10 Year Anniversary

TODAY is our 10 Year Wedding Anniversary! I feel so lucky and so blessed to be married to J! 10 wonderful years! Our big gift to each other is.....a trip to Cancun, Mexico. I love you babe!

Racquetball

Launi, Derrick and Seth.


We had a fun weekend with family. We got together to play racquetball and had a lot of fun! We will have to make it a new winter tradition when everyone comes into town.

The kids had a lot of fun watching us play. I heard so many giggles and would look up inbetween hitting the ball to see our three little girls with huge grins, watching us play!
Racquetball is fun!

American Girl Christmas

American Girl Christmas

Each year the kids have something they REALLY want. Last year....it was Leapsters. This year, the girls are really into American Girl Dolls. Abby and Kit received matching nightgowns.
Ella and Kate each received an American Girl Itty Bitty Twin. (I thought for sure that Kate would want the brown hair and Ella the blond....but the opposite was true.) The kids got a lot of clothes for their American Girls and Babies, including bunny slippers and soccer outfits.I woke up this morning to the girls each playing with their dolls in their little kitchen. They were dressing their dolls, feeding their dolls and getting them ready for the day!

Christmas Morning Faces

Christmas morning is magical. There is always a glow and a blanket of excitement that fills the air. This year I was so excited to see the kids get excited to "give" and not just to receive.

Kate has wanted this Barbie and 4 dog combo for a LONG time. $20 is a lot of money for a 4 year old to save. Abby surprised Kate by giving it to Kate for Christmas. Kate was SO excited she just stared at the Barbie for a really long time and then she hugged the box.

Abby loves American Girl. Kate was so excited to give Abby an American Girl Project holder. She wrapped it up weeks ago to give to Abby and has re wrapped it many times in excitement. She was SO excited to give it to Abby and rushed to find it under the tree Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve

The children were nestled all snug in their beds. Each year we have a tradition of getting new pajamas on Christmas Eve. The girls love their silky new nightgowns and robes.

Chuck E Cheese

What the kids thought of Chuck E Cheese....
Kate said, "Kate loves Chuck E Cheese. This was my first time on this ride. I liked it very much. Have a Merry Christmas."

Abby had to say, "I liked everything, but I liked to climb the big toy the best."
Abby is a great Basketball player and must take after her Basketball loving Dad!

Ella was in heaven. Look at the facial expressions. They had a video pad where you could dance and it would put you up on the big screen. The kids loved that. Ella loved Chuck E. Cheese himself, and waved to him over and over.

Ella said she liked, "The rides that went up high and waving to Chuck E Cheese."

Fun day....lots of laughs...lots of smiles!

Christmas Cookies

I love spending time as a family. Last week we rolled out sugar cookies and decorated them. The kids were so creative and we had a lot of fun.

Ella's No Longer Bored

Ella has been saying, "This is boring," for a couple of months now.
Well, yesterday and today she has been saying, "Mom, this is fun. This is not boring."

Good Friends

Melissa, Krystelle, Me and Marykate.

I love my friends! We have several wonderful friends, one of whom I often get mistaken. Over the years we have been friends, we have been able to laugh at how many people confuse me and Marykate. On occasion, one of Marykate's kids will grab my leg or I will get complimented on how handy my husband is, and on the beautiful new deck we are adding onto our home. Most of the time it makes for a great laugh.

We have now been in our house and in the neighborhood 4 1/2 years. So you would think people would know there are two of us, by now. However, just yesterday I went to pick up Kate from her primary class. Her teacher told me how excited she is to have Sylvi (Marykate's daughter) next year in her class. I kindly asked her if she knew where Kate was.

All that really matters is that our husbands don't get us mixed up! So far so good!

The Nativity

I love it when our kids get all dressed up for The Nativity. This year Kate was Mary. Abby was a beautiful Angel, and Ella was a "pink" Shepherd who followed baby Jesus VERY close by.

Caleb was Joseph. Kate was Mary.

Abby, Kari and Emmry were beautiful angels.

The twins, Hadley and Chloe made cute animals.

Derrick Family Christmas

We had a lot of fun at the Derrick Family Christmas party. The kids loved decorating cookies, playing with toys, the pinata, presents, being with cousins, and of course Santa Claus. All of J's brothers and sisters were there. 7 siblings in all, as well as all 7 spouses, cousins, Aunts and Uncles and even Mommy Allo.

Talking With Santa

Today Santa made a special visit to our Derrick Family Christmas party. Ella was not shy at all. She is so friendly and was super excited and wasn't afriad to show it. Out of 16 kids in the room, she made her way to be first in line. She sat on his lap and surprised us all by asking for a baby doll. Up until now she has only asked for "pink" presents. I guess this little cuttie really knows what she wants. She has the cutest smile right now. It is a mixture of a wrinkled nose and closed eyes. She may look even a little sad, however this is her smile. Abby wasn't sure what to ask Santa for. She is most content. Kate was happy to ask for a Snap N Style doll and a baby doll to hold. Thank you Santa for making our day! Only 6 more days until Christmas!

Symphony With The Kids

I love going to the symphony! Earlier this year J took me to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. I LOVED it.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is taking our kids to the "Here Comes Santa Claus"
Symphony Concert. This was our 6th year in a row. I love seeing the kids move to the music, and hearing Christmas songs in full orchestra. Each year, I look forward to hearing my favorite Christmas song, "Sleigh Ride." It is a fun tradition.

Abby's School Party

I love volunteering in Abby's school class. I like to go and help anytime I can.
For the Christmas party there were 7 Moms, all who brought a game or a craft for the kids.


The kids had such a good time. There were a lot of creative ideas. Abby is so lucky to have a wonderful group of kids her age. She has wonderful and kind friends. I love Abby's friends, and I love her friends Mom's! We feel very blessed to live where we live and to be surrounded by so many good friends!

Dance Performance

Abby and Kate had their last Christmas Performance of the season tonight. I LOVE watching them dance. They have both come such a long way in their dancing years. This was Abby's 4th year of dance and Kate's 2nd year of dance. Way to shake it girls!

Kate and Peter

Kate has a friend who she adores....Peter. They have had Preschool together for the past 2 years. They love to have play dates and I love to listen in as they play. They love to play house, paint, marbles and most anything. One day I picked Kate and Peter up after school and they were wearing Indian Headbands that they had made. I complimented them and Peter corrected me. "I am an Indian. Kate is a Princess."

Preschool Program

Today was a day of performing. Kate sang with her Preschool class at the hospital. It is such a neat tradition that her teacher has. The kids bring so much joy. I loved hearing them sing holiday classics, like "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas"....Rudolf" and "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." They had darling actions and even played instruments. Very sweet!

Kreative Kate

Kate is so creative. Lately I have loved hearing her sweet voice make up lyrics to songs. Most of these songs are about Baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph. Today she found pictures of Jesus and glued them on a poster to go along with her song. I love seeing her be creative and hearing her sing out!

Good Friends

How grateful I am for good friends. Good friends to celebrate with, good friends who understand. Good friends who know what I need....even when I don't know what I need! Good friends who make my life easier. Good friends who make life fun! Good friends who are always there. Thank you to my good friends. You bless my life!!!

The Snowman

The kids LOVE to play in the snow. This past weekend the kids each built a snowman. Each day the snowmen are a little more crooked and each has a little more character.

Read To Me

Kate and Abby have been asking how they can earn money to buy Christmas presents. My sister Emily offered me a great idea. Kate gets $.05 for each book that she reads to Ella. The girls look forward to this quiet time each day as Kate helps Ella get ready for her nap. It is the sweetest thing to see them reading side by side. They love to curl up with good books! Soon Kate will have enough money to go shopping!

Run, Run As Fast as You Can....

Lately it feels like we have been running. Running from one event to the next. Sunday is always welcome as a day of "rest". We had the perfect snowy Sunday. A 3 log on the fire kind of day.....which we did. We played "Settler's of Catan, " several times. Kate and Ella played dress ups and watched "The Little Mermaid." After dinner we decorated our Gingerbread House. The kids LOVE this tradition. While Ella tasted at least one of every kind of candy, Kate loved decorating the gingerbread tree, and Abby the house. It turned out so cute. I caught Kate at the table talking to the house this morning. It was the cutest thing ever. Let it snow!

Ella's New Look

Earlier this week, Kate cut Ella's hair. Her 4 inch hair shrunk to only 1/4 inch in some places. After I cried....I made an appointment for her hair. It turned out really cute! Ella, we love your new look!