Ho! Ho! Ho!

We hope everyone had as nice a Christmas as we did. We got lots of nice gifts from everyone in our families, and we thank you all.

We put out gingerbread cookies we made for Santa and sprinkled oats outside for the reindeer. Santa even answered the kids' notes. (He does know the Tooth Fairy!) The kids must be growing up. I woke up at 7:30 listened for the whispers and chatter, but it was quiet. The kids got their stockings down and waited for us. Mackenzie was the last one up, and then we went at the presents. There were gameboys, american girl dolls, sunglasses, nerf guns, science kits and cool games. PJs and pants and sweatshirts, too. All kinds of fun stuff and we're still enjoying it all.

Holiday Shopping

Don't know what we were thinking when we took the kids to the mall on a sunday a week before Christmas. John and I wanted to get each other sunglasses, but the whining kicked in two minutes after we got there. While shopping for Granny Matt knocked over two racks of shirts at JC Penneys. We were done after that.

Uncle Donna & Aunt Allen

The kids think its so funny when I say it wrong, but they love their velcro aunt and uncle. At no time when they were in our house did they not have a kid physically attached to them.

Ears To You!

Daddy finally let Christina get her ears pierced! She didn't even say "ouch." In her honor I got another earring too. It was the start to our girly day with Aunt Donna. Matthew, John and Uncle Allen went to the Jet game today. Us girls went to lunch and the bookstore.

It's Pitch White!

We got some snow early in the week. When the kids first saw it in the morning, Mackenzie said "Whoa! It's pitch white outside!" They can never figure out why other people's yards are still full of snow in the afternoon, but ours is all gone. That because it's all been trampled and rolled and snow-angeled!

100 Foot Tall Question

The kids come up with their best ideas at bedtime. Tonight Mackenzie had a "huge, big, tremendous, 100 foot question." It was:
"Why are there people? And why is there Earth? And who made God?"
Then came..."Who made the guy who made God? And who made the guy who made the guy who made God?"

Safety Town

Christina's 3rd class went to Safety Town in Eisenhower Park. Everything was kid-sized, and they took turns as drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. It was so cute, and very cool. I didn't get to go on cool trips like this when I was a kid!

Honey R.I.P.

Honey the Hamster died. The funeral was yesterday. We're all very sad about it. She was the best hamster ever.

Too Cute

How could I forget to post a picture of these guys on Halloween? In case you can't tell, Christina is a dead bride, Matt is a Power Ranger, Courtney is the Tooth Fairy and Mackenzie is Minnie Mouse.

Fall Fell

Courtney's Pen Pal

Courtney lost her second tooth (and Mackenzie is really mad!) She left her another note:

Hi tooth Fairy.
I hav a candy under my pillow for you. you can eat it. and how did you Become the tooth Fairy. and what do you Look Like? Draw it in the blank space.
From Courtney.

Tooth Fairy wrote:
Yum! Thanks for the treat! I have been the Tooth Fairy for SO long I forgot how it started. (I think I got picked.) And I am too shy to draw myself.
Love, the Tooth Fairy

Super Saturday

Christina is 8! Her birthday was Wednesday, and her party was at the Hip Hop Sweet Shop on Saturday. Fifteen girls and 2 boys can make alot of noise. Especially when they're full of sugar! This place was cool. Everyone got a chocolate house to decorate with all kinds of candy and icing. Plus there was ice cream, a piñata and cotton candy too. They played hot potato, freeze dance and all the groovy dances: cha cha slide, macarena and cotton eyed joe.
After Christina opened all her presents the babysitter came and John and I were off to the Ball. Really. The Massapequa Community Fund Fall Ball was quite the formal affair and I wore a long black dress. All this after a day of soccer games, a football game and a piano lesson. Plus a birthday party.

How Does TV Work?

Matthew's take on how a TV works: the electric gets melted and goes in the wire and a robo-notebook turns the pages real fast and you see the picture.
(There was more, but that's all I could keep up with.)

Dear Santa

Mackenzie has already written her letter to Santa and sealed it in an envelope.
(I had to open it.) This is what she wrote:

XOXOX
DeAR SANtA
FoR CRiSMAS
i WANt A FURBY
A GAMe BOY
With A CARtRAGe
A BiG CARe BeAR
ANOtheR MY LitteL
PONY Set. im SORRy
i SteeLd CANDY
i CANt heLP it
LOVe MACKeNZie

Hut, Hut, Hike!

School has started and so have the sports. Matt's playing flag football, but they wear equipment. Not for protection, but cuz they look so darn cute in it! Everyone's playing soccer. The girl's are in Brownies and Christina wants to sign up for karate, swimming, cheerleading, basketball and lacrosse.

First Day of School

Everyone was ready to go at 8:00 a.m. this morning, but first bell doesn't ring until 9:15. Okay, we weren't the only ones there really early. We deposited Mackenzie at her classroom first with a 5-second goodbye (or else one of us was going to start crying), then got Matthew to his room and Courtney right across the hall to hers. Christina insisted we go back outside and enter again where the 3rd graders go in (even though it added another half mile to our trek to find her classroom.) On the way back John and I peeked in at the 1st grade classes to find Mackenzie happy and smiling, Courtney sitting next to her old pal Brandon and Matthew having a scissor fight with the boy next to him.

We went CaMPiNG!!!

Yes, we got John out in the woods and sleeping in a tent! The kids loved it, and the campground was close to Atlantis Marine World and right by the Big Duck.

Our Favorite Song - The Hamster Dance!

Jamie and her white coat class

Cousin Jamie's started school at Wingate in North Carolina to become a pharmacist.
(Don't worry Shawn, the guys don't look like they'll be distracting Jamie from her studies.)

How Birds Fly

By Mackenzie
"Birds can fly because thier wings are pushing down the gravity, except when they're going up, but they flap thier wings so fast gravity has no chance to pull them down. Our arms don't work because we're already on the ground."