Gangster Lizzie

This is one of my nieces, Lizzie. My sister Lyn has "some" boys and then "some" girls. This is Lizzie and I don't think I've ever met a person anywhere who is as happy to just be as Lizzie. I mean she is happy all the time. She loves to play, she loves to read books, she loves to wrestle with her bigger siblings, she even loved it when we cleaned her room and she got to help.

Janet and Kids

After Sean and I went to the temple with my brother and fam, we went north to Kentucky to visit our friend Janet. As happens in most military families the dad is missing from the pictures. We had a great visit and I think she will be coming for a visit to us in the fall. I can't wait.

Special Day for the Gibsons

This was a special day for us. Sean and I got to go to Nashville last month to my brother Scott (next to Sean) and his wife Megan's (in front of Scott) sealing in the temple. Their two children Cloe (who's hiding in Vicki's shirt) and Seth (with his mom) were able to go in the temple and be sealed to his parents and by extention to the rest of our clan. It was a very joyful day for us.

Locks of Love

So about 6 months ago I had this talk with Charlie about taking care of her hair. She wasn't really excited about washing it or brushing it more than once a week or so. So I gave her and ultimatum. I told her that she would have to start taking care of it or get a "boy" haircut. Well you guessed it, she did her part for about a week and then went back to once a week washings. I really hate it when you make deals with your kids and then you hate the outcome more than they do. I really didn't want to cut her hair because of all the time we put into growing it and how beautiful it looked. So I put it off for a few days and then a few weeks and then a couple of months. But it was always in the back of my mind. Then I talk to my sister Katie and she tells me that my niece had just donated her hair to Locks of Love. It was brilliant and the answer to my wavering. So I convinced Charlie that wanted to do the same. I let her wait until after the new year. This is her getting ready to get it cut.

This is Bliss. She is doing the deed. Charlie was really brave.Here she posses with her donation. She really looks great with shorter hair. And she got to do something great for someone else. I'm very proud of her.

Taking Buba to Venice

We took Buba to Venice yesterday. We had a great day. We saw the end of a glass blowing demonstration and then walked around Mirano and saw some amazing glass sculptures. Then wandered around Venice for a while. Some of us took a gondola ride to save Buba's legs a little. Then ended the day by taking the Vaperetto (aka water bus) back to the car. By the time that we got home we were to tired to stay up to greet the new year. So we just had a really great breakfast thanks to Sean.

Making Cookies and Caroling

We have a tradition that we make cookies and other treats for our friends and neighbors at Christmas time. I think that I made about a million cookies this year. Then we like to deliver them and sing a little Christmas carol. Now when I say "little" I mean little. We are what you would call a one hit wonder. We only sing We Wish You a Merry Christmas. But we love that we can do this for those close to us.

This is some of our Italian friends, Silvia and Naomi. They really liked the singing and later reported loving the fudge.

Buba is visiting us this year for Christmas and the New Year. So we dragged her along with us and our friends the Higbee's. It might look like it's snowing or raining but it was so foggy that the flash from the camera did this. It just makes me laugh. We had a great time. Can't wait till next year.

Homecoming

I didn't get any pictures of the football game. What maybe because I don't have anyone at my house who plays on the football team. So this is what homecoming means at the Peterson House. Borrowing 4 fantastic dresses from some really great friends and then spending the week trying them on with different accessories. This was the final choice and I think that she looks fantastic. The only thing that made me a little sad was that I realized that she would probably not get to have before the dance pictures with any of her dates because the boys can't drive over here. So they just meet you at the dance. Sorry Sis.