yes, I make them wear goggles to keep their eyes warm and safe!
deagan got a little ride around the cul-de-sac
climbing the mountain the snow plows leave in our front yard!

New Years Eve Snow Storm 07/08

Our deck furniture...this one day one with about a foot!
These were our deck chairs, but now they look like comfy loungers:)

Snow, snow...let it snow...and snow, and snow, and snow!

Last night, New Years Eve, it started snowing...and it kept on snowing through the night. This morning we had just about a foot of snow. All of the yuppies were up bright and early to shovel, plow, or snow blow it off their pretty little driveways. We stayed in jammies until well after noon (some of us ALL day). Jeff got up the gumption and shoveled the driveway.
Well it just kept on snowing ALL day. By 8pm we had another three and a half inches...and now by 10, there is another two. He shoveled twice today, and you can't even see any blacktop...just snow. Lots of snow. Poor Maverick is completely under the 16+ inches that we have accumulated all day. We wanted a good old fashioned snowfall and we got it!
Pictures coming soon...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Thank you to everyone for making our Christmas so wonderful. Tonight we hosted 15 family members for a special dinner and chinese/white elephant gift exchange. It was so nice to have everyone that we loved all in one place (well almost everyone;)....
The gift exchage started out innocent and got juicy in the end. It was a GREAT TIME for everyone, even those that ended up with the funny gifts. Thanks everyone for coming and we hope to do it again next year.
The kids had a fantastic Christmas too. Olivia finally got it this year. She understands and she believes. She is adorable. She "heard" santa and the reindeer last night, she saw sootey footprints coming out of the fireplace, she got a note from Santa after he ate her cookies and she got her prize cash register. She had a truly magical Christmas. Deagan had a fun time too. He rips through presents like a tornado, but it's cute. Then he gets sad when they are done:)
We had such a great day, no gliches at all!...well except that iphone and 30" imac that santa forgot to bring....
;)
Merry Christmas!!!!

Gift exchange memories...

The best "hidden" present! My mom hid this money tree in a popcorn tin, and NO ONE picked it until the second to last gift. HA on us, good for Grandma:)
Sorry Grandpa, I had to!!!! This was the single highlight of my evening...what are they doing you ask? Odd cultish rituals? No. Smelling candles! Love you Grandpa:)
Ron hiding the digital photo keychain in his shirt!

Olivia's Magical Christmas

Olivia saw three Santa's this year and told them each just ONE thing that she wanted him to bring her. It was a Princess Cash Register. Well it seems that many, many little girls asked for a cash register, and they were VERY HARD TO FIND. Seven stores later, Aunt Melissa saved the day finding them in her town:) We saved it as the last present she opened, so she would think she didn't get it...boy was it worth the suspense:)
Olivia FREAKING out when she realized that she actually got the princess cash register!

deagan throwing a fit because he couldn't eat TONS of M&Ms

Paulla and the bear that my mom made her of Grandpa Bob

Waiting...

Deagan insisted on brusing his teeth before going down to see the presents from Santa!
Mommy and Olivia on christmas
GiGi, Oli and Mommy waiting on top of the stairs to go see what Santa brought...

Christmas is coming!

So we went to Target this weekend to get some Christmas decorations. We discovered that all of ours were blue and white...and our new house is all red in the living room so it just didn't go. Long story short (will post more later) we got our second tree of the weekend and have it up in the livingroom. Anyhewe, Olivia had a meltdown in Target because we made her sit in a cart with Deagan, "Like a baby" she said. And she ended up crying like a baby. So she continued this fit like a two year old as we merrily shopped for bulbs all the way through the store and into the car. When we got in the car amidst her babble about sitting in the cart, she said,
"I want starbucks hot chocolate!"
Woah, she's over the edge!...or are we?

Tony, Tony, Tony!

Shortly after our family bonding session in the snow I received a phone call from my mom who was at the ER with my Dad. We had plans for all of the women to make a craft project after Thanksgiving dinner, while the boys were watching football. We were going to take glass blocks (like the kind you build basement windows out of) stuff them with xmas lights and wrap them with xmas bows. Pretty. Well, Dad was drilling the holes in the blocks for us when one of them EXPLODED and just about cut off his middle finger on his left hand!
Mom took him to the ER. They called in a surgeon, but decided to wait because they thought he might go into shock. So they stiched him up and sent him home until monday. Monday he went in and they scheduled the surgery for Wednesday.
Wednesday they did the surgery, he was under for just about 2 1/2 hours. They had to cut open his finger to get the nerve that he sliced from the tip of the finger. And then they did a packman cut across his hand to retrieve the two tendons that he severed and had retracted down into his palm.
They were able to find all the pieces and connect the dots, but now we have to wait for him to heal a bit and see if it will "take."
I wish I had a new picture of the cast they gave him after surgery...it's HUGE. It goes from his elbow to three inches past his finger tips. And they have his wrist at an almost 90 degree angle! But I thought I wouldn't bug him anymore with new pictures.
He's doing well and in great spirits. He's supposed to be out of work until APRIL. Ouch!
Love you DAD!!!!!

Thanksgiving Morning 2007

So we woke up Thanksgiving morning to a nice blanket of snow. It was the good kind, the packing kind. The kids insisted on getting bundled up and heading out- before breakfast- to play. It was beautiful....not only the snow, but the kick-off of the holiday season and our family being together:)

The play structure in the backyard.
Jeff's baby trees
Ever seen a frozen trampoline? Yes that is little Deagan on the lower left trying to climb up! (no he didn't succeed.)

Maverick!

You want to know who the real baby of the family is? Little Mav!!!!!!

Stella Bella

I know it's been awhile since you've all seen her, but here is our baby...Stella. She's 6mo now and getting bigger by the day!
She's 6mo old!
Sprinting across the yard!
puppy face!
Jeff teaching her to stay...then bolt!
My other daughter!

Olivia making snowballs!

She learned how to roll snowballs all by herself! We are waiting for that next big snow so we can roll a snowman:)

What a nut!

I wish you all could see what a nut Deagan is right now! He is so much fun and such a cool kid!

Deagan in the first snow of the year!

Thanksgiving @ The Newsted's

Love you Adam and Brynn!
Isn't he adorable?
I love this picture! Sums them up great!

Halloween Parade at School