Merry Christmas Everyone

It has been a very full year.  We worked, saved, and hunted until we found a house.  It is an older home with GREAT potential, but needs a load of work.  We have begun the work but each small project seems to blossom into a very large and difficult one.  For example, the side gate needed to be replaced.  In taking the side fence down we found that one post was cemented to the water main.  In order to take out this post;  we had to find the property line, remove a tree, and have the city take out a chunk of the sidewalk.  We now have slightly more property, one less tree, some unhappy neighbors, and a new water main.  This is only the beginning of our home remodel, so you could say that buyers remorse has set in.

However, our children like the new house and have many friends in the neighborhood and at their new school.  They are the joy of my life and are becoming eaiser and eaiser to take care of as they grow.  It saves so much time in the morning when you only have to bathe and dress yourself.  I still veto mis-matched outfits, but they are pretty good at getting themselves ready for school and church.  If I could only get them to do the laundry....

We are looking forward to Christmas and having some down time.  Anyone lonely or bored should come visit.  Ask April...we are a barrel of fun.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODY!

Catching up...

First day of school 2009.  It is has been fun so far, and now we are enjoying winter break.  Gary is in 11th grade, Parker is in 5th grade, Jenessa is in 2nd grade, and Gavin started Kindergarten.

Last one of the Day!

At Mom and Dad's, Gary had to help me climb the fence. this is the nice picture. He is such a good boy and mommy's little love. Here is Parker getting his black belt. He is a very focused and highly intense boy, and achieved his junior black belt in less than 2 years.

Again at Momo and Pop's...

with the monkeys.

All my silly's at Easter in their finery.

We are so happy in this area and with our new house. The kids are super terrific and wonderful!!

Removing Paneling and Plastering the Walls

Here are the walls after we removed the paneling (Yea!) and Saw the walls underneath (Whoa!) and then we taped and plastered (Yea!) and now we have to texture and paint (Whoa!).

This is the outside of our new house, we really are excited about the potential this house has. Have you ever seen a tree like this before? It is a melaluca and very interesting and messy.

This is the front room of the house and the VIEW! We love our view.

More to catch you up on...

Jenessa and Parker did very well at their last karate tournament. I love the intense focused look and stance Jenessa has in this photo. Parker was a brown belt at the tournament, but has achieved his black belt now. Gavin and I have both joined in the Karate training and love it. Beware the Mallory Clan. Love the intense focus Gavin has in this picture. He is not worried that Gary is driving the whole family at great speed down the freeway.

Here is Gary at the Wheel! He is 16 and Licensed! It is very exciting and scary at the same time. He really did all the driving to and from the karate tournament in Ventura.

This is just for you all to see how grown up he is getting. This is what he wore to the Winter Formal last year. The mormon kids went as a group to the dance, and he was the best looking(just my opinion).

Too Long Since My Last Post!!!

Here are Pictures of our new house...This is the view from our front deck. That is the ocean in the distance, but of course it is better in real life. This is the 1960's kitchen, it works very well.

And This is the coolest light fixture that we have in the house. And a small sample of the lovely planeling ithat is/was the main wall treatment in the entire house.

Here is Jenessa on Her 7th Birthday!

Jenessa turned 7 on March 20th. (I know it is October...there is a lot to catch up on.) She has lost several teeth and is growing bigger and more beautiful all the time. She brings such light to our lives. This picture is her wearing her brand new birthday dress and ready for school. We then had a party at Round Table Pizza and she recieved LOADS of presents.

My Baby Boy turned FIVE! He is excited about taking karate and going to the big school. We had a very fun day. He decided he wanted a rocket cake and was a little disappointed that it did not stand up or have real smoke. We watch Ace of Cakes every week and he has very high expectations.

We have been very busy...Gavin turned 5, we (Gavin and I) signed up for karate, Gary tested and received his driving permit, and our washer drain was plugged and the washer flooded the garage, Mike tried to fix it, we had to call and plumber, and for the few days I was without a washer the kids got the stomach flu and puked on every available towel and sheet we have in the house. But, Hey we live at the Beach and we love it!! (and I am loving Karate.)