Merry Christmas!!

What a Christmas this was!  The kids were up bright and early and absolutely could not wait to tear into their gifts...  They were amazed that Santa actually knew what they wanted, and our house looked like we had hosted a gang war before long.  Utter chaos and pure joy!

Reindeer Food!

We're certainly not above bribing Santa to ensure we get what we asked for...  So the kids put together a special treat for Santa's reindeer, including carrots and some rice crispies with glitter!  They were so excited on Christmas morning when nothing was left but scraps.  Since they all got what they asked for, we're assuming the bribery worked!  It's the little life lessons that count.

Vegas Baby!

Mia has heard about Mommy & Daddy going to Vegas a number of times, and so she began looking at pictures online.  As soon as she saw the fountains, volcanoes & Eiffel Tower she was certain she had to go! So who is Daddy to not grant her wish?!  The weekend before Christmas Daddy & Mia took a trip to Vegas.  We went ice skating in front of the Venetian, saw the volcano erupt, the fountains dance, and partied all weekend long...  The highlight of our trip was seeing David Copperfield perform on Saturday.  Mia was absolutely mesmerized by his magic.  It was such an incredible experience to be able to spend quality time together running up and down the strip while holding hands and playing!  The highlight of Daddy's year for sure!!

First Limo Ride!

Mia insisted that she get to ride in her own limousine during our Vegas trip!  After a few days of limo rides we hopped in a Town Car and she was truly distraught that she couldn't run up and down aisle...  Talk about setting her up for false expectations!  Nothing is too good for this perfect little child. She deserves anything & everything!

Santa!

Today we took the kids to our annual Teddy Bear Tea at the Ritz.  They got to meet Mrs. Claus & see a puppet show, but they could hardly wait to meet Santa!  Here they are shortly before sharing their lists with Mr. Claus... Brandon still can't stop talking about the puppet show!

Hanging Holiday Lights!

That's right, we're claiming all the holidays as ours, Hanukkah & Christmas!  Mia decided that it wasn't fair for Daddy to climb two stories up and hang holiday lights alone...  So here she is on the roof!  One would have expected the neighbors to be concerned, but after years of Daddy wandering the neighborhood in his boxers and doing burn outs in his cars to entertain the neighborhood kids, nobody blinked an eye!  I'm happy to report the lights have been strung and the midget was not harmed. Note that Mia insisted she wear a helmet!

Happy Hanukkah 2012

We had an amazing Hanukkah 2012! This was the first year that all three kids were old enough not only to know what was going on, but also to have expectations as to what gifts they wanted...  Each night after tubby time, the kids would line up their chairs and Mia would light the Menorah, and lead the family in the Hanukkah prayer.  It was so sweet to see their excitement each night!

Beauty!

Chaos!

Swagger!

Another ER Visit!

Aubrey, aka our little clutz, had yet another visit to the ER this week!  While doing acrobatics on the back of the couch, she decided to flip off backwards and display absolutely none of her cat like tendencies...  Meaning she landed flat on the back of her head.  The noise was sickening.  After cleaning up the blood and putting an ice pack on her, we decided that with head wounds it's better to be safe than sorry.  So Daddy spent a few hours at the ER, even riding into a brain scan machine and enduring the radiation, to ensure our little angel was calm & safe.  Momma thankfully showed up after Mia's holiday concert to coddle & love her. And non too soon, cause Aubs had already had about about enough doctoring and Daddy time. Thankfully she checked out just fine, other than a headache.  As you can see, by the next morning she had donned her antlers and was back in action!  The joys...

Snow Play!

This past weekend we took the kids to Shamrock Farms, the largest milk dairy farm in the SW. The kids got to see over 10,000 cows and learn all about milking.  Afterwards, the farm trucked in a few tons of snow for the kids to play with!  Yes, it's true, Valley of the Sun citizens are pathetically relegated to playing on a snow pile in the parking lot for winter fun...  Hey, the kids didn't know any better, they loved it!  Although, as evidenced above, Brandon & Aubrey didn't realize you had to wear pants with your snow coats!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nothing but love on Thanksgiving! Big Boy sure has turned out to be a Momma's boy!  He just can't leave her side, and I'm pretty sure she loves it...  Here they were enjoying a fun moment on Thanksgiving.  For the holiday we all went down to Tucson for a visit to Grammy & Papa's, and enjoyed quality time with the whole fam!

Golf Cart Safety!

One of the joys of visiting Grammy & Papa in Tucson is the golf cart rides!  The only down side is that all the kids are getting bigger, and insist on going at the same time...  So what's the solution? Strap em on like a bag of clubs, and let 14 year old Alec drive!  Safety first.

Thanksgiving Fun With The Cali Cousins!

Mia & the Twins had so much fun with their California cousins while at Grammy & Papa's for Thanksgiving!  They literally were singing for days in anticipation of hanging with their older cousins.  They are so sweet with our kids, and we all had a fantastic and relaxing holiday!