Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to share a few pics from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The kids had much fun opening new pajamas from Grandma & Grandpa on Christmas Eve and amazingly went right to sleep in anticipation of Santa's arrival! Christmas Day brought orange danish & cinnamon rolls, then time to open tons of presents! Maddie got Dora bedding, a new dress, clothes, dolls and a new bike! Hunter got more cars and trains than I've ever seen in one room, a big caterpillar dump truck and lots of new clothes too. They haven't stopped playing w/them all morning. Special thanks to both our families who were so generous! We enjoyed video-chatting while the kids opened their gifts. Thanks again!

The new dump truck!

Candy canes!

Hunter opens his Thomas PJ's.

Maddie was so excited to get Dora PJ's!

Not a new toy, but they sure enjoyed it in their new PJ's!

Hunter loves trains!

Pics around the Christmas Tree

Just a few pics after church today. Our Christmas cards are already in the mail so you won't see these on there. Charlie wandered into one also, but it wasn't very flattering! Enjoy!

Dec is here!

Well, Thanksgiving is but a memory and Christmas fast approaching. The kids are enjoying the Christmas tree and decorations, and anxious for Christmas Day. They're enjoying playing in the leaves, going to park, and art/music classes during the week. Maddie has 2 more weeks of school until the break. Hunter gains more personality by the day and is very engaging. He loves trains, and will 'strenuously object' if you take him away! Maddie is a good big sister, and wants to hold his hand when walking down the street and give him random hugs. We're looking forward to the Christmas break, although we'll miss being with family this year. Enjoy!

We went to ride a tiny train that one of the local families owns and Santa was there!

Yes, we actually have leaves in the high desert! And our house is at the junction of 2 streets, so we gather all the leaves on the street when the wind blows!

Ready to go!

Sup?

Birthdays and Hunter the photographer

So the last 4 days have been exciting, with the Marine Corps' 235th Birthday, Bill's ??th birthday ;) and Hunter learning to use the digital camera! Bill finally got to wear his Evening Dress uniform, which has been hanging in the closet for 2 1/2 years, and Shannon got to wear a dress that she's been waiting to wear for 5 years! The Ball was quite fun, and a welcome reminder of why I do what I do. One of Hunter's favorite things to play w/is our digital camera, but just this week he found the button that actually takes the pictures! So you'll see some closeups of him below, self-portraits! Enjoy!

All dressed up and someplace to go!

Our newest photographer!

Bill's 20lb weighted running vest. Happy b'day!

Who does this kid look like??

Maddie wanted a picture where Mom & Dad were standing too.

Our little boy was exhausted after playing at the park, and we wondered why he was so quiet. Here's why....he was out cold!

Halloween

Just wanted to share a few Halloween pics. Maddie ran from house to house gathering candy w/her best buddy Tyler 'the cow'. Hunter wasn't far behind, although he really didn't care about the candy. He just wanted to shout 'trick treat' at each house. It was great fun, especially for mom who gets to pillage all her favorite candies! Happy Halloween!

Hanging Out

Just a few pictures of the kids hanging around the house. Greg paid us a brief visit recently, Grandma/Grandpa are here now, and Grammy/Pop Pop arrive tonight following their cruise! A busy few weeks at the Maples', but great fun all around. Enjoy.

Sharing a blankie on the couch...a theme here!

All dressed for church!

Our new UT football tackle dummy is a hit!

Same place, different positions.

Familiar yet??

Hunter had good times w/Uncle Greg!

Birthdays and Air Races!!

Ok, this post has a lot of pictures, but we've had a lot happen recently! First, we've had 2 birthdays in the Maples' household, as Maddie turned 3 and Shannon turned.....well, that doesn't matter. ;) Anyhow a friend of Shannon's baked a cake and cupcakes for Maddie's party and they were delicious! Thanks Angela! Shannon's birthday was spent in Colorado w/her friends Mendi & Barry, but she came home to a surprise! (see below) Happy birthday to the Maples' girls!!

I had the fortunate opportunity of attending the Reno Air Races a couple weeks ago in Reno, NV. It has been on my 'bucket list' for years, and as this is our last Fall in CA, I jumped at the chance! I took dozens more pictures than you see here, but more importantly I had a great time. The races were exciting, and I got a 'pit pass' so I could get up close & personal w/all the airplanes and their pit crews. It was awesome! I tent camped in the high Sierras on the way there and back, and the scenery was incredible! I hope to do much more camping before we leave this area.

That's all for the moment, enjoy the pics!

Posing w/the b'day cake.

Her 1st Barbie!

Three years old.....let's party!

Shannon's surprise b'day patio!

Bill's patio on Topaz Lake, NV.

Air races show center pylon. The planes often pass lower than the top of this pylon during the races, and at several hundred miles per hour!!

The Canadian Snowbirds demonstration team.

A number of pictures from our recent trip to Monterey and San Fran. We had a great time, as did Grammy back home w/Maddie & Hunter. We hit the aquarium and saw some beautiful homes/landscapes in Monterey, then continued to SF for a race and stay at the Marine Memorial Hotel near Union Square. We enjoyed some dinner and seal entertainment at Fisherman's Wharf as well. Enjoy!

Shannon loves her otters!

Having fun w/Grammy!

Bruce & Mary should recognize this....its where they exchanged vows!!

The fish in the Monterey aquarium were beautiful!

I always wanted to be an astronaut!

After the 5k/10k race in San Fran.

These guys were just feet away on base at the Presidio.

August update

We received a couple more photos of the camping trip from friends, so I thought we'd share. Since we enjoyed the trip so much, as do both sides of the family, we're thinking about getting an RV! Who woulda thunk??! Let the search begin! As for the kiddos, Hunter has more words everyday and understands almost everything we tell him. Obeying everything we tell him is a completely different story! His favorite new things are to go 'BOING' up & down on our bed, to play w/balls in the kids pool and slide down the slide. Also all his molars are in! Maddie has enjoyed dancing while Mommy watches dancing shows and has worn out her princess costume! Maybe she'll get a new one for her b'day?? Shhh! ;) Her new words are 'shoulder web' (blade), 'beefurger' (bird feeder) and 'abracadabra'. She's preparing (as are we!) for a trip home w/Grammy after a week-long visit here, and we're gonna miss her terribly! We pray that she has an easy transition and a wonderful time back in TN. Enjoy!

Hunter loves mommy's cowgirl hat!

And Maddie loves wearing Daddy's helmet! Kinda hard to eat that apple though!

Couldn't resist another 'all boy' photo.

The family Maples taking a break from the hike.

Maddie has a chain for Grammy's arrival, and takes 1 link off each day. Only 3 more days!!!