Christmas 2009

Just a few of the many wonderful highlights this Christmas with the Pettett family...

5 more days till Christmas

We are all eagerly awaiting Christmas morning when family all gathers around, wrapping paper goes flying, and excitement springs forth from my little ones like finding buried treasure. Its been a long year, so much has happened, all of our lives have changed so much, but all for the better. I'm looking forward to the next year as we make our new home more special for our family. We have plans for a garden, expanding the grass areas to play, and of coarse a tree play house with a zip line that runs from the play house to the back porch. I especially can't wait for color to be added to the walls, Allis room to be decorated, and more family photos to hang in the hall way. I really look forward to adding another year to my marriage as I believe I am the luckiest girl in the world.

Fireplace

Please forgive the over saturation of yellow in this picture, our camera doesn't do well in the the dark. This last week, we decided to build a fire and experience its warmth and beauty in our new home. We gathered around daddy on a blanket with mugs of steamy hot chocolate in our hands topped with marshmallows. Dad grabbed a book from the shelf and we all listened as he read the story of a famous classic fairytale. It is only a week away till my family arrives for Thanksgiving. I have no idea how I'm going to get 18 people in a photo around the fireplace, but it will be fun trying!

My yard in the Fall

The top picture is where the front yard meets the back. I really love the tree that twist and turns in the trunk and branches as it grows. In the spring and summer it's a lovely dark shade of green. In the fall, the leaves almost look like they're on fire.

This is the same opening, just 30ft or so farther back.

This is my favorite tree. I think it's called a Chinese maple, not sure. This is what I get to look at every day from my living room. Green in the spring, and vibrant red in the fall.

Halloween 2009

A really good friend from work gave me this Tigger costume. When I brought it home Timmy loved it. It also has a noise maker in the paw, tigger voice. I loved it cause I knew it would keep him warm...and adorable.

Isn't she so cute! The costume is a caterpillar, but she also looks like a bee. Daddy carried her most the time while trick-r-treat'n. Trying to keep up with her brothers who ran from house to house was exhausting.

Weston saw one of those blow-up spiders you put in your yard for Halloween and told me that's what he wanted to dress up as. So, this is my attempt at replicating the spider. He LOVES it. He would have slept in it if I had let him. But, he is wearing it today. I figure he can wear it till one of those legs rips open, then it's going in the trash.

Sorry, my camera ran out of juice so pictures are a little blurry.

The Balloon Stomp

Half the kids were already out of the game by the time I reached for my camera. It was a riot!

Westons 7th B-Day

This was such a high energy birthday party. We invited 5 kids from the neighborhood, 4 kids from church, and 3 of the kids cousins, together with our 3...oh my, it was busy. There was only 2 parents that stayed to help corral the chaos. We started out with decorating pirate hats to wear on our treasure hunt adventure. We allowed them time to dry by playing a game of stomp the balloon. I will post a video for your enjoyment. We then ate cake and ice cream. That cake was all James's creation. Opening presents was like opening a box of meat in the middle of a wolf pack. I was scared Weston was going to get trampled..lol. James stepped in and started directing children to sit down on the couch to watch. We then headed outside for the treasure hunt. It was very fun and cute watching all the kids with their hats on trying to find the clues to the treasure box. ...the boys told me they had a blast...that makes it all worth it.

Family Room Makeover

So when we bought the house, we both had plans to make this family room into a library room. It is very pretty with the natural woods and fireplace. When you see it you will want to grab a book and sit cozy next to the fire....your husband running fingers through your hair, eating grapes, with children sleeping...Ahhh...okay back to reality.

It still has some work to be done. Color on the white walls. What do you think about green? Or a warmer color...and do you see that large block of wood behind the ladder? That is the top of my fireplace. We plan to rip that down and place a rock backing there instead. The people who first had this house must have realy liked wood.

...sorry for the blurry picture...in all reality my love did most of the work

Spirit Week at School

Crazy Hair Day. I wish I would have had Wes turn sideways, cuz he had the coolest Mohawk...they loved it!

Mariel's Baby Shower

Alli just adored lil'Ezra. It was fun to watch Alli interact using her version of mothering skills.

Grandma and Alli

...I'm so glad your having a baby girl Mary...you will truly love it!

Alli, Grandpa, and Caleb

...of course when you go to Lion's Park, you have to feed the ducks.

3 Years of Bliss

James and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary with dinner and a movie. James took me to the Monterosso's Italian restaurant in Richland. It was such a romantic quit place. A place were you can hear your lover whisper sweetness into your ear while taking in the formal dinning atmosphere. We ended the night curled up on the couch watching a movie. This next year we plan to take a honeymoon vacation. ...can't wait to see my sister in Hawaii.

Yard Makeover

This is what the kids and I did early morning while daddy was at the store picking up materials to fix two of our sprinklers and trim our enormous blue spruce.

This Blue Spruce is so large that the back side from about 6ft down is all dead branches. It takes up a good chunk of the yard too. So here is what we plan.

First, James cut down all those dead branches.

Now I have this huge pile of branches..lol, but those will be towed away to the dump soon. James has planned to build a bench that circles around the base of the tree. We will be planting grass where all those branches are and up to the tree trunk. I guess grass can grow under Blue Spruce pine trees cause there are many in our neighborhood with grass all the way up to the base of the tree. Ah, it will be very beautiful when it's all done.

Fair 2009

We rode lots of rides. Weston even got to ride the big Ring of Fire roller coaster with dad. He's tall for his age, thanks to dad. He was the only "little kid" hopping on that ride. It's terrifying for me to ride at 30 years of age! I guess I'm just a whimp.

We entered the goat milking contest...

Feed the sheep...

Jumped high into the air...

And brought home souvenirs with lots of awesome memories.

Last Day of Summer Vacation

I have been waiting to do something really fun with the boys this summer. Something more then just the fishing and swimming at the river with trips to the park to play. But, we are on a budget. With James in school, the boys in Private school, Alli at a babysitter, and a house payment all on a single income can really put a damper on family vacation. So I asked some friends at work who suggested we visit the Aquatic Park in Pendleton OR. It was totally worth the hour drive in the car. The kids had a blast! I spent time in the shallow end with Alli as we floated on our stomachs while crawling our way around with our hands making growling sounds as we pretended to be Alligators. Weston was such an awesome partner to go down the large swirling slides together. We would race down the tubes ending in a big splash with water up the nose. And Timmy, my boy who knows how to lay back and relax in the hot tub, Ahhh. Daddy and him also spent time having water fights with the built in water guns and dunking each other with the teeter tatter. I hope we can make one more trip before we say good bye to this warm weather. All the boys start school tomorrow...back to life again.

Arabela's 1st Birthday

Duane and Noelle invited us to join the fun in celebrating their daughters first birthday. It is amazing how time flies. She is truly a beautiful little girl with parents who celebrate every moment of the joy she brings to them.

This was the best one year old Birthday party I've ever been to. The food was excellent, jumping castle for the kids, and of course...

...a pinata full of candy. This Pinata was quite resistant to breaking though. After every child had their try at breaking it open, even a kid in his teens with a broom handle, James then ripped it open with his hands...LOL

Ohh Ana, we sure miss you and wish to spend more time with you. We look forward to seeing you this Winter...must get more pictures!

Playing with Friends

One of the bonuses of living where we do is this park that is just two houses down from us. James offered to watch Colby, one of the boy's friends, for the day. They spent all day jumping on the trampoline, smashing bugs, playing super hero's, and playing at this park. I love watching them play. We have a couple of fun trips coming up to bring this summer to an end before school starts. One is to take the boys to a water park, and of course FISHING...Wes can't stop asking his dad when they're going. So next week will be fun days at Grandmas house. I love my family. The memories we make together will never be taken away.

Perseverance Wins Again

Many of you know we were having troubles putting Alli to sleep in the evening. We were sticking to our routine of bath, brush teeth, story, water, hugs kisses, sing song, then pray to Jesus. Somewhere in all this Alli decided that she did not want to sleep, correction, she decided that sleeping was not what she was going to do and staying in her room was complete torture. I'm a sucker for crying, most of the time, and even more when it comes to sleep. So I would break down and lay down next to her till she was asleep. This was an awful idea which just made it worse. She knew at some time I would leave so she slept with "one eye open" ...hours of trying to leave her bed only to be drawn back by the crys for momma. James and I were exhausted to say the least. So James came to my rescue. He spent a week sitting outside Alli's door gently reminding her saying "get back in your bed and lay down please" over and over. She HATED it. Ohh she'd cry and cry, but he would move farther and farther away till he was around the corner and out of sight. She would get up out of bed go around the corner only to see daddy with raised eyebrows telling her to get back in bed. Today has marked one full week that we have put Alli in bed and she STAYS in bed. No crying, no getting up out of bed, I can just hear her sing herself to sleep. Ohh what bliss to have a baby that sleeps. What an awesome gift my husband is to me.

James 30th B-day

Mom made James a chocolate Reese's peanut butter cup cake. YUM! I lit the candles in the house but when I went through the sliding glass door all but 3 of the candles went out, lol

We had quite a number of children come, of course we had to throw out the slip-n-slide, no summer party is complete without water play.

...or playing a game of Frisbee. I bought James a Bocce ball set, although for some reason I didn't get any pictures of us playing. Thanks to all 25 of friends and family making this special for Jamee

More of Alli

Pro Photos

I found a photographer that took 114 pictures of Alli, James, and I and did "antique" look to some of the photos. We have a CD full of wonderful pictures like the ones above.