Disneyland

We went to Disneyland for 3 days last week. It was a blast! We rode our favorite rides and even ate at our favorite restaurant, the Rainforest Cafe.

Sam found a puddle of water left over by all the rain and had a lot of fun with it. He got pretty wet so it was a good thing I had a change of clothes ready.
Sam's favorite ride was "Small World". He "ooo-ed" and "awww-ed" at the characters and swayed to the music. It was so adorable when he would put his hand over his mouth and gasp, so happy!

Ben had a great time at Disney's California Adventure with all the rope climbing! So Ben!

This was the view from our room at the Paradise Pier Hotel. Sydney put Sam's frog in the window so we could maybe see our room from her favorite roller coaster, California Screamin'. It was beautiful at night - we could see the park lit up with thousands of lights!
Sydney in the lobby with Goofy. So cute in her Minnie ears!

Liam got selected from an audience of kids to fight Darth Vader. I was so surprised at how brave he was. He just smiled and did everything the Jedi teacher instructed. Afterward he was given a certificate, making him an official "padawan". He was so proud and kept referring to himself as a padawan - not a kid - the rest of the day.

January 2009

January started out a little wet, which put a "damper" on our camping trip, but we had fun anyway. The rest of the month was so beautiful, high temps and sunny cloudless days!! The winter in California always seems to be a little warmer than summer... funny. We'll miss that very much next year.

This was our trip to the Santa Barbara Zoo. We could see the ocean from here. It was Sam's first trip to the zoo. He had a blast, pointing and laughing at the animals. He got the most excited when he saw the tall giraffes. It was a gorgeous day, as always, in Santa Barbara. We finished the trip with some icecream and a drive down State Street.

This is Sam singing and dancing. He puts his fingers in his cheeks and sways back and forth and claps his little hands... "la la la!!"

This is Sam with his green blankie... a must for bedtime!

Ben's tiny fingers playing Mozart. He was so excited to play a composer he knew... he skipped ahead in his lessons and played this piece, "A Little Night Music", from Sydney's book. His piano teacher made a note "Nice try Ben, this is not your song."

Sipping tea... we had a mint, strawberry and a mango.
Sydney read every card and thanked every guest. She was so sweet. I told her later that she made me so proud to be her mommy that day!

Sydney had her 12th birthday party at Penelope's, a tea house in Lompoc. It was her idea to have tea and scones. She invited a few friends from her class and a few others from homeschooling. We went shopping the night before for her tiara. She's so sweet and innocent, even though she's getting so big.

Kids Christmas Party & Beach Pictures

This past Saturday was the Kids Christmas Party for Shannon's squadron. Unfortunately, Sydney couldn't be there. She was at a Red Cross babysitting class all day. Sydney is now a certified babysitter and when she turns 12 in February, she'll be able to start working and earning her own money!

The party was a lot of fun. The boys made ornaments and decorated cookies. Santa even made an appearance! Liam was in awe, Ben was questioning if it really was Santa, and Sam was terrified! While sitting on Santa's lap he tried to reach for Ben's arm to save him!

Sunday afternoon we went to Wall Beach on base to take a family photo. The pictures turned out really nice - but the best part was after the "posing". The kids ran all over the place and played in the sand and in the water. The waves were pretty fierce so I didn't want anyone near the water. Of course, Ben and Sydney still managed to get soaked up to their knees in freezing salt water. Sam loved the wet sand and Liam drew pictures in the sand with sticks. It was a little cool, but a beautiful day! Later Sunday night it started pouring down rain and our power went out. We went to dinner at Mi Amore Pizza and Pasta and saw several friends from the base. We were happy we got to play on the beach before the rain began.

Our Weekend

Friday night was the 392nd Christmas Party. Up until the last minute, Shannon was voted to wear the sugarplum fairy costume. Luckily, he got out of it and the squadron DO, Lt.Col. Sauls ended up sitting pretty Friday night. Shannon was very pleased! We had a good dinner, good company, and a yummy dessert table. A date with my husband is always a great time!

Sydney and Ben had their Christmas piano recital Saturday morning at a local nursing home. The residents filled the room in their wheelchairs and beds. They were all so delighted to hear the lovely Christmas music, played by the most amazing kids! The staff and the residents sang along and swayed to the music. The joy in their faces was overwhelming. At the end of the recital, the children wished Merry Christmas to everyone while handing out Christmas cards around the room.

Saturday afternoon we drove to Buellton to visit an archery shop. Ben had been wanting his very own bow since April when he went to archery camp. The instructor said Ben was a natural and was very impressed with his accuracy. This, after he questioned Ben would even be abe to pull the bow back!

Ben saved all of his birthday money and some allowance and had finally saved enough. He was able to buy the bow and a dozen arrows with all the accessories. Thank you grandmas and grandpas! He had to try a couple out in the shop by shooting in the indoor range. He was ecstatic and can't wait to go shoot with dad soon!

Trip to meet Baby Grace

We spent Thanksgiving week in Dublin, California. We met my newest niece, Grace Melody Digman, only 1 1/2 days old, on Saturday. She was born Friday, November 21 at 3:05am and was 8 pounds and 20 inches. Grace is healthy and beautiful!! Big sister Gwen is so proud!

{San Francisco on Friday}{Fisherman's Wharf with cousin Gwen}

We were able to spend a lot of time with the Buxton's, who made the trip from Ohio to meet their newest granddaughter. The kids had a great time with Grandma and Grandpa! We went to the movies, shopped, and even celebrated Christmas before we had to leave for home. We miss them already.

Quick Update

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated our blog. We've been without wireless internet until now, so I've been a little lazy. I'm posting a few pics from the last couple months. I'll be better at updating from now on... promise!! Thanks for checking in!

October 31st

Halloween Party at Shannon's office! We also trick-or-treated around the neighborhood and trunk-or-treated at our church party. Ben was a ninja...again, Liam was "The Flash", Sam was a pumpkin, and Sydney was a gypsy. Of course, the costumes changed as we went to different events. Ben changed the most as a knight for school, scarecrow for trick-or-treat, football player for church, and obviously a ninja at the office party. It was a fun, busy week of parties and candy.

November 4th

Sam is walking now!! He took his first steps on November 4th... at 13 months. He started out a little wobbly, but he's perfected it and is all over the place!

November 8th

Happy Birthday Ben! Ben celebrated his 8th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese's. We had a great time playing, eating pizza and opening presents. Ben's big gift will be his bow that he's been saving for. He has saved up enough money and is buying it this weekend.

November 14th

This is my table for Soup for the Soul, a ladies night for our church. The men of the church served the ladies and led worship. My friend Kim and I hosted a table and decorated with a beach theme. All hostesses provided a soup, dessert, and a themed table. It was a lot of fun. We had an awesome speaker. The best part of the night was seeing all the different tables and fellowship with friends -- old and new!

Go Jessie! Watch her at the Quarter Horse Congress 2008, Freestyle Ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RR4q-6QikUY