Beautiful

Isn't it beautiful when your kids take a nice photo-it truly is cause it's so rare. Another absolutely beautiful thing is when your youngest child finally learns how to put herself to sleep.

Olivia's Christmas Program

I was able to go to Olivia's school today for a Christmas concert the 1st graders put on. It was so cute and fun to watch them perform. Olivia was so excited to perform today, she has now decided to be an actress and has announced her debut performance will be Christmas Eve (she has started to orchestrate a reenactment of the manager scene, staring her, her 2 sisters and the dog). We anxiously await this sure to be grand performance. This is Olivia with her best friend Jana

Olivia and I after the performance

Santa

Don't you love the pictures of your kids with Santa Claus?

Sophie's just pretending, she loved it

Olivia was so happy here, so excited.

This is the first year Maddie wasn't scared to sit on Santa's lap. Last year she wanted to so much, but she was still so leery of him that the whole time she was uncomfortable, and there were no smiles. But this year was great for her, since this was actually the real Santa Claus not just someone dressing up like last years.

Mother

My mom and Aunt came into town this week. This has become somewhat of an annual occurrence. My aunt comes into town to see a polmanologist in Pittsburgh and my mom kindly comes with and they stay with us to be close to her appointments. It's always bittersweet when they come. I always know it's a short trip and when they leave it's right around the holidays, which is the time of year you miss your family the most, when your apart. My love and admiration for my mother grows each year, as I realize more and more of what she truly has achieved in her life. It's a pleasure to have them stay with us, for they truly are 2 of the greatest women I know. This time I console myself with the knowledge that I'll see everybody very soon in February at Bobby's wedding-I just don't know if I dare to take the kids on my own(am I selfish to go to the wedding on my own?)
Grandma and the 3 girls

Mom showing off her iPhone of course. Trent looking on as if thinking "maybe that phone is better than my palm pre", yeah right.

A Day in the Life

I was thinking today that I usually only post when something extraordinary happens in our lives, which usually isn't often. Many sweet moments happen everyday that are never recorded. Here are just a few I noticed today. above

Sophie found a picture of Trent and I on our honeymoon. She carried it around for quite some time kissing it and saying mommy, daddy.
The picture

I caught Maddie playing with a pair of my high heels

Again Maddie-running up ahead to Olivia's bus stop-this is typical, she wants to be the first one at the bus stop.

And last is Olivia home from school, trying to make new friends, in a new neighborhood. Just little moments that happen everyday, but I guess these are the moments that add up to be my life. Isn't this what we've worked to have, the little moments?

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving this year was very nice and peaceful. It was just our family of five and we definitely did not hold out on the food. This first picture is the girls enjoying the appetizers (we discovered Sophie loves portwine cheese with almonds-she literally ate the whole log) Here they are getting ready to eat-pictures more for posterity(boring)

The Saturday following Thanksgiving our friends the Bodamers came up with their little girls, who our girls LOVE. Maddie writes their daughter a letter at least once a day-(they just don't all get mailed, sorry Maddie) Look at Sophie in this picture below, we told her to turn and look at the camera at that is how she interpreted it.

Olivia with Anna

Maddie with Maggie

Presque Isle Sun

Here are some pictures of our family taken this past weekend on Presque Isle. This was most likely the last nice weekend of the year. I'm glad we captured them.

Sophia

So sweet

Overly kind

Piece of the sky love

Heavenly

Intelligent eyes

Advocate for father

Olivia

Outstanding secret keeper

Loves all the world

Irreplaceable soul

Vivacious moods

Iridescent
Adorable laugh

Madelyn
Made after me
Acuity abounds
Divine
Enormous strength

Love with no bounds

Yearns to be loved
Neologism in her own right

Family