Long time, no blogging!

So, it already appears that blogging isn't the best thing for me. I am almost 2 months behind! We have had a busy holiday season. Our first adventure was a family trip to Walt Disney World over the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a fabulous time and Susannah was in heaven with all the princesses. Morgan and Peyton tried to play it cool, but they LOVED the characters just as much as any little kid in the park. It was pretty crowded at Disney...but we had a great time anyway!

Our Christmas season has been packed with family and friends! We have enjoyed visits from my grandfather, my sister's family, and Scott's parents and sister's family. My parents are right around the corner, so they have been able to participate in all the fun. It's always great to have all of the grandchildren together on each side of the family. Cousins are the best! I hope you all have had a joyous season and that your 2009 will be richly blessed!

Speaking of soccer...

We had no time to recover from Halloween before we were off for a weekend full of soccer. Morgan continues to be a fantastic goalie for her team...receiving compliments by strangers on the sidelines (even parents from the opposing team)! She is one tough kid!

Our team U-12 girls travel...FLUVANNA FORCE...took 1st place in our original bracket and went on to the semi-final round. We lost 4-1 in this game, but were complimented by the coach of the other team, acknowledging that our team was the only one that had given them any kind of challenge. Our girls were just plain tired by this game...it was the 4th in two days and the second of the morning. The other team came out for their first game of the day and just had more energy. We were very proud of our girls.





Morgan scoping out the field...deciding what to do next!


















Another exciting part of the weekend was Susannah's (real) birthday on Saturday. She had another CAKE with Morgan's team. Look closely at the picture and you'll see mom's handprint right in the center of the cake...it was almost a disaster...I can't imagine if the whole thing slid off the pan and ended up on the ground. There would have been a very unhappy 4 year old!

The highlight of Susannah's weekend was having the team sing "Happy Birthday" to her!

Everyone had fun in the pool and hot tub!

Time for dinner...Japanese Steakhouse...our travel team tradition! Twenty-nine people was a lot for one place to handle.

The team at dinner...so much fun! Lots of very silly girls!

The brother and grandparents enjoyed the evening as well...not at the same table as the girls!

Warming up before the game...such concentration!

Final preparations and last words from the coaches before hitting the field. Don't forget what your coaches tell you..."You are the best team out there!" WAY TO GO, FORCE!

Halloween 2008

The good witch, Cinderella, and Tinkerbell...best buddies!!!

Morgan and Scream!!

Mom and Scream!

Scott and Kim...tired after a long night of TRICK OR TREATING!

We loved spending Halloween with family and friends!

Even the grandparents still love Halloween!

Halloween

This was a fun Halloween for all of my kids! Susannah is very much into the princess theme, and Peyton had the best costume with his "Scream" mask. Morgan is always the soccer player...on and off the field!

Susannah's party

Wow...what a day! Morgan had a great soccer game...I don't like to brag, but she WAS named "player of the game" for several incredible saves in the goal to help her team beat the number 1 team in our division! Then it was on to Susannah's birthday party with friends. She had a great time playing and especially opening gifts. I have such great friends and family that are so willing to jump in and help things run smoothly! Thanks to you all...you made this such a special day for our family. Susannah is looking forward to celebrating her "real" birthday next Saturday in Lynchburg with Morgan's soccer team. We will be eating lots of birthday cake this week! I think it's a family tradition to celebrate your birthday for a minimum of one week! Susannah is carrying it on quite nicely.

Thanks again to all of you who made this a special day. Our little princess was thrilled to have you all here!

Our family

A favorite family photo! Everyone was so cooperative on this very chilly October morning!

Sweet Susannah

Oh sweet Susannah! That makes me chuckle a bit. Susannah is surely the epitome of the baby of the family. She picks up on everything that her older sister and brother do and say, and she has also learned to defend herself to the end...a skill needed in a household with many alpha personalities! She sure knows how to bring a smile to your face with her charm, and I sure love it when I hear, "Mommy, I missed you!"

Peyton-our big man!

Peyton is the sensitive and sweet guy that all women are looking for! He is always there to offer a kind word to his mom when she needs one. He is also quite the scholar...we are always impressed by the questions he comes up with. Of course, there are times that we know he's just testing the limits with us. Those smart kids sure know how to push people's buttons!

Morgan and Mom

Morgan is our sweet, level headed daughter! She's quite the athlete and tough girl. Our soccer star is amazing...last Sunday she played goalie for her team, dove on the ball, got kicked in the head, and still managed to come back on the field to finish the game! Just don't ask her to put on a dress!

First time blogger!

Well, this is where it all begins...three friends, nice dinner, and lots of good conversation! My friends Erin and Kristin are two of the most talented people I know. They always have something very cute and creative happening. They tried to convince me that I should start this whole blogging thing! Now, I have a hard time doing all that I do and then keeping up with the ever so addictive Facebook page! Then today I attended an educational inservice about technology in the classroom, and again was told how EASY blogging is. I decided to come home and see for myself. I sure hope that I'm not a total failure at this and also that I don't spend every waking hour in front of the computer! I'm just too much of a perfectionist!