christmas 2011

skylar said it was the best christmas ever...
agreed!

xmas eve 2011

our day in photos...

may santa bring you everything your heart desires!
merry christmas!
xxoo
cyn

merry xmas eve eve

♥♥♥♥ our xmas card this year ♥♥♥♥
seeing santa was a complete bust -- great in theory; horrible in execution!
skylar clung to bri & i like white on rice & wouldn't even look at santa.
oh well...
maybe next year?
and can i say that i don't really blame her -- he was the skinniest creepy santa ever!
boo hiss @ skinny santas -- so wrong on so many levels!
gimme a *bowl full of jelly* anyday!

skylar was game to go out to eat though...
and sadly the only place she will eat at is our local hometown buffet.
if you are unfamiliar with this chain -- be thankful!
but my picky eater daughter will eat just about anything from this place so we end up going here quite a bit!
a weight watcher's nightmare i might add!
all you can eat food is never a good thing!
these are her attempts @ smiling for the camera...
heh!

i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend -- whether it is spent celebrating christmas, yule, or festivus! make memories, love loudly, & revel in the smallest of moments!

xxoo
cyn

deck the halls...

this past weekend was spent prepping the house & actually decorating for the holidays...
the mere mention of the xmas tree brings a smile from skylar that would light up the world!
and i gotta telly you -- she was obviously blessed with the xmas decorating gene from my mom (it skips a generation apparently) because miss holly jolly placed those ornaments in a fashion that would make even the likes of martha stewert proud!

yup -- i am actually on the other side of the camera for once!
miss sky & myself decorating the tree...

every family has that one person that brings christmas to life; in my family it is skylar.
we were all astounded at how well she did & she was barely coached. matter of fact when we tried to give direction she firmly let us know that she wanted to do it *by myself*!
the finished product: o' christmas tree!
later that evening we even got some of the outdoor decorations done.
and some may say that enormous inflatable yard decorations are tacky -- but my daughter thinks they are the best thing since sliced bread with peanut butter on it!

xmas is without a doubt all about & for the kiddos...
and having a little one in the house again certainly makes it magical.

oh & notice my teenage sons are nowhere to be found -- apparently xmas decorating isn't their *thing* anymore?
wonder why?
*insert sarcasm*

matter of fact hunter told me that the only things he likes about xmas are the food & the presents.
gee, ya think?
he is the resident scrooge -- because every family has one of those too.
heh.

in their defense -- they both lit up when skylar became so animated showing them all her hard work on the tree & giving them one of her world-famous *tah-dah's*!

merry xmas tree!
♥cyn♥

sibling l♥ve

as a photography nut & someone who has always documented her life via photographs it has been a major adjustment for me when my son's entered their teenage years & suddenly became defiant about photos. i might get them -- but it is never without protest & sometimes a squabble ending with me yelling something to the effect of...
*all i want is one freakin' family photo -- now stand there & look happy for shit's sake!*
(seriously that was the dialogue from thanksgiving)

photos = pure torture to teenage guys.
who knew?

so imagine my surprise when my oldest son hunter, age 17, willing posed & smiled for the following pics?!?!
only one person on this planet can make his stubborn 17 year old know-it-all ass smile like this -- his little sister skylar!

seriously; she has us all wrapped & is more times than not she is the bond that keeps us all from going mental on one another.
i am so glad she has brothers who truly adore her...




who could ever resist this face -- even if she is my *crazy daisy* more times than not?!?!?!

♥cyn♥

thanksgiving 2011

happiest thanksgiving!
our day was perfect!

started the day off by walking the thankful healthy blogger 5k with my son peyton.
it was a fun & a great event created & hosted by anissa @ a journey to thin.
so a special super-duper thanks to her!
the rest of the day was spent in the company of my most favorite peeps on the planet -- my wonderous (yet crazy) family!














i hope your day rocked & was filled with love, blessings, family, & some wine!

♥cyn♥