18 December 2012

December

Well it is looking like I will be lucky to get one post done in the month of December.  It has been a crazy month with lots of Christmas parties and get-togethers and lots of busyness with shopping and cooking and all of the stuff that goes into the holidays!  But, we are doing well.  Here are some pictures of what we have been up to the last couple of weeks.
My good friend Jennifer Taylor took some family pictures of us to use on Christmas cards.  It is hard to get a good picture of five people, but with the magic of Photoshop we made it happen. Thanks, Jennifer!  Can you tell whose head got swapped? !!!!
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I felt we really needed a picture of Jon and me, so Jennifer took one for us.  As I got out our Christmas stuff this year, I hung a card from each year that we have sent one.  It was so fun to see all of the different phases of our family.  We look a little bit older now than we did in our early Christmas cards.  We will blame the age on the three kiddos- makes it worth it!  But, aren't we still a cute couple?!
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I love this picture I snapped of Luke.  He is a sweet laid back third child!
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Here is Abby enjoying her sucker after our little photoshoot!
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Every year when we put up our Christmas tree, I bribe the kids to take some pictures in front of the lights of the tree.  This year the bribery included candy and counting down from 10 to 0 and then chasing them around the house.  When I catch them they have to pose again for a picture.  This technique worked well.  I was able to get a little bit more of a natural smile from Caleb and Abby because they were loving the chasing game, and natural smiles have NOT been the norm lately!

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Here are a few more of Luke playing around the house.  He just had his 18 month checkup at the doctor.  The results are that he is a healthy boy with a big head, a normal weight, and a bit on the short side.  He is doing great lately.  He seems to be learning new words daily and has an obsession with buses and airplanes.  He is a good eater and loves to have oatmeal every single morning just like his brother Caleb.  He likes to be held and is a cuddler!
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Love our chunky cheeky teething boy!
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Abby, baby number 2, is getting so big!  She loves to practice writing her name and spends a ton of time coloring and drawing and doing artsy things.  We are working on controlling our emotions and not throwing fits.  I think that all of her fits relate in some way to lack of food or sleep.   She still loves to wake up, drink her cup of milk, and then proceed to refuse meals and want snacks all day long.  We are working on that big time!  For the most part though, she is a sweet girl.  She will be four in a little over a month!
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Last of all, here is a little update on Caleb.  He is liking school, becoming more silly and outgoing, obsessed with Angry Birds, and reading really well.  His little Kindergarten choir sang in church this week.  He really didn't want to be up there in front of everyone, but he did a great job!
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26 November 2012

Beach Day Number 2

After a great Thanksgiving Dinner, we all headed back to the beach.  I can see why people love living in Orange County.  The weather was perfect, and the fun on the beach was unending.  The kids loved digging trenches, jumping off of sand piles, and running into and out of the waves.  I loved playing with my camera and trying to get some silhouette sunset pictures.  I wish we lived closer and could do this more often!

The kids stopped on the walk down to the beach for a quick (very quick!) picture.
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Abby let me take more of her than the boys did!
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But, she seems to have found her fake smile!  ARGH!
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They were excited!
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Eric and Leslie on the beach
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This log kept Andrew occupied for quite awhile.
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Leslie was practicing her picture taking too!
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Caleb said with enthusiasm, "I LOVE the beach!"
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Gege and Lukers!
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Abby was quite the little poser!  These pictures of her were hilarious in sequence!  She loved being the center of attention!
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Sweet Boy Cousins!
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The Whole Crew (once again minus Nik and Kat :( )
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California: Zoo Day

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Beach Time: Day 1

Our kids LOVED getting to go to the beach in California!  Really you can tell from the pictures that they had a blast!  We went to two different beaches.  Here are the pictures from Beach #1:
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 Big brother and little brother... I think that this picture is so funny!
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Bella the dog went everywhere with us (even the zoo). Here she is keeping an eye on everyone at the beach. 
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California Thanksgiving

Our family of five headed to Orange County to visit the SoCal and NorCal Caprons for Thanksgiving. We had a great time, and I took like 250 pictures. So I have a lot of picture to share!  We always exchange our Christmas presents at Thanksgiving time, and of course that was the first thing that the kids wanted to do when we got there!
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Of course we made time for some forced pictures...
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The Capron Clan (minus Nik and Kat- we missed them!) editIMG_0555