Family Night

Another tradition we love is going to a nativity program in a barn with our friends on the Monday before Christmas.  

 The barn is huge and this year there were tons of people there.  A family does this every year as their gift to the community.  They present a musical program, read a story, sing carols, and then present the nativity.

Emily was able to dress up as one of the shepherds.  After the program is over the family gives everyone doughnuts and hot cider.  It is a fun way to be reminded of the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Bowling Party!

 Renting the bowling alley has been a tradition for a family party since before we even had kids.  We get to bowl and eat all kinds of yummy food.

 After the bowling alley we always head to a church and exchange white elephants.  The little kids have their own circle so they get new stuff.

 The adults aren't so lucky.  The white elephants ranged from a broken ceiling fan to extra large men's underwear.  A little of everything.  After the white elephants Santa always makes an appearance.

 Tyler and Megan may be a little big for Santa, but they know if they don't sit on his lap they won't get the goods.  A fun tradition that always marks the last week before Christmas.

Cookie Day!

 Last year we decided we needed a cookie day.  Emily just couldn't understand why her friends had days where they baked and we did not.  We enlisted the help of Mammy and Taycina.  This year we even made Camille join in the fun.  We came up with the 2nd Saturday of December for our new tradition.

 We each came up with a recipe and then we baked and decorated.  It was so much fun spending the day in the kitchen.  The mess wasn't quite as fun to clean up, but the finished products were worth it.

We hope our neighbors that received the plates of food thought they were yummy. 

New York City

Before heading to Connecticut, we all met in New York City for a couple of days. Because we are cheap we actually stayed in Newark, NJ, and then rode the subway in every day. (Let's just say parts of Newark are really how they are portrayed in the movies.) The subway took us straight to the World Trade Center stop each morning. This is the progress so far on the freedom tower. It's impressive to see the area affected on 9/11 and how it has changed.














The kids entertained themselves on the subways with their DS lites.

While in New York we tried to eat at some different restaurants. Carnegie Deli has been featured on tons of talk shows and has their walls lined with pictures of celebrities. I think Emily thought everyone that came to the restaurant got their picture taken. She asked me if they had to hang up her picture because she didn't think her hair looked that good that day. Maybe someday.....

Times Square is always a favorite and the Toys R Us store is a must see when traveling with kids. They were thrilled when Mammy offered to let them ride the ferris wheel inside the store. A dream come true for Emily, Tyler, and Megan.

Wall Street and the Trinity Church were not quite as exciting as Times Square, but still fun to look at. Tyler was enthralled with the dates on the headstones at the cemetery of the church. Some were from the 1600's. The church was actually made famous in National Treasure.

Connecticut

While visiting Danny and his family for a couple of days, the rains came. That meant we tried to find things to do indoors. We went to the mall, saw a movie, and then let the kids play at a bounce barn. On our last day there, the rains finally cleared and we headed out to see the waterfront.


We went to Mystic a small whaling town made famous in a movie we have never seen. The port area was beautiful and the fudge there is amazing.

On the way back to New Haven we found a beach with sand. The weather still wasn't perfect and we were the only ones on the beach, but the kids didn't care.

They got in the water regardless of the temperature.

The waves weren't huge, but were bigger than anything near us.

The highlight was the lifeguard station. The sand was so soft and fine that it was like jumping in snow. It took a bit to get Emily to jump, but when she finally did she didn't stop.

Congratulations Danny!

This past week we all made the trek up to Connecticut to be a part of my brother's graduation from his oral surgery residency. It was a great night, with lots of food and nice tributes. I have always been so proud of my siblings and last Friday was definitely one of those defining moments. Danny has done more in the past 4 years with hardly any sleep than anyone I know. He has remodeled a house, slept many nights at the hospital, and all while being a great husband and father.

The night was also nice given all of our kids and Natalie's were being watched in the hotel room by Megan. We only worried a little when Megan asked if she could call the maid to see if she would take them swimming or when she wasn't quite sure what to do with Faith's messy diaper.

It's not often we are all together anymore and it makes special occasions that much sweeter. Way to go Danny!

Warm Afternoons

I couldn't find Emily and Megan the other day and wondered what they were up to. I must say I was a little surprised to find them both sitting on blankets with books. Megan says she can only read outside. I was a little jealous that I didn't think of the idea and grab a book and join them. Darn cooking dinner got in the way. I'm just hoping they get a few more days like this.