Arizona Christmas

How we spent our Christmas Vacation. We packed up the kids and left early Monday morning for Tuscon, Arizona. It was raining when we drove to Arizona. And when we drove home on Friday it was snowing.

So early Tuesday morning, Christmas Eve day, Scott, Karin and Audrey came over to visit. Mackenzie and her cousin Audrey got along great. Here you see them playing a duet on the "old black and whites".

A family portrait before we head off the church on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately Cole had caught some sort of bug on the way up so we thought we better keep the kids home and I stayed home with them.

Later that same night I found Cole sleeping under the Christmas Tree. I guess he couldn't wait for Santa.

Christmas Day was a lot of fun. Even though Cole got many nice things he was most interested in the tangerine in his stocking.

Cutie Pie!

Grandaddy Fiore and Audrey

Cole and Mackenzie had hours of fun with the Legos.

Monday Night Football

Last night while Jim was at Malonies for Monday Night Football, I was able to enjoy some quality time with the kids. They are two of my favorite things to cuddle with.

(Gramalee was here as well and she was the one to take this picture.)

Getting the tree

We actually got our tree about three weeks ago. It's been a tradition in our family to get the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. We tried to get out there when my Dad was in town. We needed the extra pair of hands and someone to take a family portrait. He was missed but we managed all on our own.

A Family Divided!

Today was the big cross town rivalry, USC vs. UCLA. I knew that unranked UCLA didn't have a shot at beating #5 USC, but I wanted to show support to my Dad's alma mater. After all this was the team I grew up watching, usually it was watching my Dad yell at the TV because the team wasn't playing well. And today, I think I could hear my Dad yelling from Oregon.

Santa!

Today after I picked up Cole from school I took both kids to see Santa. As usual Cole was his super smiley self. Mackenzie did smile, but unfortunately we never got them smiling at the same time. At least she's not screaming. I thought for sure she would be my screamer.

Mackenzie UPDATE!

Mackenzie just turned 6 months old on 11/17/08. She is becoming more and more talkative. I can hear her jabbering away on Grandpa Jo's lap. I don't think she likes football yet, which is what my dad is watching right now. She prefers to be sitting up either on her own or in someone elses lap. She really loves her brother and watches Cole very closely every time he enters the room.

Last time she was at the doctor, she weighed 22.4lbs and was 27 inches long.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Feast

Friday Cole's new school hosted a Thanksgiving Family Feast.

This was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. After lunch the kids sang a couple of songs that they sing in class. Cole, as usual, was less than compliant and needed some assistance.

The Preschooler

November 17, the day after Cole turned three, he started preschool. Here we are putting on his backpack which is half his size. In fact, after we put it on Cole tipped over backwards. Cole seems to like school. The first day we dropped him off, he just jumped right into the group playing with a big pile of toys. He didn't even turn around to say goodbye. And yes, I cried!

The first 2 days of school had him so stimulated he didn't take a nap when he got home. I knew the change in his schedule would catch up to him. And it did on the third day when the teacher carried him out of class.

Happy Birthday Cole!

Happy Halloween!

It's a Mack-O-Lantern!

Wednesday, October 29

On Wednesday the kids had dress rehersal and a photo shoot.

Tuesday, October 28

On Tuesday night we carved pumpkins. We even got a big one just for Cole to play with.

We also made caramel apples. Cole loved the stickiness of the caramel I dripped on the counter.