Christmas with the Paci's!

The Paci cousins...FINALLY all together!!!

So, our biggest Christmas surprise was that Tio's sister, Christy, traveled home from Florida! We weren't expecting to see her for the holidays, but they made the 15 hour trip and arrived in Centerville at 5am on Christmas Eve. We were SO excited to see her, that we decided to drive to Centerville one day early, too! Having everyone together was so special! The kids LOVE seeing their cousins Ella & Ibby, along with their big cousins Ali, Haley, and David. I am so glad when they have the opportunity to spend time together, I know they will always look back and remember how much FUN they had when they were with their cousins!Claire & David hula hoop obstacle course!

Ready for PRESENTS!

The whole crew with Grandma & Grandpap!

Haley & Ella

Trying to sled ride in the tiny bit of snow that fell in Centerville!

Christmas Eve!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (aside from the fact that we don't have any snow!) What we DO have is a turkey dinner, lots of holiday treats, and presents...YES presents!

The Paci's are all decked out for Christmas Eve! First, 5:00 mass where Emma was chosen to carry the baby Jesus up to the alter...quite an honor! After we got home, it's on to opening the annual "new pj's" present.

And since tomorrow is such a big day, the plan is to go to bed EARLY...wouldn't want to disrupt Santa's visit by being awake too late!

HO HO HO! Merry Christmas, Paci Punks!!!

Christmas with the Carlson's!

Spending Christmas together can be difficult for my family since we all live so far apart, so this year we decided to meet Stacy half-way in Ohio to celebrate. Mom & Dad made the 9 hour trip to be there too, so we were all together for the first time in a while!

The weather was a little iffy...lake effect snow had dumped over 2 feet at the resort the previous week, and another big storm was expected, but we all made it safely to Punderson Manor Lodge. The kids were thrilled to have snow to play with, and the lodge had a sled riding hill that was VERY fast and fun!

The kids had plenty to do...when they weren't sledding, they were swimming in the pool at the lodge. But best of all, they could just hang out together. It makes me so happy to see my kids play with their cousins. Even though they only see each other twice a year, they love to be together so much! Joey idolizes his big cousins Nick & Drew, and Claire & Ethan were joined at the hip all weekend.

The lodge was the perfect location for a cozy winter get away; it was filled with fireplaces, turrets, nooks & crannies to escape to to play a game or read a book. It was the perfect place to gather and be together! I know the kids will cherish the memories we made for years to come!

Over 2 feet of snow!

Emma & Drew lounging by the fire.

Stacy & Nick

Granny & Pappy got an iPod for Christmas!

The Crazy Carlson Cousins!!!

Finding the PERFECT Christmas Tree...

The annual hunt begins...how will we find the perfect tree!?!

Is this one the perfect one!?!

YES!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Celebrating Thanksgiving at Grandma & Grandpap's house!

Spending time with our family & enjoying an amazing feast!!!

We have so much to be thankful for!!!!

Zip-Line!

Check out these crazy cousins!

They have just discovered that Aunt Dina has a zip-line...yes!...a REAL zip-line in her backyard!

Who better to introduce our kids to the joys of a zip-line than cousin David?!? Giggles....smiles...shrieks of delight...it was not possible for three kids to have more fun!

This was the highlight of our last visit to Centerville....how did it escape our attention that Aunt Dina had such a gem hidden in her backyard?

After hours of entertainment, I was able to drag them away from the zip-line. And I know that all three of them are hatching a plan of how we could recreate this little bit of Centerville back home in Greencastle!

Greencastle Christmas Parade

Aren't these the cutest little penguins you've ever seen! Emma's Brownie troop participated in the Christmas parade, and of course, that means Claire gets to participate, too! What a great way to put us in the spirit of the holiday season!

Happy Birthday, Tio!

We celebrated Tio's birthday with a trip to the Baltimore Aquarium...since we bought a year long membership and we've only been ONCE this year, we thought it was high time we made another trip down there & I'm so glad we did!

The inner harbor is such a great place to visit, I don't know why we don't go more often. The aquarium is an awesome destination; the kids could wander around there forever. They were especially digging the jellyfish exhibit and the moray eel. We even got to see the stingrays being fed. Super cool!

And of course they LOVE the dolphin show...hence the expression on Joey's face...pure love, no wait...he just looks like that sometimes :)

We finished our trip with dinner at the Cheesecake Factory (thank you to the waitress for snapping this lovely family pic), where Tio got a special piece of birthday cheesecake! Yum!!! Here's to the start of another great year!!!

Dash For Drew

Here we are...at another "fun run". We're lucky enough to live in an area that has lots and LOTS of "fun" running. I love it, I just wish I were better at it :) It's always nice when the kids can participate in a fun run/walk, and this is a really special one; the Dash For Drew. This race benefits the Drew Michael Taylor foundation which does a lot of good in our community.

Most of the races the kids run are 1 mile or less, but this one is a 2 miler. I signed all three kids up, thinking that I would stay in back and walk with Claire, and Joey and Emma would run ahead at their own pace. Little did I know that Claire had other plans!!! She took off at a dead sprint...and didn't stop running for the entire first mile. Her first mile split was 10:31...not too shabby for a 4 year old. She slowed down a little for the second mile, but still finished the race with a time of 23:30. I think we have a future runner in the family!

Trick or Treat!!!

The Neighborhood Crew!

We survived trick or treat night 2010! And we lucked out with perfect fall weather. I love where we live...we always get TONS of trick or treaters! I planned for 350 and this is the first year that I didn't run out of candy! We have our routine...I love handing out the candy and Tio loves taking the kids around. Some years we switch roles, but I'm a sucker for seeing all the neighborhood kids dressed up and talking with them about their costumes...they are always SO excited! Fun stuff!

This spooky witch was hanging out at our neighbors' house, complete with a bubble machine in her cauldron.

Emma really got into her roll as a hula dancer...she has the moves, she just needs the Hawaiian beach!

On to the next Halloween festivity...we're all in a parade tonight. The fun keeps on going....

Carving Away...

I LOVE this picture! I captured my kids carving away out in the yard, diligently working on their own unique pumpkin creations. This moment is too sweet...and I have this sudden urge to freeze time and keep them exactly like this forever...

Whitetail Festival

I LOVE FALL!!!! Especially when you have the perfect day to spend at the Whitetail Fall Festival...which has become a favorite annual outing for the Paci's. Each year it gets better and better!

The kids' favorite activities this year included the rock climbing wall, archery, and paintball (guess who loved the paintball?)

Claire surprised us on the rock climbing wall...she just scampered right up past the older kids that were with her...it didn't even phase her how high up she was. I think we have a dare devil on our hands!

Emma had good luck on the archery range, popping a balloon and winning a prize. Pretty cool!

Joey, of course, loved the paintball, and would have stayed there all day if it wasn't for a very tempting obstacle course nearby.

There just wasn't enough time to do all of the fun activities, but we did make time for a ride up the ski lift to take in the

view. Did I mention that I LOVE FALL!?!?

Haunted Gingerbread?

Now this is what I call fun...a Haunted Gingerbread House! Leave it to Grandma to find something so cool!

This was a total group effort. Emma rocked the icing, Joey handled the pumpkin shaped gumballs, and Claire mastered the candy corn. Not too shabby!

Of course, the best part was when I caught Emma squeezing a tube of black icing into her mouth....yum, yum!

Let the Halloween Festivities begin!

Soccer Saturday!

So, if you've wondered why it's been SOOOO long since my last blog post....see the above picture. That's right, we've been in full soccer swing, and this year we added Claire into the mix!

As I type this, we're almost to the end of the season, so I can no longer complain about the three different teams, the three different practice times, the three different game schedules...nope, I'm not complaining a bit...hallelujah I'm almost done!

I really don't mind, though. I mean, look at these pictures...you can tell they're having a blast! The teamwork, the exercise...I wouldn't trade that for anything.

But I'll admit, it will be nice to have one or two Saturdays to sleep in...wait a minute, that's WAY too much to wish for :)

If I had a hammer...

Move over Amy Matthews...there's a new carpenter in town! Look at this girl...on the filthy garage floor surrounded by power tools...and she couldn't be happier!

Claire had a BLAST watching the guys work on the door today. The word that comes to mind is obsessive. She constantly asked if she could help, so Uncle Jim put her to work hammering nails into a board. She was diligent! What you see here is only the beginning. I bet she had at least 50 nails in that board before she was through.

Of course, she wanted to display the board in her room, but I convinced her that it would be safer to keep it in the garage (I can just imagine the trail of nails through the house!)

I think we've stumbled upon raw talent here....I'm picturing her own show on the DIY network! Daddy will be so proud :)

...and now we have a door!

My husband is a wise man, he knows when he needs a little help with a DIY project. He called in the troops, meaning, Grandpap & Uncle Jim came to lend a hand!

They turned Tio's hole in the wall into a real-live-functioning door. Now we can actually walk from our kitchen into our garage. How exciting!

Of course, you need to be careful when using said door...that first step is a doozy!!!!

...and the WALL, comes tumbling down...

Here he is folks, my man, wielding a very big-scary-brick cutting power saw! Just another step in our on-going kitchen remodel.

This weekend was devoted to cutting through the wall of our house to create a door from the kitchen to the garage. You can see the small hole he started with. Now it is a full sized door.

Tio was inexplicably excited to do this...something about cutting through a wall really made him happy. Just having a reason to rent this huge power tool made him happy. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it is the RIGHT size, because something tells me it is easier to cut bricks out than it is to put them back in....

PRE-SCHOOL!?!

Oh my! Is it possible that my BABY is going to pre-school? Yep, that seems to be the case. And to make matters worse, she LOVES it!!! No tears for mommy, no clinging to my leg, no begging me not to go....she just slaps me a high-five and she's off. How's that for gratitude!?! You'd think she'd show a little more remorse, but noooooo, she has to be all happy and well adjusted. Hmph. I guess I'll shed enough tears for the both of us.

The first day was a success! Of course, she can't remember the names of anyone she played with, but she definitely loves the pre-school scene. I, on the other hand, am going to have to get a puppy or something. It's going to be a loooong year!