Baby, it's cold outside!

Uncle Mike came for a visit last weekend. He ran a soccer tournament locally, so he stayed with us during his trip. Unfortunately, he also brought the winter weather.

Seriously, it was Wisconsin-cold. So we made a lazy weekend out of it. Cameron and Spanky laid in front of the vent for a good 30 min together while Lucy beefed up in preparation for hibernation. It also took CamO a good 20 minutes to figure out which dog was laying on him. And if Spanky was the boy or the girl.

That's my baby! He's ready to throw some snow balls.


 It's a Christmas Miracle! We have an ADULT-SIZED tree!

After years of teasing, we finally got a normal-sized tree. And real, breakable ornaments. Of course, the lower half of the tree is filled with plastic and home-made ornaments, but that makes it all the more special.

   

Yes, it truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Not to worry, there is a tree topper and a tree skirt. (Thanks Miss Julie!)

Officially Official

I don't know who said it, but we couldn't agree more:

'We are only alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.'

What started out 3 years ago as a journey to our daughter, ended last week with her final piece of paperwork. Lucy is officially a US citizen. Lucy Sooryeo Paul, Korean American. Our little treasure!

Superhero MashUp

Cowboy Dash

Sir Buzz, The Racer

Gratatouille

On this National Day of Glutony, we have so much to be thankful for. And while we didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving with our entire families, we are so blessed to have our NC family- the Messicks & the Kelces. Nanny Fanny spoiled us rotton. Julie, Karen & I even had a brief get-away in Julie’s old bedroom watching past episodes of Glee on the ipad with wine & brie and no children.

Rebecca & Bennett entertained the kiddos til they dropped.

Hunter was all smiles. What more could a boy need than football, food and Suduko?

Cameron couldn't get enough of Hunter's cousins.

Ruby Tuesday was the star of the show. And she quickly found a pet-lover.

Cameron and Leigh enjoyed a gluten-, milk-, egg- & nut-free date on the porch after dinner.

We are expecially thankful Lucy is here with us in NC rather than Korea during these tumultuous times.

Thank God for our beautiful babies, our health and our families. We love you to pieces!

SnaggleTooth

Birdie has 3 loose tooth. It makes for some great fodder.

Dare Devils

The kids have become quite adventurous lately coming up with their own stunts

and venturing out on their own.

I know. I KNOW. Jackie has speedskating legs. Whatever.

At Last

After a couple of years - ok 5 - the paper blinds have finally come down in the kitchen.

 Since we've gone into debt due to our paper consumption over the last 7 years, the kids found these paper blinds to be oh so cool. Lucy's was a mat.

 Cameron's became a toilet seat cover...I mean a necklace.

 And Jackie's was a pilgrim's outfit. Hunter spent the morning coloring his ENTIRE paper brown. By the time he finished, the cool factor had worn off, Hunter iced his carpel-tunnel hand and it was time for lunch.

 FIVE years later....PLANTATION SHUTTERS!!!!

 Yeah, they're cool.

FYI, there are still paper blinds in the rest of the house. In another 35 years, we'll have finished the whole house.

Sometimes, even superheros need a lift.

When girlfriend, LeighO, decided it was time to move on and begin her career as a Burlesque Cowgirl...

 Superhero Cameron was left broken-hearted.

 Thankfully, big sister, Princess Butterfly was there to raise his spirits. And to remind him, that girls are ALWAYS changing their minds! Princess LeighO WILL be back!

Crash Test Dummies

Need I say more?

(Photo from Deane)

Fall is upon us

Fall weather means new activities for the kids. And when they couldn't find rakes, brooms got the job done!

Laundry Pile-Up

I've been a little behind on laundry, due to recent activities. Cameron won't take off his racing outfit. He slept in it and wore it to school again today under his school shirt. Lucy is adamant about what she will and will not wear at any time of the day. She already picks out her own clothes. Jackie, on the other hand, has been pretty amenable to any clothing these days. Good times.

BMX: A Family Affair

Since Cameron and DaddyO had so much fun Thursday trying out BMX, we decided to bring the whole family and extended family, the Messicks.

Jackie and Hunter were tentative at first, but quickly found their groove.

Leigh and Lucy were faithful fans. It was a long day in the stands for these little girls.

Cameron borrowed a bike and helmet. As you can see, it's a bit too big, but he didn't mind in the least.

Here you can see the gates before and after the start. It took some getting used to, but Jackie, Cameron and Hunter quickly got the hang of it.

Hunter found his groove. I think there was a smile on his face the whole time.

The track was pretty big. Here's the first of 2 sections.

Cameron, Hunter and Jackie taking laps with the big kids.

Cameron didn't want to take off the helmet b/c he wanted to keep it. Also, he cried when we left the track for the day b/c he didn't want to go.

Check out these 3 BMX racers!

In Heaven

Last evening I took Cam-o to the Capital City BMX track in Raleigh.  The atmosphere was so much like the Kenosha velodrome it felt like home.  As we approached the track on foot Cam-o nearly came out of his skin.  "Daddy, let's get my bike!"  He couldn't get out there fast enough & when it was all over & darkness had fallen on the track I nearly had to drag him off.  The track must be close to 400 meters & Cam-o rode it at least 10 times in less than an hour. He was asleep in less than five minutes once in his car seat.

- Daddy-o

Guess who dresses herself these days?

This child has quite a style. Maybe she'll be the next Jimmy Choo! Here, she's modeling Jackie and Cameron's Christmas gifts, at the same time.

Weekend Celebration

 The best part about the weekend celebration is having Grandad and Grandma Holly visit. Thanks Grandad and Grandma Holly for coming to visit us once again!

Happy 7th Birthday, Jacqueline!

 We celebrated Jackie's 7th birthday with a sleepover! She choose 7 friends to share in the fun. 

Serpil kicked off the party with face painting for all. Here, the cat and the dog are good friends.

Ellie being transformed to a beautiful butterfly.

While she was waiting for face painting, Olivia found a new BFF, Spanky.

Magic Butterfly LeighO!

The artist and her work.

Superhero powering up with a wee bit of sugar. Yes, it's on his hotdog. CamO, Hunter and Felton were relegated to the boys' table.

Snow Queen Annabel and her cupcake tower of sugar.

Next to face painting, the favorite activity of the evening was cupcake decorating. It consisted of piling sprinkles on top of every shade of frosting.

Leigh's new BFF was Ellie. It must have been the butterfly connection. Seriously, Leigh was in awe of Ellie's rock star qualities!

...That is, until her superhero came to save the day.

The beginning of bean bag toss was celebrated with a super split by Anna Kate.

This is how the night started out. Unfortunately, we ended up with 2 less girls. I'm too tired to explain. 

 

SEVEN!