Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Love ~Zach, Alicia, Zoey and Delaney

Snow, snow and more snow.

We had a snow storm yesterday and it barried us in at least 8 more inches of snow. There is another one due tomorrow. The weather channel says we could get an excess of a foot! Yeah, not! Here are some pics of Zach after he snowblowed the front walkway.

Delaney warming up after playing outside.

I've been tagged...

1.How long have you been together? October 2o, 1993 - 15 yrs 2 mths

2.How long did we date? We were married July 8th 2000 so... about 7 years

3. How old is he? 31. I am 30

4. Who eats more? Zach but he eats good stuff. I eat junk.

5. Who said, "I love you," first? probable me. He said it early on too.

6. Who is taller? Zach by about an inch

7. Who does the laundry? Me

8. Who does the dishes? Me unless Zach is feeling especially nice. Usually it just involved loading the dishwasher though.

9. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

10. Who pays the bills? I write out the checks. Zach makes all the money though.

11. Who mows the lawn? We both do. I usually mow while he weed wacks.

12. Who cooks dinner? I usually do, but Zach has a couple things he likes to make.

13. Who is more stubborn? Zach

14. Who kissed who first? We were teenagers. We did a lot of kissing. I definitely kissed him first though on the way home from the Homecoming dance.

15. Who asked who out? I asked him to the Homecoming dance. He said no but we met up at the dance and have been together ever since.

16. Who proposed? Zach, I kinda forced it though.

17. Who is more sensitive? I think we both are just about different things.

18. Who has more siblings? Me. I have a younger sister and brother. Zach has a younger sister.

19. What were you doing ten years ago? Planning my wedding and a junior in college at UB

20. Five things on my to-do list: pack for vacation, finish shopping, clean my house, take Zoey to the Dr., have Bible study tonight.

21.Things I would do if I was suddenly made a billionaire. Pay off my house and my parent's houses. Pay off all our debts (Student Loans, car payments). Travel somewhere warm and tropical. Invest for my kids future. Shop! Have another baby.

22. Three of my bad habits: spending too much time online, dessert, tv

23. Five places I have lived: (only lived in 4 places) Clarence, NY. Lockport, NY. Evans Mills, NY. Deferiet, NY.

24. Five jobs I have had: Ice cream scooper at Friendly's, waitress at Courtyard Cafe, waitress at Denny's, office work at United Precious Metals, Resourse Room Aide at Indian River HS.

25. Things people don't know about me: Hmmm... I wish I could dance.

I tag Amy Nickerson and Amy Anderson!

Incredible

We got our new computer! It works awesome and is incredibly fast! Big Thanks to Zach's parents for the early Christmas present!

I took the girls for hair cuts last Thursday. Delaney couldn't even see through hers anymore so I knew something needed to be done. She looks even more incredibly cute now. I call her little Suzy Lou Ho (from The Grinch movie). Zoey had a couple inches taken off the back.

We had almost 3 feet of snow piled in our yard after the all the storms last week but today it is 45 degrees and raining so some should be gone by tonight.

I've finished all my Christmas shopping and everyone should be happy. I really didn't get stressed out about it this year. I had a small budget to stick to so it was planned out from the beginning. Our tree is up and the house is decorated, though I didn't put up any lights outside. The girls go to bed at 7pm so they wouldn't even enjoy them anyway.

I read The Shack recently for my book club and I recommend it to everyone. I really enjoyed it.

Second installment in the clone army

I have posted pictures comparing Zach and Zoey in the past but here is one of he and Delaney side by side. I think she looks even more like him than Zoey did. It's the hair and eyes that make the difference.

Ice Skating

I took Zoey ice skating with some of our MOMS Club friends yesterday. My good friend Tania was nice enough to watch Delaney so Zoey and I could have some time together. It was awesome! She wasn't sure at first but after slipping around for awhile she got her footing. They had walkers that the kids could use to balance themselves that helped a lot. She was so proud of herself for doing it.

It was funny when we were in the car driving there Zoey said " Mom this feels so weird that Delaney isn't here." It was so sweet!

We're home

We just got back from our Thanksgiving celebration in Clarence. We had a great time visiting with Zach's family. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures.

We returned home Sat evening to 18" of snow! It was a mess. We had to shovel a path to the front door, unload the kids and then Zach I took turns shoveling in the driveway so we could get the van in. It was so heavy and wet! Then yesterday we went out to work on it again. Luckily our neighbor came over with his snow blower and saved us!

The girls had a blast playing in the snow while we worked. Delaney was climbing the banks and Zoey was sledding down them. Zach and I had a good laugh watching Delaney try to walk in the yard. The icy coating on the snow would almost hold her weight and then her foot would go through. She fell every 2nd step and would yell "ARGH." It was too funny!

Today we are back to the grind. I'm taking Zoey ice skating at the Watertown Arena today. She is gonna love it!

Thanksgiving early

Since we go to Clarence to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Andersons we had an early Thanksgiving dinner with the Nickerson gang this weekend. I cooked the turkey! Here are some pics of the day:

Delaney, Zoey and Aunt Jessica enjoying the appitizers

3 generations

Great Grama and Delaney cooking

Zach carving the turkey

The gang at the table

Busy week

I had an awesome time at moms night out last night! I am hoarse from laughing so much. Thanks ladies!

We have had a busy week and even more is planned. Monday was back to the grind after a weekend with my parents at the lake. Then Tuesday we had a day off from school. Zach hung some hooks and a shelf in the hall for snow clothes. The girls and I kept busy too. Then I went to MNO! Today we are going swimming at the YMCA and Zach has open house at school tonight. Tomorrow is a playdate then Bible study in the evening. Friday we are going on a tour of the local grocery store with the MOMS club and then Saturday I will be making a Thanksgiving dinner for 10! When I get my camera back (I left it at my parents house last weekend) I'll post some new pics....

Zoey says....

Harvest Party

We went to the Harvest Party at our church on Friday night. It was great! The Sunday school class rooms were decorated as difference scenes from the Bible. The kids had a craft in each room and got candy prizes. They also had singing, cake and games. Here are some pictures. Zoey was a balerina and Delaney wore the butterfly costume Zoey wore when she was 2.

The Kind of Leadership America Needs

Our pastor preached on The Kind of Leadership America Needs yesterday. He made three important points:

1. God blesses leaders who live with Integrity.
2. God blesses leaders who serve with Humility.
3. God blesses leaders who share with Generosity.

Here are some of the bible verses he used to get his points across:

" Without wise leadership, a nation is in trouble." Proverbs 11:14 (Living Bible)"A nation will be strong and endure when it has intelligent, sensible leaders." Proverbs 28:2 (Good News Bible)

"...Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant."Mark 10:43 (New Living Translation)

" He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty." (Zach's favorite)Proverbs 22:16 (NIV)

"People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall." Proverbs 10:9 (NLT)

" When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honor to others than yourselves. Do not be interested only in your own life, but be interested in the lives of others. In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus." Philippians 2:3-5 (New Century Version)

I don't agree with him using the pulpit to discuss political issues but I know he feels passionately about them and the country is completely wrapped up in this election. So, it is forgivable. He was very careful not to endorse any canidate or even mention them by name. I thought you might like to read these and hopefully they will help you make the right decision tomorrow. VOTE! ~Alicia

Here is a comparison shot of Zoey and Delaney in the same red snow suit and boots! How time flies!

Delaney 2008

Zoey 2005

SNOW

We had our first snow of the season last night. It actually started yesterday afternoon but it was just flurries in the air. We woke up this morning to over a foot! Both Zoey and Zach had the day off from school. So we spent some time outside playing in the snow and shoveling this morning. The girls had a blast! It was Delaney's first real experience with snow.

Cute pics

The girls were all dressed up for church so we decided to take some photos the other morning. I got a couple great ones and I think they might be our Christmas card. I hardly ever get Delaney smiling so that is a big plus! Zoey snapped a cute one of Zach and I too.

New baby!

Congrats to Kellie & Brice on the birth of their new son Phinehas John!

Things are ok

So, things are working out ok with the whole accident thing. Mike has my car down in Utica to get it fixed. The insurance company is replacing the car seats and because the other car in the accident also has Allstate insurance I don't have to pay the deductible. That rocks! I am still bummed about the ticket but hopefully I'll be able to get it taken care of at court. I am also getting a rental car tomorrow so I can still get out and do stuff.

Apparently the girls weren't traumatized either. I asked Zoey if she told her Friends about what happened yesterday and she said "What happened yesterday?" Ha!

Car Accident

I got into my first car accident and subsequently my first ticket today. It was horrible! Police, fire trucks, ambulances.... Luckily nobody was hurt and only my car was seriously damaged. Not something I ever want to do again. I'm not sure what I am gonna do about my van. For now it is at the whim of the insurance company. I'll know more soon...

Apple picking

Somehow I neglected to post about our adventure apple picking. Usually we just pick the apples from the two trees in our yard but we were otherwise occupied this summer so the trees weren't taken care of and our apples are all buggy and yucky. Next year we wont let that happen. So, my mom, the girls and I joined our MOMS Club friends at Behlings Farm in Mexico to pick some apples. We got Northern Spys, McIntosh, Empires and a few Cortlands. We took a wagon ride out to the orchard and learned all about apples. They also had a fun play area for the kids as well as pumpkins and other fall items to purchase.

So far we have made applesauce, apple cobler and today we baked an apple pie. Yum! Here are some pics of our trip to the orchard.

Leaves!

I love fall! This weekend was beautiful so we spent some quality time outside. Zoey and I raked the leaves in the yard up and had fun jumping in them. This is the first year that our Maple trees have changed color. For the past 4 years they have just turned brown and fallen off. This year they are beautiful reds, yellows and oranges. I didn't even mind raking them. Of course only a day later and the yard needs to be cleared again.

Fun with Grandma & Grandpa

The girls and I went and visited Zach's parents this weekend. We had beautiful weather so we spent a lot of time outside. We took a walk through the back yard paths, went to Akron Falls park and to the Main Street Park. We saw Great Aunt Mag, Aunt Jen's new house, met Doug and saw Great Grandma & Grandpa. Here are some pics of our weekend.