I've finished my 2012 Family Album!

I'm always a year behind but I hope to have 2013 finished soon too.

Click HERE to see it.

2011 Photo Album

I know it's the end of 2012, but I just finished my 2011 photo album so I could print it out for Christmas.

Here are the pictures from 2011!

Disneyland Pictures!

Click HERE to see pictures from our trip to Disneyland.  While we were there we got to visit with my Grandpa as well as my brother Matt and his family.  Most of those pictures are on my Mom's camera though so I will add those when I get them.  We had a great time except for one set back, Johnny was sick for the entire week.  We made it work though and really enjoyed our time at the most magical place on earth!  The kids kept picture journals that they drew in and wrote in during the trip which are a great memory keepsake.  It also gave them something to do while waiting for fireworks or other nighttime shows to start.  They also each had an autograph book of their own and Alex's favorite part of Disneyland was collecting autographs and meeting all of the characters.  Good times!

A Date with Johnny

I'm not sure why these pictures refuse to be rotated.  I fixed them in my picture editing program and they appear fine in my folder but when I go to upload them to Blogger they revert back to how I took them on my phone.  Oh well, they are worth posting anyway.  These are from a Mommy/Son date I went on with Johnny last month.  We went to Wahooz and that boy can show a girl a good time!  Miniature golf, go carts, laser tag, and an icee for two!  We had so much fun together, I love spending time with just me and my little guy.  I thought it was interesting that his favorite activity of the day was miniature golf.  It was my favorite too because it was the part of the date that we got to talk and joke around with each other.  He has such a sweet personality and he really shines when it's just the two of us.  Looking forward to our next date!

Alex and I went on a date together the following week.  I took her out of school at lunch and we went to Primo's Pizza which is her favorite place to eat because of their dessert pizzas.  Then we went to the YMCA to swim.  Because school was still in session we had the pool mostly to ourselves.  It was fun having her to myself and even when a family showed up that we knew she wanted to just hang with me instead of play with their kids.  She kept telling me how she must be dreaming because it was the best day ever.  We stopped off at U-Swirl for some frozen yogurt treats on the way home and grabbed one for Johnny before we left since we were just in time to pick him up from school.  Our one on one time really makes a difference in their day to day attitudes and I know it's because I can be their friend rather than their maid and drill sergeant.  It's good for both of us. 

Color Change

Funny story...
I was out grocery shopping with Alex (I was at Walmart, not really a great selection of clothes) and found this lavender and white striped sweater at the store that she really wanted.  She kind of needed a nice top for Christmas Eve anyway (we always dress up a little on Christmas Eve) so I got it for her.  Well poor Johnny didn't have anything either and the only thing they had there that was decent was this lavender and gray striped shirt which happened to match Alex's new top.  So I bought it not thinking he would have a problem with it.  Well he complained all Christmas Eve that he was wearing a purple shirt and vowed never to wear it again. 

I convinced him however to wear it one more time for a picture and promised I would change the color of the shirt on my computer so we didn't have a picture hanging in our house of him wearing an purple shirt.  He then would press me about what color he wanted the shirt to be as if I could wave a magic wand and give him the color of his dreams.  I kept making sure he knew that I was just changing the color on the computer, not the color of the actual shirt.

I took the picture before church on Sunday and told him if he wore it to church I would give him a quarter (I know, shameless right?).  Well I didn't make a big deal out of it because he was embarrassed as to what people's reactions would be to him wearing such a "girly shirt".  Then at the last minute he decided to wear it after all (good to know my kid is so easily swayed by money).  After church he said "no one even noticed my shirt today" as if he was shocked.  I told him it's because it's a perfectly nice church shirt. 

Then when I was editing my pictures and showed him that I changed his shirt to gray he was kind of sad because he actually liked the purple shirt.  I told him it didn't really match my home decor anyway so gray is fine and he dropped it.  Then today he asked me if I could buy him another purple shirt because he liked it.  I told him he still has it, it's hanging in his closet and he told me "no, you changed it to gray remember?"  I couldn't help but laugh.  He actually thought that I could change the color of the actual shirt.

So sweet and innocent.  Gotta love that kid.

BTW, when Alex found out that I changed her sweater from lavender to gray she pouted and told me she's "not ever going to let me take another picture of her wearing colors again"!  Such the drama queen.

Kids

I finally got updated pictures of my kids to put up on my wall!!!

Christmas 2011

 

Christmas at the cabin was memorable as always. 

I posted pictures with explanations on my new photo bucket account.

So to see more pictures click HERE.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!

Matt's a Dad!

Congratulations Matt & Vanessa!!!

Eva Marie Knudsen

January 3, 2012

6 lbs 10 oz

19 inches long

Knudsen Christmas

 Every year we go to the cabin for Christmas to spend it with Brad's family.  Since my family isn't around to watch us open our gifts, we open them before we head to the cabin so we have less to take up there and back.  It's become a fun tradition and it's nice to be able to spread out the gifts a little for more enjoyment.  This year Alex bought us all gifts from her classroom store with "money" she's earned by doing extra credit.  She got Brad a new Christmas tie and me an ornament.  Johnny also made me a new bracelet (below).

 My parents got the kids these signs for their rooms.

 Johnny got lots of legos and Alex got lots of books.

 Johnny's favorite kind of book are seek and find books and these are the monster of all seek and find books.

 Alex made Johnny an "I can read" book for him about Tom and Jerry and made him a tessellation of him surfing a wave.

Ice Skating

First trip to the ice skating rink.  Alex was nervous (as expected) and Johnny was a maniac (as expected).  He would ask me to pull him along as fast as I could and let go so he could catch some speed, or spin him around in a circle.  He fell down more times than I can count but he also improved a ton and was skating better than any of us by the end.  He asked if we could put a skating rink in our next home, or at least in his room.  It was hard pulling him away, but the rest of us were getting sore ankles.  We had a lot of fun though (and thank goodness for camera phones). 

And I know, I know...Christmas picture right?  I'm getting there, these were taken a couple of weeks ago. 

Alex's 9th Birthday

I know this is very late...sorry Mom.  Here are some highlights from Alex's 9th Birthday.  The day before her birthday I hung nails on her wall above her bed.  She had posters up there already so I just put the posters back up so she wouldn't see the nails.  Then while she was sleeping that night I went in and hung some elephant pictures I printed and framed for her room (she loves elephants).  She was very surprised in the morning.

Brad brought her home a bouquet of flowers after work which made her day.  Then we had a pizza party with family that evening, it's so nice to have lots of family around to celebrate with!



Johnny was very excited about his gift for Alex, a big rotating disco light.  It was a hit at the party.  She also got teensiest pet shop, a fashion drawing book, fairy chapter books, "high" heels, her own suitcase, a new purple soccer ball, paint by number posters, and a new pink scooter.

And Christmas is just around the corner.   :o)

She helped me make rainbow cupcakes, delish! 

Kind of funny that we all wore Alex's favorite colors for her birthday and she picked out a blue and green outfit for herself.  Another year older, but still my baby girl.  Love you Alex!

Family

I am thankful for my family!

Derby...Part 2

 Painting the Mystery Machine took a lot of patience.  Alex did a great job with it though and she was very proud of what she had created.  The girls made derby hats for them to wear at the race and fancy ties for their Dad's to wear.  Alex came home with two awards!  One for "the most mysterious" and one for "the Dad's favorite".  The girl's favorite was the one with all of the Littlest Pet Shop on top.  :o)  First place went to the Oregon Ducks car and second place went to the BSU car.  Go figure...  I wish I could have been a fly on the wall with my camera that night.  I will have to check with her leaders to see if they have a picture of all of the cars.  So much fun!

Daddy Daughter Derby...

Alex and Brad recently went to a Daddy Daughter Derby for Activity Days.  When the girls were told of this upcoming activity Alex came home with the car kit and said "Dad, I want to make the Mystery Machine!"
My computer was getting upset at me for wanting to post so many pictures at once so I'll post more pictures shortly.  These are of Brad and Alex getting her car sketched out, cut and sanded.  Alex was really nervous but she had faith in her Dad and gave it a go.  So cute!

Better late than never..right?

For Halloween this year Alex was a Hula Girl.  She wore a dress that my grandma brought back for me, from Hawaii when I was Alex's age.  Johnny was a fierce little ninja.  Monday night is not a good night for Halloween.  We had school that day AND on Tuesday so there really wasn't any time for pictures or partying since they had school the next day.  We did make it to their Nana and Papa's Trunk or Treat Saturday though and then to our's Monday night and they made the rounds around the neighborhood.

This year we used powertools to help us clean out our pumpkins.  It went so fast, I'm loving the person who invented the pumkin gutting drill bit!  The kids chose their pumpkin pattern and Brad and I carved them.  Next year I think I'm going to have them pick patterns that they can try carving themselves.  Most of the fun is in the creating!  Alex helped scrape away the rough edges once her's was done.

Monday was freezing and the kids insisted on going to the trunk or treat without many layers on.  Of course they were frozen after just a few minutes and so they raced around the cars collecting their candy and then sat and ate it in the car for the rest of our time there.  They quickly added more layers once we got home before going around the neighborhood.