Clara turned 2!

My sweet little baby...well she is definitely not a baby...turned 2 the beginning of December. She was so lucky to have cousins visiting to help celebrate during a family birthday party and then had a great time with her friends a few days later. All she wanted was cupcakes and that is all she ate for dinner. She certainly was saving room for dessert. :) Clara is such a joy to have in the family. She talks like crazy, is always willing to give a big hug and kiss, loves to follow her older brother and sister around, & has us all wrapped around her little finger.

So excited to have all the attention as we sing happy birthday!

To Clara a party is not complete without cupcakes.

She was so excited to get her bike. Her mom was really excited too...now my back won't hurt from having to bend over as I push her on one of Alex's or Sammy's bikes.

Playing dress-up is at the top of her list of favorite things to do. Isn't she a doll?! She clanks around the house in those fancy shoes.

Getting ready for a fun friend party. She had a dog themed birthday...she loves dogs. Why do all my children love dogs and I can't stand them?

Grandma Hobbs' Visit-Thanksgiving 2009!

We were so lucky to have Grandma Hobbs come visit us! We had such a blast! Here are some of the highlights.
Beaches...we went to the beach two days while she was here; Deerfield Beach & South Beach. We played in the sand, buggie-boarded, collected shells, & soaked up some sun.

My mom and I went snorkeling down in Key Largo. My mom loved snorkeling in the open sea. Me on the other hand, I got a little disoriented and froze my buns off. It was only in the upper 70s, which is cold for this Florida girl.

You can't come to Florida with out seeing some alligators. Notice how much Alex is actually touching the gator.

My mom has no fear and would try almost anything!

Thanksgiving dinner. It was so helpful having my mom there to help prepare it. Could have never done it without her. I don't have a picture of one of my favorite things we did...Black Friday shopping...Thanks mom! You are a great sport!

Family Photo Shoot-November 2009

As a fundraiser for Young Women our ward offered a family photo shoot. I wasn't in love with the family shots, but there were some really cute ones of the kids...and of course a great Christmas card photo. Here are some of my favorites.
What a handsome boy!

Amazing to catch brother-sister love on camera.

Sammy is all grown up.

Clara had blast posing for these pictures.

My sweet hubby and I. Still in love after 9 years.

One big happy family...at least for this one picture :)

Halloween

We had a great Halloween! With Trunk-or-treating, class parties, trick-or-treating, & the Sugar Fairy everyone was happy.

Clara was our sweet ballerina. She kept pointing our her ballet shoes to everyone.

Samantha picked her costume according to what she thought was the most fancy...the spanish princess won.

Alex was Speed Racer. I bought the costume a size too big, but that didn't stop him from running from house to house.

We went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. The kids received way too much candy, so the Sugar showed up the next morning took it all and left a wonderful toy in it's place. Happy ending for both parent and child.

Here are a few of the things we have been up to....

Bike ridding. Clara can't reach the peddles, but still insists on either George or I pushing her around the block. My poor aching back...she is sure getting one that we can push for her birthday.

The kids were so patient to make a temple trip with me (George was forced to work). So as a reward we went to Downtown Disney. They thought this was so much fun...can you imagine how excited they would be at Disney World? Someday. :)

Clara and Sammy found the princesses quickly. Any everyone HAD to bring home a souvenir.

Alex's first field trip. He is the one in the back with his hand raised. He had a blast!

Clara painted for the first time. Now I know why I have waited so long...it was a mess as you can see.

Carving the pumpkin with dad a few days before Halloween. We kept Mr. Jack-o-lantern inside until Halloween. They rot rather quickly out here.