Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Pictures from Thanksgiving
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Christmas postmortem of 2009
The short version: It was wonderful!
The longer version: It was wonderful! I'm currently writing this on my new netbook from my warm and comfy bed while watching old episodes of Dawson's Creek, so that tells you what my big gift was. I also got a Garmin for the minivan...oh so suburban are we. The children are happily playing with their brand new gifts (there were many and they are in heaven) and Josh is at Academy scoping out goodies to buy with his gift card. Later today BubTar and I will go to Barnes and Noble so he can by a guinea pig care book with his $65 worth of BN gift cards and then we might be having mexican food with my parents for dinner.
Santa brought BubTar a big castle, complete with knights and a dragon. He also acquired several new science kits, books, board games, a Didj and a couple of games, a Nerd dart tag game, and the aforementioned Barnes and Noble card, among other things. He was in geeky heaven! He kept hugging me and exclaiming "Thank you!" When it was all said and done, we asked what his favorite gift was and he said, "EVERYTHING!"
KayTar received a Barbie pet vet set from Santa. She also got the Disney princess musical vanity from us, a deal I got on Black Friday for 50$ off and we couldn't resist. She got lots of girly things, board games, stuffed anmials, a baby doll, Barbies, costumes, jewelry...all kinds of magical pink stuff. Her room looks like the pink aisle at the toy store. Her birthday is in two months and I can't imagine what we'll get for her or where we will put it. The highlight of the Christmas experience with her was at Christmas Eve with Josh's family. She opened a Barbie 3 Musketeers Viveca doll and SQUEEEEEEEED and jumped up and down before saying, "Oh my, this is just a dream!" and faux-fainting onto the ottoman. My father-in-law got it on video, so I should be able to post the whole thing soon. It was so hilarious!
At the last minute, well, two days before Christmas actually, Josh went to the pet store and fell in love with a guinea pig. We had just enough left in the Christmas budget to get the guinea pig and all of the goodies for him. So we did! We kept it hidden in my closet in the bedroom for a couple of days and gave the kids strict instructions to stay out of our room...we also put up the baby gate. We wrapped a present (a ball and house log for the guinea pig) and addresses it to G.P. and after everything else was opened, we asked BubTar who it was for. He was puzzled and we suggested he look the present over really well. On the underside of the gift, there was a map to the cage of the guinea pig. BubTar followed it and TA DA! There he was. The reaction was somewhat lackluster...I mean, they are THRILLED with our new pet, but we were expecting some more of that SQUEEING and it was more like quiet amazement. Josh and I have been insanely excited since we bought him, so we expected more fireworks. GP is now named Gizmo and we are working on a P middle name so we can keep calling him GP if we want. Puccini is the front runner for the middle name currently.
As far are celebrations go, on the 23rd we had dinner with my parents and nieces and nephew and exchanged gifts between the cousins. On Christmas Eve, the Elves dropped off their traditional early Christmas gift, new jammies and a Christmas DVD. This year I was busily playing video games with BubTar when they dropped it off and Josh was at work. They must REALLY be magic! Then, we had dinner with Josh's family and opened gifts from his grandmother. Then my parent's spent the night, as they do every Christmas Eve. Santa dropped off the gifts (unwrapped and ready to go at our house, I think I heard his elves cursing in the night as it was no easy feat to put things together this year!) and we opened our gifts and my parents gifts first thing in the morning. BubTar woke up at 3am and my dad kept his busy for 2 hours until 5 when he woke the rest of us up. After we were done here, we went back to Josh's parents to open with them and Josh's siblings. We came home and rested and in the evening we had takeout from Denny's and our best friends came over to exchange gifts with us. We gave them bartending goodies and they gave us three new super fun games and between the two sets of gifts, our New Year's Eve celebraion is rapidly taking shape!
On to the cute kids...I know that is why you people really stop by here. ;)
Hope your Christmases were just as wonderful as ours!
The longer version: It was wonderful! I'm currently writing this on my new netbook from my warm and comfy bed while watching old episodes of Dawson's Creek, so that tells you what my big gift was. I also got a Garmin for the minivan...oh so suburban are we. The children are happily playing with their brand new gifts (there were many and they are in heaven) and Josh is at Academy scoping out goodies to buy with his gift card. Later today BubTar and I will go to Barnes and Noble so he can by a guinea pig care book with his $65 worth of BN gift cards and then we might be having mexican food with my parents for dinner.
Santa brought BubTar a big castle, complete with knights and a dragon. He also acquired several new science kits, books, board games, a Didj and a couple of games, a Nerd dart tag game, and the aforementioned Barnes and Noble card, among other things. He was in geeky heaven! He kept hugging me and exclaiming "Thank you!" When it was all said and done, we asked what his favorite gift was and he said, "EVERYTHING!"
KayTar received a Barbie pet vet set from Santa. She also got the Disney princess musical vanity from us, a deal I got on Black Friday for 50$ off and we couldn't resist. She got lots of girly things, board games, stuffed anmials, a baby doll, Barbies, costumes, jewelry...all kinds of magical pink stuff. Her room looks like the pink aisle at the toy store. Her birthday is in two months and I can't imagine what we'll get for her or where we will put it. The highlight of the Christmas experience with her was at Christmas Eve with Josh's family. She opened a Barbie 3 Musketeers Viveca doll and SQUEEEEEEEED and jumped up and down before saying, "Oh my, this is just a dream!" and faux-fainting onto the ottoman. My father-in-law got it on video, so I should be able to post the whole thing soon. It was so hilarious!
At the last minute, well, two days before Christmas actually, Josh went to the pet store and fell in love with a guinea pig. We had just enough left in the Christmas budget to get the guinea pig and all of the goodies for him. So we did! We kept it hidden in my closet in the bedroom for a couple of days and gave the kids strict instructions to stay out of our room...we also put up the baby gate. We wrapped a present (a ball and house log for the guinea pig) and addresses it to G.P. and after everything else was opened, we asked BubTar who it was for. He was puzzled and we suggested he look the present over really well. On the underside of the gift, there was a map to the cage of the guinea pig. BubTar followed it and TA DA! There he was. The reaction was somewhat lackluster...I mean, they are THRILLED with our new pet, but we were expecting some more of that SQUEEING and it was more like quiet amazement. Josh and I have been insanely excited since we bought him, so we expected more fireworks. GP is now named Gizmo and we are working on a P middle name so we can keep calling him GP if we want. Puccini is the front runner for the middle name currently.
As far are celebrations go, on the 23rd we had dinner with my parents and nieces and nephew and exchanged gifts between the cousins. On Christmas Eve, the Elves dropped off their traditional early Christmas gift, new jammies and a Christmas DVD. This year I was busily playing video games with BubTar when they dropped it off and Josh was at work. They must REALLY be magic! Then, we had dinner with Josh's family and opened gifts from his grandmother. Then my parent's spent the night, as they do every Christmas Eve. Santa dropped off the gifts (unwrapped and ready to go at our house, I think I heard his elves cursing in the night as it was no easy feat to put things together this year!) and we opened our gifts and my parents gifts first thing in the morning. BubTar woke up at 3am and my dad kept his busy for 2 hours until 5 when he woke the rest of us up. After we were done here, we went back to Josh's parents to open with them and Josh's siblings. We came home and rested and in the evening we had takeout from Denny's and our best friends came over to exchange gifts with us. We gave them bartending goodies and they gave us three new super fun games and between the two sets of gifts, our New Year's Eve celebraion is rapidly taking shape!
On to the cute kids...I know that is why you people really stop by here. ;)
Hope your Christmases were just as wonderful as ours!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Our first annual Christmas letter
Dear Family and Friends,
2009 has been a very busy year for our household! Josh and I are both full time college students, he is pursuing a degree in criminal justice and I am completing my premed requirements and working on my bachelor's degree. Josh is still working in the IT department at the bank and is also BubTar’s cub scout leader. In my spare time I'm volunteering at the children's hospital and at the kids' school. When I can squeeze it in, I also do some advocacy work for children's healthcare reform. I have had the privilege of traveling to New York City, Washington DC, and our state Capitol to share our story, and we have been featured in a magazine, newspapers, and on local television. Between work, school, and the kids, we are on the go all the time it seems!
BubTar switched schools this year for second grade and although he misses his best friend quite a bit, he is doing very well at his new school! He has made straight A's all year and is being recommended for the Gifted and Talented program. He is also involved in Cub Scouts and sold over $1100 worth of popcorn this year, a goal he set for himself, more than twice as much as anyone else in his pack. He's already planning for something bigger next year! He loves to learn about science and he almost always has his nose in a book. We would go to the bookstore every day if it were up to him! He is reading at fifth grade level and is known to consume entire novels in a single sitting. He has big plans to be a writer/engineer/magician/ventriloquist when he grows up.
KayTar has had the most wonderful year! Last November she had a feeding tube placed and had her tonsils and adenoids removed, and since then we have been amazed at the improvements in her growth, development, and overall health! Last school year she had missed over 50% of her days in the first semester and this year, I can count her absences on my fingers. She has only been hospitalized once this year and her neurological episodes seem to have tapered off now that her nutrition has improved so much. She has gained 6.5 pounds and grown 4.5 inches this year. She attends school half-days in the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities, in a classroom with both normally developing children and high-functioning, developmentally delayed children and is doing wonderfully. We just had an ARD meeting to create new goals for her because she has already achieved all of her goals for the year! Her teachers are confident that she will be mainstreamed for Kindergarten next year. She, too, is a big reader and can read nearly anything we put in front of her. She is an aspiring actress, singer, and comedienne and can be found acting, singing, and cracking jokes any day of the week. She has a magnetic personality and makes an impression everywhere we go.
We have had a very blessed year and we hope the same is true for all of you!
Merry Christmas,
The 'Tars
Monday, November 30, 2009
Since everyone else is doing it...
30 things I am thankful for, both big and little:
1. Having Christmas $ set aside and ready to go this year. Last year Josh didn't get a bonus and we didn't know that until Christmas was nearly upon us. A sweet angel friend helped us out last year, which I will ALWAYS be thankful for...but this year we have been setting aside our excess financial aid awards for college and have a nice little amount ready to go!
2. My Biology grade, which is roughly a 103. I have made 100's on both lecture exams and 105's on both of my lab exams. '
3. The balance we seem to have struck in this crazy life of ours.
4. KayTar potty training herself.
5. BubTar getting so many badges at his scouts award ceremony.
6. Being able to be at his award ceremony, even though it meant sneaking out of Bio lab early.
7. New "winter" coats!
8. I waited to write the rough draft for my Comp II research paper until the last day and I churned that thing OUT. It was extremely satisfying to put it off for so long and then rock its face off. My professor gave me really great remarks on it, too. I'm thankful that I can procrastinate to the LAST SECOND and still put out good work.
9. The super fun girls weekend KayTar and I had a couple of weeks ago.
10. The way KayTar does the robot to Safety Dance.
11. The fact that my security badge at the hospital now WORKS for everything I need. No more asking, "Can you badge me in?" 500 times a shift. It is amazing.
12. The kids' school. I'm really enjoying it a lot. I'm pretty involved and I've made some friends there.
13. My H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines.
14. BubTar, my little bookworm. That kid can a finish a book in no time flat.
15. The fun weekend the kids and I had while Josh was hunting this weekend. We saw Santa, spent time with my parents and niece and nephew, and even helped decorate my mom and dad's tree.
16. KayTar's year. It has been a big one for her. She is a totally different (yet equally awesome) kid than she was a year ago. This has been a year of major growth for the littlest 'Tar, both physically and developmentally. I never thought she would accomplish much of what she has this past year.
17. Insurance for the kids. We were able to renew their coverage without a major crisis this time, though Josh had to ask his boss NOT to give him a raise this year.
18. The way BubTar set a goal for his popcorn sales and reached it. He's already upped the ante for next year!
19. My husband. Though we are very different, we really enjoy each other and have a ton of fun together, even when we are doing nothing.
20. Television. I'm a television addict and it is my favorite way to relax. I'm actually thinking of writing a post about this one soon.
21. The opportunity to follow my (very expensive and time-consuming) dreams.
22. The end of my semester being VERY near! The month of break will be heavenly!
23. That our Christmas tree is up and decorated!
24. That I am done shopping for the kids! It isn't even December yet!
25. My van. I'm so glad we found it for such a reasonable price. I spend a ton of time in there and it is perfect for us.
26. Extended family. My parents spend a lot of time with the kids and are wonderful and involved grandparents. Josh's parents have always been a great support to us, too. I'm thankful that I happen to be best friends with my sister-in-laws, we've been friends for a very long time.
27. Black Friday. I know some people don't go for it, but I LOVE it. It is the one thing that my parents and I do together, just us, every year. It is fun to wake up super early (they picked me up at 3:30am this year) and go shopping together. This year I didn't HAVE to go for anything major, I mostly purchased board games for significantly reduced prices, but I just really enjoy it.
28. Hand-me-downs. KayTar and BubTar have pretty great wardrobes and most of it has been provided by friends and family with kids a bit older than mine. I really only buy a few filler pieces through the year. We either pass the clothes on to someone else we know who can use them or we donate them to local shelters and such, once they outgrow them.
29. Hot colored index cards, my preferred study aid. This year I'm using pink and orange for Biology and yellow and green for Chemistry. The cards are arranged so they alternate in color (pink/orange/pink or green/yellow/green), then they receive a single hole punch and are put on a ring. Josh thinks I'm nuts, but I love my index cards.
30. Our faith and the way the kids are learning about it. KayTar, her school librarian, and I had a crazy deep conversation about Jesus the other day. You don't realize how much they are absorbing and then it just comes out of nowhere. I'm especially thankful for our faith and our Savior around the holidays.
As a bonus, I am thankful for these bright and happy faces.
1. Having Christmas $ set aside and ready to go this year. Last year Josh didn't get a bonus and we didn't know that until Christmas was nearly upon us. A sweet angel friend helped us out last year, which I will ALWAYS be thankful for...but this year we have been setting aside our excess financial aid awards for college and have a nice little amount ready to go!
2. My Biology grade, which is roughly a 103. I have made 100's on both lecture exams and 105's on both of my lab exams. '
3. The balance we seem to have struck in this crazy life of ours.
4. KayTar potty training herself.
5. BubTar getting so many badges at his scouts award ceremony.
6. Being able to be at his award ceremony, even though it meant sneaking out of Bio lab early.
7. New "winter" coats!
8. I waited to write the rough draft for my Comp II research paper until the last day and I churned that thing OUT. It was extremely satisfying to put it off for so long and then rock its face off. My professor gave me really great remarks on it, too. I'm thankful that I can procrastinate to the LAST SECOND and still put out good work.
9. The super fun girls weekend KayTar and I had a couple of weeks ago.
10. The way KayTar does the robot to Safety Dance.
11. The fact that my security badge at the hospital now WORKS for everything I need. No more asking, "Can you badge me in?" 500 times a shift. It is amazing.
12. The kids' school. I'm really enjoying it a lot. I'm pretty involved and I've made some friends there.
13. My H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines.
14. BubTar, my little bookworm. That kid can a finish a book in no time flat.
15. The fun weekend the kids and I had while Josh was hunting this weekend. We saw Santa, spent time with my parents and niece and nephew, and even helped decorate my mom and dad's tree.
16. KayTar's year. It has been a big one for her. She is a totally different (yet equally awesome) kid than she was a year ago. This has been a year of major growth for the littlest 'Tar, both physically and developmentally. I never thought she would accomplish much of what she has this past year.
17. Insurance for the kids. We were able to renew their coverage without a major crisis this time, though Josh had to ask his boss NOT to give him a raise this year.
18. The way BubTar set a goal for his popcorn sales and reached it. He's already upped the ante for next year!
19. My husband. Though we are very different, we really enjoy each other and have a ton of fun together, even when we are doing nothing.
20. Television. I'm a television addict and it is my favorite way to relax. I'm actually thinking of writing a post about this one soon.
21. The opportunity to follow my (very expensive and time-consuming) dreams.
22. The end of my semester being VERY near! The month of break will be heavenly!
23. That our Christmas tree is up and decorated!
24. That I am done shopping for the kids! It isn't even December yet!
25. My van. I'm so glad we found it for such a reasonable price. I spend a ton of time in there and it is perfect for us.
26. Extended family. My parents spend a lot of time with the kids and are wonderful and involved grandparents. Josh's parents have always been a great support to us, too. I'm thankful that I happen to be best friends with my sister-in-laws, we've been friends for a very long time.
27. Black Friday. I know some people don't go for it, but I LOVE it. It is the one thing that my parents and I do together, just us, every year. It is fun to wake up super early (they picked me up at 3:30am this year) and go shopping together. This year I didn't HAVE to go for anything major, I mostly purchased board games for significantly reduced prices, but I just really enjoy it.
28. Hand-me-downs. KayTar and BubTar have pretty great wardrobes and most of it has been provided by friends and family with kids a bit older than mine. I really only buy a few filler pieces through the year. We either pass the clothes on to someone else we know who can use them or we donate them to local shelters and such, once they outgrow them.
29. Hot colored index cards, my preferred study aid. This year I'm using pink and orange for Biology and yellow and green for Chemistry. The cards are arranged so they alternate in color (pink/orange/pink or green/yellow/green), then they receive a single hole punch and are put on a ring. Josh thinks I'm nuts, but I love my index cards.
30. Our faith and the way the kids are learning about it. KayTar, her school librarian, and I had a crazy deep conversation about Jesus the other day. You don't realize how much they are absorbing and then it just comes out of nowhere. I'm especially thankful for our faith and our Savior around the holidays.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Our Valentine's Day: All Becked Out
Inspired by the crafty earth goddess herself, also known as Beck, Josh and I decided to be a bit fancier with the Valentine's Day celebration. Last night we put up crepe paper streamers and blew up balloons. We filled out cards to each child listing reasons we love them. We put out a red tablecloth and heart-shaped plates for breakfast. Because I do not cook, this morning BubTar enjoyed frozen cinnamon waffles that I cut into heart shapes. For lunch, heart-shaped peanut butter sandwiches are on the menu.
BubTar's card said:
We love BubTar because he is:
*Funny
*Thoughtful
*a good boy
*the best big brother
*smart
*kind
AND HE IS A GOOBY GOOBER (which is something that can reduce him to fits of giggles in an instant). WE LOVE YOU!
KayTar's card said:
We love KayTar because she is:
*cute
*funny
*a joy
*smart
*cuddly
*good smelling (Josh picked that one *lol*)
And our Princess Pie! (which is another of her nicknames) WE LOVE YOU!
It is impossibly difficult to reduce your love for your children to a list that fits on a tiny card...but it seemed to do the trick, because BubTar has had me read both his and KayTar's several times this morning.
And so, thank you Beck, for your Valentine's Day inspiration.
This afternoon Josh and I (and KayTar) are going out to lunch while BubTar is at school, and this evening we will be going on a "double date" to Chuck E. Cheese. I think that Valentine's Day might become BubTar's favorite holiday at this rate. Decorations? A gift? A cool card? Dinner at CEC? What could be better?
I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day!!
BubTar's card said:
We love BubTar because he is:
*Funny
*Thoughtful
*a good boy
*the best big brother
*smart
*kind
AND HE IS A GOOBY GOOBER (which is something that can reduce him to fits of giggles in an instant). WE LOVE YOU!
KayTar's card said:
We love KayTar because she is:
*cute
*funny
*a joy
*smart
*cuddly
*good smelling (Josh picked that one *lol*)
And our Princess Pie! (which is another of her nicknames) WE LOVE YOU!
It is impossibly difficult to reduce your love for your children to a list that fits on a tiny card...but it seemed to do the trick, because BubTar has had me read both his and KayTar's several times this morning.
And so, thank you Beck, for your Valentine's Day inspiration.
This afternoon Josh and I (and KayTar) are going out to lunch while BubTar is at school, and this evening we will be going on a "double date" to Chuck E. Cheese. I think that Valentine's Day might become BubTar's favorite holiday at this rate. Decorations? A gift? A cool card? Dinner at CEC? What could be better?
I hope you all have a Happy Valentine's Day!!
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