CHRISTMAS!!!!

Christmas Eve was a GREAT day because Chris was off work. We were totally lazy, he ordered us some Chinese food so I didn't have to cook, and we took a nice walk on the Delaware-Raritan Canal path over in Princeton.

After our walk we came home and made cookies for Santa...






And cupcakes for Baby Jesus. The kids went to bed early so Santa could come...he needs to come every day so we can have more pleasant bedtimes rituals!!

They were up bright and early Christmas day, and made quick work of opening all their presents. They were both pleased because they got everything they asked for...good thing Mrs. Claus made a little extra money this year :)

Jaron got a plethora of dinosaur goodies....the Playmobil T-rex set, a Terrordactyl to go with his D-rex that he already has, and a big Boris from Dinosaur Train.

Jordan was fortunate to get something she has been asking to have for a couple of years...her first American Girl doll. She got Molly...Molly is the WWII doll and she has brown hair, glasses and cute front teeth just like our Jordan! Molly also got some jammies in Jordan's stocking, so the first thing Jordan did was change her clothes.

Daddy wanted a good bottle of cologne. He likes cologne and hasn't had any for months and months, so the kids and I picked out Chanel Bleu. It smells great!! It is perfect for Chris. And he was sweet enough to get me one of my favorite things...a giftcard to the Gap. I can't wait to spend it! He also got me a pretty necklace and one of the ballerinas at the show knitted me some of those long, fingerless gloves. I love it all!

And can you believe Santa decorated our dinner table? I wish he had done all the cooking too!!


We had a great meal...a fattening, casserole-filled meal. I am sure you are really interested in this lovely salad, but that's not why I took this picture. It is becoming a very normal thing for us to find little treasures over in the recycling area in our complex. People put stuff out there all the time that is in perfect/near-perfect condition, so we just snatch it up! I have found bikes for both of the kids, a patio table and chairs, a table-top easel for Jordan, a huge, framed shark picture for Jaron...just to name a few. When Chris took the garbage out on Christmas eve, he came back with this bowl that the salad is in. No nicks, no scratches, no nothing. It is the "Tuscan Olive" pattern from Williams-Sonoma. Williams-Sonoma!!! That is one of those stores that I love to go into for two reasons. #1 They have free samples. #2 They have GORGEOUS kitchen stuff. I just wander around and imagine what it would be like to own some it. And Chris found this lovely bowl! Score!!!!

We ended our meal with cupcakes for Jesus...yeah, I know there are dinosaur candles on them. You know why? Because it's all I had! And as Jaron says, "Jesus made the dinosaurs, so he will like the dinosaur cupcakes." Very well-said.

And we are so glad Jesus loves us no matter what, even if we are out of regular candles.

Rockefeller 2010

On Sunday afternoon, we braved the crowds and took our annual walk to Rockefeller Center to see the Christmas tree. It was amazing as always, and the pictures just don't do it justice! Of course, it's even more spectacular at nighttime.

On our way we were sidetracked, as usual, by the huge nutcrackers across the street from Radio City Music Hall..........



And the cute little train........


and the humongous Christmas balls.

When we got to the Rock, we watched the ice skaters for a few minutes. Or actually I should say the ice fallers try to skate!!

Such good kids.....Jaron had just gotten a stern look from Daddy. He was upset with me because I wouldn't let him go in the overcrowded Lego store. Daddy wanted him to smile in the picture. I don't know what Chris said, but next thing I knew, Jaron had a lovely smile to share!


I also realized I had never gotten a picture of Atlas.

We ended up walking up 5th avenue, trying to find a place to get a quick, cheap meal. (I know, cheap and NYC do not belong in the same sentence.) It was really nice to be outside, walking, not in a hurry, just taking in the sights. Here are just a few cool things I saw......


The Cartier building. That red bow across the top and down the side was all lights!



Tommy Hilfiger. Again, the green stuff was all lights.

And the Fendi building was cool because the lights made it look like the icicles were dripping!

Only in New York City.

Tgiving with the Bohannons!!!

For the third year in a row, we were treated to a visit from the Georgia Bohannons, as well as Nana and Papa, for Thanksgiving. We had a great time eating, watching football, chasing kids and going to the movies!

This would have been a great picture if Jaron had actually smiled :/

Kemper loved playing on Aunt Marcy's bed and in Aunt Marcy's bathtub. He would stay in the tub so long that I would have to add more warm water!! Such a cutie, his Aunt Marcy misses him :)


The Georgia Bohannons left the day after Thanksgiving, and that left us with a few more days to spend with N and P. Our friend Corinna told us about a holiday activity at the Princeton Forrestal Village, so we decided to go check it out. Other than the cold weather, we had a wonderful time!!


We got to see excerpts of the "Nutcracker"........

We got to have a FREE picture with Santa...it even came with a decorative frame.

And we got free hot chocolate.......

free bread pudding........




free carriage rides and free apple cider. Me and the word "free" get along really well!!! It really was alot of fun!

We missed everyone the second they drove away. It was a big let down when we were back to just us here at home. BUT fortunately Corinna also reminded me the kids have several days off for President's Day, SOOOOOO........we got cheap tickets to Dallas to see GD and DD and then off to Lubbock to see everyone else! We are so excited!!!!!!!!! See y'all in February!

Ten Years

Last week Chris and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. WOW!!! I am so impressed with us! It's been a very interesting path for us. We started out young, and now we have known each other for half of our lives.

I wish I could say we spent the day in Paris under the Eiffel Tower, BUT we have lives and children and limited funds.....so......we spent the day doing what we enjoy the most. Being together. We both took the day off and had a nice lunch together. Then we went to Jaron's parent/teacher conference. After school we all went to Princeton and had dessert first at the Bent Spoon and then a quick dinner at PJ's Pancake House. Oh, Chris also let me go to the mall after lunch and look around. I bought a sweater from Old Navy :)

It was a great day with my three favorite people in the world!!!!

Chris, I know I am not always the smartest person in the world. I drive like a maniac and irritate you to no end. I can be lazy, high-strung, and obnoxious. But I appreciate you always being there for me, understanding my flaws and loving me in spite of them. Thank you for taking care of our family and riding the train 6 days a week to go to work. Thank you for reading to the kids on Sunday nights and going to the grocery store for me when I am subbing. I appreciate you letting me bring home other people's garbage from the recycling center, and I love it that you bring me things that you find!! I am glad that you don't get mad at me when I have weak moments and go shopping at the Gap for things we don't need. Thank you for all of your advice and wisdom and for being the voice of reason when my mind is so often filled with nothing but nonsense. And most of all, thank you for loving me and the kids, for always keeping our best interest in mind. You are the best daddy and husband in the whole world...............

even though you wear tights and make-up to work ;)

Halloween......Jersey Style

'Nuff Said!!!

Halloween....Phantom Style

We missed the Phantom trick-or-treating last year because Chris was hurt at that time....remember his crazy torn muscle that led to his back going out? Needless to say, the kids and I were so excited to go back to the Majestic and t-or-t this year! They talked about it all week long.....

I had plans to ride the train into the city, catch the subway up to Columbus Circle and hang out in Central Park for about an hour before the t-or-t started. I have yet to see Central Park in the fall, and I wanted so badly to see all of the pretty leaves.

So we get off the NJ train in NYC and walk to the subway. I got us a Metrocard with 4 rides on it, swiped us through the turnstile, walked down the platform and waited........and waited........and waited.......and waited.......and waited, etc. The subway trains are supposed to run every few minutes. We stood there for about 20 and not one single train came by. At that point in time I had answered this question a thousand times: "When are we going to go to Daddy's work?" I also had to answer this question: "Why do we have to go see the leaves in the park?". After standing underground for what seemed like eternity (with two pouty little people) I decided to just "cab" it. I still intended to go to Central Park, but as we drove down 8th avenue, I got nervous. I got nervous we would have trouble getting back to the theater in time, so I had the cabbie drop us in front of the theater.

To make a long story short, we had some time to kill so we walked down the street to the Toys R Us in Times Square.....best decision I could have made at that point!

And here's why......we walked in and this little guy greeted us :)

Jaron was beside himself.

There were all kinds of cool things made out of Legos.....


Buzz, the Empire State Building and Lady Liberty. The kids each had $5 they could spend too, so everyone was happy. Jordan found herself a hamster webkinz and Jaron walked away with (another) Schleich figurine....an ankylosaurus. I know, what in the world is a Schleich ankylosaurus? Sorry, this is just normal vernacular in our home.

So, we made it safely to the theater where we changed in to our costumes. The kids begged me to dress up. This is what I threw together from Jaron's dress-up bin.


And there's my little dinosaur :)

And his pretty little eskimo sister......she wouldn't let me fix her hair. I wanted to put it in two braids, but she wouldn't let me near it.

I think they had as much fun in Daddy's dressing room as they did t-or-t-ing.


PIZZA!!!!!! We brought Daddy some Superman stuff to wear.



I love this picture.....all the Phantom Kids!!!!!!

This is the only picture I got while t-or-t-ing. As some of you know, it's REALLY cramped backstage...so not alot of room for doing much of anything except sucking in your gut.

Jaron was so interested in watching the people on the street below. He kept trying to talk to them. He's a mess, but we had a GREAT time!