CHristmas Lights

So we went to the Old mission Inn, over in Riverside, Last weekend (or was it the weekend before? yikes! I'm getting old...). We went so we could see the lights and the kids could sit on Santa's lap, we heard it was worth the horrible traffic, parking, and crowds... and what we heard, was correct! The lights were BEAUTIFUL! altho i'm getting ahead of myself...

First off we told Rocco where we were going and he got super excited about it, and his excitement must have been contagious, because I was bouncing in my seat, and even Zeegan was happy and for once not complaining about being in her car-seat. We got there and just walking up the block toward the light displays we could tell it would all be worth it. As I said before, the lights were BEAUTIFUL!

BUT, the line for Santa was about half a million kids long, so we told our kiddos a little lie and said Santa was taking a nap and we'd have to come back another time... Don't Judge! It's not the first lie we've told about the fat jolly old man, and it probably wont be the last... but I did feel a little bit guilty about not waiting in line... awww shucks! Oh Well! --- Like I said; Don't Judge! Tis the season!

So we walked around the block and enjoyed the lights. Rocco just about died of excitement when he saw the life size train with lights and decorations and all the works. The only thing that could top that, was when he saw a real live Reindeer (speaking of Santa and reindeer; just wait til you hear the story of when we actually did take Rocco to sit on Santa's lap this year... let's just say there was a real dead reindeer!). Rocco made us stand in the cold by the reindeer cage for probably 15 minutes til we finally dragged him away, because it was too cold to be standing still! He loved it! We loved it! Christmas is such a fun time of year...

Last Beach Day 2010

So a couple weeks back it was unseasonally warm and sunny one day, and luckily it just happened to be Seth's day off school that week. So we decided to hit the beach! It was SUCH a beautiful day! The sky and the water were gorgeous. The beach was warm and, surprisingly, not very windy (which is usually my chief complaint when it comes to beach days). The water was just as freezing as ever, but I suppose that's to be expected in November...

Zeegan once again proved she belongs in our family! Like her brother before her, she loves the beach! She LOVED the feel of the sand between her toes, but HATED the water (which is actually the opposite of how Rocco felt at that age; we could hardly keep him out of the water, but he was scared of the sand...).

It was such a fun day and i'm just so grateful and happy we were able to enjoy it together as a family! If this year has taught me anything, it is that family time is soooo important and that we should take advantage of the opportunities we have to spend time together, because when those times are few and far between, you suddenly realize just how special happy-memory-making-together-time is!!!

Thanksgiving 2010

Okay, so this is a month+ late, but what's that saying? better late than never?!

So we spent Thanksgiving this year at Seth's Aunt Geneil's home, and it was a blast! TONS of food! All kinds of fun new things, not to mention all the traditional Thanksgiving yummys! Seth's cousin, Steffani, make this pecan brownie pie thing that was absolutely HEAVENLY! I still need to get that recipe... I made my usual pumpkin roll (Thank-you Mother for that fabulous recipe! It's always a hit...). All the kids had so much fun playing with the bucket loads of toys at the Vines home and all the guys (and Zeegan) enjoyed watching the football game on the big screen... And me? Well I got out our games and had a GREAT time playing the train game, Settlers, and a couple others... So much Fun!

After the dinner and games with the family, we went home and gave Zeegan her first taste of rice cereal! She thought she'd died and gone to heaven! She was smiling and giggling and just couldn't get enough of it...

The next day we got our Christmas tree and Seth and Rocco decorated it. Rocco is such a great little decorator! Zeegan had so much fun watching Rocco, you would've thought she was the one doing all the decorating, with all the smiles she was sharing...

I am so thankful for this time of year when we are reminded of all we have to be grateful for! I'm thankful for my wonderful husband and children! I'm so glad Seth was able to have the holiday off and able to spend time with us, making fun memories! I'm thankful to be so loved in my family, and in Seth's family (who all make me feel as if I've always been a part of the family). I'm thankful we've made it about halfway through our third year of medical school, without too many casualties. I'm thankful for so much I could just keep going on listing things i'm grateful for, forever and ever! But what I am most thankful for is the gospel and the blessing it brings in my life! I'm so grateful for a temple sealing that will keep me and those I love most in this world, together forever!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

Crazy Heads and Head Shots!

Well the story I'm about to tell actually happened a few weeks back, but it's a funny one (to us), so I don't want to forget it, and as I am putting all my blog posts into a book at the end of the year, I think this is the perfect way to make sure it will not be forgotten...

So Seth and I were kind of in an argument the other night (over something pretty stupid), and we were driving and talking/arguing and finally we just went into silent mode for a couple minutes and suddenly I hear from the backseat:

"Mommy, don't be mad at Daddy!"

(Pause Pause Pause)

"He's just"

(pause)

"Crazy!"

Haha! He's such a smart kid! It was so funny, it was like he had to pause and think of the right word to describe his Daddy, and I think he got it spot-on! Hee-hee!

Well, it probably goes without saying that I just couldn't stay mad after that! So what's the moral of this story? if ever you feel mad at someone, just remember- Don't be mad, He's just crazy!!!!

On a different note; Do ya like Rocco's cute pictures!?!

After church a couple weeks back, I was trying to keep him quiet so Zeegan could take a nap, so we went outside and did a photo-shoot! I think they turned out pretty cute, so I'm going to enter one of them into a Toddler modeling contest I heard about today. Only problem is, I can only enter one photo, so the question now is: Which one?! Please cast your vote and let me know....

(P.S. I know he's not really smiling in most these pictures, but of the whole bunch that I took, these were pretty much the only ones where he wasn't "smoldering"... So, maybe consider his "Smolder" pictures when helping me decide which picture to send in)

Sammy's Home

Two years ago, Rocco's very Bestest best buddy, and Seth's youngest brother; Samuel, left on his mission to serve in the Salvador South mission of Brazil.

Now, Two moves (Gramma and Grampa Petersen and Fred and Kylene), Two Babies (Lukie and Zeegan), and Two Years, later, Sammy has returned!

Sammy came home October 29th. I got lost on my way to the airport (my sense of direction is non-existent), so we weren't there when Sammy came through the gates, shucks... But when we did see him (in the terminal drop-off area), it was like he'd never left. Rocco was just like "Hey Sammy" gave him a hug and went back to playing with his toys...

After the airport, all the family met back at Fred and Kylene's, for Lunch- Mexican food! Sammy was really missing it....

Zeegan is copying her brother- She LOVES Uncle Sammy!

Grampa was really getting in on all the excitement! Bouncing off the walls....

Zeegan tried to prove she comes from the Petersen family and went after the first Diet Coke she saw....

So on Sunday, was Sammy's homecoming. I heard he gave a wonderful talk, but I missed it, as I was out dancing the halls with Zeegan who didn't want to sit still. After church, Family and Friends of Sammy, had lunch/dinner at Fred and Kylene's. Zeegan LOVED all the attention she was getting from EVERYONE! She was all smiles, most of the day...

We are glad Sammy's back, we missed him!

The Smolder

Those who know me really well, know that I am a huge princess fan. I dream of being a princess when I grow up, I have almost every line in every disney princess movie memorized, I've read pretty much every version of every Princess fairytale out there, I LOVE PRINCESS STORIES!

So at the end of this month, Disney's new princess movie, TANGLED, is being released to theaters. So of course I've been watching the trailers and previews and getting so excited for it!

Well, Rocco's been watching them with me. And one thing you'll see on these trailers is when Flynn Rider, the thief, gives Rapunzel the "smolder"... that is Rocco's VERY favorite part of each and every preview. If we watch one that is missing "The Smolder" he gets upset... and now, every time I take a picture, instead of smiling, he Smolders....

Here's that trailer, if you wanna see what I'm talking about....

Happy Halloween 2010

For Halloween we wanted Rocco and Zeegan to be a 3 Musketeer and a Renaissance Princess. I found the outfits I liked (pictured above) and then Kylene created herself a pattern and Sewed them right up for us! Personally, I think Kylene's versions are even better than the ones we were trying to copy cat! My babies turned out looking SOOOO cute!

Rocco's class at play-school got all dressed up in their costumes and then went trick-or-treating to all the teachers, he had so much fun!

Friday night our ward did a Halloween party and we took the kids all dressed up and let Rocco trunk-or-treat! It was lots of fun with lots of friends and funny costumes!

Saturday and Sunday we just spent time with the family! The kids all got dressed up and did crafts, and played fun halloween games, and we all ate lots of yummy food and had some hilarious conversations!

After the trick-or-treating, ZZ and I, were all tuckered out, so we played on the floor while the kids counted their candies... such a fun holiday!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!