santa, snow or lack of, new years, family visits and a birthday...

i so wish this would return...

it is 47 degrees right now outside & it's 8pm! what?
i would love to have this be back...seriously!

all our snow is melting fast...i'm so bummed. the mountains continue to get hit daily but nothing here in the valley...please if you're listening up above...send a few flakes my way!

so first...Christmas Eve...

took tons of photos of the girls...individually & then together. after this we opened the first gift of christmas...their new pj's. when we are not in CO for Christmas we started the tradition of going to supper & a movie. i tell ya...there were really no Christmas oriented movies out like there has been in the past. we went to applebee's for supper we saw bolt...so CUTE! buck & i totally enjoyed it...as did the girls of course. we had the entire theater to ourselves. so fun!

after we returned home we got those new jammies on and started to track santa on norad. the first time we did this & the girls loved it! jordan loved watching him bounce all over europe..."i know where that is, i know where that is too!". she loves geography (she's already stoked about her test next year in social studies where she has to know all the countries in the world).

we made sure that the cookies & milk were all ready for him...i'm in love with this photo...i was online that night after they went to bed & went a bit nutty taking photos of ornaments & stuff around the house to get that "glow" of christmas after i read about a technique using only manual mode on the camera.

then on christmas morning...

chloe got the baby alive that pee's in the potty (santa should of thought this one through much better...it's like having another child...but i had too...this was the first year that she was old enough to truely get asking santa for a gift & what she wanted)...jordan & brinley both got DS games...then the stockings.


after breakfast we got the girls all bundled up & went outside sledding...



then on new year's we had a party here at the house w/ some neighbors & guys from buck's work. we started off by playing the wii a bit...

they were having arm wrestling competitions, started by the girls.



then matt did some magic tricks for everyone. i had a few too many white russians...but man i love those things! yummy! my sister, crystal, and her DH, bryan got here around 1:30 am! so excited they decided to make a trip this way!

chloe playing her DS...a leapfrog system.

new year's day was spent playing the wii the ENTIRE day. no kidding! i'm now a pro golfer!! never thought that golf would be fun..but it rocks!


then on saturday, which is chloe's birthday...she turned 4! holy smokes! i took some pictures w/ her sitting in front of a window...she isn't into smiling nicely these days unless i make her laugh.



we then took the day & went sledding...




so then once buck got home we started the party....first i had to test my settings on my camera (since i'm using all manual mode) & this is what happens...




and this is one of the downfalls of going fully manual, including the focus...is that you get the perfect shot & then it's blurry, still love it though.




and this is cody...the boy who lives next door, the boy who chloe will tell you she's going to marry when she's a big girl...


and so this sums us up to after the first of the year...
i'm now involved in a 365 challenge- which means you take a photo every day of the 2009 year...i'm going to try & post those daily...by starting tomorrow...let your eyes rest a bit!