Valentine's Day

Every year for Valentine's Day we have a special breakfast and the boys get a special Valentine from Mike and I. This year was no exception and it was even more fun because it was on a Saturday this year!




The famous Huge Hershey Kiss!!! I always wanted one of these growing up (alright who am I trying to kid I still want one of these babies!) So when I saw them at the store I thought they were a "must have" for the boys. They loved them and are actually still working on finishing them. They are solid chocolate.



I figured if I was going to give them the HUGE hershey kiss I had to give them something to make sure they wouldn't get any cavities! They for some reason have always wanted an electric toothbrush so they were thrilled and haven't stopped brushing their teeth since.



Our traditional Valentine's Day breakfast- pink heart shaped pancakes, pink milk, and yummy ham and cheese eggs.

Porter being a "Rock Star"

Porter went to a birthday party this week at a roller rink and the theme was "Everyone can be a Rock Star." It was for a little girl in his school class. He had never been roller skating before so he was a little nervous. But when I arrived to pick him up he was literally skating circle around everyone. It was so funny, he had the biggest smile on his face. He had a great time and can't wait to go again. This picture is of him in his Rock Star attire from the party.




I just had to add this pic of Hudson and Porter to show how (as usual) Hudsy will not be denied a photo opportunity. He is hilarious he loves to have his picture taken!

Porter lost his first tooth!

Our little Porter lost his first tooth this week and he was more than just a little excited. He has been working on it for a few weeks now. It was a really big deal because he got on the tooth chart at school and if you take it to school the nurse will give you a little treasure box to put it in for the Tooth Fairy. Also the most important part the Tooth Fairy comes to visit!! It happened Tuesday morning before school and he has been telling anyone and everyone about it ever since!

Skiing in Vermont

We decided at the last minute to take a little ski trip over the holiday break. Mike found a great place called Bennington,VT. It was next to 3 nice ski resorts and also just a 15 minute drive from Manchester,VT which is a cute little resort town with great local shops and outlets.



It wouldn't be a Rich family trip if we didn't learn some history about our destination. This is Mike and the boys standing in front of the Bennington Battle Monument. It is the tallest structure in Vermont and commemorates the Battle of Bennington, a battle that lead to the turning point in the Revolutionary War.




Braxton standing next to a bronze statue of General John Stark who lead the Battle


The boys thought it was a dream come true when they saw there was a Chilis in the same parking lot as our hotel. We love their bottomless chips and salsa!


This might have been the boys favorite part of the trip. We had a jacuzzi tub in our room and it definitely got used every day.








Porter

Porter, Hudson, and I took a lunch break in the lodge to get warmed up. They were so cute sharing this drink. Braxton and Mike never came in for a break they skied straight through!


Hudson was so cute, I was trying to get good picture of his tiny little skis but this picture does not do them justice.



Emily and the boys on the chairlift together



Porter



Braxton



Mike & Hudson



STILL SMILING!! We considered the ski trip a success because everyone including Hudson had a huge smile on their face at the end of the day!



Do you think Hudson is worn out? Poor kid was wiped out after a full day on the slopes. When we were all getting our things together to head out to the car Hudson literally fell asleep standing up!



We woke up on our last day in Vermont to about 1 1/2 ft of new snow and blizzard conditions. The roads did not look good. We were all having such a good time and Mike didn't need to get back to work yet, so we decided to stay one more day and spend New Year's Eve in Bennington,VT. It was great we slept in, swam 2 more times, went sledding, hit Chilis again, and caught a movie! It was great and we think it might be our new tradition.

Sledding with the boys-

Christmas Day!

WE BELIEVE!!! The boys were lucky enough this year to be woken up in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve to reindeer hooves and jingle bells on the roof. Then they caught the real live Santa Claus writing a note and leaving them the Wii! Our kids were having a hard time believing in Santa so this visit came just in the nick of time. The only problem was that our poor little Porter even though he was present during it all has no recollection of the event. Luckily we got this photo!



The boys anxiously awaiting for the OK that Santa really came and that they could line-up to go downstairs.



The Line-Up Christmas Morning



Mike in his Christmas pajamas



These were a big hit. My mom made little quilts for each of the grandchildren. They turned out so cute and the boys love and use them everyday! They are the perfect size- thanks Grandma Wilson it is a gift they will always cherish.




Another highly anticipated Christmas gift in the Rich house is the one Grandpa Wilson makes in his wood shop. Every year he makes all the grandchildren a special gift that he keeps a secret until Christmas morning. Every year the kids love it and this year was no exception. He made them each their own magnifying glass. Hudson said," mom look grandpa made me something to look at bugs with." They have all loved them and keep them in a special place so they don't loose them. Thanks Grandpa Wilson!



Hudson was thrilled when he opened this remote control car from Braxton. He drove it around all day.



One of the big "wants" for Christmas this year by all of our boys was Bakugan stuff and a game board for it. So when they opened the packages from G&G Rich and found this they were more than a little excited! Thanks G&G Rich they loved it!




This is how we spent most of the day- The boys love the Wii and actually so do Mike and I. Mario Kart is probably the fam favorite. Even little Hudsy can play and he is awesome at it!

Just a Cute Picture of Mike and Braxton

Christmas Eve 2008

For Christmas Eve this year we had our good friends the Bench's over for dinner, Christmas carols, and our attempt at a program. First A and I combined forces and created what I thought was a pretty fantastic dinner, and then got everyone dressed in character to act out the Nativity. This was a Christmas tradition in both my home and Mike's growing up so it was a must have in the program. Mike narrated while the rest of us acted it out. The kids did a great job and A & C were nice enough to be Mary and Joseph. We then sang carols (thanks C for your help in this area w/o your great voice it would have been pretty weak) and then had dessert. It was a fun night! Thanks Bench family for sharing it with us- repeat next year?

Mary & Joseph



The cute shepherds



Our little wisemen



I love this picture because it shows how sweet J is. He is Hudson's age and he was so soft with the baby Jesus. He is going to be a big brother in about 3 weeks and I can tell from this little display of sweetness that he is going to be awesome at it!




The whole Nativity



Mike's Favorite- the group photo



The last picture of the evening