Happy 2010!!

Well, it is that time of year again when we make those resolutions to try and better ourselves and our lives...I actually have not partaken in making resolutions or else, I just failed so quickly I forgot I even had one. I decided that I will make some resolutions this year though, so without further adue I present my '10 resolutions. #1: Easy. I joined a gym. Time to lose weight, get healthy, stay healthy and get motivated! - I didn't mean easy, like this would be easy to do, easy like isn't this everyone's resolution?? #2: Read more. Simple. Read more with the family, read before bed...read all those books I have been curious to read before the movie comes out! #3 - Cook. Really learn to cook well! I have been doing so much better lately since Bruce and I are on a schedule where I cook one week, he cooks the next so planning out meals and such is actually pretty fun. You should taste my marinated flank steak with a blue cheese butter. Pretty freakin awesome!! #4 - Vacation I don't know if it will happen this year, but I would LOVE to take a plane ride somewhere and get the heck out of California for a vacation. Right now on my list...New York, Hawaii and Sweden.... #5 - Stay positive - this is something I have seriously been working on a lot lately. Whenever something negative comes in my head I try to turn it around to a positive. For example: When we complain we have no money...I have really started to look at the BIG picture, we may not be able to go on fancy vacations or get extravagant things, but we do have a roof over our heads, can pay the bills, have good working vehicles and most importantly a loving family and really, what is better than that??? To you and yours - make this year your best yet! XOXO...

Sparklers, smoke bombs and the winking girl

Shopping spree and rocket twister

For Christmas Uncle Troy gave the kids money! They were stoked. Aidan and Madison had never gotten the chance just to go to Target and pick out what they wanted. Luke is always game! He is a gift card master and knows what he wants....

But, before the trip to Target Uncle Rii and Auntie Ori got the kids a little something...rockets for each of the boys to create on their own

They have actually been asking when they get to go shoot the rockets, so now after they paint and design them, they will have the chance to shoot it off. What a perfect gift!

And Brucey is pretty darn happy with Twister! ...and a Lite Brite for Ms. Mad!! How cool!

While in Target Madison picked out a Thomas the Train railroad station to spend her money on...

Action figures for Luke...

A Transformers plane for Aidan...

And a Star Wars ship for Luke...

Thank you Uncle Troy for our Target shopping spree and Thank you Rii and Ori for the rockets, lite brite & Twister!

Time for thank you notes...

Save Me, San Francisco

So the boyfriend (yup, sounds a little weird saying that after high school) and I decided that since we didn't have kids after noon on Christmas Day that we would go to the city, get a nice room, have a room service Christmas dinner and enjoy the little break we had.

Ice skating at Union Square...

No jewelry purchases this day... a girl can dream. :)

The beginning to our Chinatown adventure.

B having a green beer at....

Love Chinatown. We came home with scarfs, food & Bruce purchased fart bombs, smoke bombs and sparklers

The view from our room at Parc 55

And the nighttime view was even better. I love San Francisco!

Average room service, but it didn't matter, we had a good time. We started our meal with: E- a lobster bisque, B - french onion soup B then had beef satay and a cobb salad, me - I had a burger with white cheddar and garlic fries...come on, it was Christmas - I had to go with something indulgent.

And the view the morning before we left...miss it already.

Trying out the new wheels

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells

Merry Christmas! I have to say I loved our Christmas tree this year. It was sparkly!

Madison after opening all her gifts telling me "I guess you guys and Santa just didn't get my Christmas list...I really wanted that new princess bike." Little did she know...

Bruce brought down her princess bike from upstairs where we had been hiding it.

Our very healthy Christmas breakfast. Yummmmm.

Bruce just "making sure it works" on Wii

Lukas' army

Aidan's army.

I am not sure what the tradition is at your house, but at ours we let the kids open one gift on Christmas Eve - we pick the gift. This year we had them each open one of their Nintendo DS games. heeehee...yes, were wanting them to play them while we caught up on dinner and things for Christmas Day! They all really liked their games and I don't think we even saw them again until it was time for dinner.

See what I mean? Isn't that a great picture? That camera rocks!

And we can't forget Kitty...

Very excited to say

Yipppeee! I got a new camera! So my pictures are starting to become a little sharper now. It is a Canon ELPH and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I had to start this post with a relaxed little Dexter. He just shows what Thanksgiving was like for us. Completely relaxing. We spend the Wednesday before Thanksgiving until Saturday afternoon up at Rick and Laurie's. We caught up on Dexter (the TV Show), ate a lot, talked a lot...sat by the fire. The only thing missing were the kids since it was our year without them.