Sometimes I FEEL Like an Elephant...

... but not because of my memory. Which is why I am proclaiming to the blog world that I plan to run a half marathon in 2011, even if it kills me. Or my knees. :) And there you have my New Year's resolution. I won't tell you about the other ones (like reading through the Bible, limiting desserts to Sundays and Wednesdays, and catching up on my scrapbooks) because you might hold me to them. :)

And, without further ado, I will resume where we left off from last post: The Sorbello family Christmas.

The loot!

Sofia's first stocking!

As if Siena needed encouragement... 

Nothing says "merry Christmas" like a nudie. :)

The Armstrong brood keeps growing. With so much fun going on, it's hard to get everyone to look at once.

An ethnocentric artsy shot:

Noses contain many treasures.

Grammy read the Christmas story before we opened our gifts.

Shiloh and Luke doled out the presents.

I love this shot - captured Grammy mid-story. ;)

Opening gifts is hard work. Sofia and Sarah recuperate on the couch during an intermission.

Splat.

Luke graduated from the police academy in record time!

After the Christmas festivities, Shiloh went back to work for a few days while Siena played with her new toys!  We also enjoyed some good times with friends during the evenings.

Mike ("Dr. Penna") came to visit our newest bundle.

"Shiloh the Barber" took a seat and let Will be the one to cut hair for a change. Shiloh actually taught Will how to cut hair back in the day, and it's finally paying off. ;) 

Sam K came over to scrapbook and do some early bonding with Sofia.

Wednesday morning, Mary and I took a somewhat regular trip to Starbucks and then headed over to Orchard Park to play... only this time, we both had TWO kids!

That night we met up with the Jarvi and the C&J Armstrongs for some Steve's Pizza! All was well and good until I developed a full-on case of stomach flu that had me "losing" everything I'd eaten in the last few hours. Ew. I didn't start feeling quite right until Sunday, but that didn't keep us from a weekend adventure to Shaver Lake.

Ladies...

...and Gentlemen.

Shiloh took work off on Thursday to golf with some good, old friends, and then we headed off to Fresno in the evening. The Foresters hosted us and the Shabaglians, as we celebrated the New Year up at Shaver Lake.  The trip brought back many memories of AIA retreat days... but this time we were inundated with wild children, so it wasn't quite the same. :)

We arrived in Fresno late Thursday night but the kiddos were up bright and early, ready to play with Sydney's fun toys!

Jadon added a whole new element to two-year-old play: BOY.

Up at Shaver Lake, the next generation: Arrielle, Logan and Sofia.

Smile!

The tent was a hit.

We bundled up and got ready for snow play day #1.

Things were looking good...

...but without a nap, snow play day #1 was a flop for Siena.

Dave led a hike to some waterfalls and a snowman for those brave enough to follow (i.e., NOT Siena).

Some moms don't like nursing. However, these are days I will miss when my babies are grown.

Story time with David!

Don't let lawyers play dominos - there are no standardized rules! :)

David saved us from California's largest recorded spider (according to Shiloh). The children looked on with awe and reverence. Alissa refused to look on. Arris double-checked her sheets for relatives.

Snow play day #2 went much more smoothly than the first. Shi and Sofia are ready to play!

While we were outside (and the whole rest of our trip) it was snowing hard! Siena liked catching flakes on her tongue.

I love these mamas. It's fun to figure out life with TWO together!

David and Jadon:

David and Sydney:

Shiloh and Sofia:

My girl isn't thrilled about activities where her feet are not placed firmly on the ground (e.g., swings) but she went sledding down the hill with me and even said she liked it! But once was enough for my little cherub. 

Sydney and Jadon, on the other hand, wanted to go again and again.

I introduced Siena to the snow ball. Then she turned on me. ;)

Little buddies.

Here's Siena eating more snow. It was how I bribed her to take steps outside the door!

Dave was dreaming of going snowboarding this weekend, but it's tricky with two kids and no grandparents around. So, he just took Alissa's board down the street. Poor board.

Freestyler:

Forrester Four (.5)

Sorbello Four

Shabaglian Four

At the end of the street some neighbors were enhancing a sled jump (the one Siena did NOT like the day before) so Dave and Sydney tried it out. Please click for a better view.

Starting to get cold... time to take this baby indoors!

A long, cold, snowy day is best ended with Mary Poppins.

Of course, you don't sit still for long when you're two. You'd much rather help Shiloh with his leg workout.

And little Sofia will wait patiently on the couch, as usual... until she gets hungry.

Sunday morning, time to go home... had to DIG ourselves out!

Shiloh and the Davids got to work digging. Then the men adorned our sedans with chains and we started to pack up. Then the 4WD Yukon got stuck and had to be towed out of an icy rut!

Look at that snow!

I left my water cup in the car all weekend. Ice.

We were slow getting down the mountain, because we were behind a tow truck that was saving the day for everyone. What a great weekend!

And now we're home, a wee bit sick, in desperate need of clean laundry, and exhausted from minimal sleep. But we're happy and content and ready to embark on our resolutions for 2011. Genesis 9-11 and Matthew 4 is today's reading!