Christmas Day

Christmas day was finally here. The kids had been anxiously counting down the days on their snowman calendar and finally it was here. Chris and I woke up to the sound of little feet running across the hardwood and as we left our room we looked downstairs and the two of them were sitting by the Christmas tree with their laptop computers open. They were talking with each other and having such a great time. It was truly what Christmas morning is all about. The kiddos finished opening their presents and man did they make out. We all received a Wii gaming system from Al and Jeanne, but Jack was the most excited! He wanted to hook it up immediately. Samantha was so happy she got her Barbies and earrings. It was nice to just be home and watch them enjoy their new toys. We went to my mom and dad's for dinner and we had a Wii bowling challenge there. Needless to say it was a great Christmas for all of us! Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

For Christmas Eve we went to my mom and dad's house for dinner. The kids looked so cute all dressed up for the holidays. They were so excited to open presents and get things ready for Santa to come visit. We got an extra special treat this year, Santa came to our house at ten o'clock at night to see the children! They were so surprised and in awe they did not know what to say. It was so sweet to see Samantha tell Santa to come inside because she had just poured him some milk. Jack looked in his eyes and told him what a good boy he had been and then with that they said good bye to Dasher and Santa was back to delivering presents. The kids were so amazed that they immediately ran upstairs to their beds and it was lights out! It was truly a magical experience.

Gingerbread house

Every year we have a neighborhood book exchange where all the kids draw names and then they buy books for each other and have a party. This year we decided to create gingerbread houses for every house in the cul du sac and make a gingerbread replica of our neighborhood. Well I try not to complaion about crafts, but this one was a pain! The icing would not stick to the house and half of the candy would not stay on. I thought is was just me, but most of the other mom's had the same problem. In the end it all worked out like it always does and the finished product was great. To see all the houses lined up was so much fun for the kids and the grown ups. Not sure if this tradition will stick around though :0)

Santa Visit

One of our favorite things to do at the holiday times is to go visit Santa Claus. The kiddos were so excited that we barely made it through dinner before they were going to burst. We had dinner with our friends the Brassell's and then we all headed over to wait in line to see the big guy. The kids were really good while we waited and once we saw the pictures it was well worth the wait. Jack hoped right up next to Santa and told him his deep desire to have an Apple computer and while Samantha was a little more timid, she did not hesitate to tell Santa that she would like earrings and a Barbie. It was so sweet to see both of their eyes sparkle at the thought that the Santa elf was going to go back to the "real" Santa and let him know that they have been good and they will share with each other. It has been such a hectic week that this moment made up for it all.

Hockey Night

As you all can tell we love hockey in the Sloan household. So we decided it was time that Samantha experience her first real hockey game. We went to a college game at Denver University and she loved it! They always play cool music and everytime DU scored she would yell "GOAL" and start jumping around! Both Jack and Samantha have been big hockey fans since they were little guys and it was great to be able to take them to see a live game. As you see what can be better at a hockey game than cotton candy. We all had a blast!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We started the day off at Al and Jeanne's with Kim and the girls. It was great to see everyone and let the kids play. Then it was off to my mom and dad's house and it was a nice surprise to have my brother and Lisa show up from Pueblo late in the night. It was a fun day for all, but the kiddos were exhausted on the drive home and went right to bed! We miss everyone and we hope you all enjoyed one another. We are thankful for you all! Happy Turkey Day!

Two Year Pics

Ok I know it took a little longer than usual, but I finally got Samantha's two year old pictures taken. They were worth the wait because we think they turned out great. It was actually the very first photo shoot of her life that she smiled from the very beginning all the way to the end. She was a lot of fun this time and it truly shows in her pictures. Hopefully she will do the same for Christmas pictures with Jack :0)

Amazing weather

Ok can I just say that we are having amazing weather here in Colorado. The last two days have been 70, but tomorrow it is suppose to be 40 :0( On this glorious day while Jack was in school Samantha and I decided to head to the park. She had so much fun on the swings and going down the slide. It was just such a wonderful day to be outside. We are not looking forward to tomorrow!

YUMMY!

We decided to take a trip to the pool with the kiddos and since we were all in the pool together, no pictures were taken of our fun time. The kids were great and Jack crossed the water logs while holding on to the Tarzan rope without falling into the water! Yea, he was so excited because he was not big enough the last time we were there. It was just one of those great family nights, so when we left the pool we decided it was a brownie night. At the store we found these individual packs that you can heat in the microwave and have instant brownies. Yes, they were quick and easy and the little people fell in love with them (so did Chris and I :0) We had to celebrate this new found joy and share it with the world! Yummo!

Avalanche Hockey Game

Jack's school sold Avalanche tickets for a reduced price so we thought this would be a great time for Jack to go to his first Avalanche game. Now he has been to many hockey games, but not an NHL game. He is a BIG hockey fan and we kept it a secret from him all week, but we told him that we had something special planned for him. On the night of the game he was about to explode, so at dinner Chris and I finally broke down and told him he was going to an Avalanche game. He was so excited and was grinning from ear to ear. We had such a wonderful night! The Avalanche won the game 1-0 and we got to see lots of action. The seats weren't that great, but to see Jack so happy was well worth the not so great seats! GO AVS!

Halloween Night

What a great Halloween this year! The weather was absolutely spectacular and everyone was out and about. The kids got all dressed up in their costumes and after dinner we hit the streets. Jack was an old pro so after Samantha watched at the first house she was off and running. She was so cute, she went up to the door and in her sweetest Tinker bell voice would say, "Trick or Treat" and when they put the candy in her pumpkin she lit up with joy and would yell thank you. It was absolutely adorable. The little guys made it half the way and then we let the older ones stay out longer. Jack got to go in a haunted house that one of the neighbors had made in his garage and it turned out to be his baseball coach. The night ended at the neighbors where all the mom's had decorated the basement spooky for the kiddos. I have to say this was the best Halloween in a long time and everyone had a great time!