironing the beads

On Monday night we went to Rollerama to let the kids skate. I happened to look online and it was FREE skate night at Rollerama.

On Monday Afternoon we made gingerbread houses.

We used a lot of left over Halloween candy and chocolate graham crackers.

Hannah's creation

Chandler

Cody's house

Cole's house

This frosting made the task a lot easier to put the houses together.

Kaleb's house

Sunday night having fun with Legos

Always Something

It seems like during the holidays that there is always something to do. On Thursday we enjoyed listening to Kaleb play in the school band. He is learning how to play the bass clarinet this year. Last year he played the clarinet. We are so proud of him and all his accomplishments so far.

Kaleb helped dad put up lights.
It seems like they keep finding more lights to put up each day.


Fun part: putting up lights
NO FUN: taking them down

I made some
Christmas tree rice crispy treats

for the kids and the scouts.

It's the MOST wonderful TIME of the year

and also the busiest with tumbling classes, school, work, birthdays, parties, scouts, music and band concerts, entertaining, baking, volunteering, family pictures, mailing Christmas letters, shopping, and somehow trying to manage to keep the spirit of Christmas ALIVE with all the hustle and bustle of the season.

Here is a breakdown of what we've been doing:

Hannah and Cole celebrating

Charlie my niece's 3rd birthday party on the 12th of December

Charlie and my mom

Noah and Hannah making easy and fun holiday snacks

LOOK how pretty and they only take a few minutes to make

For cub scouts we made these fruit snowmen

and also this sock snowman

On the 8th of December Kaleb preformed for the school music program

He even sang a solo, Something I would NEVER do!

Kaleb getting ready for the music concert

Kaleb's actual birthday is on the 22nd of December, but we celebrated it on the 4th.

He will be 12 years old.

THE MAGICAL FOREST

On Monday night Holly (my brother's girlfriend invited us to go to the Magical Forest in Bakersfield with them. I found a $1.00 off coupon online and so it was only $4.00 for an adult ticket and $2.00 for a kid's ticket to get in. If you have kids under 5 they are free, which I don't, but you might. It was fun to walk around and see a forest of decorated Christmas trees. We also enjoyed a maze, we rode in the Grinch mobile, looked at the holiday shop, almost took a ride on a train, but when we wanted to ride it was getting repairs, and took a photo with Santa.

Hannah with Snoopy in the playhouse

Kaleb and my brother Ben in the glow-in-the-dark maze

The gang with Santa
Kaleb, Matty, Ryan, and Hannah


Loriane, Santa, Me and Holly

Silly gifts we found in the gift shop

Riding in the Grinch mobile

Hannah having a JOLLY good time

The magical forest

Hannah writing a letter to Santa

Kaleb, Hannah, and me

Enjoying a cup of hot cocoa, but not so fun when you're wearing it!
We were riding in the tram back to the car and Hannah knocked Kaleb's cup of hot chocolate all over his new jacket

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving 2009 was spent at my parents house in Palmdale with some of my siblings and also at Richard's mom house in Sylmar. Although all the food is so yummy at Thanksgiving my favorite foods of the day were creamed corn, candied yams and stuffing, which I helped myself to more than two servings of. My sister Michele and my dad fixing all the food

Noah with his favorite friend (his phone)


Kaleb, on the bottom, Cole, and Cody wrestling

Hannah, Chandler, and Cole posing for a picture in Grandma's backyard

Hannah in the car waiting for dad to get off of work in Tehachapi on

Thanksgiving day

Hannah and Charlie waiting to eat

Cody and Kaleb climbing the tree

My mom, sister Michele, and me

Nelda (Richard's mom), Richard, and Rob ( Richard's brother)