::Bowles' family Christmas party 2008::

Friday night was the Bowles' family Christmas party. I love this party and look forward to it every year. It is such a fun time to get together with all of my dad's family and eat, see Santa, and watch the kids open their presents. It is also so fun watching to kids interact with all their cousins and just being best friends. All the parents bring a present for their kids and we give them to Santa and he gives them out. The kids love it, they think Santa came especially for them and knew that they would want this special present. It is so much fun to watch them open their gifts in amazement that Santa would pick out a special present for each of them and bring it to their party.

What a fun family tradition this has been ever since I can remember and now I get to share it with Jeremy and Bryson and I love that part of being our own little family.

I picked Bryson up from Julie's on Friday afternoon and he told me he was just so excited to go to the party to see the elf. Initially I had no idea what he was talking about but once I saw Ikabod the elf (he is bending over in this picture) I remember who he was talking about and thought it was so funny that of everything he can remember about this fun party he remembers the elf.

Well I have no idea how to make a slide show of pictures so here are only some of the pictures I have from this party (I took a ton but figured it would suck for you guys if you wanted to look at them to have to just keep scrolling through so here are a few.) Bryson got a skate park thing with a little skateboard that you use with your fingers and make it do tricks, I don't understand it or how it works but he sure loves it and that is all that matters right.

::Jr. Jazz Game 3::

I have no pictures from game #2 so we are just going to skip that game and go straight to game #3.

So far Jr. Jazz has been the BEST sport for Bryson. I don't know if he just really likes basketball, if he is just getting a little older and understands the whole competition thing, or if it is just because his dad is his coach and he really loves that but he is doing AWESOME.

This is the first time he has ever actually participated in any of the sports that we have put him and I love going to his games and watching him get aggressive with other 6 year olds and actually fighting for the ball and wanting to play and participate.

I am pretty sure that basketball will be something that we keep him in all the time. I am actually really excited for him to try football as well, but that will be a couple years because he has to be 8 to do that sport. For now we will stick with baseball and basketball and continue to watch him grow and develop his skills!

Just hanging out on the bench waiting his turn

Just him and the coach practicing

Catching the ball.

Here he is fighting for the ball!! Go Bryson

And I think he lost, but hey at least he fought for it!

::It's Official ... ::

Jeremy and I are both officially done with fall semester. What a weight lifted off of my shoulders. Now I have the stress of studying for the GRE, getting all my grad school applications in by January 1 and the stress of waiting to find out if I actually made it into Grad School. Oh well the life of college students ..... until next semester!

::Zoo Lights::

Saturday night we went to dinner and the Zoo with Jeremy's family and had a great time. Now I know what you all are thinking "The Zoo in December?" but it was actually really fun. They put up a ton of Christmas lights all over the zoo and we just walked around the Zoo and looked at the lights. There were a couple of animals out and about but not many. We saw some penguins, black bear, cougar, and a cheetah. It was a really fun night with Jeremy's family and all the cousin's being together. Those are the best memories for the kids. Bryson was initially having fun, but then turned into a party pooper and just wanted to go home! After the Zoo we headed over to Leatherby's for some delicious ice cream.

Thanks everyone for such a fun night we need to make that a tradition.

The three of us, obviously Bryson doesn't want his picture taken

Me and my cute niece McCall

Jeremy and Bryson

All the cousins

Jana and Hunter

Cute Malone

Cade is in the back on the Lady Bug

Hunter and Trey

All the other kids rode the carosel and then there is Bryson who sits on the bench and eats a pretzel (this was in his bad mood phase)

Leaving the Zoo Jeremy, McCall, Hunter, and Cade being silly

::Jr. Jazz::

We signed Bryson up for Jr. Jazz basketball a couple of weeks ago and he has been talking about ever since so Saturday he had his first game and loved it. He did awesome and we are so proud of him.

This picture is from Friday night. We went to Famous Footwear and bought his first pair of basketball shoes and all of Friday night he was wearing his shoes around the house telling us they make him run faster and jump higher and he was so excited to show off "his skills" at his first basketball game. He came down stairs Friday night with his whole basketball outfit on and when he went back upstairs to get in his pj's he came down in his pj pants, shirt and basketball shoes! He didn't even want to take them off it was so cute.

Here are a couple more pictures of him at his game! Great job Scooby you are awesome and we are so proud of you!!!

Also, on a side note Jeremy is his basketball coach and that is also something Bryson just loves.

::Bolt::

So we went to the see the movie Bolt on Friday night and it was SOOOOO good. I loved it. My favorite was the hamster in the ball! You should all go see it I know you will all love it!

I accidentally bought tickets to the 3-D movie which Bryson hates because of the glasses but he did awesome and wore his glasses the whole time. He said that he loved it too. After the movie we went with my family over to Red Robin (which is a place I love) and ate a delicious dinner.

Thanks fam for the fun night!

::Are you a grandma?::

(The one in the center is my Grandmother)
Now I love my grandma to death don't get me wrong, but do I want to look like her at 25? NO!


Let me explain really quick ... I picked up Bryson from Julie's (day care) and while I was waiting for him to put his shoes and coat on a little girl there came up to me and said

"You look like a Grandma"

A ... WHAT!

I then called my mom and was laughing about it and my mother proceeded to tell me that she was asked by an older gentlemen if she was her baby sister's mother. Now my mom is the first born of 7 girls all born within 9 years but she in no way looks like a grandmother to the 6th born child. She told me "At least the person that said it to you didn't really no any better, but the guy that said it to me should know to keep his HUGE mouth shut!"

After not getting any sympothy from my mother I decided to see if I would get any from cyber space!