sitting with santa

last weekend we took the kids to get their picture taken with santa at scrapdiva. connor has never sat with santa for pictures, let alone talk to him. while we were waiting our turn, i asked connor if he was going to sit on santa's lap, to which he quickly replied "no!" i thought "great. another year of no sitting with santa." when it was our turn, we all walked to the back of the store where santa waited. kaleigh went first, while connor stood aside and cautiously watched. she jumped off santa's lap and connor was coaxed towards santa. val and i were amazed when he started answering santa's questions and got up on his lap. it only took 4 1/2 years but it was worth it to see him comfortable enough to interact with santa!

when we were done, connor asked, "is the real santa going to come to our house on christmas?" i laughed having no idea he knew that wasn't the "real" santa. i told him that santa was so busy getting ready for christmas that he has friends to help him with things like santa pictures. :)

in the christmas spirit

it's not the christmas season if we haven't watched these two movies at least twice a week (or more) during december! they might not be a classic like "it's a wonderful life" but they sure are hilarious! haha!

christmas countdown begins

every thanksgiving morning begins our countdown to christmas. val makes homemade cinnamon rolls from scratch (he had a very late night this year getting them ready), macy's thanksgiving day parade is on tv, and after breakfast the tree goes up. since we got a new tv this summer, we had to find a new place to put the tree (not many choices in our small house) so we decided next to the fireplace would be perfect.

here's the before picture--kids on the computer, toys everywhere...

after--our colorful tree

mmm! mexican food

who doesn't love mexican food?!? after helping val put up christmas decorations in his office, we went out to dinner. it was mariachi night, an extra bonus for us! ha! connor covered his ears but still wanted to listen, val, kaleigh & i tried to think of songs they should play.

the band came by our table for requests. guess they don't do miley cyrus. ha!

all smiles before the trouble begins :)

daydreaming??

eating chips & guacamole...but notice the hamburger on her plate?

the rice and bean eater devouring some chips and avoiding mommy's camera

enjoying my week off!

along with loving my new sheets and pillows, my week has been so relaxing. sleeping in, reading a lot of books, staying up late, watching the kids find some creative things to play with! inspired by an episode of tom & jerry, kaleigh and connor turned some boxes into airplanes for some morning fun earlier this week.

kaleigh putting some extra details on her plane "the flying cheese"

connor patiently waiting for kaleigh to finish so the fun can begin

ready for take off!!

i'm in love!

yes, it's true. i'm in love...with my new sheets!!! oh my! for the first time in 36 years, i now have flannel sheets. and i must say the are the softest and warmest sheets ever! i didn't want to get out of bed this morning. i was so snug and cozy. i guess it's a good thing i'm on vacation or else you'd never see me. ha!

happy halloween

finally downloaded my pictures from halloween. we went to the culcasi's this year to trick-or-treat. tons of candy and tons of fun! the kids are already talking about costume ideas for next year! ha!

val and kaleigh carved some big pumpkins. notice the look

of concentration and determination on those two. the pumpkins were really

thick which made it more difficult to cut.

the finished pumpkins turned out super!

the candy corn witch and dash from the incredibles

connor with his candy. many pieces were tested for quality that night by connor himself! ha!

kaleigh filled up her bucket so she used her hat! candy anyone??