Dear Santa

"Dear Santa,


I hope that the presents are ready to be delivered for Christmas. This year I really want a karaoke machine. I also want a piano. Finally, I would LOVE a kit of makeup of my very own. I have been a good girl. 
I love you Santa.


Your friend from, Madeline"

Sam's 1st day of an official Penny Press Delivery Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

 :) I just LOVE this kid!!!!!!!!

Artist Madeline

"My pretty mommy" (Madeline-6)

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!! I am the luckiest mommy in the whole world :)

Sam + 3rd grade teacher = ROCKSTARS

We have the B-E-S-T teachers! EFE has the best, best, best, best, best. We feel so extremely lucky to have the teachers we do....this is just a small example of the awesomeness that graces my email often! This email is regarding Sam's current book, "The Hobbit"


"With each chapter Sam completes, I get excited for him.  He makes sure he comes and tells me each time he completes a chapter.  He's doing real well on his multiplication too.  I'm loving his enthusiasm and share his sense of accomplishment he has with each milestone he meets.  I was all smiles as he told me about his light he wears to read and how he gets to stay up a little bit to read each night....Go Sam!  I feel real fortunate to have Sam this year, he is such a little man. Mr. Dumke"

Railings? We don't need no stinkin railings....

Today I am....HAPPY and GRATEFUL Grateful for this empowering feeling in each step I take down my stairs; when I DON’T have to trail my hand along the wall.  Days like today when I am fearless of falling, confident my feet truly will pick up one after the other, w/out fear of clumsy ‘asleep legs’ or clutching the railing.  

After 9 years of MS induced falls, breaks & sprains~I will never ever again take for granted a single step I take...

ever. :):):)

Carlos & Cricket

(In a 4-year-old sing-song-voice...don't eat your friends, we don't eat our friends...no, no noooooo we don't eat  our friends.....)

Carlos...meet Cricket. Cricket...do NOT eat Carlos. I repeat. Do-NOT-eat-Carlos. The guinea pig is your friend, not your snack.

:):)

Sass-O-frass! :):)

:):) Silly girls 

Sam-9

Madeline-6

Noah Baker-4

*Happy Thanksgiving 2010*

Noah Baker....super smile maker :):)

Madeline's super awesome, super wiggly, super high, super happy THANKSGIVING DAY JUMP!!!

bless you...thank you...from the bottom of our hearts...thank you

a curvy yellow weekend!

Ah, October (my FAVORITE month!!!)

Sam (9 on Saturday) 3rd grade

Madeline (6) 1st grade

Noah Baker (4) Pre-K

Acorn hats...

Madeline's teeny tiny rocks in their acorn hats...

Jackson, Karter & Aunt Amy!

Arizona in October…SO lovely.

Add in Jackson Dean in all of his two-year-old-awesomeness = one heck of a good trip for Aunt Amy.

Jackson’s mom Stephanie, (my lovely & beautiful sister-in-law) and my very best friend Diana in Grandpa & Grandma’s back yard…enjoying sunshine, the two-year-old and the baby girl J

Proud Grandma Millie with happy-pants JD @ Sauce in Tucson (YUM!!!)

Just one word explains it all….Diana J

This picture is quite possibly one of my favorites that I’ve ever taken.  Stephanie’s super pregnant friend Torey (who delivered her beautiful perfect baby a week after I took this) in Jackson’s bounce house/jumping castle at his birthday bash.  It was just such a fun and fantastic moment…just look at how happy she is!

Jackson rocking his new Woody hat & I reading about Toy Story, Buzz…Woody…and a few fun adventures.

Baby girl Karter Grace; SO beautiful and happy!

Grandma Millie, Matthew and Karter.

THIS was such a fun morning; I think by far the best-before-9-AM-experience I’ve had in quite some time.  Steph & Matthew were setting up for Jackson’s birthday party, so Jackson & I went across the way to the park.  He took it easy on me at first, just some light swinging.  But then after 45-50 minutes or so and after approximately 87 times up the ladder, down the slide, running (the long way, of course) around the equipment to go across the bridge back up to the ladder & down the slide….Aunt Amy was pooped.  I told Matthew that I was now able to consume 28 hotdogs @ the party because I just had enough calorie burning cardio for my entire trip.

THIS picture Diana has lovingly titled “Where’s Waldo?” Jackson is squirming away from me because he clearly needs to get to Grandma’s sand-filled-owl on the side of the flower bed.  And poor Karter is being smothered by my hair. None of us even noticed until we looked at the camera…it was pretty darn funny. No WONDER the girl scrunched up her nose (smiling of course) & prepared herself as she saw my face coming towards her for kisses (w/my tickly hair!).

Matthew needs this to be his Christmas card....as he said, "Have a high-flying Christmas!"

XOxoXOxoXOxoXOxoXOxoXOxoXO

Sam-8, Madeline-6, Noah Baker-4