Carissa's Easy Bake Oven

All Carissa wanted for Christmas was an Easy Bake Oven (which Santa so willingly brought). She was very excited to use it and since it did not come with a bulb, we went and bought one yesterday. The first thing she made was a chocolate cake with pink frosting and sprinkles. She looked so cute in her little apron!

This was the only time I helped her. I just showed her how to mix it up really well. The rest of the time she did it all by herself.
One of my most favorite things about Carissa is her willingness to share with her brother and sister. She let them help with decorating the mini cake.

The end result....she was so proud of herself and her ability to cook now, all by herself!

And of course...the best part of all is eating all her hard work! She shared it with Camden. Addison didn't want any. They said it was really good.

Later That Day....

In the afternoon, we went over to Mike's mom's house. We ate dinner there and exchanged gifts. It was nice being together with family.

Camden was so excited about his skate shoes. They are really cool. They have wheels in the front and back like old fashioned roller skates. They pop in and out easily. He loves them!

Aunt Janet helped Addison open her gift. She loves her Aunt Janet!

This is Penny (the dog we gave to Mike's sister). Our kids still love her and now that Addison is older, she loves her too. As you can see, she is no longer afraid of her which is one of the reasons we gave her away.

Carissa and her cousin Kendall. They love each other!

Then after we left, we went over to my parents house to visit and exchange gifts. My parents had Jeremy's kids wait until we got there and then had them all sit down together. Then they passed out their gift and they all opened them up at the same time. We had fun there too. My kids were soooo tired by the end of the day. They fell asleep in the car almost immediately!

Christmas Morning

This year was wonderful! Mike and I decided that we would take our time. We woke up around 7:20 and came downstairs to see what Santa had brought. Carissa got her Easy Bake Oven she wanted (which by the way, doesn't come with a light bulb....I only know this because my sister-in-law, Kendra, told me.) Camden got two awsome work trucks that really move and make noise. They both got a real digital camera and some fun stocking stuffers. Addison got a doll and horse and a puzzle set, along with her stocking. They loved what they recieved and while they played with those things, Mike and I made breakfast. We had french toast with bacon and eggs. We all ate and then after cleaning up, we went back in the front room and opened up the gifts under the tree. We took our time, opening only one gift at a time. The kids had a blast and didn't mind going slow. This made the morning last longer than normal and there was a better feeling all around. Yeah....Merry Christmas!

The kids came down after Mike and I went downstairs. Addison was hesitant so they ran back up to get her.

He was really happy about the camera. He loves to take pictures using an old cell phone camera. This should be a lot nicer for him!

Hey....who doesn't like to eat a candy cane while opening presents at 8 in the morning!?!?

The big gift for all three kids (well, Addison will grow into it) was the Wii. They LOVE it and so do Mike and I. It is really fun and I love that it keeps you active instead of mindless video games. Christmas was great!

Simple Picture...Yeah Right!

My grandmother asked for a picture of the kids for Christmas....I snapped a few shots before church yesterday and had to laugh at my oh so photogenic children!

It doesn't help having a two year old in the picture, either!

Told them to show me their funny faces so that the next picture would be their cute faces....
Two down....one to go.....

still waiting.....

Ummm....this isn't it either....

Okay, okay....this will do! They might have trouble taking pictures, but they still are as cute as can be!

December 2008

It's Christmas Time!

Okay, well....it's that time of year and no, I don't just mean Christmas time. It's that time for my kids to all be sick. They have been sick for a few days but seem to be doing better now. Carissa is fine but Camden and Addison both have double ear infections. Camden's right ear was really bad and is taking awhile to feel better. He missed three days of school this week. He still can't hear very well but is starting to feel better. We decided it would be fun to decorate our house for Christmas, even though the kids were a bit under the weather.

This year we started a new tradition with the kids. We gave the kids a new ornament to hang on the tree. They had fun opening a little present, like a pre-Christmas gift.

After I hung the ribbon, the kids were able to put their new ornaments on the tree before any other ornaments when on. I think they had fun with this new tradition and I know I did!

Carissa and Addison posing with a flower in their hair.... Mike put one in Carissa's hair and so, of course, Addison had to be just like her and asked for one too!

Our Camping Trip

The kids and I went camping with my parents over the weekend. We left on Friday and came home on Tuesday. We went to Buellton, CA. It is a few miles away from Solvang. This is my parents trailer....making camping a hole lot easier with three kids!

Solvang is so pretty and fun to walk around. There are lots of yummy treats to eat and lots of fun stores to look at.

There was a great playground at the camp site. It was a great one. My kids loved it!

There are slides, stairs and tunnels on one level and then you climb up to another level and there are two really long slides. That was what kept the kids entertained. They loved the long slides!

Quicksilver Ranch

One of the fun things we did while in Buellton was visit the Quicksilver Ranch where they breed mini horses. They were so cute!

While we were there, they had one of the horses out so that the kids were able to get up close and pet one. Camden was excited to get to touch one.

A Day at the LA Zoo

Camden is off track and so we decided to take the kids to the zoo. It was a nice day (a little too warm for November) and the kids had a good time. It is always fun to see all the different animals in person instead of just in pictures!

Camden said his favorite animal was the giraffe because it kept sticking its tongue out!

LUNCH TIME!

You can tell this is at the end of our day....I tried to get a picture of Addison with her daddy but she was pretty tired. She wouldn't look at the camera! Mike had to throw in the sad face which I am sure he will hate that I put on here (sorry honey!)