Lovin' Me Some Legs

If you want a real giggle...tickle these babies! Oh Violet, how we love you!

Christmas 2010

We had a fabulous Christmas this year! The best part was that we did NOT have to travel! I told our parents that they were all welcome for our Christmas Eve feast and Christmas morning breakfast! And they came! For the first time since Christmas 2007--we got to sleep in our own beds. Oh was it nice! :)

Anyways, Christmas Eve was so much fun. Ben's parents, my parents, my brother Jake and my cousins, the Greenalls all joined together to eat. We had prime rib, sweet potatoes, rolls, blue cheese crostini's and plum apple dumplings. It was SO delicious! During dinner the doorbell rang and their was a package for the kids that read: I thought you might like these to keep your warm tonight. Keep being good for your parents! From Santa Claus. We've never done anything like that before but here's the story: a couple weeks ago I found pj's (princess pj's and How to Train Your Dragon pj's) on sale at Walmart for $4! I had to buy them. Well, I brought them home and the kids saw them and were just SO rotten that day. I was so frustrated that I hid the pj's. They freaked out! So I told them that Santa must have seen that they were not being good and so he must have taken them to the North Pole for safe keeping. You should have seen their faces when they opened the pj's--they exclaimed, "He really did take them!" It was hilarious. The kids did their Take it to Heart gift for everyone (see Take it to Heart post) and then put some food out for the reindeer and headed to bed.Christmas morning--THEY SLEPT IN! My brother arrived first and we chatted for awhile before even Violet woke up. CRAZY! LOVE IT! Once everyone was up we checked out the stockings while we waited for my folks to arrive. Then we went crazy into the presents. Except for the Spanish & French games we got, everything was second hand that we gave the kids this year. And seeing how much they love these gifts, I'm thinking that this is the way to go. Who needs brand new anyways? Anyways, I made a delicious new breakfast--Eggs Benedict Casserole that we all enjoyed and then we headed home to get ready for dinner at Uncle Earls.

We decided that Violet did not really need anything this year--she was happy enough with the wrapping paper & boxes. But she got a couple of books and this Kiwi bird that sings from her Grandparents. (Brought all the way from New Zealand!)

Eliza got a ballet mat & bar with a DVD to teach her ballet from Santa. Her Grandma got her a leotard & tights. Guess what we watch EVERY day? Bella Dancer-ella! Oh boy! :) Some other favorites: a Dora CD player, a baby doll crib and a jewelery box.


I am especially proud of Xander's find: he got MarbleWorks. I got 3 boxes from Discovery Toys for the price of one from a seller on Craigslist. Xander had asked for a weather predictor--luckily he is happy checking out the doppler radar on the computer because there was no way we could get one of those. But we have had so much fun building. I think he's happy. Some other favorites: a zither, a dinosaur marionette and lots of games.

Dinner at Uncle Earls was fabulous as usual. I was in charge of dessert and made Chocolate Peppermint Ganache Cupcakes. They were MMMM-MMMM Good! And I even tried to make them pretty:
I hope everyone had a Merry Merry Christmas. We'll send out our letters soon. It's just been a crazy winter so far!

Take it to Heart 2010

This is the 3rd year in a row that we have learned something meaningful by heart and recited it to the Websters instead of buying them a gift. I am so grateful that the Websters asked us to do this! Instead of finding a silly present that none of us need we get to learn something, to work together as a couple/family and grow as a couple/family. The last few years Ben & I have done separate memorization s, starting in November. :) We started a lot earlier this year --we started in January. We decided that as a family, we could learn the Articles of Faith-13 statements of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints outlining basic beliefs and teachings of the church. Ben & I had memorized them as children but we thought it would be good for us to re-learn them now that we can understand them. We started the year making journals of what these statements really meant to us--the kids drew pictures and we thought that that would be enough. But what an amazing year it was as we did this! With all the craziness of moving and adding Violet and looking for a house, it was nice to have something consistent that we could work on. And somehow, the kids started picking up on them. Eliza (almost 3) picked up 2.5 and Xander (barely 5)--all 13! We recorded them (below) saying them for their grandparents. What amazing minds they have! We were so proud of them--they did this without much help--no cue cards or anything.

Since some of the big words are hard to understand, I've written them out for you below:

1.We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2.We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3.We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4.We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5.We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6.We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7.We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8.We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

9.We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

10.We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11.We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12.We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13.We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Xander-ism

"Dad, I've got brain freeze...my brain stopped telling me things."

Mom, "Xander , you are just getting so old. What am I going to do with you?"
Xander, "Well, you could sell me to the pet store."

At a recent wedding open house, I couldn't find Xander. I found him sitting at a table with food: a califlower, a carrot, cucumber and a roll. He ate it all and then asked for dessert. :) I said sure. After that dessert he asked for another one. I said, "Sure, but you have to eat another carrot first." He always says carrots help him see in the dark so he said, "Yah then I'll be able to see in the dark." And I said, "You know, it is going to be really dark tonight...maybe you should eat two." He said, "Ok" Went and ate 2 carrots and a dessert. I love when my kids act like this--and all the other parents gawk! Xander is such a goof!

Radio City Christmas Spectacular

Ben won tickets to the Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes! We took the older two kids (Thanks Laura for watching Violet) and had an excellent time! The show was everything we could have hoped for and more. We had an almost emergency right before leaving (Eliza fell and ripped a hole in her left cheek--we took her in the next day and they said it was stitches worthy except that it was in the mouth and not visible from the outside) but ended up having a relaxing and enjoyable time. If you ever get a chance to see this show--do it. So Fun!

Oh Christmas Tree!

We're finally decorating...I just love this time of year!

Leaves are Falling

The trees took their time shedding this year...but Xander & Eliza haven't minded...they've had LOTS of fun!

PS Xander is wearing a helmet b/c he had been simultaneously riding his bike. :) We aren't that paranoid around here!

6 months

Violet Jeanne! We can't believe you are 6 months old. Time has sure flown by.

Stats: 17 lbs 2 oz (less than 2 weeks later, you weighed in at 18!)
26.5 in long

Accomplishments: Crawling, Eating, Waving, Babbling, Laughing & Smiling

You are such a sweet angel baby. We all wish you would start sleeping better again but between all the colds, we know it's hard. We all love you--nobody more than Xander & Eliza and are so grateful that you are part of OUR family.

Thanksgiving 2010

For the first time in our married life (that's 6 years) we spent Thanksgiving with Ben's siblings. Mom & Dad Webster took us all to Fort Bragg, California for a week-long get-away. Our little family arrived first on Monday to a beautiful coastal storm that killed our electricity. Thanks to the neighbor that brought us a lantern! The rest of the family trickled in Tuesday & Wednesday. We spent many days at the beach, played at the house and shopped in Mendocino.

One day, the big kids and the dads (+ Serena, lucky girl) got to go and explore a sink hole. Xander got to be a big kid. But as Ben likes to describe it-the activity was above Xander's pay grade. But he did great and he had so much fun! He loved the climbing and exploring the cave and running from the waves.
Lots of cousin time! We set up camp for all the kids in the master bedroom of the house and 8 of the 10 kids slept there. And surprisingly-they slept SO well! I couldn't believe it. Eliza loved sleeping with the big girls and being friends with her awesome big cousins. Violet stayed with us and we got a few hours of sleep each night--but we learned she does not care for the pack and play. :)
Ben & I were able to sneak away for an anniversary date and fulfill one of my dreams: a horse back ride on the beach. It was SO fun! I rode on Rocky and Ben rode on Poncho. It was a 90 min ride. I've ridden one other time in my life and have wanted to do it again--and I seriously LOVED it! It was so beautiful & peaceful and relaxing. I didn't feel saddle sore until about 24 hours after the ride but it was so worth it. Horses are such amazing creatures and while riding we saw a buck, seals and a starfish. I love partaking in some of God's amazing creations!

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs Party

Xander took this party very seriously--he even grew his hair out!

We made a meatball cake! (Chocolate cakeball w/ redvines for noodles!) And served candy from the movie on the side.

We had lots of fun : we caught food in an umbrella, pin the star on the monkey translator (thanks Nana), we molded jello and we made individual pizzas.

It was such a fun birthday party!

I just love that my kids are so into birthdays! It makes it so much more fun for me. :) This year was extra special because Xander got to have his cousin, his Grandma and his Nana all attend. Having family around is such a blessing!

Happy #5 Xander-man!

Started the day off right with a doughnut!

Special crown for the birthday boy!

Just what he's always wanted! A lab coat!

Xander is a little obsessed with the movie, "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs" and has wanted a coat just like Flint's for awhile. We found one! And he was so excited he'd get to where it to the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs themed party we were going to have! Xander had a fun filled and exciting week--and enjoyed picking the days menu: doughnuts, pigs in a blanket and hamburgers. YUM!

Nimbus Fish Hatchery

Xander's class had a field trip to the Fish Hatchery this month. I have lived in the Sacramento area my entire life and have never visited this place. It was really interesting and neat to see. Unfortunately, the run was closed so we didn't get to see the fish jumping up to their spawning ground. But we did get to feed the fish and watch them jump. After leaving, Xander could not stop asking to eat salmon. So, last night I made salmon for the family--and everyone (including Ben) LOVED it! I marinated it and then broiled it and had rave reviews. YEAH! I couldn't be happier as I LOVE SALMON!

I see T-R-O-U-B-L-E

6 months and...



SHE'S CRAWLING! It's hilarious. She gets up, looks long and hard and leaps forward. It's cute and she's getting fast. Gotta love it!

Enjoyed the Veterans Day Parade with friends, Isaac & Audrey--Isaac is a new friend from our soccer team. We are so excited about new friends!

Hallo-week

Our Halloween festivities seemed to never end...

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Trick or Treating @ Preschool & Intel

Pumpkin Decorating on Halloween

Trunk or Treating with our cousins

More pictures to come: all 3 kids dressed up, passing out candy to our "customers." I don't know who started it but while we were passing out candy, Xander picked up calling everyone our 'customers' just like Sally does in CARS when people come to town. Despite my distaste for Halloween, we had a lovely week filled with sugar highs and dressing up. What could be better?

Disney on Ice

Ben won tickets to Disney on Ice. We didn't think that the kids would be too interested--boy, were we ever wrong! From the start of the show, until the end, our kids were smiling, captivated and excited. Everytime we asked Xander what he thought, he would smile from ear to ear and say, "Fun!" Even Violet was captivated by the lights, movement and music. Having never been to anything like this myself I was extremely surprised how much I enjoyed it. And yes, Xander wore his costume for part of the show because there were lots of girls in their princess dresses. So glad we'd thrown it in our bag for our trip to Grandma & Papa's afterwards-it seriously came in handy!

6 Flags!

Intel had extremely discounted tickets to Six Flags-so we took advantage of them! Despite the rain, we trekked over to Vallejo and had a BLAST! (OR taught us how to get along in the rain!) We caught a few shows and some rides and had so much fun together-it was a great day!



We started the day off with Xander's soccer game. Then, since the van wouldn't start, we got a new battery put in and finally we made it there. The kids were so well behaved and we only shed tears once--because we were thirsty. My favorite part of the day though was at the end. We got all buckled in the car and decided to say a prayer for a safe return home. After the prayer, we started to drive. Within seconds, Eliza hollers, "I'm not buckled!" We pulled over as soon as we were safe to buckle her and as I did so I asked her, "Eliza, do you know who helped you remember that you were not buckled?" And she said No. I reminded her about our family prayer to be safe and said, "I think it was the Holy Ghost (Spirit) talking to you and reminding you so that you would be safe as we drive home." Her eyes got SO Big and she felt so very loved. At that moment, it felt so good to be able to share with my daughter something that is so true-that our Lord looks out for us and that through his Holy Spirit, we can be guided. Even with as small and simple things as buckling our safety belts.

Eliza's ABC's

We officially started Eliza's ABC book a couple weeks ago. She is not as interested as Xander was BUT she enjoys doing projects and having one on one time with me. I don't know if I'll be able to top her D week activity though: a Daddy Daughter Date to the Donut store wearing Dinosaur pj's!
And Ben got this awesome shot for the book--way to go Babe!

Kid-isms

While walking to school with Mary Grace today, she turns to Xander and says, "Xander you look cute today." Xander turns to her and says, "I do not want to be cute. I want to be handsome." Mary Grace was really hurt so I tried to explain to Xander that boys can be cute. He does NOT agree. :)

At dinner tonight, Eliza was really trying my patience. So I said, "Eliza, if you do not stop that, I am going to lose my temper!" Eliza said, "Mommy, where did your temper go?"

Love my kids!

Apple Hill

Apple Packing

Apple Peeling

Half of Xander's class w/ Mrs. Wilcox-the other half were on the hay ride

I couldn't have asked for a better birth-DAY! Xander's school field trip was scheduled for that day to APPLE HILL! One of my most favorite places! Ben took the morning off work to join us and even though it was hot, the hay ride was fun and it was beautiful to be in the mountains!

Kung-Foo Fighters

Xander's first year of soccer!
Ben is the coach and our team is:
KUNG-FOO FIGHTERS

The team cheer: Kung-foo Fighters, Hi-yah!

So far we are 2 wins, 2 losses. Xander LOVES every minute. Xander is a great defender and goalie. And he tries really hard to get a goal but has yet to get it. The goalie has stopped it every time! Bummer! But it doesn't stop him-he loves being out there with his Dad and teammates. Go Kung-Foo fighters!

Violet's 1st Ride on the Slide

First Sleepover!

Xander & Eliza were so excited when I told them that their cousin Abram was going to come and sleep over! They started planning right away! I was EXTREMELY nervous and apprehensive about the night BUT it turned out to be so much fun. The kids were better than ever! After dinner we popped popcorn and ate it in front of the movie (loud gasp-we don't eat in the living room) and then we made a HUGE bed in the bedroom for all the kids to sleep in. This is the part we were worried about but we told them that the first kid to sleep would get the biggest pancake in the morning--I didn't hear a word out of any of them! SUCCESS! After a "special" pancake breakfast (Abram called it them special pancakes b/c I made them into letters for the kids), we went to Xander's soccer game and then painted with pudding and ate at Carl's Jr-which had a play place! Oh the joys of being young when everything is just SO exciting! Having cousins so close is really just so fun!

Time Out for Women

I got talked into going to Time Out for Women 2010 this year and am glad I did. I went with my mom, my mother-in-law and my fabulous sister in laws. Thank you Ben for letting me go and for taking Violet part of the time...maybe some day she'll take a bottle? We heard great music from Jenny Oaks Baker (a violinist) and from Mercy River (a singing group) and great, uplifting messages from John Bytheway, Ardeth Kapp, Emily Freeman & Emily Watts BUT my favorite was by Mariama Kallon-a woman from Sierra Leone. Her story is amazing and if you need to read something uplifting you can find her story by clicking on her name. The theme this year was Infinite Hope-what a great message for this time in our lives! I didn't even focus on taking notes-I just listened and reveled in the spirit of the meeting and surroundings. It was truly wonderful!

Grandma's 80!

We put together an 80th Birthday Party for Grandma--and it was so much fun! While the party was not a surprise--several of the guests were--her daughter Debi and son Jeff flew in to surprise her along with her cousin Al and her grandkids Adarienne & Charlie. We collected memories from everyone to put together a book about Grandma and had lots of yummy food.

It was sure fun to celebrate such a great woman! And I had a lot of fun learning about Grandma in order to prepare for the party because we put things up all over the house about Grandma instead of decorating. Loads of fun!

Cousins!

This has been a busy summer for the Carter (Krage, Felix & Webster) family as we added 3 kiddos to the mix! Meet Callie (May 1), Jack (July 19) & Violet (May 22)!!

We all had so much fun and are so glad that Kayley & Emily had an excuse to come out for a visit! Xander & Eliza were especially excited with all the babies (sometimes a little too much-sorry, Em & K). What beautiful babies we made--good job ladies!