What have we been doing so far this year, you ask?

...We spent the first 8 days of it with the Powell's doing a little of this: (this isn't actually in order...)

We got ice cream and went geo-cashing (spelling?)....And we may or may not, have done these both at the same place...We weren't very good at acting like we weren't up to something.


Saku got sprinkles just in case you couldn't tell. :)









Anika relaxed on the swing...I am not sure it was actually relaxing, but I think that is what she was going for. :)
We raked leaves....again. :) A break from raking...
This is what the tarp was really for...
Saku manned the leaf blower. I love the cow boy boots. :)
The last 2 workers standing(the others gave up) got to jump in the pile.

Aaron changed the breaks on the car and Saku watched. It is SO AWESOME having a handy husband. I feel sorry for those of you who don't have one and actually have to pay to have things fixed. Aaron rocks.

We got out Jake's old train set for Ben to play with and the big kids had just as much fun with it as he did. The Mento's box in the background is an old display I brought home from work. It is perfect as a action figure fort, or as we are currently playing with it, as a large space ship. We took off the outside Mento's sign and it is now just royal blue. We are playing our own version of Star Wars/Ben 10/little alien guys we got out of the gum machine at Bi-Lo. I am a very cool Mommy, if I do say so myself. :)
We made homemade pizza, calzones, and smoothies and watched the movie we got the Powell's for Christmas: Babe. I LOVE that movie. One of my favorite lines from the movie: "That 'll do Pig, that 'll do." If you haven't seen it you have too. You will love it, I promise.

Aaron was there. He was just the one making the smoothies and he is a P.T.P.P. (Picture Taking Party Pooper. I just made that up. Aren't I clever? No, not really, I know. It is just getting harder and harder for my P.T.P.P's to pose for pictures anymore. Aaron has taught Jake to sigh every time I get the camera out now too...Curse you Aaron...), so he wouldn't let me take a picture of him.

We had our 4th Christmas celebration...or actually our first of the year! It was on January 1st. Allen was pretty excited about the smoked salmon Mom and Dad sent from Seattle.





Jake trying out his new G.I. Joe kid razor from Nee and Papa. My mom actually bought and wrapped gifts for Christmas before leaving on their mission.
We fried a turkey.
We went and had lunch with Jake at school.
We climbed trees on a walk to the bank. It is a little Sound of Music"ish" isn't it? You can't tell from the picture, but there were 4 trees with kiddos in them.
We made funny faces while on our walk.

One boy with a green tongue (lolly pop from the bank) and another trying to be funny sticking his finger up his nose...

Having fun on the swing...
Sam's picture crashing crazy face-gotta love it!

We pretty much just hung out and spent time together. Jake was jealous of his cousins being home schooled. He ended up faking sick one day (he felt miraculously better, about an hour after I picked him up from school. He did have some post nasal drip irritating his throat...but sick is a stretch.), and got to come home. I got to spend time with each of the bigger Powell kiddos. Sam and I organized coupons and he helped me save lots of money at the grocery store-and it even counted as math for homeschooling. He has a great eye for a bargain. Anika and I hit the Target and got some nail polish (don't waste your money on finger nail polish pens...they don't work) and did manicures. I ended up with taunting turquoise, while Anika had a split between snow bunny and pink sparkly with hearts...that didn't actually stay on. (Don't waste your money on the nail polish with floating hearts in it either...). Tina opted for snow bunny also. Saku and I made a trip to the dollar store where he picked out some awesome badges and hand cuffs. He wanted to buy everyone a treat but I told him it was his turn. :) He did find some cool puzzle erasers that he shared with everyone when he set up a scavenger hunt. Jake wondered why he didn't get a turn until I reminded him that everyday was his turn normally....One of the few perks of being an only child means you get spoiled more regularly....

So, that is a brief (sort of) run down on the 1st 8 days of the new year!

All things Christmas in the Harmon Home...In One Big Post...

It came and went in a blur...Christmas. I have to say this whole year has been the same way. Every event is like an after thought. Work (Aaron's crazy schedule of 3rd shift and school full time), homework, eat, clean, sleep, repeat-BUT WAIT-Jake's birthday is this weekend!?!...Repeat crazy schedule for a few months and BAM!!!... it's Christmas...And it's over...I want to give some major props to full time working mom's, because as a part-time working mom I couldn't seem to find enough hours in the day to get psyched for the Holiday season...You probably already knew this if you read my post on not wanting to give Santa any credit...I think I faked it pretty good, but I am thrilled that after only having the tree up for 2 weeks it is coming back down tomorrow...In 2011 I will be ready for everything and pumped for every holiday...2010, well lets just say many traditions crashed and burned this year. I like to think it was because of President Uchtdorf's talk during the October General Conference, when he talked about simplifying and choosing "better...best" (there are a lot of really good things that we don't have time for so we have to choose what is the best way to spend our time). But it is really just because every event seemed to pop up out of no where...BUT, that just means new, better ones can happen next year! Thinking positive....And on to the pictures that I hope are self explanatory because my words are used up for now...I know you are shocked that I don't have to add one more thing...Oh, I guess I just did...Okay, maybe I will add a few words...

These next few shots are literally the only pictures I have of us decorating the Christmas tree...and Jake singing and dancing like a crazy person while doing it. Aaron and Jake are sometimes pictures taking party poopers. This was one of those days....


Skip to Christmas eve and baking....




Yes, I was there but the pictures are very unflattering and this is my blog so I choose not to post them. :)


Oh wait! There is my hand and the ginger bread version of me...
Not as fancy as last year's but this wasn't a kit so we had to use our own skill...
Christmas Eve...



Jake in bed hoping the night will go by quickly!
As I...I mean Santa...was filling the stockings and putting out the last of the gifts I turned on the TV and this is what was on one of the channels. It was called the "Yule Log", and this was the scene while they played Christmas music (it was on this particular channel pretty much all day and night according to the menu)....I didn't watch it but I did tape a few minutes to show Jake and Aaron. They didn't think it was as amusing as I did.
Our lovely tree, gifts and all. Only every other pre-lite section actually worked....
Christmas morning....Lego Harry Potter characters.
Santa answered...and so the lie is perpetuated another year....

Jake got me the dishes I have been drooling over at Target for months now. I was surprised...Can you tell?
Aaron's Seattle shirt and some candy in his mouth.
The gift I was expecting.
The gift Jake was wanting but not expecting at all. Good Job Daddy. :)
Aaron opening his home made Snuggie from Nee and Papa....
...followed by the Snuggie dance.
Star Wars Lego set from Daddy...another surprise. It was a Lego Christmas.



Packing the gifts to bring to Spartanburg.
Forgot to take out the camera for pictures of the unwrapping so I pulled it out at the Church for a few shots when we were eating dinner.




Cousins...
Aaron torturing Riannon with the game where you try to slap the persons hands before they pull them a way....
It started snowing on Christmas day!!! Aaron's first ever white Christmas! He said it didn't count because it didn't snow until the evening and you have to wake up to snow. Party pooper. I say for the South, it totally counts....

And the day after Christmas we woke up to this...And we were all so tired we didn't even go out and play in it! We did throw a couple of snow balls...does that count?

Christmas 2010. The end....