Today was very eventful. we got all the Christmas decorations down. I'm bummed but I am glad that we have next weekend open to do whatever we want before the kids are back to school on the 5th.
Aside from being a productive day, Cassandra decided to ask her dad to take off her training wheels. Without batting an eye she just took off down the road and did great! I can't believe her balance! She is really excited that she is now not "the last remaining 3rd grader with training wheels" WHEW! now we have that going for us!
I will be sure to get some pics of her tomorrow and post them. She's tooooo excited!
xo
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Thanksgiving and Christmas pics
The turkey transe has started!
The Cowboys were playing
Griffin is sizing up the side dishes
Alyssa found a no no in Mimi's work room!
The girls are ready for roast beast!
my mom sent over some of the pics she took at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I thought I'd share those now!
I got a beautiful new camera for Christmas and I haven't downloaded the 65 pictures i took Christmas morning yet HA HA but I will soon!
I hope everyone is recovering from the holiday. We have had beautiful cold weather. Freezing temps at night. Shane has all the sensitive plants covered outside. Since the cat wont' leave the tree alone we are going to go ahead and take it down today. I don't like to take down decorations this early but i figure if we do it this weekend it will leave next weekend open and relaxing (everyone goes back to school on the 5th) :-(
Take care and keep warm!
Susan
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas~one and all!
well merry christmas!
i hope everyone had a wonderful day full of family and friends. we had an amazing last 2 days. on christmas eve we wrapped our last presents to family, baked a little, enjoyed the crisp winter weather. we had clouds and chilly air! we attended the 5:00 family service at church. it was beautiful, the kids get to pick figurines from the nativity set and throughout the service carols are sung and as one finishes father john asks for parts of the nativity to be brought up to a table to be assembled. the kids had fun doing it. i got to see all my sunday school kids and they all gave me high 5's and big hellos. later in the service when father john is doing the thanksgiving blessing he invites EVERY child up to the alter to be with him to celebrate. there were probably 50 or more kids up there with him. he asked us all to pray for him LOL. the kids did great considering there were burning candles everywhere.
we had a great dinner at mimi's cafe and headed to shane's dad's house for gifts. my brother in law and sister in law, niece and nephew were there too. we had a great time. we kept hearing santa's jingle bells outside. shane's dad kept taking the big kids outside to investigate. finally, at 8:15 we decided if santa had made it to papa's house already then we needed to get home and get to bed!
all the kids were in bed by 8:45 and asleep by 9:15!
santa came and left an AMAZING amount of presents! the only topper to santa's gifts was the bags and bags and bags of gifts that mimi, gumpy and auntie brought over! everyone was very blessed with all their gifts.
we had wonderful dinner, honeybaked ham, green been casserole, french squash bake, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn. we had cherry pie and peppermint candy cane pie. i am still stuffed 5 hours later!
little miss alyssa is in bed already. i gave the other kiddos a few extra hours up since everyone is so involved in their playing.
so take care and merry christmas, God bless us, everyone!
xoxoxoxo
susan
i hope everyone had a wonderful day full of family and friends. we had an amazing last 2 days. on christmas eve we wrapped our last presents to family, baked a little, enjoyed the crisp winter weather. we had clouds and chilly air! we attended the 5:00 family service at church. it was beautiful, the kids get to pick figurines from the nativity set and throughout the service carols are sung and as one finishes father john asks for parts of the nativity to be brought up to a table to be assembled. the kids had fun doing it. i got to see all my sunday school kids and they all gave me high 5's and big hellos. later in the service when father john is doing the thanksgiving blessing he invites EVERY child up to the alter to be with him to celebrate. there were probably 50 or more kids up there with him. he asked us all to pray for him LOL. the kids did great considering there were burning candles everywhere.
we had a great dinner at mimi's cafe and headed to shane's dad's house for gifts. my brother in law and sister in law, niece and nephew were there too. we had a great time. we kept hearing santa's jingle bells outside. shane's dad kept taking the big kids outside to investigate. finally, at 8:15 we decided if santa had made it to papa's house already then we needed to get home and get to bed!
all the kids were in bed by 8:45 and asleep by 9:15!
santa came and left an AMAZING amount of presents! the only topper to santa's gifts was the bags and bags and bags of gifts that mimi, gumpy and auntie brought over! everyone was very blessed with all their gifts.
we had wonderful dinner, honeybaked ham, green been casserole, french squash bake, scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn. we had cherry pie and peppermint candy cane pie. i am still stuffed 5 hours later!
little miss alyssa is in bed already. i gave the other kiddos a few extra hours up since everyone is so involved in their playing.
so take care and merry christmas, God bless us, everyone!
xoxoxoxo
susan
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Decorations and Christmas tree pics!
Decorated kitchen. We used some really pretty huge ornaments that were red, gold and green
my blue snowman collection handed down from my mamaw
family room sideboard table
my snowman collection in the bathroom
miss alyssa in her rudolph shirt that lights up!Because some friends asked for it...here are some of the pics of our Christmas decorations inside. And a cutie one of Alyssa next to the tree in her Rudolph shirt that lights up!
xo
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Myra Ellen Frazier Bossie 2/4/30 to 12/14/02
Sadly enough, the anniversary of my grandma's passing coincides with Alyssa's 18 month 'bday'
Today is a day I remember all too well, like it was just yesterday. My grandma was more than a grandma to me, she was like a second mom. Sometimes that was a good thing, sometimes it was a PITA! Because we all know that having ONE mom is usually more than enough! LOL.
Seriously though, my grandma could be a lot of fun. She liked to go places, loved to travel. She loved her family more than anything. Any of us can tell you that making a Christmas list wasn't a list of suggestions in her mind, it was a list to be purchased completely in order for you to have a happy holiday. She loved to decorate. Every holiday was a big deal. I try to do that for my family too because I know how special it was for me growing up around her with those ideals.
My grandma only knew Cassandra and Savannah. The girls were 3 and 14 months when she passed. I have lots of pictures and stories but I wish that she could be here with them..and me. She loved to cook, bake really. When I watch Savannah practice her Food Network moves I always think of my grandma and what a kick she would have gotten out of that. I know Griffin would have been a big deal too because he is one of the two great-grandsons she never got to meet. Boys were scarce in our family so he would have been quite the token prize LOL. And I can just hear her in my mind with Alyssa too. It is hard to know they missed out on so much with her.
I miss having her to listen to me when i'm down or when i have a problem. i miss her advice or just her way of saying it will all be ok. I know that when I lost the baby in May she would have known what to say but she wasn't here to do that. So before I ramble on forever I will just say that our loss is heaven's gain and I know she's watching out for us all. I also know that she loved Christmas with all her heart and the spirit of giving was truly hers. I remember sitting in Hospice with my mom and the girls when the song "Where are you Christmas" was playing on her radio and how the words rang too true. I also remember coming home on the 14th with my mom, having lunch and we were going back to hospice to sit with her when that song was playing again and we got the call that she was gone. So Mamaw, I miss you..every day, still.
Love, Myra Susan ;-)
Where are you Christmas?
Why can't I find you?Why have you gone away?
Where is the laughter, you used to bring me?
Why can't I hear music play?
My world is changing.I'm rearranging.
Does that mean Christmas changes, too?
Oh Where are you Christmas?
Do you remember,the one you used to know?
I'm not the same one.
See what the time's done?
Is that why you have let me go?
Christmas is here. Everywhere, Christmas is here. If you care,
If there is love in your heart and your mind you will feel like Christmas all the time!
I feel you Christmas.
I know I've found you. You'll never fade away.
The joy of Christmas Stays here inside us and Fills each and every heart,with love Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love
Today is a day I remember all too well, like it was just yesterday. My grandma was more than a grandma to me, she was like a second mom. Sometimes that was a good thing, sometimes it was a PITA! Because we all know that having ONE mom is usually more than enough! LOL.
Seriously though, my grandma could be a lot of fun. She liked to go places, loved to travel. She loved her family more than anything. Any of us can tell you that making a Christmas list wasn't a list of suggestions in her mind, it was a list to be purchased completely in order for you to have a happy holiday. She loved to decorate. Every holiday was a big deal. I try to do that for my family too because I know how special it was for me growing up around her with those ideals.
My grandma only knew Cassandra and Savannah. The girls were 3 and 14 months when she passed. I have lots of pictures and stories but I wish that she could be here with them..and me. She loved to cook, bake really. When I watch Savannah practice her Food Network moves I always think of my grandma and what a kick she would have gotten out of that. I know Griffin would have been a big deal too because he is one of the two great-grandsons she never got to meet. Boys were scarce in our family so he would have been quite the token prize LOL. And I can just hear her in my mind with Alyssa too. It is hard to know they missed out on so much with her.
I miss having her to listen to me when i'm down or when i have a problem. i miss her advice or just her way of saying it will all be ok. I know that when I lost the baby in May she would have known what to say but she wasn't here to do that. So before I ramble on forever I will just say that our loss is heaven's gain and I know she's watching out for us all. I also know that she loved Christmas with all her heart and the spirit of giving was truly hers. I remember sitting in Hospice with my mom and the girls when the song "Where are you Christmas" was playing on her radio and how the words rang too true. I also remember coming home on the 14th with my mom, having lunch and we were going back to hospice to sit with her when that song was playing again and we got the call that she was gone. So Mamaw, I miss you..every day, still.
Love, Myra Susan ;-)
Where are you Christmas?
Why can't I find you?Why have you gone away?
Where is the laughter, you used to bring me?
Why can't I hear music play?
My world is changing.I'm rearranging.
Does that mean Christmas changes, too?
Oh Where are you Christmas?
Do you remember,the one you used to know?
I'm not the same one.
See what the time's done?
Is that why you have let me go?
Christmas is here. Everywhere, Christmas is here. If you care,
If there is love in your heart and your mind you will feel like Christmas all the time!
I feel you Christmas.
I know I've found you. You'll never fade away.
The joy of Christmas Stays here inside us and Fills each and every heart,with love Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love
Alyssa Melissa Myra Marie is 18 Months old!
Wow! 18 months already! Alyssa is still a curly haired savage but she is a lot of fun! She is sick right now so she wasn't much in the mood for a photo shoot but I managed to get a few snot free pics of her this evening.
To say that Alyssa is wonderful is an understatement. All of my kids have been wonderful but with Alyssa I get the true blessing of seeing her with her big brother and sisters interacting every day. True that I get her to myself quite a bit but I learned long ago that Alyssa is everyone's baby...not just mine. That is not to say the other kids didn't love on each other as older sibling to younger, it's just that there is a bigger gap between the older kids and Alyssa and the relationship is different. Good, but different.
So on to accomplishments....Alyssa is walking, running, side stepping, moon walking (backwards). She is saying 40 something words now, 2 and 3 word sentences, sings, dances, mimics, eats like a horse, snuggles, blows kisses, gives kisses, comforts you when you are sad and her poop doesn't stink. Well, that last one may be an exaggeration but the rest is true!
So as I sit back knowing this is her 2nd Christmas and all the fun to come I must take a moment to say Happy 18 months to my Alyssa Melissa Myra Marie! I love you!
xoxoxooxox
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Little Fashion Girls
well the girls needed some winter clothes because some chilly weather finally came to us in arizona! the girls' favorite clothing store is "justice." it is the most hip, girly store you can imagine. they have music from the jonas brothers, miley cyrus, HSM cast on continueous play in their store. there is more pink and bling than you can shake a stick at!
we had fun shopping. i went with just cassandra and savannah. the store was pretty empty. the sales girls are always helpful. sometimes too helpful LOL.
the girls got some beautiful fancy outfits for school. i loved that they felt so good about what they got and how they looked. it's fun to splurge a little sometimes and not shop at target or children's place.
so here are a few shots from this morning's send off in some of their new duds!
xo
sorry for the red eyes on cassandra, for some reason photoshop doesn't believe her eyes are red behind those glasses!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Leonard Family Christmas Tree
Sorry, I stole the line from "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"
Shane got us a beautiful Noble Fir tonight on the way home from work. A little less nostalgic than the year we rode up a mountain in the back of a pickup truck with my Aunt Brenda and Cousin Melissa to pick a tree from the Oregon forest! Still, it will do for us.
The kids had a great time helping us "test" strands of lights. They also loved looking at all the ornaments and hearing stories about them. They did a really good job getting the ornaments on this year. I didn't have to help them much, they're getting the hang of it ;-) The tree looks beautiful. We are almost all done decorating inside for the holidays. Shane (aka Clark Griswold II) is working on the outdoor light display. As long as he doesn't fall off the roof, we'll be ok!
I have almost all my Christmas shopping for the kids done. That is huge. Now I can start on everyone else too.
I hope you are all having a wonderful, blessed holiday season so far!
Love,
Susan
Thursday, November 27, 2008
happy thanksgiving!
happy thanksgiving to all our family and friends!
it is a beautiful, chilly day here in arizona. we had a nice cloudy day all day yesterday with rain off and on all day. we were even lucky to get rain last night and some thunder too! the weather guy says rain today and a cool 65 degrees. i hope he's right. i love cool/cold weather. it's nice to have thanksgiving dinner without your air conditioner running ;-)
it has been an amazing year. mostly ups, some major downs but through all of it i am reminded how thankful i am for what i have and who is in my life. because, without them it wouldn't really be a life worth having.
i am thankful for....
*waking up every morning to the faces i love
*kissing the love of my life every morning and every night (and every chance inbetween)
*having my mom, dad and sister 2 streets away
*my mom being one year cancer free
*my sister straight A's in college
*having beautiful, smart, loving, imaginative, HILARIOUS children who make me laugh every day.
*having the sense to let go of the small stuff
*having a sister in law like julie
*aunt brenda for checking on me and always making me laugh. and always calling me "pervert" when the moment calls for it ;-)
*having the friends that i have~you know who you are...oldest and dearest
*knowing that i am flawed but being loved so much anyway
*being home with the kids and enjoying precious moments i can never get back
*being me ;-)
there are always things we wish we could change or take back or do over. i am no different.
i wish my grandma was here. i wish it every day. this time of year was "her time" to do the things she loved..cook and shop! i miss her so much.
and to my angel baby~there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think of you and wish that you were here with us.
happy thanksgiving everyone
xoxooxox
susan
it is a beautiful, chilly day here in arizona. we had a nice cloudy day all day yesterday with rain off and on all day. we were even lucky to get rain last night and some thunder too! the weather guy says rain today and a cool 65 degrees. i hope he's right. i love cool/cold weather. it's nice to have thanksgiving dinner without your air conditioner running ;-)
it has been an amazing year. mostly ups, some major downs but through all of it i am reminded how thankful i am for what i have and who is in my life. because, without them it wouldn't really be a life worth having.
i am thankful for....
*waking up every morning to the faces i love
*kissing the love of my life every morning and every night (and every chance inbetween)
*having my mom, dad and sister 2 streets away
*my mom being one year cancer free
*my sister straight A's in college
*having beautiful, smart, loving, imaginative, HILARIOUS children who make me laugh every day.
*having the sense to let go of the small stuff
*having a sister in law like julie
*aunt brenda for checking on me and always making me laugh. and always calling me "pervert" when the moment calls for it ;-)
*having the friends that i have~you know who you are...oldest and dearest
*knowing that i am flawed but being loved so much anyway
*being home with the kids and enjoying precious moments i can never get back
*being me ;-)
there are always things we wish we could change or take back or do over. i am no different.
i wish my grandma was here. i wish it every day. this time of year was "her time" to do the things she loved..cook and shop! i miss her so much.
and to my angel baby~there isn't a day that goes by that i don't think of you and wish that you were here with us.
happy thanksgiving everyone
xoxooxox
susan
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Alyssa
well i took pics of the kids on cassandra's bday dinner night but it was dark and believe it or not..THIS was the one that turned out best. dammit!
alyssa on the balcony talking to mimi
Sea World Galore
watching Shamu
Alyssa was tired!
Showing off her groove moves at lunch
daddy getting some love
come here shamu
Sea World Pics
at the shamu show
the sting rays, yes the 3 big kids did touch them
we all fed and rubbed the dolphinsHotel Del Coronado Pics
griffin loved the balcony, he talked to everyone passing by!
alyssa liked the nightstand
griffin was trying to figure out sleeping arrangements w/ 5 people and 2 beds LOL
kids playing and shane working
our room before the roll away bed arrived
here are some pics of our room at the hotel del
Photo Tag
Ok, Lea tagged me so here is the 4th picture of my 4th folder in "My pictures" on my computer
xoxooxox
susan
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