A Night in Bethlehem

Our ward party this year was as posted above. Now looking at these pics, they DO NOT do the detail justice. We have the most talented family in our ward, everyone knows when they're in charge of something...its gonna be good.


This was Gigi posing in front of the open air market.


They even had a toy shop where the children could go make their own toy. That's what Amber is holding.

Ethan enjoying the fruits of his spoils. We ate on the floor of course.

Chicken on a stick, who doesn't like that?!

Can you tell we like food?? I think the best part was the fruit station. Where they cut the fruit that you want for you.

Roc was the tax collector. You he played that well! They even gave him a real sword! He was too busy to let me get a picture of him.

I made everyone's costumes...yikes! Giana's seen here.

Amber sporting a disney princess robe. It was freezing and rainy that night.

Ethan, face says it all!

Jonah-the wise guy! My attempt at making a turban.

Merry Christmas...still alive

Look how big this beast is getting! I don't think the Angel will make it next year, maybe we'll just have the iguana be our tree topper next year. I think this is his favorite time of year too, he loves that Christmas tree!
Well, I've been slack on posting. But, hopefully I won't be too slack on updating Christmas.

Vegas Comes To Town

Our bro-in-law has started a tradition, where he brings his good buddies to visit SC. They mainly come for the golf, football, and newly gained inside jokes. Funny thing is...they've already picked up that they should pick at Rocco. I swear, that guy was born with a "kick me" sign on his back!! LoL No, actually Frank is as much a brother to Rocco as any of the other 2.

I have designated myself as the official photographer to any of Marina's family when they come to visit. So, here's what I squeaked out...

These guys are NUTZ! And so much fun to play games with. BTW, Kris (guy in green) is like Father Goose. All of the kids kept going to him. Even Gigi!!

Playing spoons, a new addition to our games. Brought to you by Las Vegas.

Goobs, always the center of attention.

Halloween '09

This year we decided to Trick or Treat at Trick or Trunk. Roc was working, so it would be tricky for me. Consequently...this is what my trunk looked like. How lame, this is not the way I roll. Plus, the car was unattended. We really miss our Papa when he's not with us.

Here it looks like Jonah was the "bad kid" on the Karate Kid movie.

Here we have Gigi Trick or Trunking to Walker, Texas Ranger (aka Jennings) LoL

Gi and her friend melting hearts...

Ethan trick or trunking at one of the best trunks!

Jonah-Whoa Babay! At Mrs. Cara's trunk...also awesome! It was the dance mobile.

And, last but not least our little misfits. I would like to thank them for buying their costumes out of the Halloween storage bucket. They looked good.

I hate that I didn't get any pics of this part, but it had to be mentioned...after all that we HAD to go to aunt Delias. I just wouldn't be Halloween if not. We checked out her haunted house, treated her street, played too much with Jared, and helped dismantle said haunted house in the pouring rain. All in all, not a typical Halloween...but the kids LOVED it. And that's all that matters.

Jonah the Chicken

Ethan the Magician

Sorry it's so shaky, I was laughing so hard!

Fruit Loops

Who can guess where we are?!

Being treated.

Roc recruited Milo and Lizzy to play softball with a pick-up team. So, Roc had to treat us afterward to Lizzy's favorite treat place! BTW, they won!

The "J" man

Ethan requested a pic with Aunt Lizzy. : )

Delish! Custards, Italian ices, combinations...

Milo and Gigi holding her baby sized ice cream.

Compliments of Mimi

These outfits were souveneirs from Cali. Mimi went on a trip and brought them back, as you can imagine, Giana loves that they are silky. I can just see her begging to sleep with them.

Happy 10 years!

Man, we wanted to really do something cool for our 10 year mark. But, life happens. We were actually talking about what the first 10 years has brought us. We haven't gone anywhere overnight without kids in 8 years! To us, that was a testament of what phase of life we've been in for those first 10...baby making!
Anyways, we were able to go somewhere for the day. This week has been full of contention from different sources and it's been stressful. So, I said I really wanted to get away and relax on the beach. So, we went to Chals. It was great, we were actually able to fall asleep on the beach!!

Apparently, Roc couldn't open his eyes...nice.

We went to a restaurant that had some really good Po Boys. Roc got fish tacos, but they were a "No go". We had to send them back. But, he was able to upgrade to my food. So, we both ate Po Boys.

De-Lish!

Ironically, these were his tacos. As you can see, this was his first bite.

We finished our trip by eating at Ghirabaldi's, doin' the Slave Market thing, and eating Coconut ice cream at Haagen Das. We are both such foodies!

I'm putting this plug in for posterity...Marriage can either be the greatest thing-EVER! Or it can be the most miserable. The decision will be the most important decision you will make for EtErNiTy. So, make sure to approach it humbly, through prayer. Rocco, is the greatest gift I have ever recieved and ever will (other than eternal life). He compliments me beautifully, and I hope I do the same for him. You can have an idea of what you want in a companion. But, you do not truely know, however, the Lord knows ALL! I am full of gratitude and joy.

Hey Gabe!

Our nephew, Gabriel, stopped by for a visit today. He's actually been here for a week, but after recouping from my sistas being here...it took us awhile to get with it. He was relishing the fact that he was bigger than his aunts. I predict that it's only going to get worse! We wanted to make him feel at home, so Roc left him with the kids tonight to run out. Roc had to come rescue us from coupon drama! Thanks Gabe, I still can't believe you ate that whole strawberry pie!!

ANTICIPATION

Diva

Where does she come up with this stuff!

Blueberry Fields

When I found out that my Partner had never been blueberry picking, I had to fix that! We had a blast together. For some reason, we love going to pick things out of a garden. We're still trying to perfect that art! Jonah insisted on pretending to drink his empty YooHoo can. Compliments of Grandpapa.

I kept wondering why Ethan didn't have many blueberries; until I picked with him a little while. He was eating a lot and sharing.

This was actually all that we picked. This pic is ironic, b/c he tells me that he doesn't eat them.

Nice pj's Ethan! The irratic water fountain, a welcome addition.

I Wub Being A Girl!!!

I hate to be prideful...but what a gorgeous little girl, right?!

These are pics from a night that I took Amber to a Chick-A Princess Night. She got all dressed up in her dress up(you'll be seeing this again at Halloween). We went and she got to ride in a horse drawn carriage, get nails painted, face decorated, and get ice cream. It was so much fun to be with her alone. Me greatest hope is that I'll get to be best friends with 'my girls'.

Here she is being helped out.

On our way to the partay! She looks like a little movie star being chauffered! Love ya' girl!!

Childhood Flashbacks...Sand Pits

When Roc's family was young, they would often go to a place called the "sand pits". We decided to stop on Sat. I was apprehesive, this was my first encounter. But, before I knew it, Amber took off! Ever since we went, the kids (Roc included) can't stop talking about it! It seems like everyday, they ask to go back. Hah!!

This was the bottom, sorry my pics didn't do the steepness justice.

Babe- one of the many things I love about you is that you're still such a kid. I know we've been round and round about how to harness that for good. But, you've over come it. The finish product is a joy to watch. I'm so glad that in your maturing, you haven't lost what sets you apart. You make me so HAPPY! Love you...