BUFFY'S NEW LOOK

Hanging out in the snow.
Buffy loves baby brother Chad

Practice away Buffy! We can't wait for you to play Christmas songs for us.

New hair cut for the new year.

Buffy is in first grade and is keeping a very busy schedule. She has started taking piano lessons and is really liking it. We are hoping that this will continue. She is doing great in school and is the best helper for mom. Every morning, she goes and gets Chad out of his room and plays with him. One morning I walked downstairs and she had Chad in his baby seat, buckled in and was feeding him breakfast. She is just so loving to him and runs over the second she hears him crying. Always willing to help. She is very independent and very determined. She has been wanting to cut her hair short for the longest time and finally got it done. She's lost 4 baby teeth and the tooth fairy was very kind to visit her each time with $10. We are very lucky to have Buffy in our family. We love her so much.

Carlsbad Marathon

Keeping a good pace.

On top of her busy schedule, Buffy ran the annual Carlsbad marathon at Legoland. She actually ran the entire mile his year. I was so proud of her. I hope to be able to run a 5 k with her in a couple of years.

DANCE CHLOE DANCE!!

Chloe in tap and ballet combo class.

Chloe with Daddy befor e dance class

Chloe started taking dance lessons about 2 months ago. My sweet girl has been waiting to be in dance class for the past year so needless to say, she loves it and has the biggest smile the entire time while in class. She is very talented, loves to sing and obviously dancing. She can sing, "I am 16 going on 17" from the Sound of Music word for word and htting all the notes correctly. She is also very creative. Constantly drawing and painting. She takes time and is very meticulous with her art. She is beginning to like preschool alot more now, not as shy as she was before. She loves to play on the games on her computer. Chloe is super sweet and very loving to her family. We are so lucky to have in our family.

Starting the New Year busy

Chad, got his first tooth exactly at 6 months. Piper keeping warm in the snow.

Chloe is just the sweetest lil' miss. Buffy loves her new hair cut.

Looking back at 2008, I cannot believe that the year just flew by. Our family were on a constant run during the holidays. Now that we are back to a semi normal schedule, I must admit, I kind of miss the chaos of it all. Buffy and Chloe are back to school and Lulu is still with us to help me with Piper and Chad. Piper keeps me on a constant alert with her mischevious ways. She loves to color, draw and paint all day. Chad is just stoked to be fed and cleaned. He's a super happy baby boy, growing by the seconds. He's by far, my chubbiest baby. He giggles, rolls over onto his stomach talks to us in his baby talk. He loves baby food, mainly the fruits and gags on green beans. The girls love him and are constantly bickering over who gets to hold, or should I say, drag him around the playroom. Buffy is as always, super active. She was bored during Christmas break from school. Always wanting to be somewhere doing something. She's my overachiever, doing great in school and loves everything about it. She tells me this everytime I ask her about school. She is a big help around the house for me, especially in the morning. Some days she gets up way earlier than I do and gets breakfast for her sisters, or get Chad out of the crib and plays with him. Chloe likes preschool but some days she just wants to stay home with mom. She loves to draw, paint and play on the computer as much as I will allow her. She's beginning to read 3 letter words and is so anxious to learn how to read books. She's very sensitive and loves her family very much. I am excited to 2009 and looking forward to watching as my kids grow and develop their personalities. Hopefully, there won't be many challenges to the process.

CHRISTMAS JINGLE

To the Tune of "Jingle Bells"

(Verse)

Dashing through the waves as John rides on his board,

Jackie's working out, running all the chores.

There's so much to do, who can do it all,

We wish the kids were big enough to drive us to the mall. Oh...

(Chorus)

Buffy-Girl, she's the one, who dances all around,

Chloe's sweet and oh, so neat to sing us all a song! Oh!

Piper's fun happy too, she gets in everything,

Chad, we're glad, that he just sleeps, now join us as we sing!

(Chorus)

Oh, Jingle Bells, the Howe's are swell. We want to say to you!

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year too! Oh!

Deck the Halls and the Malls, ornaments galore,

Hope the season's filled with peace and joy and so much more!

"I am so over this picture taking ordeal mommy, I need a nap now"

Gingerbread House

One of my favorite things to do during Christmas season is making gingerbread houses with our girls. I guess I am reliving my childhood wishes. No matter how messy it is, the house always turn out so pretty. For the past few years, I have been decorating the houses while the girls ate the candy. This year, I gave them all complete creative control and they did such a beautiful job decorating. And, Piper only at 1/2 of the candy.

"One for the house, one for me." Says Piper

And.. Voila, the finished house! Great job girls!

Time for updating...

You look so pretty in your costume Buffy.

What a happy baby boy

Piper the Pirate, so cute

Congratulations Logan and Cheryl.

Chloe makes an adorable flower girl

My little man.

Hanging out at the pumpkin patch.

Already a big Johnny Cash fan.

Typical of my girls, they did not like hay at all, especially Piper.


It seems like I never have time to do anything but run around taking care of my kids. I have been wanting to update our blog and by the end of the day, I am just exhausted. My kids love Holloween, it's the only time they get to eat as much candies as they can in our house, and they do take advantage of this Pagan holiday. I just crinch thinking about their teeth rotting away.

We went to Death Valley for a Logan and Cheryl's wedding this past Saturday. It took us 5 hours to drive there and had a great time being with our family. There is NOTHING out there! This place is very appropriately named.