Now the tree is complete.............

Colby was really into the Christmas festivities, after all it was his first Christmas, and I guess he thought he'd make a great ornament :)

I, on the other hand, preferred him under the tree, rather than smack dab in the middle.

He is so adorable :)

Best part of the holiday....family time :)

This Christmas was by far more enjoyable spending time with family! We spent a good part of the day talking and reminiscing around the table, playing games and taking pics. My sister-in-law Kim did a wonderful time hosting the festivities. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day.

So much food.....

The cousins together







I think Rachel is so pretty in her new hat :)

The nieces........

The Ditto women

My mother-in-law wanted a pic of she and her three boys for a Christmas card next year

I love it that they get along so well and look forward to spending time together.

My mother-in-law loves showing pics of her grand kids and sons, so she absolutely loved her photo purse, as she has wanted one so bad!

We had fun just watching the kiddos

Apples to Apples, Pictionary Man and The Family Feud DVD game were the favorites of the games.

I am thankful to spend time with my in-laws, as we always have so much fun laughing together.

Merry Christmas!

I love this time of year! What I look forward to most is the Christmas Eve service at church and spending time with my family and my in-laws.

What I wish for the most is peace on earth. My son took this picture of an ornament on my tree. I love the bokeh of the lights!

Looks like Mason is at peace with the world, I just love this cat, aways by my side :)

Merry Christmas.......Happy Birthday Jesus!

I hope the spirit of Christmas stays with you throughout the new year!

Thanksgiving 2009 Family Fun..........

Every year my brother and his family come up to visit for Thanksgiving. Every year we do the same things.....sort of a tradition. We go out to dinner at the club the Wednesday evening before Thanksgiving. My nephew and niece spend the night at our house Thanksgiving evening, while my bother and his wife stay with my dad. Friday I shop with my niece for her Christmas gift (since I do not see her then), we all go to a movie (saw The Blindside), go bowling and order pizza and play games together. We pack a lot in, but only spend 3 days with them. I thought I'd share some of the pics I took.

So, these are the shoes my niece picked out. I thought they were super cool ;)

and.....her outfit, jeans and a top.

Isn't she adorable? I love her just the same as her brother Nick. Micah was adopted, and we are so blessed to have her in our family. Such a caring, compassionate spirit!

Here is my nephew Nick. He's a holds the Jr Men's Surf East Coast Championship title. Just google his name and you will see his talent. In fact here is a link to a video about him http://www.hulu.com/watch/73410/new-pollution-nick-rupp-brooke-voight-louie-lopez .

He is interviewed in the first 7 minutes of the video. Best part, he is so humble!

A rare occurrence...a pic of my family!

My dad giving Micah some pointers.

Colton brought one of his good friends along. He and Bradie just finished volunteering at the mall by wrapping gifts for customers in Macy's.

I love seeing this. Micah being loved upon by her mom. She loves the attention!

Aunt Linda......quit taking my picture....

I love this pic because it represents the closeness my family feels with my husband. They truly enjoy his company!

My father was having a good time watching and cheering on everyone! No favoritism there!

My brother and sister. I am blessed with the best siblings ever!

My sis with our sister-in-law Debbie.

I remember this pic, my dad was teasing my son about all of his "girlfriends".

Nick with his game face on ;)

The best part was spending time with my mother. She remembered my brother, which we were all so happy about, since she had not seen him in a year. He does call her and talk with her on the phone a few times a week. It is hard for him to get up here often, as he has his dental practice keeping him very busy.

I am thankful of the time we are able to spend together, and look forward to next year!

Frustratingly addicting......

Well, I finally attempted to learn photoshop, and am overwhelmed by the things you can do to photos. I am taking baby steps, learning one YouTube tutorial at a time. So far Black and White is something I could learn fairly easy. I just thought it was image-adjust-black & white, but so many different things you can still do to get different effects and highlights.

Now, if I could only master enhancing eye color without making a person look zombified....ugh!

I'm gonna tell.............

Little Colby is always up to some sort of mischief. I caught him attacking the arm of the dining room chair. This look always lets me know, he's about to do something he shouldn't.

Trick mode........'I'm gonna make ya think I'm licking it'!

'Can't resist.............it's the teething phase....yea that's it I'm teething!'

and then there is this look, as if he is saying

'OK....now you are in trouble.......I'm telling Dad you yelled at me'!

'Really buddy, she was that mean to you?? It's alright I'm here now!'

I tell ya, I get no respect ;) But he is just so darn cute!

No better subject........

To me, there is no better subject to blog about or take pictures of, than my son! As Thanksgiving approaches I start to think again of the things in my life I am thankful for.

As most parents feel, I am grateful I am blessed with him, and want to share a few things about him.

Here is his Junior year picture, so handsome!

His first 9 week grade card (a 4.0 GPA this period, overall 3.90!)

I loved watching him intently wash his car, as I am so glad he takes such pride in keeping it well maintained. He has amazed me with how hard working he is. Just weeks after turning 16, he landed his first job. They give him lots of hours because he is one of the hardest workers there. We came to see him one time, and his boss told us what a great young man he is and what a joy it is to have him work for her! I keep thinking, life will be good to him if he keeps on the path he is leading now!

I love this picture as he naps next to his cat Colby! Oh, how I wish I had his lovely long lashes!

A picture he thought would be cool in front of where his father works! We had seen this on a great local photographer's blog, and loved the idea!

One of the spots he thought had some great backgrounds to photograph in front of!

I have been blessed with just one child and I thank the lord for this awesome experience!! To me, nothing has compared to the joy of having a child! Oh yes, I am most grateful!