Kids Christmas gifts 2008

Addy got a camera.
Zac got a truck stereo.
Ian got an Ipod stereo.
Kennady got an Ipod.
Here are the kids ready to see what Santa brought for Christmas 2008. Don't they look thrilled? It's not as fun to wake up early when you are a teenager I guess!!!:) As you can see they brightened up when they started opening gifts :) We had a great Christmas. Later that morning we went to Grandma and Grandpa Howard's to get together with Billy and his family and Melissa and her family to have brunch and exchange gifts. The kids had fun playing together.

Christmas Eve 2008

Christmas Eve 2008 at Carrie's and Shannon's. Here is a rare shot, we actually had almost all of the kids there. Carrie's: Katie, Pat and Annie--Donnie's: Taylor, Lexi, Drew and Yves--Kim's: Austin,(Adam, Joseph, Cody weren't able to make it) --John's: Zac, Addy, Ian and Kennady--Kristie's: Emily, Katie, and Matthew. The kids put on a "Nativity" play (the older girls organized it all). Ian was Joseph, Yves was Mary,Matthew was baby Jesus, Austin a shepherd, Kennady and Katie were wisemen, and Emily was an Angel. Drew was the narrator. We all had dinner, the kids had a gift exchange and again it was another great Christmas Eve.

Tree Trimming 2008

Here we are decorating our Christmas tree. Down below the kids are setting up the ipod and speakers to set the mood with Christmas music.

Belmont Shore Christmas Parade 2008

We went to John's Auntie Kathy and Uncle Paul's for dinner the first weekend in December. This is their labradoodle (half lab/half poodle). Kennady thought it was great that she dressed up for Christmas! We then all went down to the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade. John's cousin Jamie and his wife Sandra and their daughter Ellen also joined us. We had a great time. Kennady got to see Santa up close in his sleigh. She was very excited!

John's belated Halloween costume

John really wanted to make the blog this month! He was a little late for Halloween though! HA!HA! In actuality, he sustained a head and eye injury while playing in our Co-Ed softball game. He had a little collision in the outfield while trying to make a play and was knocked unconcious. Our daughter, Addy, was the first to get to him and she tried to wake him up. After gaining consciousness, he rolled around and was mumbling and groaning. He tried to get up and say that he was okay to continue playing, but in reality he couldn't even walk straight back to the dugout. When I looked at his eyes, they were completely dialated so I decided that he should definitley go to the hospital and be checked out for a concussion. At first we thought he split open his eye, but after cleaning it up, it was just a minor wound and would not need stitches. He was quite groggy, and still does not remember a whole lot about what happened. At the hospital they took a CT scan and dosed him up with vicadin. The CT scan came back normal but he did have a concussion. He is fine now, but suffered many days with a severe headache. His eye, although, is still black and blue and bloodshot after one week. Anyway, we are definitely thankful that he is okay.

Halloween 2008

The group on Halloween. We went out to John's sister's in Huntington Beach to go trick or treating. It is a great neighborhood, with lots of kids. Austin, Ian, Addy, Patrick, Pat's friend, Kennady, Katie, Bella, & Emily.
Katie the little Indian Girl (this was Addy's costume when she was 2yrs), Emily the witch, Emily's friend Bella the pirate, and Kennady the HSM cheerleader.
Ian(Garth from "Wayne's World" Party on Dude!), Kennady (High School Musical Cheerleader! Go Wildcats!), Addy (80's flashdancer)
Addy and her friend Savannah ready to go to the Church Halloween Dance as 80's "Flashdancers". The scary thing about their costumes is that I had flashbacks of my teen years. Yes, I really did dress like that!!! If only I had saved my clothes from back then.
Kennady the cute little cheerleader!