The Spirit of Christmas

Ever have those moments when you look at your child and actually SEE how much they've grown and it just takes your breath away?

This was one of those moments.

McKenna started taking ballet in September and has loved every minute of it! It's been so much fun to watch her develop this talent. She has become so graceful and fluid. So when she came upstairs for her first performance in full makeup I was astounded to see my 14 year old daughter looking so grown up. Yes, it's a bit heavy, but it's stage makeup. My favorite part were the lashes! They made her eyes pop!

The performance went well. Kenna was in 2 dances and was beautiful. I wish I had pics of it! The highlight of the evening was when a guest instructor recommended that she take extra classes. I was floored but a little concerned about the money. But Ballet Nevada gave her a scholarship to attend as many classes as she could at a certain level. I was, of course, in tears and Kenna was surprised. We feel so blessed to be a part of a dance company that has been so generous to Kenna. It was by far my favorite gift this year.

Cameron's 6th birthday!!

Wow. 6 years ago, I got the BEST Christmas present ever! I can't believe that my babybigboy is already 6. He is getting so big and grown up. He is changing so much so quickly. Cameron is a sweet, sensitive boy that is also able to wrestle with his brothers and hold his own. He loves to read and be read to. Cameron has ALWAYS been a snuggler. He was carried for most of his first year and still likes to sit RIGHT NEXT to you on the couch. He does a great impression of a Lounge Lizard on weekends and holidays watching movie after movie and reading. I am so grateful for him and what he adds to our family. Love you.

*note- the red slinky was bought for him by Max with Max's own money. He was too excited to wait for Christmas so he gave it to Cameron for his birthday. I guess those are the moments we wade through 'life' for.

Bear Bread

One of my favorite memories growing up was every year in school, my mom would help us make bear bread for our teacher gifts. I'm sure it wasn't HER favorite activity, but I remember getting so excited as they came together-and I'm sure she did more of the work than I did. But she'd always let us poke the bellybutton and put the raisins in place. We've done a lot of different things for the teachers over the years, but this seems to have been a real hit! And come on. Is there really anything better than fresh bread? I think not. So this is going to become a new tradition for our family! Pass it on...

Cameron loses his first tooth!

I think it's a right of passage- especially for Kindergarteners. At some point in Kindergarten my kids start asking me when they're going to start losing their teeth. Cameron was no different. So he was super excited to let me know that he'd lost his first tooth at school! His second tooth was soon to follow (you can probably see it sitting crookedly next to the empty spot). Unfortunately, our Tooth Fairy is pretty delinquent and it took a few days for her to visit. But in the end, Cameron was happy with the 50 cents she left for his tooth!

Pictures with Santa 2009

Another Christmas.... (yes, I realize that I'm actually typing this in July) I really love taking the kids to see Santa Claus. But this year was different. Kenna and Chris decided they didn't want to go. It made me a little sad, but they are old enough to make the decision. Max and Cam were still excited to see him. Max asked for a remote control car and Cameron asked for a new folder for school. Stay tuned for a later post to see if their wishes were granted.....

Max is too cool to smile for the picture!

And Cameron is SUPER excited!