Happy Birthday Jacob!!!

Five days after Christmas we must make sure to not overlook a very special boy's birthday. A boy who can go from being incredibly shy to be people he doesn't know (he will NOT say a word!) to incredibly active when he is comfortable. He is a wonderful big brother to both of his sisters. He has a BIG heart and a sensitive personality. He loves all sports, video games, star wars and playing with his friends. We love having him as part of our family and we are so thankful for him!!
Jacob turned 6!! We kept his actual birthday to a low key day. His Grandparents stopped by throughout the day. He got to pick what we were having for dinner. in the evening he opened presents and we enjoyed cake and ice cream. He's really excited because soon he is going to take some friends bowling and have a little party!


Star Wars and Transformers all in one...


A slot car track like daddy used to have...(David loves shopping for this kid!)


I am not a big fan of Power Rangers but it was the cake he wanted. I'm pretty sure because it was the cake with the most toys on it. He skipped over The Hulk, Darth Vader, Spiderman....yes pretty sure it was because there were more toys on it!!

Christmas

Every Christmas Eve, since I was a little child, we would go to my Grandma and Grandpa Monroe's for dinner and presents. We still follow the tradition to this day.
Here we are opening presents. Jacob loves these camouflage clothes, and, he thinks because they both have camouflage on them that they match! It drives me crazy :)


Bella eyeing Chloe's present


Later... Bella loving her present from Great Grandma!


So, all year I have been wanting to get my kids new bedroom furniture for their rooms and I've also wanted to decorate them. It was very needed since I gave away the bunk beds Chloe and Jacob used to share. Their mattresses have been on the floor ever since. I decided early on that no matter how much it drived me crazy that I was going to wait until Christmas. Chloe was so excited she would tell me everyday exactly how she wanted Santa to do her room! Jacob wanted a Star Wars room and Chloe wanted a pink room with little pet shop animals. It was a fun idea, but let me tell you, as 3:30 am was nearing I was telling David I really wish there was SANTA!!!!! We loved doing their rooms but because of my lack of sleep I wasn't really 'all there' when morning came. I was just happy to make it through the morning and unfortunately I wasn't on top of taking pictures or filming.... I'll just have to savor the images in my mind!! The kids LOVED their rooms. I think they turned out really good.
Here's some pictures of the kids opening presents..



Bella loved this present. A little roller coaster.. At first she loved walking all over it. Now she loves to ride it.


Later we headed to David's dad's for breakfast and more presents. Amanda made these cute Santa pancakes for the kids. They loved them.





Everytime we go to the store and Bella would see this Elmo she would get soo excited. So when she got it for Christmas she was excited!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!!!!!

Yea, for SNOW!!!

The snow reports said it may snow here early this morning but it doesn't always turn out to be true. If it does come true it usually only snows for a little while and then melts away. We woke up this morning to snow coming down. I rushed the kids to get ready before it stopped. I wanted them to have time to play in it. Little did we know it would be snowing all day and into the evening. I can't remember the last time it snowed this much here!!! The kids had so much fun. The were in and out all day. Since we don't have proper snow gear when the kid's clothes would be soaked they would come in, change, and head back out again. I've had a constant flow of laundry going all day!!
This is around 9:00 this morning..


Jacob, Chloe, Jackson,Evan (cousins) This is about as big of a snowman they could make this morning..


Snow angel at 9:00..


Snow angel at 6:00 this evening...





My brother's family..


Quick family pic. before we rush Bella back. She was done!!


The snowman they could make this evening!!!

Trophy

Meet the SHARKS! Here is Jacob's soccer team on the night of our awards ceremony. The kids were so excited to get their trophies. The awards ceremony was quite the event. AYSO splits each ceremony up into age groups and each coach stands up, says a few words, and hands out trophies. Cindy was an excellent coach and ended up whipping the team into shape. I'm not sure who enjoyed the season more, Cindy, or the kids. In fact, Cindy almost shed tears when she handed out the trophies! I am so proud of you Cindy and Jacob!! - David

November in a nutshell..

I have a few pictures I've been needing to post so I thought I would some up November..
First as I posted before Bella turned 1! I wanted to post a picture of her cake.


Bella is her daddy's daughter. That girl has a serious sweet tooth!!


David turned the big 32...


David and his new shirt the kids picked out :) Whether he likes it or not he has to wear it. He can't hurt the kids feelings, right!?!


The kids decided to turn the cake into a Star Wars battle ground... David loved it of course...


For Thanksgiving we went to Monterey to see David's mom and family. We had a lot of fun and our Thanksgiving meal was delicious. It was a lot of fun to go up there, relax, and visit family. Thank you Cindy and Frank for having us!!
While we were up there we took the kids to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They love it there.


Bella and her Great-Grandpa Bud


(David's mom) Grandma and Grandpa Camacho. Aunt Rachel. (Our lens was dirty so the picture doesn't look as good.)


I went darker with my hair. David has been trying to get me to do it all year but I've never went darker before so I was scared how it would turn out.



Now I need to start catching up December :)

Pre-Thanksgiving Update

I have a few things that I would like to post, but we've been really busy getting ready to leave town for Thanksgiving. I didn't want to leave without saying a couple of things....

First.... I saw Twilight! David and I saw it opening day. I didn't expect anything spectacular because of how small the budget was, but, both David and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The only scene that I was disappointed with was the scene when Edward first catches Bella's scent in the classroom. It looked more like he was about to throw up, than appearing to look angry. I'm excited for the next movies because I'm sure the budgets will increase. I'm just not sure how they can do book 4. I don't understand how they will portray Edward and Bella's daughter as growing so fast (David assures me that almost anything can be done in movies these days, but, I don't know..).

Second, (but most importantly)..... HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!!! David had his birthday last Friday. Yes the day Twilight came out. Yes we went on his birthday. He's sooo nice!! My very good friend Nicole took the kids and kicked us out; David and I were able to enjoy a great night out (it has been a long time since we have been out alone on a date). He's is a wonderful husband and a great father. The kids and I are so lucky to have him!!!!!!

Third.... I would like to wish you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!! We are so thankful for everything in our lives. Our family, friends, the gospel,......Have a great weekend!!!