Love this...

Ronan LOVES to sleep with Brody...and Brody is so sweet to let him.

December 2010

We started off our December with our church's Christmas party.  It was the best ward party I have ever been to!  The kids got to see Santa, decorate cookies, great food, musical numbers, and a nativity.  Sadie and some friends did a little dance to the Chipmunk Christmas song. I about peed my pants at how hilarious it was! Hope got her toes stepped on so she had to exit early..poor thing. 

The primary kids were the Heavenly angels for the nativity and sang all their songs so great.

 Noah, along with the other Bishipric members were the 3 kings. At the dress rehersal I asked Noah if he was really going to wear his towel like that, he said "no way, I was just joking". Sure enough,  he wore it like that in the real thing. I couldn't even look at him!

A couple weeks later we headed to the "Lights at the Beach". You pay $8 for your car and you drive down the board walk and watch the best Christmas lights show. It was so much fun. We had some neighbor friends with us...they were all crazy and loved it.

Christmas in Arizona!!

We were so excited to go to AZ for Christmas this year. The kids all did so great on the flight and we were all loving the 80 degree weather!

We did so many fun things but of course I didn't think to take pictures of most of it. 

Tyler Nativity...always a hoot. Ronan got the part of Joseph this year...you can imagine how that went. Baby Autumn played baby Jesus and Tyler was the Narrator since he is way too old for this kind of stuff now! Hopefully it brought the spirit but mainly lots of laughs!

 

Christmas morning was great! I look forward to Christmas morning breakfast at my Mom's all year long.
Sadie is really starting to read to well now so she loved her new Fancy Nancy books!

 Beyblades were a  hit for Brody this year. He was really hoping for a DS but didn't get one. I thought he would be really sad but seemed ok with it.

 All three kids got Razors! Now they can stop stealing all the neighbor's scooters!

Leaving treats out for Santa...

 Mom and Dad and all the Arnett grandkids...minus Annie who was sleeping. Leave it to Ronan to be the one to not cooperate!

So, Sadie had been asking to go swimming for 2 days so finally I said if she felt the water and still wanted to go she could go.  Next thing I new, they were both running out with swimsuits on and jumping in!! My parents pool is not heated!! They were nuts!..but loved swimming and Grandma's.

 

While my kids were swimming, our friends back in VA were getting a terrible snow storm!! 13 inches in 1 day!! I was so grateful I dodged that bullet!!

We also had the best reunion with my Dad's family that will get it's OWN post. I'll just say...I am so grateful to be an Arnett! Funnest family ever!!

If I was a Facebook(er)...

I would say "It's snowing like crazy today"!!..and loving it!

Catch up...

I wanted to post some pics I have been needing to post about but just didn't get around to it..and with Christmas around the corner I thought I needed to just hurry and get them on!
We have all been a bit stressed these days. Noah is up to his eye balls in finals. He takes his 4th within 5 days tomorrow morning. So pretty much his schedule is, get up eat breakfast, head to the library, come home for 20 min. to eat lunch, back to the library, come home for 45 min. for dinner, then back to the library till 11 or 12. Or sometimes we change it up and take him dinner! I don't know how he does it. In his 5 seconds of spare time he is busy doing church calling, scout rechartering or trying to get in some play time with the kids.
Since we are traveling this year for Christmas (first time ever!) I have been busy trying to get all the new year primary stuff in order, Christmas gifts ready, and everyone's hair done before we leave. If I cross my fingers I will get our Christmas cards done!! We are beyond excited to get to go to AZ for Christmas this year!!

 

Brody turned 7 on November 12th. He is so old and I am dying that he will be baptized next year! How did 7 years go by that fast. I love him so much and could not ask for a better first child. He sets a pretty high standard for the younger two. 

 We took Brody out for his birthday to Fuddruckers. He invited his two best friends Kellen and Christian. Then had a fun sleepover.

 Last month we went on a fun date night with the Law Wives. Pizza and ice skating. I had not ice skated in forever and it was so much fun! Noah kept telling me the key to ice skates is to cinch them up as tight as can be...I had bruises the next day.

 Noah got a new Iphone so now his old one pretty much belongs to Ronan. He loves it so much and knows where everything is better than me!

 We decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. This year was my first year not going Black friday shopping in 7 years...so I had lots of energy to decorate!! I made this cute little nativity at our Super Saturday. I think it's so cute and don't have to fill bad if the kids mess with them. (We also finally added Ronan to our wall after 2 years!)

 Our Elf (Felty) came to visit again this year. For some reason Sadie was so afraid of him this year. Every night she goes to bed and says, "please don't let Felty come in my room"...in tears. Hopefully he will visit us in AZ!

 I went on a field trip with Brody's class. A bus full of 40 first graders makes for an interesting 30 min. We went to the Lynnhaven historical house. It is the oldest standing house in Virginia. It was super interesting. They didn't let us take any pictures and I was so bugged because it really was the cutest house! We had a lot of fun.

 One night Brody had a few friends over for dinner and they found a big box in Noah's truck. They brought it in and asked if they could play with it...I said "sure"! Five min. later I walk in to thousands of peanuts all over Brody's room! The damage had already been done so I let them dump the rest out and go crazy. Since then we have been finding peanuts for days!!! It made it worth it when I was taking one of the friends home and he said, "this was the best play date ever"!!

 I hosted a goodbye lunch for two dear friends who are moving this month. I am really really sad about it and I'm going to miss them too much. But, they are both going on to great things.

Phew! That feels better to get those posted!

Freezing our Fanny's off!

 Last year when we had a crazy snowy winter, everyone assured us that this is NOT normal and it very rarely snows here in Virginia Beach. Well, guess what happened last Saturday? We got snow. It wasn't a ton and it melted by noon the next day, but we had a blast playing in it while it lasted.

 I love this picture. They did this forever and thought it was the funniest thing in the world every time.

Since last week, our highs have been low 3o's! It actually isn't too bad, just when it's windy...then you want to die!

Thanksgiving weekend..

 We had a fabulous Thanksgiving dinner at our friend's the Burton's...who is our family away from family.  They are one of those families who is amazing at everything and inspire you to do better.  We have been blessed to know them.  I don't know how we would survive here without them.  

Anyway....it was a great day of eating and being with family.  I even managed to get up early and run 4 miles!  After dinner, we all did our talents.  Sadie and I sang a little pumpkin song (on the fly...we forgot to bring a skit).  Ally Burton sang and played her guitar.  She is amazing.  She just returned home from her mission in August and is now at BYU so it was fun to have her home for Thanksgiving. 

 Then we worked off some calories with "Just Dance" Wii.  We love it!  Brody gets really into it...it's hilarious.  And if you know Noah...you know he loves things like that.

We finished off the night with the Saunders for dessert.  Amber made about 5 pies and I ate a slice of everyone of them...plus my pumpkin bars that I brought.  It was overkill.  

I have so much to be thankful for.  

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Here in Virginia the weather has been heavenly.  Sometimes I can't believe I actually get to live here!  We have had mid 60-70 degrees, low humidity and no rain for the past couple weeks!!  It does not get any better than this.  For sure my favorite thing about VA is Fall.  Everywhere you go there are mounds and mounds of leaves.  When it's windy, it is like it is snowing leaves.  When you drive, the leaves scatter in every direction behind you.  When you go for a run, you crunch leaves along the way.  And the trees, oh my!  Just look at them!  I have the crappiest camera known to man, but it does the job.  They look like they are on fire!  It's really breathtaking and so refreshing to see all the changing going on around us. 

I love where I live.

I nearly ran off the rode while driving and taking these pics.  I won't do that again.

I so wish I lived in a house so my kids could enjoy the fun of raking leaves.  I've never had to do it, but it just sounds really fun.

(I hear it's supposed to drop down to low 50's tomorrow...boohoo)