Christmas 2009

ok I posted the pics backwards, AGAIN, but what else is new?

The first one is Serena's creation. She gathered leaves and twigs and such at my parents house one day and made this creation. We eventually put it in Grandma's tree and called it good. :)

The second one is Serena in the ball jumpy thing my parents picked out for Brandon. You blow it up and then it has all of 20 balls in it to play in....trust me 20 balls is nothing! In the third pic, there are 11 balls in there...but I must add the kids LOVE playing in it, balls or not, it is a hit! Thanks Poppy and Grandma! :)

The next two are my decorations....my 3 snowmen on our kitchen table (stayed in one piece despite the fact that Brandon climbs on the table from time to time) and our stockings and our wonderfully decorated mantle, along with some Christmas cards. I should take another picture now, I have more cards and I love the ones that are pictures. That is my goal for next year, to make my cards pictures like I have done in the past. I love to get pics of my friends and my family.

I have had that hideous strand of silver garland since Hayden and Kylie were little. I think it was one of our first decorations in this house, so it has to stay. Even though no one in the house but me and Serena just love it!

Christmas Nativities

These were just some of the Nativity sets at my parents church on Christmas Eve. Some were candles and some were wooden and some were marble. All of them unique in their own way. Beautiful. It was fun to show them to the children and have them find baby Jesus.

Hope you all had a wonderful Merry Christmas!

Update: 100 dollar Target Gift Card Contest

Well, I did not win. :(

I am kinda bummed about not winning, since I did put a lot of effort into trying to win it.

Oh well, right!? If there are more contests I will try to win them, I sort of liked the competition...and it gave me something to do when the boys napped! LOL

I was hoping to find an e-mail in my IN BOX with the subject line: Winner of 100$ Target Gift Card.....but it never was there...

Early Christmas Gift

Here is Kylie's early Christmas gift from us. Phoenyx (Kylie's spelling...) is a Bearded Dragon Lizard. He is just a baby maybe a few months old. She loves him a lot and she takes very good care of him. She wanted one after caring for one that Ponch brought home from work over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Birthdays in December!

Here is Hayden with Serena and Brandon opening his gift from us and his grandparents....a Sony PSP

Serena couldn't help herself to help him open it!

Grandma and Serena and Brandon...as she opens her reversible vest

silver on the outside and purple and black on the inside...

a movie for my mom: Julie and Julia....can't wait to watch it with her!

Hayden's birthday was December 9th and my mom's was the 11th. So, we went to my parent's house to celebrate both birthdays on the 11th. We had a good time and the birthday peeps loved their gifts, but loved getting together more!

Starbucks Gift Pack I Won!!!!

I actually won! I am so stoked! :) (doing the happy dance)....I got an e-mail this morning about winning my Starbucks Gift Set, which includes: 2 CD's (one is a Starbucks one and one is a Christmas one) a traveling case with reusable stir sticks, a travel mug, a ceramic mug, 7 different coffee's and a big bag of Starbucks Christmas Blend Beans and a cute red bag for it all to go in.

I have never won anything in my life, it has taken 37 years for this to happen!

I go to this website 805moms, it is for all the mom's in the 805 area...so I went one day to check my profile, it is kinda of like myspace, you have a profile and you can blog and you can add pictures...ok so on the home page of the site you can enter to win this Starbucks thing, all you have to do is make a comment on what YOU want for Christmas....the more times you enter the better chance you have to win. They also have a 100 dollar Target gift card you can win, the question is what do your KIDS want for Christmas...I have made more then 400 comments on that one, so I hope to win that too!

I am so happy I won! Now all I have to do is find my regular coffee maker...somewhere out in our "oh so organized garage"......

cross your fingers for me that I will win the Target Gift Card.....stay tuned in for the results on that one, they pick the winner at random on December 20th!

Random Pics

me and my baby

Serena in the back and this is Lorelei, she is one of the children I babysit

My Serena

Serena and Brandon....he looks so guilty, like the cat that ate the canary!

Here is Brandon and Wyatt, the other child I babysit. They just happen to be "twins" this day! We have the same set of onsies from Carters....aren't they cute??? I usually refer to these cute kids as my Gingers hence the red hair! They are here usually Monday - Thursdays and sometimes on Fridays. Lorelei goes to pre-school Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until 1:00 and Wyatt is here all day every day. This has been a learning time for all the children. Brandon has learned to share all of his toys with Wyatt, whom he calls Sorry....since he has to say he is sorry when he is not nice, LOL

So I might change the name of my blog to Melani's Daycare....just kidding! I like the name the way it is!

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

Ponch and I decided to take the little kids to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library today. It was cold but so worth the trip. We are all coughing still but I don't think we are contagious.



Here is me with Serena and Brandon by the huge Christmas tree that was by Air Force One.

Huge plane ...Brandon loved every minute of it and even got a small replica at the gift store

Here I am with the kids and this Uncle Sam character, LOL

They have Christmas Trees on display of all the different countries ....this is the one from China

Can't remember where these are from but every tree was so beautiful and had the most interesting decorations on them.

Little wooden figurines that look like they are singing Christmas Carols...

There were so many different things on display and for us to take the time to read them was just not happening today, since we had Serena and Brandon. Here are all the medals that were on display.

It was really inexpensive for us to go, which is why we chose to go.....the Christmas Trees of Around The World display is for a limited time only and we really wanted to see those trees and we are so glad we did!

Christmas Poem

Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan andKwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday !*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet during the
holidays a
"MERRY CHRISTMAS"
Christ is The Reason for the Christmas Season!

How to peel a potato video

This was sent to me by my friend's mom:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4W0qIPJmoo



This is a funny, kind of weird, over the top, video on how to peel a potato and I wanted to share it with all of you.

I am going to try it the next time I make mashed potatoes, looks like it is easy. Wish I would have had this before Thanksgiving, but there is always next year.

Just watch the video for the entertainment value it is quirky! Enjoy!

Brandon's Stitches ~ Again

Last Sunday, Hayden, Brandon and I went on a walk. Brandon rode his favorite Spider-Man pushy toy on the sidewalk. He kept stopping fast and almost going over the top doing a face plant...well that is exactly what he did and he needed stitches on his chin, that was cut open.

Here is my baby boy, you can't tell in this first pic, but he has stitches on his chin.

This one is a close up to show his lip has an owie, too. His snaggle tooth, the one he chipped a few months ago, it went into his lip and was bleeding all over the place....along with his chin...

He originally got 3 stitches in his chin....when we got home he removed one of the stitches himself! I think the numbing medicine was wearing off and he was bugged and just picked until it came out...The Dr didn't want to see him unless he gets an infection, which bothered me at first, because I am such the worry wart! But, he seems to be doing fine, no infection and the stitches are the kind that dissolve, so we don't have to go back and have them removed, thank God!

Happy Birthday Ponch!

Well, Turkey Day was last Thursday and Ponch's Birthday was the next day, the 27th! So, a belated Happy Birthday To Ponch! on my blog....I am sad to say I have no pics of the wonderful day.....I forgot my camera (what else is new???) and my dad was taking pics with his new camera and didn't save a one.....guess we didn't have good communication that I needed those pics for my blog, LOL

so.....he got some XBox 360 stuff he wanted and he got a German Chocolate Cake that said Happy Birthday Ponch! in bright green frosting. The cake was a hit, wonderful and yummy and everyone enjoyed it. I don't think Ponch or the kids had ever had a German Chocolate Cake.

I have more posts to do so keep checking back, and I promise to have some pics next time, :)

Thanksgiving 2009

Here is our wonderful turkey!

Serena in Mommy's apron, ready to help!

Starting to get stuff to set the table...

Here I am, cheesy smile and all! I was getting ready to baste the turkey for the first time and thought we better take some pictures! So, we only got pics of me and Serena...LOL the big kids stayed in PJ's and someone didn't have make-up on...and Brandon actually slept thru our wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.

Making the mashed potatoes. We had a nice time cooking and eating and the weather was wonderful, I couldn't have asked for anything more this day. Thanking God for my wonderful family is a must! I am also thankful we are all together on this day.

Andy's Birthday Party ~ Nov. 15th

These are pics from oh a week and like 3 days ago... I am getting more current, just hang in there, LOL Here is my sister-in-law, Belinda and her son Andy, celebrating his 2nd birthday and her daughter Brianna. Click here to see when he was just a newborn.

Look at that smile! And Serena eating her pop-sickle!

Cyrus, Brandon, Andy and Serena. She looks like she is trying to get out of the way, LOL

Here we are singing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy. We had fun and they even had a jolly jump for the kids. It is neat to see all the little dudes around the same age, all growing up.

Kylie's Soccer Days ~ past

I could not resist doing a post on Kylie's Soccer days! I have this picture, which is actually a players card, on my counter in the kitchen so I see it every day! She was only 7 when she first started!

Here is her last season playing soccer! She was 13! She played Fall and Spring seasons for almost 7 years! Give or take one hear and there when I was busy with babies...LOL She has had so many cool jerseys, one time even pink! Never did get the horrible neon green, but if she played now and had that color I bet she would love it! Soccer is a great sport, I love it!

Serena's Soccer Days ~ 2009

Here is the button I got to wear during her first season of soccer, I am so proud!

Here is her trophy: Girls US AYSO Region 68 2009 and that soccer ball spins!

Here is her piece of the team banner. For those of you who don't know what this is I will explain. You pay some money to the team mom and she gets a cool banner for the team, with their team name on it and traditionally their name over or under a soccer ball. Then, at the team party, someone cuts up the banner and gives the girls their name with the soccer ball....I think I should have saved these from Kylie's soccer days and made a quilt! LOL anyways, here is Serena's.

Here is her team, coach and assistant coach. From left to right: Serena, Alexiz, Lalani, Chantel, Jazlyn and Donella. You can't really see it, but in the middle of the banner is a glass slipper...so cute!

Putting Away Halloween Decorations

Ok so I had a huge long post I was going to do to accompany these cute pics...you know about putting away Halloween decorations and the kids climb into the 20 gallon container, they look cute so I take a few pics and then forget they are on the camera. LOL

Guess I won't be getting any Mother of The Year Award anytime soon for that will I!

I also have to take some pics of Serena's soccer trophy ....I just am behind, guess I need to change my blogs name to "Catching up with Serena and Brandon..." or something like that, since I can't seem to post anything on time!

So, my goal is to post every day....starting this week. I will catch up and post her trophy tomorrow and then try to move on to more current things...well soccer only ended at the beginning of this month, so I am not that far behind! Well, I am busy working (babysitting from home Mon-Thurs) and I also babysit for 2 hours on Fridays at my church....no to mention I am home with children ALL the time, so I just need to make the time to post, right?!

I want to get Thanksgiving pictures on here by Friday and then move on to other fun stuff.