CHRISTMAS KIDS

I THOUGHT I WOULD TAKE MY OWN PICTURES FOR THIS YEARS CHRISTMAS CARDS. FOR HOW CRAPPY MY CAMERA IS AND THAT I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL I DID ALRIGHT. IT HELPS THAT MY KIDS ARE SO STINKING CUTE.....

BLACK FRIDAY

I FORGOT TO POST ABOUT MY ANNUAL BLACK FRIDAY!!! SILLY ME.... I JUST LOVE ALL THE THANKSGIVING ADS! I SPEND HOURS LOOKING AT THEM OVER AND OVER! THIS YEAR KYLEE PICKED ME UP AT 3:10 AM AND WE WERE BOTH SO EXCITED....WE MET UP WITH CRYSTAL AND TASHA AT JC PENNYS AT 3:30AM. IT WAS TASHAS FIRST BLACK FRIDAY. I THINK SHE WAS A LITTLE SURPRISED AT ALL THE PEOPLE AND I AM PRETTY SURE SHE WAS IMPRESSED WITH OUR SHOPPING SKILLS!! HEHEHE..... I GOT EVERYTHING I WAS LOOKING FOR, KYLEE GOT SHOT DOWN ON A COUPLE OF HER ITEMS DUE TO THE LONG LINES. THEY WERE HORRIBLE! WE GOT TO TARGET AT 4:20AM... TARGET OPENED AT 5 THIS YEAR AND THE LINE WRAPPED ALL THE WAY AROUND THE STORE AND WAS HEADING DOWN THE ROAD TOWARD THE DRIVE IN MOVIES. YEP WE WERE NEAR THE END OF THAT LINE! I KNOW SOME OF YOU ARE THINKING WE ARE STUPID BUT WE JUST LOVE ALL THE ANTICIPATION AND ALL THE PEOPLE! WE SHOPPED TILL 11AM. THIS YEAR AND I GOT ALL MY CHRISTMAS DONE!!! YIPPEE YIPPEE YIPPEE! THIS IS TASHA, CRYSTAL, KYLEE AND MYSELF AT 5:45 AM AT SPORTSMANS WAREHOUSE. IT WAS SOOOOO FREAKING COLD! ANYWAYS, AFTER A FULL MORNING OF SHOPPING KLYEE AND I DECIDED TO HANG OUT AT HER HOUSE. THE KIDS PLAYED WHILE KYLEE AND I WORKED ON SOME CHRISTMAS PROJECTS FOR HER FAMILY. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN AND THE PROJECTS REALLY TOOK ALL NIGHT THAT LEXIE AND I DECIDED TO SPEND THE NIGHT. WE MADE A FORT FOR THE KIDS AND THEY FELL ASLEEP SO FAST! THEY PLAYED SO HARD THAT DAY! FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT ARE WONDERING ...WHAT ABOUT THE HUSBANDS? WELL, THE HUBBIES GO TO THE SAND DUNES FOR AN OVERNIGHTER WHEN US GIRLS GET BACK FROM SHOPPING. YOU KN0W ITS FUN STILL HAVING SLEEPOVERS WITH YOUR GOOD FRIENDS WHEN YOU ARE AN ADULT. THANKS GIRLS FOR ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SHOPPING TRIP AND LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT YEAR!

DECORATING THE TREE

LAST NIGHT I BAKED SOME YUMMY APPLES WITH SUGAR N CINNAMON AND THE KIDS AND I DECORATED THE CHRISTMAS TREE. LEXIE LIKE TO GROUP ALL HER ORNAMENTS IN ONE AREA....LOVE IT!!!! ZACH LIKES TO REMIND LEXIE THAT THERE IS A WHOLE TREE TO HANG THE ORNAMENTS ON! I JUST SAT BACK AND LAUGHED AS MY 2 KIDS WOULD ARGUE (LIGHT-HEARTEDLY) AS TO WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO PLACE THEIR DECORATIONS! JEFF WAS SICK SO HE DIDNT COME OUT OF THE BEDROOM. BUT THE KIDS AND I HAD A GOOD TIME TALKING ABOUT ALL THE DIFFERENT DECORATIONS AND ENJOYED OUR YUMMY TREAT!!! I LOVE MAKING MEMORIES WITH MY KIDS....WHAT A GREAT NIGHT!

Thanksgiving Day

WE ENJOYED OUR THANKSGIVING DAY HERE AT THE STREBEL HOUSE! WE STARTED OUR MORNING OFF WITH OUR ANNUAL GINGERBREAD HOUSES! WE HAVE BEEN DOING THIS SINCE ZACH WAS PROBABLY 4. THIS YEAR THEY PICK OUT TRAINS TO DECORATE.... LEIXE ALWAYS NEEDS HELP GETTING THE FRAME UP AND AFTER THAT SHE IS CANDY GUNG HO!!! YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES.....A LITTLE CANDY ON MY PROJECT AND A WHOLE LOT IN THE BELLY! ZACH STILL ENJOYS DOING THIS LITTLE PROJECT AND HE IS REALLY GETTING CTREATIVE WITH ALL THE CANDY. MY TWO KIDS DID A FANTASTICE JOB ON THE TRAINS THIS YEAR! I AM NOT SURE HOW MUCH CANDY MADE IT ONTO THE TRAINS BUT THEY SURE HAD A FUN TIME DECORATING THEM. WHILE ZACH AND LEXIE WERE DECORATING THEIR TRAINS JEFF AND I WERE ABLE TO GET THE TURKEY IN THE OVEN. ANDY, TAYA, MICHELE, AND CODY CAME OVER EARLY. WE HAD SOME DRINKS AND DID A WHOLE LOT OF LAUGHING. MY STEP-BROTHER, JASON, AND HIS GIRLFRIEND ,CELSTE AND HER DAUGHTER JASMIN CAME OVER LATER ON IN THE DAY. DINNER WAS FABULOUS MINUS MY PARENTS ( THEY WERE IN CALIFORNIA) FOR THE HOLIDAY. SO THIS PICTURE IS FOR THEM.... AFTER DINNER OF COURSE CAME THE APPLE AND PUMPKIN PIES!!! OH MAN THEY WERE SO YUMMY! LATER ON IN THE EVENING OUR FRIENDS BRIAN AND "ROXY" (AKA STEPH) CAME OVER FOR SOME DRINKS! WE ALL HAD A GREAT TIME TALKING ABOUT THE ADS FOR BLACK FRIDAY! SOME OF MY CO-WORKERS FROM TIMBERMINE WERE OVER AT GINAS AND RICKYS SO WE LOADED UP THE CARS AND HEADED OVER FOR SOME COCKTAILS AND GAMES. LEXIE RAN AROUND WITH ALL THE OTHER MILLION KIDS AND ZACH HUNG OUT IN THE GARAGE PLAYING ROCK BAND ON THE HUGE PROJECTOR TV! THIS IS A GROUP SHOT OF ALL THE GIRLS. I JUST LOVE ALL MY FRIENDS! THEY ARE SO AWESOME! YOU KNOW I REALLY ENJOYED MY THANKSGIVING THIS YEAR....MY 2 KIDS, MY WONDERFUL HUBBY, MY BROTHER, MY NIECE, AUNT MICHELE, CODY, AND MY FABULOUS FRIENDS! IT REALLY DOESN'T GET ANY BETTER THAN THIS.....I HOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT TURKEY DAY!

TRICK OT TREAT...

FRIDAY NIGHT ALAINA AND HER FAMILY CAME OUT TO THE HOUSE TO DO SOME TRICK OR TREATING WITH US. THE WEATHER WAS SO NICE AND THE KIDS WERE VERY EXCITED! THE KIDS RAN FROM DOOR TO DOOR AND LITTLE ARIAH JUST HAD ALL SHE COULD DO TO WALK IN HER PURPLE DRAGON COSTUME LET ALONE CARRY HER CANDY BAG. IT WAS SO CUTE TO WATCH HER WADDLE AND STRUGGLE. THE KIDS WENT AROUND 2 BLOCKS AND FILLED UP THEIR BAGS QUICKLY...THIS IS A CUTE PICTURE OF LEXIE AND TESLA DRESSED UP AS WITCHES... WE ENDED THE NIGHT BY HAINGING OUT AT THE NEIGHBORS. THEY ALWAYS HAVE A HUGE GROUP OF NEIGHBORS GET TOGETHER AND EAT DINNER AROUND THE FIRE PIT THAT THEY PUT IN THEIR DRIVEWAY.WE HAD YUMMY HOMEMADE CHILI AND HOTDOGS, HOT APPLE CIDER AND SMORES. THE GIRLS WARMED UP BY HAVING SOME YUMMY APPLE CIDER AND THEN HUNG OUT AROUND THE FIREPIT TO STAY WARM. LATER IN THE EVENING CODY AND PYPER STOPPED BY AND HUNG OUT FOR A WHILE. THEY HAD AWESOME COSTUMES... I REALLY ENJOYED HALLOWEEN NIGHT. WHO NEEDS TRICKS OR TREATS WHEN YOU HAVE GOOD FRIENDS, YUMMY FOOD, A WONDERFUL FAMILY, AND GREAT MEMORIES!

HALLOWEEN PARTY!

FRIDAY NIGHT WE MADE IT TO 2 PARTIES. FORGOT THE CAMERA AT THE FIRST ONE. BUT WE STOPPED AND BROUGHT IT ALONG TO THE WHITNEYS PARTY. I MADE 2 OF THESE REALLY CUTE HALLOWEEN TREATS. I JUST LOVE THE BLOODY EYEBALLS ( POWDER DONUTS) AND THE CENTIPEDE ( COOKIES AND CHOC FROSTING) I THOUGHT THEY TURNED OUT SO CUTE. THE KIDS REALLY SEEMED TO ENJOY THEM! THE KIDS PLAYED PIN THE BAT ON THE MOON AND RAN AROUND JUST PLAYING WITH EACHOTHER IN THEIR COSTUMES! I WANTED TO TAKE EVERYONES PICTURE WHILE THEY WERE IN COSTUMES BUT THAT NEVER HAPPENED.HERE IS A PICTURE OF US....ZACH WAS BOB MARLEY. LEXIE WAS A WITCH...I WAS LITTLE MISS MUFFET....AND JEFF WAS A SPIDER. THIS IS RYAN, ALAINA, AND THE GIRLS... BEN, TASHA, BOSTON, AND LINCOLN... I LOVE THIS PICTURE OF ZACH AND I..JUST CUTE!!! I DIDNT GET PICTURES OF ANYONE ELSE...I GUESS I WAS A SLACKER. I WAS TOO BUSY PLAYING WITH THESE 2 CUTE LITTLE GIRLS...MADDIE AND ARIAHWE LEFT THE PARTY KINDA EARLY THAT NIGHT DUE TO LEXIE WAS NOT FEELING VERY WELL. BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME HANGING OUT WITH OUR FRIENDS. I JUST LOVED ALL THE CREATIVITY THAT PEOPLE PUT INTO THEIR COSTUMES!

CARVING PUMPKINS

THURSDAY NIGHT WE CARVED OUR PUMPKINS. JEFF WASNT ABLE TO STAY FOR VERY LONG DUE TO GETTING CALLED INTO WORK. JEFF AND LEXIE DID THE PART I HATE THE MOST....GUTTING THEM OUT. I FIND THAT JUST, NASTY! LEXIE HAD THE JOB OF TAKING CARE OF THE SEEDS. WHICH I MUST ADMIT SHE DID A FABULOUS JOB. THEY TASTED SO YUMMY! I HAVE FOUND THAT ZACH REALLY ENJOYS CARVING PUMPKINS...HE GETS TO PLAY WITH KNIVES! YA SCARY!!!!
HIS PUMPKINS TURNED OUT PRETTY GOOD! LEXIE DOESNT REALLY WANT TO DO ANY CARVING. SO SHE DRAWS ON HERS AND THEN I CARVE THE FACE FOR HER. SHE REALLY LOVED THE TONGUE THAT SHE DREW ON HERS. I LOVE HANGING OUT WITH MY KIDS! I WISH JEFF COULD HAVE STAYED BUT WHAT DO YOU DO?... LEXIE ARRANGED THEM ON THE COUNTER SO THAT WHEN JEFF GOT HOME HE COULD SEE THEM. :)