Tidbits

Ryan had his very 1st report for school. He had to do it on the Fjordland Crested Penguin. He learned a lot and was so cute and excited about it. He did a great job!

Danny is a brand new 12 year old scout and he sure looks handsome in his uniform!

I don't have a picture of Taylor playing tennis yet - but he is playing on the Highland Tennis team this year! He is a very busy young man. It seems like I hardly ever see him. I guess I had better get used to it since he will be leaving on his mission in 6 or 7 months.

I had a a birthday last week. I am feeling somewhat old and so Brad decided to get me Wii Fit! No, really though, I am excited about it! It is really fun and feels like playing a game instead of exercising! I had a really fun day. Brad took the day off and we had a fun play day. I got a pedicure, we went to lunch and to a movie. Hooray for birthdays :)

Danny tried out for EVYS (East Valley Youth Symphony) last week and made it - we are really excited!

Athletes

Ryan and a bunch of his little friends are all playing flag football this year.  It is so fun to watch them play.  Ryan is really good at pulling flags!  He is enjoying learning how to play but I think he just enjoys being with his friends the most!  Brad got some fun pictures.  I can't believe my baby is going to be 7 in a couple of weeks :(

Danny is playing basketball this season.  He went to a camp in Prescott last summer and it really helped his game.  He is quite a little player.  Last Saturday he was one of only 5 boys that were able to make it to the game.  These boys played their hearts out the whole entire game and won it!  It was such an exciting game and Danny did really well.  I have never seen him so tired and wiped out before though!  I wish I had some pictures, but the gym was too dark and none of them worked out.  I will post one later if I ever get a good one.  Way to go Danny!

Spelling Bee!

Well, we had a pretty eventful week! We picked up Nana and all went to  the District Spelling Bee!  Danny did such a great job!  There were about 30 kids in it ranging from 10 to 15 years of age.  Danny made it about half way.  He went down on "luau" and it was so sad because he knew it.  It is just so scary up there.  He was a great sport about it though and we are so proud of him that he made it all the way to district.  Thanks Aunt Susie and Uncle Mark for showing up and supporting him.  

After we got home, Brad and I got a really NASTY stomach flu that lasted for a few days.  I was really sad because I was supposed to take Mom up to St. Johns for Aunt Marguerite's funeral.  Luckily she was able to catch a ride with someone else.  Then, to top it all off - Nanette Stradling Whiting passed away suddenly.  She was only 54.  I was sad to not be able to go to her funeral either.  

Cousins!

Okay - so the real reason I am blogging my little heart out today is because Danny is in the Greenfield DISTRICT Spelling Bee tonight!!!  I want to be sure and be all caught up on everything so that I can brag about that when he is done.  Wish him luck!  We are soooo proud of him!

We were lucky enough to spend some time this weekend with my niece Jenn Tod and her family!  They were here so that she could run in a marathon.  She looks fantastic and I can't even IMAGINE running for 4 hours straight!  It was so fun to see them and the boys had a great time together.

Miscellaney Odds & Ends

Groovin' to Rock Band

Saying "goodbye" to Emily

I LOVE this picture of Brad with his "kids" in Mozambique.  It melts my heart!

Combined Birthday Party

We got together with the Mooney's and the other McBride's and Andy & Suzette's house to celebrate several birthdays.  Cole and Mark both have theirs in January and then Melissa, Emily, Ryan and I have ours in February.  As always, we had a great time with family.  The kids enjoy their cousins so much and I am so glad that we do this.  I am so thankful that our family lives close enough and wants to get together!

If anyone is a fan of the show "The Biggest Loser", then be sure and tune in tonight.  My nephew Dane is on it!   He and a cousin of his that I don't know are on the "Black Team".  We are all excited to watch him and see how he does!  I know that he is really determined.  He wants to be healthy and be around for his beautiful little family.  We are proud of you Dane and hope you do really well!

January and Belated New Years

I am NOT a January person normally.  1.  I hate how the house looks so drab after all the festive Christmas decorations are down.  2.  It seems like me and all the rest of the family are always sick the whole month of January.  It just seems like a really long boring month.  And . . . if you look at my posts lately you can see what I mean.  

However, all of a sudden there seems more to blog about AND the weather has been so absolutely beautiful, that January doesn't seem so bad anymore!  

I forgot that I wanted to post a picture of our annual Chinese buffet.  We do this every year during lunch on New Year's Eve.  The kids love it so much and wouldn't dream of going anywhere else.

Just a funny story to go with this pic.  Ryan got this in his fortune cookie.  We all had a good laugh over it!  Be sure and read it carefully.

Tradition

Well, it is the last day of the year and I still haven't written about Christmas - so here goes:  I love, love, love Christmas time.  I know everything is hectic, and I get so stressed out, but it is still my favorite time of the year.  There is just something magical in the air!  I love being with family and how everyone is on their best behavior!  I also love all of the little traditions that we have set and how they stay with us through the years.  I am always sad when Christmas comes to an end.  When it is time to take all the decorations down, my house looks so drab and non-festive:(

Every year, we have a big Patterson family get-together on the Monday night before Christmas. This year it was at my house and we had 40 people here - and that wasn't even everyone! We always have soup, cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate. I was so busy I didn't even get my camera out, but Don said he would send me pictures. When he does I will post them. We also had a little program. We played handbells and sang Christmas songs and then Nana told stories about when she was young. It was a great night!

Danny and Ryan working on the sugar cookies for Santa

Christmas Eve is spent with the McBride family plus all of the widows in our family (there are 3 of them).  We have a progressive dinner every year.  We started at Susie's with appetizers, main course at our house, and ended with dessert at Andy's.  Everyone performs some sort of musical number at their own house.  It is a lot of fun!  Emily, Danny and Ryan performed "Away in a Manger" with Ryan singing, Danny on cello and Emily on the piano.  It was very sweet.  Emily made me cry.  She wrote a Christmas song and performed it.  It was beautiful.  I will try and post the video we have of these performances.

All the kids in their new jammies.  I love these pictures every year!  Christmas was more sparse this year and it was still just as wonderful!

Santa brought Ryan 2 new Webkinz and some Bakugans!

Danny with Wii Music

Alex with his new watch

Taylor with his electric razor

Emily with her crockpot

This picture says it all!

Nana and the boys on Christmas morning

I am so glad we have all of these great traditions.  The kids love it too, and if we ever suggest doing something a little different, they make sure we don't.  For example:  today is New Years Eve and we always go eat at a Chinese buffet in the afternoon.  We suggested that maybe we go somewhere else today, but the kids don't want to have anything to do with that!  So, we are off in a little while to go eat Chinese!  I'm glad the kids like our traditions.  It has been nice being a complete family again.  We have all enjoyed Emily being here so much.  We have had a lot of fun!

All I Want for Christmas is . . .

Sweet picture of Ryan with Santa!

Ryan telling Santa to "surprise" him this year!

Santa pulling in on his "sleigh"!

Just a Few Pics to Share

Alex had a great year in club volleyball.  His team won the championships for the 16 year olds.  It was a great game - very exciting!

Here he is with his medal and his shirt

Taylor looking sharp for Winter Formal with a girl named Bianca

Ryan visiting with Santa

Mars Attacks!

I had to get special permission to tell this story - so here goes!

Emily and Danny have a special talent of sleep-walking and sleep-talking.  We have had some pretty funny moments through the years.  Well, really late the other night, Brad went in the little boys room to get the humidifier because I was sick.  He was really careful to be quiet so he wouldn't wake them.  Just as he was ready to go out, Danny sits straight up in bed and yells:  "Invado - Invado - Invado" - then laid back down and was asleep!  It sounded like something out of Mars Attacks or Jimmy Neutron or something.  We had a really good laugh over that one!  Danny especially cracked up because he said he had no idea what that even means.  It sounds like a little kid who can't say invader correctly!  He was a good sport when I asked him if I could put it on the blog.  Thanks Danny!

Family

On Thanksgiving weekend, we took advantage of Emily being here to have a our family pictures taken.  These are some of my favorites.  Shawni did a great job and actually made it kind of fun!  Thank you Shawni!

I LOVE my Family!

Can you spell Panzer?

Danny is the Greenfield Elementary Spelling Bee Champ!!!  This is the 3rd year he has been in it and he finally won - yay!  It was deadly this year - the kids were dropping like flies.  It was the fastest spelling bee that I have ever been to.  Now he gets to go to the District Bee which is in January.  We are so proud of you Danny!

Danny's principal, Mr. Kelly, offered to take a picture of all of us.  I almost forgot to mention Danny's new "look".  Doesn't he look handsome?  He has been wearing contacts for a week and he loves it!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Nana with Ryan dressed in his Indian get-up that he made in school.  The 1st graders had a little Thanksgiving feast of their own

Our own McBride Thanksgiving feast on Saturday

Family pictures with Shawni