Christmas Eve / Christmas Day

Christmas Eve day Ammon & I saw Arthur Christmas at the Theater while Dad & Maddie spent quality time together too.

We went bowling as a family and then had frozen yogurt. We came home, had dinner, baked cookies and wrote letters to Santa. Ammon had a loose tooth and was concerned that Santa might be confused if he came by the house and ran into the tooth fairy. Luckily his tooth is still in place...

Before bed, we read of Jesus's birth from the bible.

The kids opened pajamas from Grandpa & Grandma King (which went

really well w/ their bedtime companions from Dad & Mom too)

Two precious children...

Angry Birds...

Our Little Princess

Sunday Best

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! We love you all.

Christmas Fun

Family Pics

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. I love seeing the various shades of orange, yellow, red, and green leaves. Living in Connecticut the fall season was always bitter/sweet. I loved the breath-taking beauty that this season brought, but dreaded it because I knew winter was near. I wish I would have enjoyed those moments just a little more and not thought to far into the future. Living in California, I've learned to truly enjoy this season to it's fullest and haven't had to worry about snow. We miss our Connecticut friends dearly, but have really enjoyed living in Mountain View.

Here are a few pictures from earlier this week. The photographer did an amazing job. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We're so grateful to have you in our lives.

The speakers at church today spoke of gratitude. There is a young man in our ward who suffers from physical limitations and publicly expressed his appreciation for his disability. This heartfelt statement really touched my heart. This past week has been a little difficult. Ammon's has improved so much the past few months, but seemed to regress a little this week. I felt discouraged and a little down as I've questioned my parenting abilities. This statement really hit home as I've reflected on the strength and support that I have received from my sweet children and the many people who have assisted them during their life journey. I have been so blessed in so many ways and also wanted to "publicly" express my appreciation to the many wonderful people that have touched my life.

I'm grateful for my wonderful husband; who is also an amazing father. The base that we live on is operated by NASA. He interacted with a female astronaut and brought home an autographed picture for Maddie. He stated that he wanted to her know that she could do anything or becoming anything she wanted to in life. It made me feel so happy to know that my daughter and such a loving and encouraging father. Regardless of what she chooses to do in life, she will always have parents that love her unconditionally.

We had Parent Teacher Conference with Ammon's teacher Mrs. Higgins a few months ago. Nathan requested to meet with her since I usually am the one attending all the school meetings. Mrs. Higgins discussed various things with Nathan, one of which was a need to help Ammon improve his handwriting. Well, Nathan evaluated his own penmanship and decided that he would also work on his. After countless hours of practice and reading up on handwriting techniques, I have to admit that my husband now writes nicer than I do. I am constantly amazed by his quest for self improvement. It inspires me to also improve the areas in my life where I might be lacking.

I've spent a lot of time reflecting on the numerous people that have impacted my life for the better. I could spend hours typing memories, but don't think anyone would really have the time to read. I also don't want to leave anyone out, so I'll just end with this...

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your families. We're excited to have Uncle Harold visiting us during the holidays!

What's Cooking?

We asked Maddie the other day if she wanted to help us bake brownies. One of her friends gave her an apron, chef's hat, and oven mitts for her birthday… Well, she came running into the kitchen a few minutes later dressed in her apron. Only, I guess we didn’t tell her that the apron is supposed to go over her clothes. It was a hoot. Ahhh Maddie, we love you!

Grandma, Maddie's excited to spend some time with you in the kitchen... only next time we promise she'll wear her clothes too.

A Day in San Fran with the Collins Family...

The Collins Family came to visit California for a few days. We spent the day together in San Francisco. Here are a few pictures of our adventure together. We love you guys!

Happy 3rd Birthday Maddie Sue

Monster Bash "Dance Freeze"

Pumpkin Decorating and card making

Maddie and Derrick

Ammon & Maddie Sue