Happy 35th Birthday Eric!

Here he is 1 1/2 years old on his brother Mike's shoulders. I think he could probably carry his brother on his shoulders these days. He may be the baby of the family but is definitely the biggest.

I love this picture of him because he looks so relaxed. This was taken on vacation this past year in Costa Rica.

We went to dinner last night at Eric's favorite Mexican restaurant here in town called "Son Risa Grill." His good friend Matt Cox joined us along with his bride to be, Nedra. We reminisced from college days and beyond and probably gave more history than Nedra wanted to hear. Eric and Matt could seriously write a book to be made into a movie about their escapades. A PG-13 rating might be pushing it though. They've had some good times.

I couldn't let this occasion pass without embarrassing him a little. Plus he looks pretty good in a bikini. He sang happy birthday to my roommate with 2 other buddies looking like this. What a proud moment! (We had only been dating a few months at this time which meant we were engaged.)

Here's to an infinity of birthdays and memories. We love you!

Eve and Day

Christmas eve we celebrated with our friends, Mike and Connie, and enjoyed a fine meal cooked by Eric. We learned about the Christmas story and opened our traditional pajamas. The kids really look forward to new pajamas and didn't let us down with their excitement.

Here are the kids with some or one of their favorite gifts. Boston took off into the bathroom with his box of football gear once he opened it and came back all decked out. He loved it (thanks Jodi & Matt). The older three were thrilled with their Nintendo DS's and said "this is the best Christmas ever!" They were very grateful which made Eric and I happy. Thank you to all who made it special.

The rest of the day we spent at the movies, taking in "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Bedtime Stories." We were hoping to see one more but were all a little tired of sitting. Kennedy commented that we might start looking a little suspicious if we stayed any longer. We packed our own lunch but we did buy popcorn and drinks (2 free refills). What a way to spend Christmas day. I think we've started a new tradition.

2008 Christmas Card

For those that have already received our Christmas card, sorry to be redundant. In the past, our Christmas card was the extent of my scrap booking and journal keeping. This year obviously the blog has brought new life to those things. But I wanted to post it here so I had a copy for the book I plan on printing each year (for my posterity of course).

From our home to yours, here’s some of our favorite quotes from the year :
Boston (3) - “I smell the boys, mom. They’re stinky!”
Leighton (6) - During the first week of school, he said this to his teacher: “My brain is tired of listening to you.”
Jackson (6) – On eating my taco soup, “This stuff kinda makes my body feel nervous, you know - itchy and sticky.”
Kennedy (10) - After seeing a self-help book on the kitchen counter she asked, “Mom, you read?”
Eric – “How much do I love you?” (our reply) “More than the sands of the sea and the fish that swim there.” He’s such a romantic.
Allyson - Cherish Yesterday, Dream Tomorrow, Live Today

Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Seasons Greetings! Peace on Earth!
We wish you all of them! May we be grateful each day and “enjoy the journey.”
♥
The Bateman’s

Surreal

Wednesday was a very surreal day. The kids were out of school because of parent/teacher conferences and Eric had the day off. Once the conferences were over, we planned to go to Mount Charleston to go sledding. We headed to the mountain and found lots of snow and 17 degree weather. It was freezing! One trip down the hill side was enough for Boston and I. We watched from the car as the rest of the kids and Eric had fun and froze. After about an hour we were ready to go home. Upon arriving to our neighborhood we found this:

We drove an hour and half and all this happened while we were gone. This is unprecedented and made history. We had 8" of snow in our back yard. Eric spent the rest of the day driving the neighbor's 4-wheeler and pulling the kids around on a sled. I spent the day baking and enjoying the winter wonderland from my window.

Eric in all his glory.

Kennedy was the toughest of the bunch.

Poor Jackson got a bloody nose and panicked when he couldn't see anything after getting plummeted with snow at the bottom of his sled ride. He got up running, all disoriented. Of course I had to take a picture.

Leighton playing it cool.

Boston was a walking zombie. He says he doesn't want to go back to the mountains but he sure enjoyed playing in our neighborhood.

Hair to stay?

Do you think this little "boy" loves baseball? He doesn't look so little by the size of his thighs. He fell asleep on the way to pick up the kids from school last week and was hoping to go to the park before. He didn't quite make it.

A friend at Eric's work was looking at our Christmas card and said, "I didn't know you had 2 girls and 2 boys?" He told Eric it was time to cut "Sunshine's" hair. I'm just curious, who else thinks I need to cut his hair? I love his hair and it makes me sad to picture him without it. Maybe I'm living through his hair (ha,ha).

Week of Events

Wrestling Tournament - Jackson & Leighton's first and it was a long day. They weighed in Friday night so they were sure to make weight (ha,ha) and we arrived Saturday morning at 8:30 and left the Lied Boys & Girls Club at 3 pm. They wrestled two matches and those only lasted about 3 minutes. The rest of the time we sat around waiting, watching a Jerry Springer show play out (parents), looking for Boston (kept running off) and trying to find the key to get Jackson out of the raquetball court he had locked himself and two other children in (see below). They each had 3 boys in their weight division (Leighton 89 & Jackson 97) and they both placed 3rd. It was as usual, a learning process. If you've never been to a little kids wrestling tournament, 500 children with their respective parents = total chaos! Next time I'll come more prepared and know what to expect.

This was the window he could see out of. He was sooo sad by the time we got him out.

Jackson was chosen as "Student of the Month." This is MONUMENTAL. He was as proud as could be. This is his token pose - one eye closed with a slanted smile.

Kennedy's Christmas piano recital - she played The First Noel and only had a couple weeks to prepare for it. She amazed us with how well she did because only hours earlier she was crying at the piano saying she was going to embarress herself. I didn't hear any errors although she says she had them she just kept going. She's much better under pressure than I.

Family Pictures

Believe it or not, family pictures get easier and easier each time we take them. I've decided if the adults do what they're told, everything runs smooth. A friend, Angela Salazar, took our photos at Lake Las Vegas and did a wonderful job. I warned her of problems she might encounter and she was very well prepared. The kids love to have their picture taken and would've posed all day.

Too Much?

You know it's pretty bad when your daughter comes to you crying and tells you that "you have too much going on" and that "you need to cut some things out. You're stressing me out with all you do." That's what Kennedy delivered to me Thursday night as we were trying to get out the door to her soccer practice and soccer party.

Where do you draw the line? As a stay-at-home mom, I feel like I should have the time to volunteer in the classroom, be a room mom, be the soccer team manager, hold a church calling, get the boys to wrestling, do the laundry, cook dinner, etc. But why does it seem like I over-committ myself? Maybe it's because I show my stress? I try to stay calm but obviously Kennedy sees right through it all. Then I ask myself, what can I cut out? Definitely being the soccer team manager, after Thursday night, I committed to Kennedy that I wouldn't do that again. Then the question arises, who's going to do it? No one was willing when the coach asked and so I said I'd do it. How hard could it be? Harder than you think.

Eric tells me I have "use me" written across my forehead but I don't think that's the case. I don't feel used. I just need to learn to prioritize. Maybe I should take up yoga? Maybe I should get a job where I wouldn't feel so inclined to be so involved? No, that's not the answer. I enjoy being a mom who is able to be at the crossroads. I just need to breath and realize Rome wasn't built in a day.

Snow in Vegas

We found snow last night around 7 pm at Town Square (a fun shopping district) and also caught up with Santa in a Norman Rockwell setting. The kids played at the little park, we ate dinner from an outdoor walk-up restaurant and did it under the stars with 60 degree weather. This is when Vegas makes sense. Although "real" snow would've been great, we'll take what we can get. The kids thought it was soap. I'm still not sure what it was but it felt like Christmas.