Merry Christmas!

We want to wish our friends and family a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!!!  May we all carry the spirit of Christmas all year through.

Love, 

The VanOrden family

Matt, Shireen, Taysa, Brooklyn, & Cloe

Lunch with Brooklyn!

Today I went to lunch with Brooklyn!  Which is a HUGE deal because my kids are only lucky enough to have me show up for lunch maybe twice a year.  I know, I know I should be better and go more often but for some reason I don't.  Although, after today I will make a genuine effort to go to lunch with my girls more often.

This man is Mr. Lemons, the principal and this is what goes on in the lunchroom. What a fun guy!!!

SKYLAR

Now when we were done eating lunch most kids beg their parents to come out on the playground and play with them.  Not my Brooklyn.  Today she begged me to come with her and meet Skylar.  Skylar is a special needs boy that she spends her recess time playing with.  She tells me about Skylar everyday and the fun things they play with him, but hearing about it and seeing it are entirely two different things.  Talk about a proud mother am I!!!  My sweet Brooklyn blows bubbles, plays ball, throws the beanbags, crawls around the floor, learned his language (ba = ball, bubu = bubbles, etc...) and even wipes his face to make Skylar's life a little more enjoyable. I had the best time watching her interact with this precious boy.  To see his face light up when Brooklyn and her friend, Tenlee, walked through the door was more than amazing.  He really loves having them spend time with him.

Brooklyn, Skylar, & Tenlee

Brooklyn tossing beanbags with Skylar

Brooklyn you are an amazing girl who posses such a sweet spirit.  Thank you for thinking of others and for helping to make Skylar's life a little happier.  Thanks for being his friend and for wanting to help him. Thank you for being the girl that you are.  Mom and dad are very proud of you!  We love you more than you will ever know!!!

This is for you Val!

Wow!!!  I finally posted something that is current.  I think I have given up on ever catching up on this blog.  From here on out I am just going to try to post things as they happen.

I am running very behind this year on pictures of my girls.  We just got them done a few weeks ago and just got my disk of pictures today, how's that for posting things as they happen.  Val, you will be proud of me.  I am finally posting current pictures of the girls so you can tell who they are.  Hope you enjoy it.

There are a lot of pictures on this post but these are just a few of my favorites.  I actually have 182 pictures to choose from, that's not an easy task.  I seem to want one of every picture!

CLOE

Mad face!

Sad face!

Surprise face!

Smiley face!

BROOKLYN

TAYSA

THE GIRLS

Blowing kisses to dad!

With ATTITUDE!

Just being silly!

Can you see why it is so hard to choose?  I think they all are amazing.  I may be a little biased here, but I think my girls are beautiful.  Cloe was being, well herself the entire time we were taking pictures.  She was goofing around, pulling faces, just being funny so the photographer decided to take pictures of THE MANY FACES OF CLOE! I absolutely love them.  The girls had a lot of fun during the two hour photo session.  So I have to say thanks to Sherri Baron at Baron Photography in Shelley.  Thanks for taking such amazing pictures of my girls and for making it so much fun.