Christmas Card 2010

The hustle and bustle of Christmas has us a little behind, but I could not let the Holidays pass without documenting this years Christmas card.  I knew I wanted something very simple this year and something a little different from what we have done in the past.  This year I opted for a 5x5 round card and I was very pleased with the outcome ~ my photographer ROCKS!

Front of the Card



Back of the Card

Proofs before they were sent to the lab where they were cut into a circle.



Final Result, not a great picture but enough for me to remember what it looked like years from now and share with my kiddos one day.  After I got them back, I punched holes in them and ran a sage organza ribbon through them so they could hang as Christmas ornaments or wherever people desired.  

So simple, so sweet & my favorite Christmas card so far.   Thanks again Darla for capturing The Frazier Four on our good days and not so good days, with a sucker or without, smiling or crying and for loving us no matter how we act. 

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from our family to yours.  We hope this day finds you surrounded by those you love and lots of laughter while we celebrate sweet Jesus!

Our family has been extremely blessed in 2010 and knows that God has great things in store for us as we enter 2011.  I am so thankful for a wonderful husband, two amazing kids, unconditional friendships, family, good health, our home, careers and most of all for a Heavenly Father who accepts us just as we are on a daily basis. 

Christmas Eve has been wonderful and I am so excited for my sweet babies to rise in the morning that I probably will not sleep a wink.  Curtis & I had a blast getting ready for Christmas morning.  It is going to be fun to hear their squeals, laughter and excitement when they see what Santa has left behind. 

Wishing all of you a Very Merry Christmas ~ Love The Frazier Four

Mary, Baby Jesus & all Aboard

Our week has started off wonderful and this Mommy enjoys being home with her babies over the holidays.  I have said it before and I will say it again, both of my kids are HILARIOUS.  They keep me laughing, even at times I am  not suppose to be laughing at them or with them.  Often times I find myself having to pull my shirt up over my neck and mouth like a turtle, so they do not know I am laughing when their behavior is not appropriate. 

The Christmas celebrations with family have already began and our children have received some wonderful gifts they will treasure throughout the year.

Emma got this cute Princess towel set and this Baby Alive from her Nana (it is Hispanic and Nana had no idea).  No big deal for us, Emma loved it and we think she is pretty cute too.

Yesterday while someone was suppose to be taking a nap she decided to get up and unpackage the towel and grab her baby.  She came into my room running dressed like this and said, "Mom I have named my baby, it is Baby Jesus and I am Mary".  My heart smiled and she went on to tell me, "When Daddy gets home from work he will be Joseph".  I hope she always loves Jesus with all of her heart. 



Our little engineer is hard at work trying to avoid any derailments.  Hmm, seems to be one about every 45 seconds.  Oh the joy of having a boy and watching him play with this little set.  I have had so much fun watching him and putting the train back on track while he shouts, "all aboard" about 282 times a day. 

Three and a Half

So hard for me to believe that the little girl who made me a Mommy celebrated 42 months of life today.  Some days I can not even wrap my mind around how big and bright Emma is and what a HUGE heart she has at such a young age.

She is sassy, she is sweet, she is smart, she is kind, she has an amazing love for animals, babies and her family.  She makes me laugh and I mean belly laugh all the time and she has the sweetest SPIRIT and kindest soul of any child I have ever encountered in my life.  When I say I am proud of who she is and what she stands for, I mean every SINGLE word of it and can not wait to see her change the world.

Emma, you are an amazing little girl that loves life to the fullest and lives with no concerns.  Oh how perfect life must be for you sweet girl. Like I told you earlier today...I am so happy and proud to be your Mommy. I would not change one thing about you.  I love your smile and the way you light up a room when you walk in and start to chatter.  You talk nonstop and have a million questions that always seem to be pretty important.  Your memory and ability to recall information from early on in childhood often leaves us surprised and wondering how you can remember so many little details.

You were so super proud to turn "three and a half" that you walked around talking about it for the entire day.  You reminded me, "don't be sad Mommy, I have to get big but I will always love you to my heart and back even when I am in kindergarten and I go to college."  Melt my heart sweet girl, you always have just the right words to put a smile on my face.

We love you very much and appreciate all the laughter you bring to our household.  You are the daughter we always dreamed of and so much more; the big sister I knew you would be and the lover of life I hope last forever.

Emma's First Dance Program

Saturday morning Emma had her first dance program and she did a great job.  Her dance studio has an "Itty Bitty Christmas" every year where the kids that are 5 and under perform for their parents in front of the dance studio.  There were about 250 little ones that performed and each group had a different routine.  Emma's group did a tap dance to Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.

Emma is not a fan of huge crowds or being away from her Mommy, so I was a little concerned about how she would do.  The look on her face in this picture is a look of concern to me, she made me take her to the bathroom twice to try and avoid dancing.  Reindeer ears on, lined up, walking out and ready to perform.

I was so proud of Emma and her effort to go out there in front of a very large crowd and tap her heart out. She was so darn cute and did not seem to be bothered by the onlookers.

Her favorite part was "playing all those Reindeer games" with her little friend.

Perfect little ending, for a perfect little girl, with a perfect little heart. Emma you did a great job and never gave up, for that we are so proud and honored to be your parents.  You are such a blessing!

The 7 little reindeer that stuck it out and danced their little hearts out. There are more girls in their class, but they did not participate.



From the second Emma found out she was having a dance program she kept asking if she was getting any flowers.  She remembered Tori getting flowers after every recital, so she thought she deserved some too.   Daddy also bought her the Rudolph book and wrote her a very sweet message in the inside (she has slept with the book under her pillow the last 2 nights).  Daddy was so proud of Emma and her accomplishments in dance this year.

Emma ~ you were the cutest little reindeer I have ever seen.  Thank you for making us so proud and for doing your part no matter how uncomfortable you became at times.  It is going to be a blast to watch you at recital in the Spring on the big stage.  Should be no issues at all since it will be held at my High School.  We love you so much, keep dancing girl!

Celebrating Marriage

Happy Anniversary to the best Daddy & Husband in the world.  Seriously, God handpicked you for me and I do not know if their is a soul on earth that loves me and believes in me more than you do.

Thank you for never giving up on me, trusting me, loving me, putting me first, pushing me to be a better person, praying for me and with me, loving our two amazing kids and all the little things you do to make my life sweeter.   I love you with my whole heart and thank God for you daily!

Last of our Getaway

A few more things left to document from our 2010 Holiday getaway for the sake of remembering what these little guys were up to on this trip.

Emma is hilarious and is somewhat of an "Old Soul" when we travel and it cracks me up.  First thing in the morning she can be heard asking, "So Dad, what's the plan for the day?  What are we going to do?  I think we should walk around the property and look at things."  Cracks me up that she is so into looking at all the property has to offer, she is so our child!  The kids enjoyed checking out these little elves on one of our morning strolls.

My two favorite guys in the world taking time to smile for Mommy and the camera.  

We were so excited that the resort added the SNOW exhibit this year.  Our plan was to buy a pass for Emma to ride down in a tube as many times as she wanted.  She had other plans, but someone else decided there was no need to waste money and had big fun for the day.   Emma was scared to death going down the snow slide and ended up crying at the end after her feet hit the wall.

Did not take long for "little man" to jump up and decide that he would take a wild ride in the tube.  I think people thought we were crazy for putting our 20 month old in this tube.  I could hear people saying, he is going to jump out, flip out or get hurt.   Let me just tell you this boy is ready for Colorado, he could not get enough of tubing on the snow.  He loved it so much that he kept going over and over and over!  Got our monies worth that's for sure and his BIG sister was not about to go back down it after the first episode ~ NO way!

Gavin getting out of his tube and taking off to climb the stairs to go again.  You are looking at one happy little thrill seeking boy, do you think he liked it?

All good things must end and our getaway was included.  We had a great time and look forward to traveling back next year to kick off  the 2011 Holiday Season.

21 Months Old {Airplane}

Little man, you are all BOY and we love it!  You are getting sweeter and sweeter everyday and often climb up in our laps these days to love on us and let us love on you.  Full of energy, you keep us running behind you constantly and we can not turn our back on you for a second or you are climbing something.

Your vocabulary has exploded and you can repeat anything we ask you to say.  We are so impressed with all the things you are able to remember and the way you transfer information from one situation to the next.  Outside is where you choose to be at all times and you think you can do anything your big sister does.  Currently wear size 6 diapers, 24 month clothes, size 6.5 shoes, love to eat macaroni, drink roarin' waters, scream for candy if you see it and love cookies.  It is so funny to hear you say, " I love cookies! Yum, Yum, Yum, Yum", your Daddy taught you how to say this.  Biting and hitting is becoming less and less, but you still do it when you get mad.

Gavin, we love you so much and are blessed every single day to call you our SON!  Your eyes light up any room you walk into and your smile captures the hearts of so many.  You are the reason we call ourselves, The Frazier Four and we have enjoyed the last 21 months with you.

I {Heart} Traditions

Twenty four days till Christmas and the traditions began today. I am so excited to watch Emma & Gavin as they count down the days.

Collecting Hallmark Ornaments, Hot Chocolate on Christmas Eve in front of the fireplace while Daddy reads a different version of the The Night Before Christmas, hunting for Elfy every morning, spreading Reindeer food in the yard, matching PJ's, milk and cookies for Santa along with carrots for the Reindeer are just a few of the traditions that we started in our happy little home.

I have always worked really hard to think of both of my children when it comes to traditions & collecting things.  It made me sad to think that one day they will leave home and I would have to decide who would take Elfy with them to start their own family traditions.  Problem solved, we added another Elf to our home for our Little Man and he is currently waiting on a name, "Woan".  We will wait till Gavin decides to name him just as Emma did Elfy.  In the meantime, these guys were thrilled to move off the mantle tonight where they have been eagerly sitting and waiting for 3 weeks now to start moving around and waiting for the littlest Frazier's to find them.  Emma is so happy that Elfy gets to wear a skirt this year and bow around her neck.

Today was the day we began counting down the days till Christmas.   Emma will take the odd days on the advent calendar and Gavin will take the even days where they will be suprised with candy, snacks or little notes from Mommy and Daddy.   Curtis and I have decided to split the days, so that each of us is responsible for filling the pocket or relocating Elfy and WOAN every night.

Another tradition we have started that our children love is building a Gingerbread house.  Not sure if they love buidling it or licking all the candy then sticking it on the house.  Gavin could not control himself and would eat every piece of candy.

Emma was super serious about decorating our house and was so proud of the finished product. Notice the door is on the gingerbread house in this picture.  Don't ask me how but it ended up stuck to the roof of the house.

Yum, Yum, Yum.  A mouth full of candy and a piece waiting in his hand.  Gavin just could not help himself and wanted to eat every last piece. 

Emma enjoyed her Daddy squirting icing in her mouth once again and squirting icing in our mouths also. Gavin was not to interested in tasting the icing, instead he was satisfied with the candy, including licorace.

Our completed Gingerbread house created by our children that will  sit on our Island throughout the Holiday Season.   I love it and think there are so many things about it that are PERFECT.  I smile everytime I see the half eaten candy, licked cinnamon disc, the door plastered to the roof and little indentions in the icing from the fingers of my greatest treasures.

Oh it does my heart so much good to think about the traditions we have started with our children that they will some day share with their own families.  I pray for the day they fondly look back and recall all the memories we shared with one another as The Frazier Four.

ICE

One of the main reasons we choose to go on our little Christmas getaway is the ICE exhibit they have every year, which is still one of the most amazing things I have ever seen in my life.

Last years theme was The Grinch and we expected it to be there for 2 years, so we were thrilled when we found out it would be A Charlie Brown Christmas.  When we found out we booked immediately and went and got a Charlie Brown video, so the kiddos would be knowledgeable of the entire Peanuts Gang.

This was the entrance as we went into the tent.   This piece was not ICE, however 95% of everything in the exhibit is all ice that has been hand carved by Chinese artisans.

My two favorite guys all suited up and ready to go in.  The temperature remains at a steady 9 degrees in order to preserve the work and the sculptures.

I could not resist this picture of my sweet little girl waiting in line to get her parka and so excited about going in to see Charlie Brown.

It  is so difficult to get pictures of us as a family when we travel, but so thankful that we did get this one as we entered ICE.

Loving this wreath and the fact that me and the kiddos were able to peak through it at Daddy while he captured this memory for us.  The temperature was so cold that we had to keep sticking the camera in our parkas underneath our arm to keep it from freezing up.

Look at my little Eskimo all bundled up and standing in front of her favorite girl, Lucy.  She really wanted Lucy to be wearing a PINK dress, that's my girl.

This picture was a must, partly because my sweet husband always tells me I need professional help and the other because of my background in counseling.

I sure wanted to crawl through Snoopy's house, but just could not swing it with a 20 month old on my hip in a size 4 parka when he should have been wearing a size 2.  Emma enjoyed walking through Snoopy's doghouse and this was one of our favorite scenes in the ICE exhibit.

At last, Charlie Brown and Snoopy so excited about their beautiful Christmas tree.  All the other Peanuts stood around them in excitement too.

My little man that I love so much all bundled up in his hat and mittens.  He was mesmerized by all the lights and the decorations.  He was quite the little trooper on this trip.  One of the things I am so thankful for is that both of my kids travel well.  They have been doing it since they were weeks old and it sure makes things alot more enjoyable.  Gavin was extremely brave on this trip and I can not wait to document what a BIG BOY he was. 

We had such a great time and have decided last year that this would be an annual trip for us to kick off the Christmas Season.  We talked with some folks at the resort before we left that said next years theme might be Sponge Bob or Alice in Wonderland.  We are hoping that it will be Alice in Wonderland & look forward to booking our trip next year. 

We have been tossing around the idea of spending next Christmas at Disney, but are not quite sure if the kiddos are old enough or we are brave enough.  This Daddy & Mommy are beyond ready to introduce our amazing babies to the Happiest Place on Earth.

Twinkle in their eyes

We arrived to our little Holiday destination and what to our wondering eyes should appear?   A Jolly Ole Fella in a red suit.  This picture is priceless of our kiddos seeing Santa. 

Both of them could have stared at him for hours as he visited with all the little children.  They were in awe of his beard, his red suit, his big red chair and his hat.

Saturday morning we woke up and were super excited to have breakfast with Charlie Brown.  Emma could not get dressed and downstairs quick enough.  Gavin did not really understand until we got there and of course he was all about eating, but did not want Charlie near him.

Charlie was so wonderful with the kids and tried to work his way into Gavin's heart slowly.  He would scoot towards him and away from him, but Gavin was not so sure about him.  I wonder what he was really thinking? 

Emma on the other hand could not get enough.  She would have held his hand, hugged him, touched him and followed him around all day long.  I can not wait to see this little girl at Disney one day soon.  She is going to be in character heaven.

Guess what, Gavin finally let Charlie into his heart at the end and even decided to give him a big hug good-bye as he was saying, "bye Charwie, bye Charwie". 

This picture just makes me SMILE and so proud that God blessed me with a daughter & a son.   Buzz & Lucy were both purchased on our getaway and they traveled everywhere we went.  They decided to rest on the fireplace mantle and watch us enjoy our breakfast.

Emma believed with her whole heart that this was Santa's sleigh that he would be using on Christmas Eve.  She got in and out of it our entire stay and was such a happy little girl every time she sat up in the seat.  I loved seeing the TWINKLE in both of my kiddos eyes as they took in all the Christmas decorations, lights, elves, Santa, trains and holiday decor.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

We have just returned from our yearly holiday getaway that helps get us into the Christmas spirit. Truly, we do not need any help since our house has been decorated for 3 weeks now, but it is an opportunity to focus on our little family of four.  This is the second year we have gone on this trip after a YUMMY Thanksgiving dinner and we had a great time with the entire Peanuts Gang! 

One of our children loved Charlie Brown and the other could not get away from him fast enough.  Not real hard to see who had an immediate crush on Charlie now is it?   We had such a good time and could have stayed longer. 

Back to the hustle and bustle of our busy life that often leaves us wishing for more time, especially when we look at our calendar for the month of December and see the dates already filled from here on out.  So many memories left to make before 2010 comes to an end and looking forward to what God has planned  for us in 2011.  He has already started preparing us for big changes and we eagerly await all that he has in store for The Frazier Four.

It's a HAPPY day!

It is a constant battle every morning before MDO trying to get my baby girl dressed.  She gets her mind set on wearing something and if it does not work out exactly as she has planned she is not a happy camper.   I decided to surprise her this morning when I woke her up when I leaned down to rub her back and tell her good morning.  I whispered in her ear, "Guess what?  You can wear anything you want today baby girl, shoes and all."  She shot up out of the bed with the biggest grin on her face and took off running towards the closet.    I knew what she would rip off the hanger first and she did not disappoint me. 

Her neapolitan ice cream dress, hand me down sparkly twinkle toe shoes that are too big (compliments of Brook), pink bows with blue polka dots and demanded that her hair be in long braids.  Now that is an outfit Emma Lou and you did not have to think twice about what you would wear today.   You kept telling me over and over again, "It's a HAPPY day Mommy, It's a HAPPY day!" 

Little Man on the other hand, he shoots out of the bed and goes straight for the tree.  Not sure if he is pondering which ornament he can break next or just listening to the music on the ones that do something special.

This morning finds me grateful for THE FRAZIER FOUR!  I am so thankful that God has given me my sweet little family and I have the holidays to celebrate with them.  Life would be so different without each one of them. 

Riding Lawnmower

My brilliant children decided to turn their bubble and noisy mower into a full fledged "riding lawnmower" tonight and it was HILARIOUS.  They are so funny, super goofy and always keep us laughing.   It does my heart good to watch them play with one another so sweetly, especially when it does not turn into a hair pulling/screaming match. Yes, I often play referee around here these days.

Gavin has started running around the house as fast as he can and putting his hands up to his mouth like he is blowing a whistle while squealing really loud.  Eventually he stops running, sticks his hands out in front of him and yells "STOP".   

They took turns pushing one another and a few times each one of them fell off.  Believe it or not Gavin seemed to have less trouble pushing his big sister then she had pushing him.  The boy is a BRUISER.  

Emma is equally as funny and today she had an entire waiting room in the doctor's office cracking up.   Her Daddy took her to the Dr. and after they got checked in, she quickly found a book.  She chose the book, I Love You This Much with characters Big Nutbrown Hare and Little Nutbrown Hare.  After she opened the book she decided to shout across the room to her Daddy, "Dad come and read the Nut Hare book to me".  Her Daddy started laughing out loud for about 5 minutes and continued to look away from everyone in the waiting area.  He immediately text me when she did it and sent me this picture of her with the book.  He thought it was so funny and the 70 year old Grandma sitting across from him did too. 

So incredibly THANKFUL  for my silly, goofy, rowdy, busy, funny, active and crazy kids.