Snow Day 2 still fun

The kids found a piece of ice in the shape of the United States!
Alli loved swinging in the snow!

Caden couldn't get enough of the sledding!

Snow Day 1 FUN!

In the end of January we got our first snow of the season. Of course on the first day we were all outside playing and sledding down the big hill! Our sleds made it through the 1st day but the ice was a little rough by the time the sun went down! Hot Chocolate & mittens hanging by the fire were fun memories to make!

We've Made It!

Thanks for sticking with me...we are now entering 2010! I am hoping to get caught up this week. The kids are away at camp & I have nervous energy! I know they are having a blast but looking at all these pictures is making me happy so hopefully by the end of this week we will be in July!!!

Grapes & Bacon???

Doesn't that just scream 2010??? We were lucky enough to be invited over to our friends the Centenos to ring in the New Year! Everyone was bringing tapas so we asked if we could bring the chocolate fountain. Inspired by the NC State Fair, Andy fried up some bacon to add to the mix. We dipped pretzels, nutter butters, strawberries, bananas, marshmellows & bacon! Suprisingly, the bacon was a bit hit! In keeping with the Centeno's cuban traditions we each enjoyed 12 grapes, one for each month to add blessings to your household.

Cousins Christmas

Micheal & Sarah drove in to celebrate with all the family. Next year we will have another cousin to join in the mix. Riley is due sometime in June & we can't wait to meet her! Susan & her crew drove up for the afternoon to see everyone! ***Update...Riley has arrived! Both Mommy & baby girl are doing well! Also, we will have another cousin next Christmas! Susan & Paul are expecting a baby boy in October!

Snuggie Up Santa!

Merry Christmas! Santa stopped by the Moore house bringing Caden a drum pad, nerf gun & rocker gaming chair. Alli found a horse, a Liv doll & a lego set! After breakfast we exchanged some family gifts. The kids loved their new snuggies! Alli picked out some bleach for Uncle Jay since he loves to clean! They also selected a piggy Aunt Debbie named Sugar! Other than snuggies the main theme of this holiday was Legos! We spent the entire day playing with Legos!

Sweet Siblings

I love this sweet photo of the kids...they put on their new pj's & we snapped this photo before they headed to bed on Christmas Eve! I hope they will always be this close! They really know how to make each other laugh!

Twas the Night before Christmas...

We celebrated with YaYa & Granddaddy by going to our favorite tradition...our church's Love Feast. After a celebration of the birth of our Savior and some delicious honey buns & cider, we headed out to dinner. What is more fun that Fondue? The six of us feasted on steak, lobster & chicken...followed by a yummy flaming turtle for dessert! It was such a neat place to spend Christmas Eve. We each received Melting Pot ornaments too!

Wednesday = Wildtimes at Wildwood

We are family....I got all my sisters and me! Cheryl, myself, Debbie, Kim & Tracey. We seldom take a photo of all five girls but I am so glad we did. YaYa cooked a great dinner and the whole family ate together. After dinner we did our Crazy Christmas Exchange! It was fun as always & we even made a few after the game trades so everyone went home with something they could use! One more quick story... on the kids shopping trip to the dollar store they selected soaps, hair bows, cards and a ring for all their cousins. Alli also wanted to pick something out for Aunt Kimmy (keep in mind that Kim went blind 4 years ago). Here is how the conversation went....

A "Mama, what about this bath scubby for Aunt Kimmy?
Me "I am sure she would like that"
A "It is perfect since she can't see it she can feel it and it is so soft"
Me "Alli, that is so thoughtful...she will love it!"
A "Ok...but Mama...What is her favorite color?"

Me "Purple!!!"

All the cousins

Tuesday = Moore Celebrating

It's a Moore tradition...dinner at Kemps...nothing says celebrating the birth of our Lord & Savior like fried shrimp & hush puppies! After dinner we headed back to our house to exchange some goodies. This year Anna did some shopping on her own...it was such a joy to see her joy as she passed out her purchases. Like Anna, each year we take the kids shopping to the dollar store & let them pick out something for everyone on their list. We thought this year they would like to try something new so we headed to Palsy's Popcorn Shop. It took a while but with lots of thought...Caden & Alli selected the following...
PaPa~ Salt & Vinegar Popcorn
Gran~ Maryland Crab cake Popcorn
Aunt Amy & Anna ~ Cinnamon Toast Popcorn
Aunt Ishe ~ 5 Alarm Popcorn
Uncle Ron ~ Dill Pickle Popcorn
Who knew we would have so much fun trying all the different flavors?! However the kids also wanted to go shopping for each member...so off we went. A little trash can for Aunt Amy (to put trash in while scrapbooking), Modeling clay for Uncle Ron, Dominoes for PaPa, a magnet for Gran, tambourine for Anna and last but not least... a tortilla warmer for Aunt Ishe! When I rounded the corner at the dollar store I heard Alli exclaim..."This will be perfect for Aunt Ishe" to which I replied "why?" .... loudly Alli stated "Because she loves Mexicans!" I couldn't help but laugh...."You mean Mexican food?", "Yes, she loves Mexicans, queso, tacos, quesadillas!"

I am proud to report that since the taking of this photo...

the parties above have lost over 200 lbs!

Monday = celebrating with friends

We drove in from our trip on Sunday night...fortunately I was already prepared for Christmas week. The tree was decorated, sweets were made & gifts purchased. So with a few loads of laundry under our belts we spent the evening catching up with our friends the Treichlers. They gave the kids Legos & Rachel even found the movie Fern Gully! (We toured it in Jamaica but had never seen the movie!) Caden & Alli were most excited about giving Noah his Ugly Doll! Alli helped pick out a beautiful new cross for Emma's Room too! Rachel loved her Faith plaque & we have certainly enjoyed the towel warmer! I love this sweet photo of the kids reading together. It is such a blessing to have them as our friends & neighbors! We ended the evening with some family photos by the tree...Bailey & George smiled nicely don't you think?

Out of this World Cruise

During the kids Winter break we packed our bags and headed south! After a long drive we met our friends The Swopes for dinner. Funny we can't seem to meet up with them at home for dinner but we do travel dine often! Our next adventure was to the Kennedy Space Center. It was our first time & the kids really seemed to enjoy it. We watched an Imax movie while eating "space dots" and astronaut icecream. The next morning we were cruise bound! Our friends the McGees went with us on the trip. We have known them since Andy & I were dating. I could post hundreds of photos and someday I hope to post some of my digital scrapbook pages. But for now let me sum it up by saying the kids loved...no LOVED the all you can eat ice cream by the pool! They started out not so great but now I know Caden could work at Dairy Queen or McDonalds with the perfected cone twist!

Stop 1 Labadee, Haiti

Relaxing on the beach, playing in the water & shopping in the markets....a full fun day. We left with a bit of pink on our cheeks and new bracelets, whistles, handcarved bowls & a gecko (metal of course!)

Stop 2 Ochos Rios, Jamaica

We had hoped to take the kids to climb Dunns River Falls...but the rain got there first! So our driver took us to see a Jamaican Sneak Peak...literally a hole in the wall to see the falls! We drove through Fern Gully & called it a day.

Stop 3 Grand Caymens

Certainly one of the big highlights of the trip we headed out on a chartered boat to Stingray City. Though a little scared at first we all jumped right in and fed the stingrays and even shared a smooch!

Stop 4 Cozumel, Mexico

Playing on the beach & building a seaweed inspired cake was all the kids needed to enjoy Mexico! Since the winds we stronger than normal we headed back to the ship early & then went shopping downtown. Alli & Sydney got beautiful braids!

A few days at sea and our cruise was complete. I hope to post more photos later. Now I think the kids are as hooked on cruising as their father!

You can never catch up if you don't start!

Hello bloggy world! Yes it has been a long six months since last I posted. Not that I haven't thought about you or even picked up the computer numerous times to start but you see I have a problem. When I get behind on things...I feel overwhelmed. Honestly it doesn't take much...just ask my family how quickly the laundry builds up. Then one day I just set my mind to it and get it all done. Aaaahhh the satisfaction of completing something. But reality kicks in and I don't always have time to complete something all at once. So one load at a time I will catch up on laundry & one blog post at a time I will update on all that we have been up to since December. Thank you for hanging in there! Let's try to recap month by month!