Thanksgiving 2008

This year our family spent Thanksgiving in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with my sister Allison and her family. The cousins were all thrilled to see eachother and spent every moment possible together. The food was excellent, as usual. Jonathan had a minor bike accident, evidenced by the scraped up face. Other than that, we had an excellent break full of late-night card games,lots of movies, and family photos. Thanks Allison and Greg for everything! Love ya tons!!

Halloween

Aren't my little goblins adorable? Trick-or-Treating and three other Halloween parties made this Halloween one to remember. We truly love this time of year!

Another Tag

The rules are:

* Link to the person who tagged you (Valerie - http://thebrackenfamily.blogspot.com/)

*Post the rules on your blog

*Write six random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself

* Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them

* Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog* Let the tagger know when your entry is posted

Okay, here goes:

1. Somebody once told me I looked like Mayim Bialik from the show "Blossom". I wanted to die!!

2. I hate my legs! Cankles run in my family. Never will I be seen in shorts or a short skirt. I hear there is a liposuction type surgery for this - I am considering it.

3. I like to pick/pluck things, whether it be eyebrows, fingernails, wierd skin, or gray hairs. I like finding weird things on my body or my kids' bodies and going to town.

4. I have a tattoo on my right foot. It was the stupidest decision (at age 19) I've made so far in my life, and dread it every time my kids ask about it. I just tell them that I let someone draw on me and it never came off, and that is why they shouldn't draw on themselves.

5. I once had a mole removed from an unmentionable location. Don't ask!

6. Watching "The Bachelor" is one of my guilty pleasures. Jason from the last show is up next!

I now tag Heather M., Andra, Renee, Mia, Allison L., and Susan H.

"Four" Tag

For this tag, I am supposed to post my fourth photo in my fourth photo file, and then tag four people. This is my nephew Matthew at about 9 months I guess. He is now five years old. I now tag Val, Carey, Kaycee, and Janet. You're it!

All Better

A band-aid can cure any ailment, right? Well, this is the assumption Dylan makes every time he hurts himself. Last night, while taking a bath, he got soap in his eyes. Of course he cried and complained about the burning and insisted he needed a band-aid. I tried to explain that you can't put one on your eye for obvious reasons. He dropped the subject after my explanation. However, a few minutes later, he approached me with the scene in the photo and said, "There, feels better." I love him!!

Timothy

Take a look at our cute baby! He is growing so fast - almost six months old. I love these pictures of him. Just wanted to share. I hope you think he is as adorable as our family does.

Happy Birthday Jon!

I know this is a little late, however, I wanted to wish our dear daddy and hubby a happy 35th birthday. Aren't we all getting so old?

Anxiously Waiting

Whenever Dylan suspects it is about time for the school bus carrying Jonathan and Emily to arrive, I can find him by the window watching and waiting. On this particular day he fell asleep during his anticipation. I could not resist taking these pictures. The Spiderman costume adds a nice innocent touch, don't you think?

First Foods

We have come upon a baby milestone in our household. Our little Timothy is no longer relying on his mother for all his nutrional needs. He is a little messy, but with practice, feeding from a spoon will be sweet victory.

First Photo

I finally got around to having Timothy's picture taken. Call it fourth/last child syndrome, whatever it is, I simply did not have the time or enthusiasm as I had with my first child. Maybe enthusiasm is not the right word, I am certainly enthusiastic about Timothy himself, just not for going out with kids in general - it is a lot of work! Anyway, the pictures turned out adorable!

Weird Boy

Dylan has been acting a little strange lately. On this day, I found him lounging in the baby's swing wearing my shower cap and a set of pretend "white trash" teeth. He has always been silly, however, since the baby arrived, this behavior has escalated substantially. Warning: this behavior is not always silly, it is also torturous and makes me want to pull my hair out at times. We still love him!

First Day of School

As far as the school schedule is concerned, summer is officially over today. Jonathan and Emily are now in the 4th and 2nd grades. They seemed anxious, excited, and nervous about this day, but I assured them they would each have a great school year filled with new friends, experiences, and knowledge. I hope I am right.

Jonathan and Emily anxiously waiting
Waiting for the bus at our house with some neighborhood friends

Growing So Fast

Our sweet baby Timothy is 4 months old today! Time sure has passed quickly, despite the lack of sleep and overall exhaustion. He truly lights up our family with his adorable smiles and laughter. We love you Timothy!

Sisters

We had the privilege of having my two sisters, Allison and Valerie, and their children visit us a few weeks ago. I must say, I have not laughed that hard in a long time. There is something only my sisters possess that causes me to laugh in hysterics. We spent a lot of time at our neighborhood pool, going to and watching movies, celebrating birthdays, lots of talking, and just hanging out. Oh, and all those "essential" diet coke runs. Thanks again, gals, for all the fun and laughs. Sisters are the best. COME BACK SOON!!!! I miss you like no other!

Me, Valerie, and Allison

All the cousins minus Drew and Seth
Blake
Carter and Dylan

Carter, Jonathan, and Emily blowing out their birthay candles

Matthew

Celebration for July birthdays

Nikki

Timothy and Nikki

Happy Birthday Emily

Our sweet Emily turned 7 years old today. She will have some great memories of this day. She was in charge of all the activites so she decided to start the celebration with a delicious lunch at Moe's followed by a movie (WALL-E). Spagetti and meatballs was her choice for dinner, and let's not forget cake and ice cream. Her gifts were plentiful including lots of new school clothes, 10 pairs of earrings, a family board game, manicure supplies, and wooden stamps. Happy Birthday Emily. You are cherished!!! Don't you love her first baby picture?

Big baby Emily at 10 lb. 2 oz. - July 30, 2001 - El Paso, TX

Emily now - 7 years old

Happy Birthday Jonathan

Jonathan turned 9 years old today - the last of the single digits! He is growing and maturing so fast. Where hast the time gone? Yesterday we celebrated with our friends Royce and Brandon at Red Robin. Today we celebrated with just our family at home. I made his favorite meal ever - porcupine meatballs. Jonathan also received some very exciting gifts including two new Wii games, a Nintendo DS, some new school clothes, and a new bicycle. Of course we finished off the night with some yummy cake. Happy Birthday Jonathan! We love you so much!