We're Back!

It has been taking my Mom forever to update her blog. Seeing other people with updated blogs I decided to step into gear and take over. So if you see, for example, when I write my mom or my dad it doesn't mean my mom's parents. Last but not least when I say me, it means Baylee!

Ice Skating

After Christmas, our entire family decided to go ice skating. My Mom used to ice skate all the time when she was little because her brother was a hockey player so she had to get used to it. It was Jake and Sydney's first time and I'm pretty sure they had a blast! I was good because I get it from my Mom. Brynley couldn't skate so my Dad watched us on the benches and took the pictures. I picked out the best ones believe it or not.

Here we go!

"Mom don't let me fall!"

Sydney as cute as she can be!

Mom watching where she's going.

"This is so slippery!"

Mom trying to show off

Me in the groove

I won't let you fall Jake!

Christmas 2010

This Christmas we stayed in Portland to celebrate the holidays. Some of our favorite gifts were, Just Dance 2 for me, Jake got a Troy Palamalu jersey, Sydney got a Barbie airplane, and Brynley got a little vacuum. The night before we each got a pair of PJs and a pillow pet. We had a lot of fun this Christmas!

Us four kids early in the morning (8:30)

Our pretty Christmas tree:)

Bryn and her singing monkey

Bryn and her little vacuum

Me and my favorite Wii game!

Jake and his Steelers Jersey.

Sydney with her Barbie Airplane.

Trip to New York

My Dad goes to New York all the time for work, so last December, my Dad decided to bring my Mom. My Grandma came and watched us all while my parents were there for one of the BEST weeks of their lives! They went to the M&M store, FAO Schwartz, Ice Skating at Rockefeller center, they saw a Broadway show called "Promises Promises", toured Central Park in a buggie, walked around the World Trade Center, saw Cirque de Soleiel, ate amazing food and shopped on Fifth Avenue. I hope my Dad takes me to New York soon!

My Dad in Times Square

My Mom in Times Square

Pfizer headquarters

The M&M Store

Bryn loved Elmo so my Mom just had to take a picture.

Sydney's Preschool Christmas Party

Syd goes to an amazing preschool at a local high school. They did a cute little program with songs and dancing, sat on Santa's lap, exchanged gifts with their buddies, made Christmas crafts and had lots of holiday treats.

Sydney's dance solo.

Sydney asked Santa for a laptop computer.

Chelsea and Sydney

Sydney with her buddy, Kristen.

Sydney's buddies, Anna and Kristen, gave her a Barbie, Barbie clothes and a bear. They are so sweet to her.

Abby and Sydney

After Sydney's party, we went to Jake's class party.

Thanksgiving 2010

We went to Washington for Thanksgiving to spend time with John, Angie and family as well as Travis' parents. We go every year to John and Angie's for Thanksgiving (even though the actual dinner was at Grandma and Grandpa's house this year). We went to a movie, Angie and I did our annual Black Friday shopping, the kids built an enormous fort the size of the entire basement, went sledding, ate amazing food, stayed up late every night, and loved being together (especially all the cousins).

Bryn and her "baba"

The kids' table.

Sydney and Christian

Baylee and Megan

Brett and Jake

Sydney

John and Ang

Tired little guy.

Grandpa Gilbert and Angie

Sydney ready to go sledding.

Jake and Baylee wrestling in the snow.

Jake running from Christian.

Sisters

Baylee and Sydney are becoming really good friends. Baylee is so patient and loving with Sydney, she reads to her every night before bed. I love watching the close friendship develop between my girls.

Slacker!!!

I have been the biggest slacker on keeping up with my blog! One of the biggest reasons I have a blog is to keep a little journal of our families happenings throughout the year. My plan has been to make yearly books from my blog but I have not completed one yet. I started one a while ago but never finished it so I think now I will just make one big one and then from here on out make a yearly one.

Another reason I have been a slacker is because I have been a single mom to 4 busy kids over the last 5 months. Trav started a marketing internship with Pfizer at the beginning of August which required him to travel 85 percent of the time, making me on my own. The internship ended at the end of December so it has been nice to have our family back together again. The marketing team of Pfizer loved Travis so much that they created and offered a position for him, so he is no longer in sales with Pfizer. He still travels but not to the extent he did before. He is based out of our home and travels a couple days here and there.

One more reason for me being a slacker is because I started a little jewelry business that has kept me pretty busy. I have a friend who offered for me to buy all of her inventory of beads to start a business of my own. The whole point of this business is for others to design their own jewelry and I put them together. It is usually in a party setting at my house or sometimes I have friends that have hosted a party where I bring all my beads and then every one at the party can design their own jewelry and I finish them for the party goers to take home that day. You can design earrings, bracelets, necklaces and key chains. This has been a great outlet for me but has kept me quite busy. Since I started the business "Lilly Paige Designs" in October, I have had 6 parties and a lot of orders for custom made jewelry. It has been fun going to Gem Fairs, ordering supplies online and learning how to run my own business. I am also learning how to do hand stamp jewelry which takes a lot of patience for me since I can be a perfectionist at times. If anyone wants to host a party (who is local or close by), it is a fun night to get your friends together and do something creative.

The last excuse is the longer I would wait to post on my blog, the bigger mountain I have to climb to catch up. I kept thinking, I do not have the time, but since I have had sick kids and have been stuck in the house, now is the time.

So, those are my excuses why I have been such a slacker at keeping my blog updated. Hopefully in the next week I can be 100% caught up and then start working on my blog books.

Halloween 2010

Sydney's preschool party

Abby, Sydney and Chelsea

Sydney and her buddy, Anna.

Since Halloween was on Sunday this year, we celebrated on Saturday by going to a Trunk or Treat at our church. On Halloween night we went to the Tanuvasa's house for a special Halloween dinner. For some reason I do not have a picture of Jake, he was an Oregon Duck fan with green hair and Oregon Duck clothes.

Cinderella and Minnie Mouse

Baylee was Iron Girl.