Man vs Daughter

Elli wanted her nails painted and asked her dad to do it.  Mark was Super Dad and stepped up.  It took a lot to get these pictures.  Mark kept moving and trying to get out of the picture.  I only got a few that didn't turn out blurry.

Had to do the do the toes too.

Caleb found the file on the floor and decided to pamper himself.

The final product.

I made Elli lay on the table to wait for them to dry.  Caleb joined in and layed next to her.

Such a sweet Dad.  I think he is hired for the job next time!!

Happy Birthday Elli Mae!!

I don't know where time went, but this little girl is turning the Big 5!!  She kind of skipped being a toddler and just turned into a big girl!!  She has always been so smart and just too big for her age.  I think she just decided to skip being 2, 3 & 4 years and go straight to being 5.  We kept telling her to stop eating her vegetables so she would stop growing and stay 4 forever, but she ate them. (Hey, it got her to eat her veggies!)

Top 10 things we love about this Beautiful Girl!!

1.  She loves her family.  She loves taking care of everyone.  I caught her feeding Caleb yesterday. While I was trying to make Caleb lunch, Elli got an applesauce out of the fridge and started feeding him.  She thought it was so fun to do that.

2.  She loves to sing.  Her favorite songs right now are anything Taylor Swift, Lucky Blue's songs and she loves the Kidz Bop commercial and sings those songs.

3.  She is a little performer.  She is willing to perform in front of anyone at anytime.  She has some major confidence.  Something I never had growing up.  I was always so scared to get in front of people.

4.  She is a little dare devil.  She will try anything.  She loves roller coaster rides and hiking up mountains that have some pretty crazy cliffs.  She's not afraid of heights.

5.  She has the hugest crush on her daddy.  She tells me that he is her boyfriend and not mine.  I get jealous of their little relationship.  Elli loves to cuddle on the couch with her dad and watch Spongebob.

6.  She is so ready for Kindergarten.  This is her 2nd year in Preschool and is reading so well right now.  She loves to learn and go to school.  Let's hope it stays that way.

7.  She definitely has an attitude, but she is absolutely a little sweetheart.  She notices the feelings of other people and will try to cheer them up if they need it.

8.  She says the funniest things.  Even as a baby, you could tell Elli would have a sense of humor.  She did things just to make us laugh.  And she still will do anything to get a reaction out of us.

9.  She finds the good in all people.

10.  She laughs a lot.  Who doesn't need a little person to cheer you up with an amazing smile and contagious laugh.  She has such a positive spirit about her.  Such a sweet little innocent girl!!

Who couldn't love her??

Every time I drop Elli off at school, she turns around and waves to me about a million times.  I don't ever want to drive away until she is in the door because I get to see this cute little girl smiling and waving at me.  Brightens my day!!

She is such a fun addition to our family and we love her soooooooo much.  Words can't express how much we adore our little girl.  We are so proud of all you do Elli and hope you have a fabulous birthday!!

The Big Day!!

Christmas morning started at 7:30.... yes, 7:30 in the morning. Kids slept in.  7:30 is sleeping in at our house.  I got more video of the kids opening presents than I did pictures.  But what I got was perfect.  We had a fabulous Christmas morning.  Despite the stresses of life and Mark getting laid off during the Christmas season, we were very blessed.  Thanks to Black Friday, we survived this Christmas season!!  (Black Friday is whole other story in itself)

My kids were not very greedy this year.  Braeden really didn't have any big items on his list.  Santa had a hard time finding something to get him.  But he managed to find something.   He just wanted a few things.  Caleb had fun just trying to figure out what the heck was going on.  He found out soon enough that when you rip the paper off, there is a toy inside.

All Elli asked for was a Swim to Me Puppy that she had been wanting since August.  But I assumed she would forget about it, but NO, she didn't.  That's all she wanted.  Braeden wanted to get it for her and he was excited to see her face when she opened it.  We got it on video and it is so CUTE!!

Braeden's into making weird faces.  He really wanted Bakugan and was very excited to get them.

He loved his new football and lunch bag.  If you're a Baker, you need anything USC!!

Caleb taking a break!!  It's exhausting opening presents.

Enjoying his train!!

Then the whole gang came over.  All 12 grandkids running around trying to get their presents.  PURE CRAZINESS!!  But so worth it!

Tyke is still picking on Caleb.  Just wait Tyke.... Caleb is going to outgrow you someday!!  (Anyone who knows the Hunts, knows they will always outgrow our Baker genes)

My mom was SOOOOO sweet this year.  She canned 36 jars of meat for all of her kids' families.  We got beef chunks, ground beef, chicken and even beans.  I am so excited to have this!!  Thanks again Mom!!

Elli giving Blayke her present.

This is what Blayke gave Elli.  But what happened next was the BEST!!

She gave Blayke the biggest hug for her present!!  SOOOO CUTE!!

Braeden had opened all his clothes first.  Other kids were getting toys and all he thought he was getting was clothes.  Can you tell he was bummed??

And then he opened this cool remote control car that follows a laser and goes up the walls.  Pretty cool!!

Cody, Ryan & Kara

Caleb kept throwing paper on Kara and Ryan.

Caleb still throwing paper.... oh wait, is that Kara posing??

I'm sad we have to wait a whole nother year for the Christmas season again.  What is it about that time of year that makes everything so happy.  That feeling that you can only get during the Holidays.  I miss it.  And when it's here, it goes too fast.  But we are so very blessed to be together as a family and I really enjoyed all the family time we had with both sides.

I'm excited for 2010!  So many great things to come!!

Bring it on!!

Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve

The Monday before Christmas, we went to Mark's brother's house and had FHE with them.  Camille gave a very cute lesson and the kids surprisingly sat and listened.  Here's Caleb being as cute as can be!!

Elli and her cousins.

After the lesson, we had some pretty delicious desserts.  The kids were in heaven.

Braeden took advantage of these treats sitting in front of him and didn't hold back!!

Elli and Emma holding up their gingerbread cookies!!

Mark's oldest brother (Kirk) got Mark and his youngest brother Bryan these fun USC hats!!  Cousin Eddie style!!

It was a fun night hanging with the Bakers!!  Camille wants this to be a tradition every monday before Christmas!!  I love the idea!!

Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve

Did Christmas really come and go already???  Dang, I feel ripped off.  I feel like the Christmas season gets shorter and shorter as I get older.  So not fair.  I love the feeling that only Christmas can bring.  (I feel like a Hallmark card saying that)  But honestly, Christmas time is my favorite!!  I love the cold nights, the hot chocolate Mark makes for all of us, the kids being sweeter to each other because I threaten I will call Santa, shopping for the kids, the Christmas cartoons and movies (especially The Christmas Story), the family and friend parties and the cards we get in the mail from friends and family.  It is all such a fun time of the year!!

We had our annual Harper Christmas party the Sunday before Christmas.  We had a fabulous time being together.  My parents do such a great job putting the party together.  There is always yummy food and the grandkids LOVE being loud together!

Here they are making some ornaments.  Cody & Rachel were so sweet to head up that committee!

Elli Mae and Blayke

Cole and Crew (who is in the background)

Clay concentrating on writing his name on his ornament, Brock waiting patiently for the pen.

Cody showing off his bouncing moves on the trampoline.  What a stud.

Tyke is always smiling when he knows there is a camera around.  And not just a smile, it is a HUGE, CHEESY smile!!  Oh, he is edible.

Cole and Cade finishing the last minute touch-ups on the ornaments.

We keep these girls around as the clean-up crew.  Lisa has always been the one to wash the dishes.  Her husband Paul is always helping her too.  They kick anyone away from the sink when it comes time to clean up.  They won't let anyone touch a dish.  It's kind of nice.  And Melissa is really good at wiping the counters!!

The guys chit chatting while Kara smiles for the camera.... typical.

Mark entertaining with a little Christmas music!!

Caleb not too sure yet what is going on.  He had just woken up from a nap and wasn't quite awake yet.

Cole played Jingle Bells for us..... such a violin master!!

Caleb woke up soon enough though with Tyke around.  Tyke is only 3 months older than Caleb, but Tyke is the size of a 4 year old.  He is a tank.  He doesn't realize his own strength when it comes to playing with Caleb.  Just wait Tyke...... Caleb's Baker genes will someday pounce on those Hunt genes of yours!!  :)

Oooohhhh, the classic Nativity Scene.  Look at those cute animals.  It's always fun watching these little guys acting this out.

Look at the innocence on that face.  How could this boy ever get in trouble looking like that??

G & G Harper always get everyone an ornament for the Christmas Eve party.  Here's Elli's Belle ornament.

Blayke and Elli showing theirs off.

Caleb got a Mickey Mouse one.  He wasn't a fan of facing the ornament towards me to get a picture of it.

Braeden got Scooby Doo rocking out on a guitar since Braeden is our little Rock Star!!

Then Santa decided to surprise us.  Elli has been wanting a Swim To Me Puppy since June.  I have been putting it off thinking it was a weird toy and she would forget about it.  Nope, she didn't.... thanks to the commercial that has been advertising since then.  That's all she ever told me she wanted for Christmas this year.  So that is what she told Santa she wanted.  I thought "Great, I think Santa has something else in mind for her, I just might have to venture out and get her that toy myself since that is all she wanted."  Thanks to that fantastic commercial.

Braeden asked for a Pocket Rocket, but thanks to Santa, he didn't get it.  I'm pretty sure Santa knew that would be a dangerous toy for Braeden.  And that his mom wasn't too excited for a toy like that for Braeden.

Caleb didn't know who this man in red was.  He wanted off!!

When Santa left, the kids ran to the front door to watch Santa fly away.

But some of the adults heard Santa in the backyard, so the kids ran to the back door.

He wasn't back there, so they ran to the front again, but no one could see him.  Santa is just too fast.

(I was outside and said, "Ho Ho Ho" in my deep voice and heard Cade say, "I just heard Santa, but where is he?"  I love that they still believe.)

And that ended our Christmas Eve Eve Eve Eve Eve Party.  What a fun time we had.  Now I have to wait 11 more months for the Christmas season again!!  I can't wait!!