Family Pictures 2012

Once again Fotofly does a great job!  We have gone to them the last 3 times and this summer for the kids year pictures at their Fotofly Away (Thanksgiving Point).  We have never been disappointed.  I love these guys.  And the backgrounds keep changing, so most pictures are all different.  I also like going here because we never feel rushed, and my kids are super shy and the photographers are always good about getting a smile.  We had a great one this year, Tia, and she was the same one from last year.  She even remembered us!!!

 We thought we would do something fun this year.  Since all of you know that we are die hard Utah fans, we thought we would do Utah shirts.  GO UTES!!!  Maddie kind of fought the idea because she wanted to wear a Texas Longhorn shirt since she likes them better (she likes Utah but for some reason she is a Texas fan).  But she came around, silly girl.  But they loved it!

Sam is my super super shy child.  He did good for being tired, sick, and shy.  He woke up with a small cold that morning.  Go figure, right!  We got some smiles from him.  He is so funny!  By the end though he was done (the pictures of all 3 of them was his last-and you can tell).

Livs was so anxious to throw up her U.  That even in her pictures the photographer had to keep reminding her to wait until she told he to throw it up.  My little Ute fan!  Livie asked to look at them all the time.

I love these pictures!  And I love my cute little family!  And my kids are so great!  I am so grateful for my little Neapolitan, as David calls them (Red, Brown, and Blonde), Nerds.   I hope you enjoy these as much as I have and will.

6th Annual Gingerbread House/Candy Eating Festivity

What better way to start my blog back up with a post on a super fun tradition.  Our 6th annual gingerbread house making fun!  We had David's Parents over this year.  I know Grandpa was drawing plans up before he came over, heehee!

This is Sam's first year making his own home, we kind of ran out of dough and his house is lacking one piece, but we made it work and I think it was a better thing since he just put things on the roof without icing.  But loved it, he would get so excited whenever anyone put anything on his house.  He had to try all the treats and he kept going back to eating  marshmallows.  He had a great time!

Mads got started right away, and her house gets more elaborate and creative every year.  She really got into it this year.  Silly girl!  She even made a chimney and Santa's sleigh.  I was watching her at times, she really was concentrating and planning on what she wanted done.  It had to be perfect or she redid it.  Of all my kids Mads isn't a big candy eater, she ate some but really worked on that house.

Livs was helped by Grandma.  They both worked together.  She even has an animal in her yard.  She took some of her cotton candy, which she loves, and put it on her house.  She had a great time, I also believe she ate more candy then she put on her home.  She was literally walking on the ceiling afterwards.  I was surprised Mads and Livs even fell asleep that night, they were so hyped up.

Its always fun to watch Grandpa and David build a house.  They seem to be of the same mold.  Planning and building, then more planning and building.  And some of the things are so well done.  The roofs with the icicles and lattice roofs.  The landscaping as well, so well done.  Grandpa had an amazing latticed m&m roof. Just you wait, the picture will show the work put into the home.

Grandma's home was great!  She helped Livie alot as well.  So in a way she really was doing two houses.  She  had a tree and Santa in the front.  Her "snow" was "melting," but we got a picture before it "melted."  I love the door!

My home was a bit of a stolen idea.  I used the chocolate wafers on my roof, but David gave me the idea.  I started it before he did, so ha ha!  No I really am not creative so I had to borrow it, I don't think of cool things like that.  I really wanted to eat candy more then work on my house.  And you wonder when my two youngest get their sugar tooth from.  I ate way more then I should have, those darn cinnamon Santas and candy cane cotton candy.  My downfall!!!  I help Sam with his too!  He really was more interested in eating like me.  So we sat in our corner and went to town.

David's house was just like Grandpa's, well planned out and put together with creativity.  He even built a ladder and had legs and shoes sticking out of the snow.  The made a cobblestone walkway.  And a pond in the backyard.  I don't think he ate much candy, such the opposite of my philosophy of gingerbread house making.

I love this tradition.  We have so much fun and its always fun to start our Christmas off with the people we love most and having lots of fun.  I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and maybe I will keep up my blog this next year.  MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE GIRARDOS!!!

Family Pictures

Here are some pictures from our family pictures we got done in December. We usually get them done in November, but we went to schedule the appointment in September and they (FotoFly) were booked until the end of December. Wow, I had no idea that it was that hard to get an appointment. No biggie, we got them for the 23rd of December. It was hard to figure out a good time because we had Baby Sam (schedules are big with me). What would cause the least amount of ripples in our day? And we survived!

I have to make a few facts about my family pictures, first, Olivia is very shy and we can't do retail store studios (they rush the pictures and Olivia freaks-literally). Second, we loved Fotofly last year and gave them a go again this year (which we were just as happy). Third, Sam does not smile for anyone he knows and doesn't know away from home, so the one where is looks like a slight smile is the best we got (but Sam looks great in all of them-especially with the girls). Now for the pictures:

Super Late Update

So I am a super slacker, and have really not been keeping this thing up. Man I don't even think I have kept anything up. Crazy times have been going on here, three kids really zap up your time (but what cute three kids are). And don't forget to look at the last pic, he has a kiss for everyone.

My three little nerds (Sam is about 1 month here)
These next three are from Sam's blessing (I had to include each of them):


Sam getting older and cuter (its amazing how fast they change):
Maddie reading to Livs (She does this all the time):
Livs and Sam getting ready to go to Grandma's (had to show off the cute Red stripes):
First day of school:
Another of the nerd clan (look at the Smile on Mads-missing 4 teeth):
And we might as well show my Birthday Pie (yum!!! 31 years old!)
You got to Love it when David brings home this yummy gift basket from his job for taking 2nd in a free throw contest!!!!
These next two are from his 5 month ones (he tends to like to roll but gets stuck on his tummy-can't quite catch onto the rolling back thing). Plus I love his face on the second pic!:

Starting to eat:

Here is the most up-to-date picture of the Nerd Herd:

And for the grand finale, Sam is blowing you all a kiss goodbye (I love this picture):