Tepanyaki!!

My mom and Dean took me and my sisters and our hubbies out to eat for a Christmas present. We got to pick where we all wanted to go...and of course we picked Tepanyaki. If you know my family, then you know we all LOVE this place. It did not let down, it was delicious as always. We weren't going to take any kids but the Cano's were working that night and couln't watch them so we left Carson with Rosemary (Thiago's little sister) and took Lincoln with us. I purposely held off on giving him an afternoon nap in hopes that he would just sleep on through. No such luck, the boy woke up 20 minutes after we got there. We had to wait for an hour for a table, so by the time we got seated he was ready to be fed. So lucky me got to head into the girls room to give him a quick snack. They luckily had this little wooden chair there, that I sat on to feed him. I got some weird looks, most people just politely smiled at me but there was a group of teenage girls that looked at me like I was some kind of whacko. Oh the joys of nursing. He was very quick about it though, and we were back at the table in no time. All in all it was a great night. Thanks mom and Deano!!




Cute little guy...he was very interested in the light hanging above our table. Stared at the whole time.


Another cute picture of him before we left our house.

A Merry Little Christmas...

Our family had a very merry little Christmas this year. I don't narrow down pictures all to well, so once again I have about a million. I just love the memories that go along with them, so I am a little camera happy. Anyways, the first few pictures are of us and our boys...just getting a little love before we head off for all the parties.





I just could not love anyone more than these three people. I know I say that all the time, but WOW. What are the holidays really, if they are not spent with the people you love. I feel like the most blessed person ever to have these three little men in my life. This year was so special for me, Carson truly got Christmas this year...watching his little eyes light up and the excitement that he carried around with him. How can you not feel the spirit of Christmas when looking at a little child. And Lincoln...well I never would have thought last year at this time, that I would be a new mom again. What a blessing these babies are to me...I love them!


Spent Christmas Eve at Grandpa Cherries like we always do. Tons of family and great food, and the kids all get to open three presents. Once from each set of great-grandparents and pj's from their grandmas. So much fun...thanks to all my extended family. Love you all so much, and Christmas would not be the same without you. Here is Lincoln getting a little cuddle time with grandma.


Me and Lincoln opening his first present...he was just so dang excited. Ha-ha. Truly though he was an angel all night long. Just sat and looked around. Ooh, I love that baby!


My little man opening his Buzz Lightyear. Dang thing, funny story about Buzz. Carson's cousin Lance has one, and Carson has been eyeing it for awhile now. We decided to get it for him from grandpa Cherry. Well, I have done a very good job of not letting Carson see any of his presents. Didn't want to ruin the whole "Santa" experience for him. So he has not seen me buy anything or wrap anything. Which has meant some very late nights for me lately..oh well, you do it for the cause. Anyways..I was getting the presents out from under the tree that we needed to take with on Christmas Eve and I was handing them to Carson to go and put by our back door. Well I handed him Buzz all wrapped up, and the dang thing starts to talk. Carson's face just lit up, and he says "Its Buzz". I sit there with a stupid shocked expression on my face, and say "you don't know that". He gives me this sweet little patronizing look and says "mommy, it is too buzz". And then he just starts laughing. It was hilarious...so much for trying to keep a secret.


Every year the kids all get their Christmas pj's, we divide them into groups cause their is ALOT of great-grandkids. Here is our attempt at a picture for the younger boys. Half are not even in the picture and the other half aren't looking or smiling. Didn't get a picture of Lincoln in his, wasn't fast enough.


Okay, on to Christmas morning...so much fun this year. First year that Carson has woke up on his own and wanted to head out and see what Santa brought. In the past we have to wake him, so he is still ornery and tired. He just ran out there and dug right in. He had a grand time opening not only his, but Lincoln's as well. He got just as excited over some of Lincoln's things as his own.


Checking out the stocking...for some reason my stocking has always been my favorite part about Christmas. Kind of the prelude of things to come...love it!


Lincoln with some of his stocking stuffers...he loved it. Thiago kept saying that Lincoln's stuff was more my presents then Lincoln's. Since I am the one that will be using it all. Oh well.


Me and my sock... Santa was good to his favorite girl this year!


Some of Carson's favorites include...elmo chair, Buzz, batmobile, little microphone and a going fishing game.


I just thought this picture was funny...Carson making sure he got all the presents from under the tree. Those are his two little legs sticking out there.


My little Christmas angels...Lincoln was getting fussy...which exlains his expression.


Lincoln's stash...kinda ridiculous for a month old baby. Can't help myself.


After we are done at our house and get ready we head off to the Cano's for breakfast and more presents. Little family in front of their Christmas tree.


Carson on present overlaud. Poor kid, I think the early morning was starting to get to him. He just kinda sat there with this dazed expression for a little while.


Vovo and her boys...their is not a grandma that loves her kids more than this one. She is so good to my little ones, they are so very fortunate to have her. I don't know where we would be without her.


Cute little Christmas elf...


Then off to my moms for dinner with her family and more presents. Honestly I am not going to lose the rest of this baby weight if I keep eating like this. So much food... Here is my mom and Lincoln opening her present to him. She gave each of the kids a Hallmark ornament and christmas book. Such a sweet idea...they get so many toys that they all kind of blur together. This way they can remember and have a special memory about that particular present. Carson's was batman...he loved it!


Baby Elle and Lincoln enjoying their first Christmas.


And finally off to my dads for more food and presents. I loved this picture, we don't see my dad a whole lot. However the little boys just love him. He is so good to them, he got all daughters and always was excited for the day he would get grandsons. He got them the cutest presents and loves to play and wrestle with them. He is such a good grandpa. Well thats us...hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. Always sad to see this season come to an end, but I think that is what makes it so special. It is so long-awaited and so magical. Thank-you to everyone that made our holiday so special...we love you all and wish you a very happy 2009.

Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas friends!!! Hope you all have a very happy and safe holiday filled with wonderful memories.

First Day of Church

Most of us were happy about it...3 out of 4 ain't bad!





We finally returned to church after a 6 week absence. Thiago has been going to just his classes, cause he teaches Sunday School. However, me and the boys have not been going. I obviously haven't wanted Carson to go cause their are so many germs in nursery, and I didn't want to bring those home to Lincoln. We went to sacrament this last Sunday and the first hour of our classes. I didn't want to miss sacrament on the Sunday before Christmas. So I just made sure Lincoln was fed and happy, that way he didn't have to come out of his carseat at all...and we were off. It went very well, and I thought my boys looked so dang cute in their little red and black outfits. Carson pitched a fit about staying in nursery by himself. That kinda bums me out cause he was doing so well on his own. They recently split our ward and we are with completely new people now, which has made Carson very nervous. He was kinda doing okay before we quit going and now he is right back to where we started. Sigh!! Oh well, he is a sunbeam at the first of the year, so hopefully that will work out okay.

All lit up!

Me and Jen decided to take the little ones just over to Layton Park to see the Christmas lights. Every year we say we should go down to Temple Square, yet every year we don't. I never want to deal with all of the people and parking and all of that. Carson doesn't care where we go as long as there is lights, so I figure Layton Park is as good as anywhere else. Nice and close, and it is pretty small so we can walk through a couple of times and be done before we freeze.


No worries..Lincoln stayed with his grandma and grandpa while we were gone. Nice and warm.


Thiago had a soccer game that night so he went to that, while Jen and I took the boys to that new pizza place in Syracuse. It was really good, way crowded. It was surprisingly pretty fast though, we didn't have to wait very long. Which is good, considering the boys were so excited and jumping up and down like crazy people.


Then Thiago met up with us and we headed over to the lights. It was Friday night, after we got all that snow. So it was freezing, Carson didn't mind though. He would walk right through the snow banks. The snow came up to his little waist and he didn't care.


Me and Jen



The sign said to not get by the displays, but do you think Carson cared about that. He just walked right in, there wasn't anyone around really so I just let him. Whatever.


On a side note...here I am showing off my domestication. If that is even a word. I made these little peppermint cookies to take around to our neighbors. I am not a baker, but these turned out really cute. And I thought they were very good. Carson agreed!!

One month old....already!

Before you were conceived I wanted you...
Before you were born I loved you...
Before you were here an hour I would die for you...
This is the miracle of life.

Happy 1-month old my little love, we are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Gingerbread Houses, good enough to eat!

Sad but true...this is something I have never done up until this year. We used to decorate sugar cookies when I was little, but never gingerbread houses. Well I am lazy and didn't want to go to all the trouble and mess of making my own cookies like my mom used to. Soooo, in comes the premade gingerbread house kits. They come with everything and are pretty cheap, so it worked out great.


Cars and me checking out our supplies.


Thiago got so into it, I was surprised. Usually I kinda take over (shocker right) and he just sits and watches me. However I was fussin with Lincoln for the first little bit, so him and Carson just went at it. Carson actually spent most of the time licking the frosting, it was pretty good. I tried it too. Thiago was appauled, he thought we were both so disgusting for eating it.


Lincoln enjoying the festivites..


After about five minutes of that, this is how we found him. I was happy he fell asleep so we could really decorate without worrying about him.


Carson decorated one of the cookies that came with it, this is what it looked like. Yum!! He insisted we include it on the house, so we stuck it on the back. That way you couldn't really see it, but Carson was happy.



Finished product..beautiful right??