Happy New Year

Happy New Year! We were blessed in 2008 and are looking forward to a wonderful 2009. Tonight we celebrated with a dinner at Cavaleiro's. We went with Rick, Wendy, Tim and Lauren. An adult dinner...I didn't have to cut anyone's steak but my own...WOO HOO! They have this cool meal where you cook your own steak on a stone. It melted in my mouth. It was so delicious and we had a fun time together. And now we are ringing in the new year with a game of Settlers...one of our favorites! Happy New Year Everyone!

Here we are at Cavaleiro's. It was very nice to spend time with my siblings. I hope we get to do more things like this is 2009...it is so fun!

This is the famous steak on a stone. You cook it yourself on the stone just the way you like it...well done for me, please.

Lauren got this cool shishkabob. Presentation was impressive!

Christmas Fun

Merry Christmas! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday this week and are recovered from all the festivities. I told Dave I think it will take a month to get our house back in order, gifts away and get life back to "normal". We had a great Christmas and the kids had a ball...gifts, cookies, staying up late...they loved it all! It was a busy week but filled with lots of family time. Christmas Eve was spent at my mom's. Christmas Day we were home to open gifts with the kids and then went back to my mom's for Christmas Day. We had dinner, opened gifts, played games and just relaxed. It was great. Here is a peak into our festivites...

This is Christmas Eve at my mom's house.

When I was a kid, it was a tradition to take a picture at the top of the stairs before you could come down and open presents. I have carried on this tradition. But it's weird though because I realized that it doesn't have the same affect in our new house. The boys are upstairs and we are downstairs so they have to walk past all the presents to wake us up. Yet, I still had to take the picture for tradition's sake, right?

Daddy reading the Christmas story to the boys before we open the gifts. Another tradition carried on from our family. We don't want the kids to lose sight of why we celebrate and open gifts. Although, we will keep working on this because so far Caleb thinks that Jesus brings the gifts. While Dave read the story, Josiah wasn't letting go of this present for anything!

Josiah wasn't into opening gifts as much as Caleb so Daddy had to help him with his stocking. He would find one thing and stick to that and ignore the other gifts. I'm sure next year will be a whole different story.

For 3 months, Caleb has been asking for a tow truck. We were so excited to give it to him. When he opened it, he said "I've been looking for this". We don't know if he meant for his whole life or in his pile of gifts...either way, he was very excited! And we were just as excited to see the expression on his face. Now I understand why my mom and dad were always so excited for Christmas morning too.

Hannah just took in the whole Christmas scene and of course, Caleb offered to help open her gifts for her.

Caleb and Josiah playing with their light up toys. I just love their matching PJ's. We gave them to them on Christmas Eve. Yes Uncle Joey, I do love their matching PJ's.

Another tradition...my sister and I used to always bring cookies to our fire station on Christmas since the firemen had to be without family on Christmas Day. I wanted to start this tradition with the boys. So we brought them a plate of cookies and they invited the boys in, gave them hats and took them on a tour of the fire station and trucks. It was so cool for them. The station even got a call while we were there and the boys got to see them take off with their sirens and all.

Captain Caleb in control. The truck was HUGE compared to our little man. Josiah wasn't interested in sitting in it.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to Caleb about what Christmas really meant and why we celebrate and give gifts. He grasped the concept that it was Jesus' birthday so at the end of the conversation, he decided that Jesus needed a birthday cake. I suppose to a 3 year old, what's a birthday without cake!!! So, we made one Christmas Day at my mom's house. We sang "Happy Birthday" and everything. (Apparently, Jesus' favorite is chocolate just like Caleb.)

Caleb was pretty proud of his cake.

Ahhhh...at the end of a long Christmas Day. Ann-Marie, thanks for cuddling with Hannah.


Caleb got this pretty cool fire truck from Nonna and Pappy. It is remote controlled, makes noises, the ladder raises and yes, it EVEN SQUIRTS WATER! Check this thing out!

Winter Wonderland

"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...". It certainly looks like Christmas here in New England. We have been slammed with 2 snowstorms this weekend with at least 18 inches of snow (if not more!). Since we didn't have too much on the calendar, it was so nice to be "homebound". Unfortunately, Dave still had to fight the weather and shovel out the church Saturday and Sunday but I was home with the kids most of the weekend and they had fun in the snow. Friday night we had a family movie night which was honestly the highlight of my weekend. Movie of choice...CARS of course! With all the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, it was so nice to sit back as a family and just watch a movie and relax. Caleb especially enjoyed this family time and I think we will be making it more of a habit. Despite the weather, Caleb still had his church Christmas program on Sunday. He still may not have sung but at least he looked at us this time! I'm sure he'll have less and less stage fright as time goes on...let's hope! I'm sure my next update will be from Christmas so have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE as you celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Family Movie Night...Daddy with the kids watching "Cars".

First snow day. All bundled up and ready to play! Josiah wasn't so sure about all the clothes he had to wear. Everytime he fell, he couldn't get up!

The view from our backyard. The first snow at our new house...exciting!!!

At first, Josiah wouldn't stray far from the house. He just played with his trucks and shovels in the snow.

These are my favorite pictures to take in the snow...close up and personal!

My little cold-nosed wonder!

SNOW FUN!!!

Caleb and Isaac "singing" Mele Kelikimaka from the play "Christmas Around the World". This one is for you Thorson family!

He wasn't a big fan of the hat...surprise, surprise!

Caleb sang "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the end of the program. All week all I heard was "we get some more". Now I know he was practicing the verse "We won't go until we get some". Of course he was speaking of "figgy pudding".

Isaac and Caleb singing in the play...how cute are these little Hawaiian boys!!!

More Christmas Festivities

This week has more Christmas fun. Caleb had his performance at school. We could see him better and he sang a bit more but he certainly didn't look like he was enjoying himself. He was picking at his costume most of the time. Once in awhile he would look up, give us a quick grin and put his head back down again. Before the show I had asked what his costume was and he told me he was a sheperd. Come to find out he was actually a king in the show as you can see. When I told him I thought he was a good looking king, he said "Sorry". I asked why he was saying sorry and he said, "Sorry, I was supposed to be a sheperd. I didn't want to be a king." Ahhh...hence, the picking at the costume. Now it all made sense. I told him he did a great job and he was a good looking king. Though he didn't sing a lot in the show, we have been enjoying the songs around the house. Even Josiah knows most of the songs! Here are some pictures of the show, some random pictures Dave and I took of our village this year and a couple of videos. Hannah has started a lot so I took an early morning video of her. It's rare that the boys sleep in so I took advantage and had some quiet time with her. Hope you are all having a great week and enjoying these days as you prepare to celebrate Christmas. We are in for a snowstorm (or 2) this weekend. They are saying about a foot or so and school has already been cancelled in most towns (including Mount Hope...YEAH!).

Doesn't it look so real and inviting? Dave really enjoys putting the village and I enjoy watching the pieces go up and remembering why and when we got each one. Just about every piece has meaning and most were gifts to one another.

The manger scene in our village.

This was Caleb's pose for most of the performance.

Not too sure about this king costume.

There, we got him to look up!

Caleb was not into taking a family picture after the show but he finally complied. And yes, Hannah is in the picture. She was just sleeping away in the sling...as usual! Thank goodness for that thing. It's the only way I got my Christmas cards out and most of my presents wrapped!

There is the happy king. I caught him in the hallway after the show.

Hannah is 2 months old today...time is flying by!

You can see that he was singing a little bit in this video.

Trimming the Tree

"Christmas is all for the kids." That's what I always heard and before we had kids of our own, I still felt it was for big kids like us. And though the celebration of the birth of Christ is certainly for everyone, I am amazed at how much more fun I am having watch my kids enjoy the season than I did when it was Dave and I. Decorating the tree is probably my favorite thing about getting ready for Christmas and now getting to do that with the kids makes it even more special. Yes, it was chaotic decorating with 3 kids and not as organized as usual and it took triple the time it would take just Dave and I but HOW FUN! I loved watching Caleb's face as opened up each ornament and seeing who it was from or where it was from. And the lights...Dave and I would just put them on when it got dark outside but not now...the kids want them on as soon as they are up in the morning (of course, if you know my kids, sometimes it is still dark when they get up!). Caleb knows where all the switches are and will turn them on when he gets up. Here are just some pictures of the fun we have been having this week decorating. There are a few more to come because though it is small this year, the village is up...

The Libby family picking out their Christmas tree.

Hannah really enjoyed it...she slept the whole time!


Caleb has really been into using his scissors lately. He loves it when we let him cut tags off of things so he was THRILLED when he got to cut the tree netting off to open up the tree!

Here is Hannah decorating the tree for the first time.

Caleb really enjoyed finding all his ornaments and finding spots on the tree for them. He got into this so much this year. I have a feeling it had to do with the fact that when the tree was all decorated, the train could be put around the bottom of the tree...he is ALL BOY!

Josiah was more into tearing everything down...typical toddler, right????

Dave was bouncing Josiah on his leg and his face was just priceless!!!

Josiah uses everything as bells and walks around the house singing "Jingle Bells". He found a toy that lit up over my cousin's house and just walked around singing. When Dave's parents were here, he took Gracie's dog tags and started banging them together and singing. He cracks us up!

Never a Dull Moment

Well, I suppose with 3 kids and one being a newborn, there truly is "never a dull moment". After almost 7 weeks, I think the boys have finally come to realize that Hannah isn't going anywhere and she requires a bit more attention than they would like. They have both shown a bit of jealousy in their own ways. Caleb has started to act up a bit to get our attention...even if it's negative attention. We are doing our best each day to meet his needs and let God guide as we deal with the tantrums. You will see how Josiah has let his feelings show on the second video. I'm afraid I am going to need to get a helmet for Hannah!!! He is always going straight for her head with his hand or a toy...all the while smiling while doing it. This picture is of her after "the attack". She gets a really sad frown on her face and I was trying to capture that. Apparently, it took me a few weeks too before I bopped my sister on the head when she was born. In addition to these changes, I believe Josiah is going down to one nap instead of two and Caleb is headed for the inevitable....NO NAPS! He went 4 days in a row without a nap...YIKES! It was not pretty. In writing all this, I guess it doesn't seem like much of week to an outsider but for us, THE FUN NEVER ENDS!!!!! Just a week in the life of the Libby family. This weekend we will be getting our Christmas tree so I'm sure I'll have some fun picture of that. Have a great week everybody!

This was Hannah's first time in her little play gym.

While I was home today, I just enjoyed watching Josiah play. He is so passionate about everything he does. You can see it in his expressions on both videos. I often wonder what he will do with that passion someday...

Thanksgiving Times

Well, we had a nice Thanksgiving holiday this week. Despite some sickness in the house throughout the week, we managed to enjoy a wonderful meal and time with family. We had a really nice visit with Dave's family and the kids REALLY enjoyed them being here. They were certainly out of sorts when they left on Saturday. They also enjoyed having a dog around for the week. All week you could hear Josiah say, "Gracie, come here!" in the most adorable Boston accent. While they were here, Karen helped us a ton by stripping the wallpaper in Hannah's room so we could start painting it. She did such a fantastic job and what a help to us! THANK YOU KAREN!!!! We did some shopping, some things around the house and just spent some good quality time together. It is a blessing to have the room so that they can stay with us now! Here are some pictures from our holiday. Today we did a little decorating for Christmas and hope to get our tree later this week. Caleb really got into decorating and keeps asking about putting the train around the Christmas tree. The older they get, the more fun the holidays become. Have a GREAT week everybody!

Caleb and Josiah checking on mommy's turkey.

Caleb helping Grandma make homemade noodles...mmmmm!!!!! They are the best!

Josiah thoroughly enjoyed his pumpkin pie!

Auntie Wendy bought Hannah and Bella matching Thanksgiving shirts...so cute!

Since we won't get to see Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas this year, we did Christmas this week. Here are Caleb and Josiah in their new sleds...and since we had our first snow (just a little flurry), we know winter is on its way!!

Josiah got a crawl through tunnel but he has yet to actually go through it.

The kids had so much fun with Grandma and Grandpa!

Thankful Hearts

It's hard to believe it's Thanksgiving time once again. Dave's family is here to visit us for the holiday and we are having a great time together. This year we have so much to be thankful for. Dave and I were just talking the other day about how much has gone on this year. If you had told us in January of all that would go on, all the changes, all the challenges, all the blessings and all the miracles we probably never would have believed it. I think God works like that on purpose. Sometimes if we knew what was ahead, we may not want to walk forward. God has been so good. It's hard to believe with this year's housing market that we sold and bought our house in just 8 short weeks. What a miracle! Who knew we would adding another bundle of joy...another miracle to our family! This year certainly amazes us and despite the challenges that come with change, we can't thank the Lord enough for the blessings he has bestowed upon us. He continues to take care of every detail of our lives and give us everything we need. Recently I was in the grocery store and since taking the Dave Ramsey course back in the Spring, Dave and I have been pretty good about sticking to our "cash envelopes" for our budget. Well, I thought I only had $11 to work with to pick up a few things that I needed for the rest of the week. (Sometimes this envelope thing is a fun challenge for me...can I get everything I need for 11 bucks?!?). The total came to $12.51. I found another dollar in my grocery envelope but still needed .51 cents. I searched my pockets and then checked one more change section of my wallet. What did I find? .51 cents and not a penny more. At the checkout, I just thought to myself "bonus!". But as I was driving away, I was reminded how God takes care of our every need. He doesn't always give us everything we "want" but he certainly provides for all of our needs. I don't share this to say we are hard-pressed for money. We have a budget and we try to stick to it but I share it to say that God is so good. He never lets us down and I know that we are in the palm of His hands. What better place to be? Here are some pictures of Caleb's first school program and Hannah's baby dedication on Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Caleb sang his little heart at home but got "stage fright" on the day of the show. Maybe the cute girls in front of him made him nervous!

The cutest little turkey I ever did see. "Gobble, Gobble!"

They had refreshments after the show for the kids and their families. Check out the look on Josiah's face. I'm not sure what he is thinking!

It was very special to have my brother dedicate Hannah on Sunday. I'm pretty proud to be the sister of the Pastor.

This just gives you an idea of the length of the dress she wore. This was my christening dress when I was a baby which was orginally made from my mom's wedding dress. It has been sitting on our bed since we have been married just waiting for a little girl to wear it. It was really special to see Hannah wearing it on Sunday.

Hannah Grace Libby...our sweet baby girl.

The Libby Clan