The Yearly Christmas Picture

Every year I try to send out a picture card for Christmas. I used to use a professional studio and get my cards made there, but as the kids got older and money grew tighter, I have decided to try to take the yearly picture myself. I did this for the first time last year. It went ok, I got a great picture after about 20 shots. This year, however, I had a hard time getting a picture. I tried and tried to get them to cooperate. I tried bribery, I tried being stern, I tried humor. It never failed that one looked just cute as can be, and the other looked (to put it nicely) not so good. I finally got a couple that were usable. None that really stood out to me as "THE ONE" so I had to just choose one. I ordered from snapfish before Nov 15 to get the 20% discount, and got all my cards, 60 of them, for under $20. Not bad, and saved me a ton of money that would normally spend on sitting fees, prints, and cards from a studio. Maybe not as professional looking, but this is what my kids really are. Two little goofballs who like to ham it up for mom taking pictures. B was trying to be Mr. Funny by putting a body part (leg or arm) in front of J's face whenever I pressed the button. Cute but not funny after the 2nd or 3rd time. I will post my favorites, and the 2nd to the last one is the lucky winner this year!!

Thankful for my munchkins!

This Thanksgiving I am truly thankful for my life. I have 2 of the best kids I could ever ask for. They are beyond what I ever imagined. They are adorable, intelligent, and creative. They say and do the funniest things. They make me laugh, cry, and scream! They bring out the best and worst in me. They have made a very big impact on my life and for that I thank them!

B~ I thank you for your sense of humor, for making me laugh just by showing me those dimples in your big smile. Yesterday you were so mad because you and I have "floppy" (your word) ears, and J and Dad have "connected" ears. You wanted ears like them. It really bothered you. I thought that was pretty amusing!! Thank you for being so intense, for sticking with things, for remembering everything. Thank you for being so darn smart. For trying so very hard to learn to read. For admitting that you don't always listen in school. Thank you for wanting to be a good friend to all the kids at school, for being so excited every day to leave me and enter that big world of kindergarten. Thank you for being so brave and taking on each day as a new adventure. I admire your spirit and your determination. Thank you for being the son I always dreamed of.

J~ I thank you for your spirit and your enthusiasium. For being so stubborn and sticking to your guns no matter what. Thank you for loving me so much that you hate to part with me ever. For insisting on going with me to the store, when I had planned to leave you home with daddy. Thank you for using those big brown eyes to get your way, for being so smart that you know you can change anyones mind by looking at them. Thank you for thinking you are such a big girl, trying new things every day. For trying to keep up with B, and wanting so much to be like him and like me. Thank you for your big aspirations, you want to be a doctor, did you know that?? You want to fix Daddy's scar, so you want to be a doctor. And I believe that you can be a doctor, you are that smart. Thank you for showing me what joy a daughter can be.

For my 2 miracles, I love you dearly!

First Entry!

Well, I decided to start an online blog just for my kids. I hope to make this a way to record their lives and to also share what is going on with family and friends. I hope that someday they will look back on my writing and have fun reading about what they were like as kids. I used to keep diaries on my computer for both kids, but have not been keeping them up lately. Hopefully this will work out better.

For this entry, I will start out saying that my kids are such miracles in my life. I do not know how I ever lived without them. It is amazing that one day they are just here, and they become such an integral part of who you are. They have really defined me as a person and made me look at myself differently. For that, I thank them. They make me laugh and cry. They make my life very interesting. They have made me worry more than I ever thought possible. They make me happier than I ever thought possible. It is impossible to describe all the feelings they bring out in me, but it is amazing.

Bret is my firstborn, my son. He is a 5 1/2 year old with a charm in him you wouldn't believe. He has beautiful blue eyes and the cutest dimples ever. He has a passion for dinosaurs, games wiht little pieces, and weird creatures. He wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up. He loves to beat me at games and ride his two wheeler. He LOVES school, and has more friends than I can count. He loves to talk.

Jenna is my baby, my daughter. She is 3 going on 30. She has dark brown eyes and long curly hair. She loves the color blue, babies, animals, and collecting things. She wants to be a doctor when she grows up. She is in preschool and tells me I can leave when I drop her off. She loves to try anything her big brother does and wants to be a mommy just like me. She also loves to talk.

I will end for today, more to come!