New Year Shots

with some photo shopping (thanks Dave)

I so badly want to get the kids pictures done by a professional, but the girl I love to use is just not in my budget right at the moment.  So I took the initiative and at the spur of the moment took some in my front yard.  The kids walked in the door from school and I started putting vests on them and away we went!

Here some out takes.  It is so funny and hard to get everyone to look great--good thing for photoshop!

I love Kate's look--I see that every once and awhile



really Luke?



Luke again?



getting a little better!



Luke is 9

In the midst of the hustle and bustle of Christmas Luke had a birthday!  It's crazy and a lot of the time I feel bad, but we really try to separate his birthday from all of the Christmas celebration going on.  This year was a family party year.  So we had a simple birthday with family and cousins. We don't have all of our cousins here, but we are grateful for the ones we have near. And we are very lucky to have both sets of grandparents here! 

Luke is a joy to have around.  He is very loving and huggy with me.  Every morning when he gets out of the car to go to school he makes sure I hear when he says "goodbye" and "I love you".  It makes me smile every morning.    He is very helpful if I ask him to do something for me.  He loves rocks/crystals and loves collecting them.  He says he wants to be a geologist when he grows up.  I do know for sure he won't be a doctor or dentist because he can not handle blood at all.  He freaks out!  He also loves Legos.  He is so quick at building them.  Maybe he will be an engineer some day!  He is very very smart, so I know he will be great at whatever he decides to do some day!  We love you Luke and are so thankful you are in our family!

Christmas 2010

December was a fun and very busy month for us. I think that is why I got so sick a couple of days after Christmas and was sick for about 6 weeks!


This is Kate's first gift from a boy!  She told me there are 3 boys that "love" her at school.  OH BOY! Since then she has received a "special" sucker from a boy at Valentines that read "I have a crush on you" and then yesterday she came home with a necklace and two bracelets.  I was talking to her teacher assistant at school the other day and she told me that Kate was the hot commodity in the class.  I think it's because she is so happy and kind to others.  Brent said he is already worried that she is boy crazy!  I have to say I had crushes on boys when I was her age.  So we may be ok.
Our Christmas season would not be complete if we didn't play out the Nativity.  It was a very last minute FHE idea so the outfits are hilarious, but the kids really got into it!  Zach was so funny.  He kept calling himself "Jovas" instead of Joseph.  He loved playing "Jovas" and got to play him at the Nativity we did with my in laws.

 

Of course with a preschooler this year we had the annual Christmas singing program at the mall.  His teacher does such a great job in teaching them so many songs.  I couldn't believe that Zach knew them all and could stand up there and perform for so long.  I guess he is a Chappell after all ! Ha Ha!

he is the one with the hat practically covering his whole face!

Christmas eve was spent at Brent's parents this year.  Lots of food and fun.  (I will have to find pictures--where has my camera been?)

Kate wanted to leave a thank you note for Santa.  She is a kind little girl. 

Thanks to our Aunt Amy, Santa gets the best sugar cookies in town!  I made sure to put one on there that had a good amount of frosting! Santa's favorite!

Love the faces on Christmas morning! 

I love to see what the kids get each year for Christmas--but for some reason Kate was the only one I captured.  She defiantly is a girl!

Christmas night we had my parents and brother over for dinner.  I have to say I was pretty wiped out after that.  But am so thankful we had a wonderful holiday season filled with family.  We are so lucky to have family so close and the love and support they have for our family.  I am truly grateful.