real life...

my boy and me...  love his cute face!

he wasn't a crazy fan of the slide!

at the beach....

pin the claw on the crab!

sweet boy loved riding this down the hill!

the boys... a goodbye dinner with friends.  we LOVE this restaurant.  however, we were sitting under some circuit that shorted and started shooting sparks all over us.  the kids were totally freaked out by the "fireworks", and said they never want to go back!  poor things.  and chris pulled one of the plates set too near to him by the waitress onto the floor.  and the management couldn't figure out how to turn off the sparking circuit, so d and his friend had to tell them how!  and all that, we still paid full price for all our food...  oh well... we had fun!

thanksgiving lunch at j's school!

a sleepy boy!

my tired, teething boy...

her thanksgiving lunch.  she told me to leave, cause i was interrupting time with her friends!

our apple products had a playdate!  i had to get the real camera to take a pic of this.  there was one more ipad not in the pic!

phew... i am WAY behind!  it's Christmas night as i type this.  

i like my real life.  a lot.  and today was no exception.  we got up (way too early) and the kids opened presents.  it was so much fun to watch them.  nora sat down, halfway through, and started writing a thank you note.  it was so sweet!!  and both big kids picked out something for the other two.  and were so excited to give it to the other.  it was fun to watch them be so excited to open their gifts, but also to have such happy hearts and to GIVE!  

after we got through the gifts, d headed in to work.  and we took breakfast to the families that are stuck in the navy lodge (meaning either on vacay, or mostly haven't gotten a house to move in to yet.  met a girl who's been there since october!!).  and we ate there.  it was fun to be around so many displaced families.  

then, we headed in to eat lunch on the ship with david.  it was really fun.  got to meet some other families of sailors.  and see some friends!  

then, we headed out to the hale koa for a swim at the pool with our friends from alaska.  (we met them in rhode island and were in Bible study...)  they kept getting stuck here, flights getting cancelled.  the kids have so much fun together, and we had a blast!  

we came home and i fed the kids dinner.  and then, i undecorated our house.  all the Christmas decorations are put away.  it feels really good.  and so not like me.  and so grinch like. 

it was a good Christmas.  for Christmas eve, we got up and went to the beach.  jamey and i went out for a sweet kayak ride.  it was so fun. he was a doll!!!  and then we came home.  and ate lunch.  then went bowling.  and david and the kids all beat me.  with bumpers.  kinda pathetic!  but, so much fun!!

for dinner, we had our stranded alaska friends and our north shore friends.  (man, us and a bunch of army folk!!)  it was wonderful!!!  the conversation abounded and we just had a blast.  then a wonderful Christmas eve service!!