It's Great to be Eight!!

I can't believe Lincoln is eight years old. Each year he grows up so much, and this year was no exception. This last year he has loved mountain biking, hiking on the bluff behind our house, playing baseball (a new favorite!), and he is becoming quite the swimmer. The big excitement this year was that he wanted a wave board - not the kind for a ski boat, but the kind that is a two-wheeled skateboard. He kept telling us how he was sure that he wouldn't get it. We did nothing to discourage the idea. Instead we kept telling him that he would probably get a metronome since they needed one for piano. He didn't think this was very funny.

He had a great day, and we hid his favorite present so that he wouldn't suspect anything. He is looking forward to being baptized when Grandma and Grandpa Wagner get home. His toothless grin always brings a smile to my face.

Happy Holidays!

The holiday season is always one of the craziest for sure, but it is SO MUCH FUN! I love the parties, the programs, the goodies, and the spirit of the season. This year we have really loved watching Emma perform in Showtime. She has been so excited to be a part of this group and has gone from not wanting to have any attention on her to wanting a solo. She has also made a really good friend in the group, and they had a great time performing together.

This year we also started a new tradition of beginning 12 days before Christmas and reading a Christmas story together. Some are more meaningful stories than others, but it has quickly become my favorite tradition. With each passing year the season seems to fly by more quickly. It seems that by the time Christmas came both Ted and I were exhausted and felt like we hadn't really enjoyed the season. This year has been different. Every night we have been forced to slow down enough to sit quietly and read a story. The kids love it, I love the time together as a family, and it has been a way to solidify to our kids what this season is all about.

However, the season wouldn't be complete without the Christmas picture. In years past this has at times been most unpleasant. By the end of the picture everyone was upset, and the spirit of Christmas was the furthest thing from our home. This year we decided to make it much less structured, and we all were laughing. No, the photos aren't the best, but the experience was far better than usual. I'll take an imperfect photo anytime so long as we are all laughing at the end and still enjoying being together.

We hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas. We love you all and want you to know how grateful we are for each of you in our lives.

Tessa found the plants!

Tessa has discovered the joy of gardening - or at least the joy of dirt. If ever it is quiet I know where to look for her. I would move the plant, but it needs the sunlight, and it is pretty big. We'll see if it survives my lack of gardening skills, and then if it can survive Tessa!

Being tagged!

Jessie "tagged" me a couple of weeks ago - okay, more than a month ago. I had to laugh when she told me that I was supposed to write six things about myself and then tag six others for their blogs. The only problem is that I only know one person with a blog ---Jessie! However, better late than never, right? My six facts are:

1. I love Sudoku puzzles. I do them every single night. They have helped me get my mind to stop racing and fall asleep. I absolutely love them. When we were on vacation over the summer, Glen did a puzzle out of my book in record time like it was the easiest thing ever. Every night I try to beat his record. I'll let you know when it happens.

2. I love taking pictures. I have taken a few that I really love, but only because they are of people I love. I love pictures that are not completely posed and show the personality of an individual. It is quickly becoming one of my favorite pastimes.

3. I love to tackle big projects. I like learning how to tile a floor, painting a giant room. redoing baseboards, etc. They won't turn out perfectly (at least not for me), but I love figuring out how things are done and learning a new skill. I only wish I could keep my eyes from darting to every mistake when I walk into a room!

4. I hate snakes. There have not been a lot, but a few is more than enough for me. One day Sam asked me if he could go out and touch the snake that was on our porch. I told him that it was just a stick because I was certain it wasn't really a snake. I was wrong. When I came over to look, I saw a three or four foot snake warming itself on our patio. I quickly took a picture to look up whether it was poisonous. It wasn't, but just the way it slithered away gave me the creeps. I thought I was the worst with this until I saw Ted jump when he found a snake in our garage. I guess it is pretty unanimous - we are all afraid of snakes!

5. I have a love/hate relationship with the deer. I hate that my tulips are always eaten and that my bushes tend to be stripped bare. I love that they eat my tulips and that my bushes are food for them. Now that I have a few more deer resistant plants my yard doesn't just look like a feeding ground, either.

6. There are two shows that I watch every week. The Office, and The Biggest Loser. One makes me laugh until I cry, and the other show inspires me until I cry. Either way, Ted and I love watching these shows. Admittedly, Ted watches The Biggest Loser just because I like it, but it is still a great time!

Jumping in the leaves

I love the fall. Even Tessa got in on the fun of jumping in the leaves this year.

Halloween!

Well, we have fought it as long as possible. We are now actually going to have to join the rest of the world and try our best to become computer savvy. Honestly, just emailing a picture can be more complex than we can handle at times, so we will do our best. We have loved being able to read Dave and Jessie's blogs and see their pictures, so we decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a blog for us as well. Our hope is that we will now be able to stay better in touch with all those that we love.

Halloween around here was a lot of fun. Emma dressed up as a pirate, Lincoln was a black ghoul with red eyes that would glow and then disappear, Sam was a blue power ranger (and he already plans on being a red power ranger next year), and Tessa was a bumblebee. Ted used to have nightmares when he was little that he had forgotten to go trick-or-treating, so when it came time to take the kids trick-or-treating, there was no delay in him getting the kids out the door to make sure they gathered as much loot as possible (the more there is, the more he can raid their bags!). When all the kids came home they had more candy than we had ever imagined. Lincoln weighed his pillowcase to see how much candy he had, and he had 6.4 pounds!! We have already had to put a serious limit on the quantity allowed each day.

Several people in our neighborhood wonder why we don't pass out toothbrushes -- bad for business we tell them. Maybe we should pass out jolly ranchers next year?