Christmas at the Boydston's

Madison, Breyden and Alyssa Christmas Morning




Breyden and the Loot

Alyssa'a Favorite gift - an empty box!

Family Jam-Session to RockBand

The Girls Chillin'

So, Christmas came and went, and I'm finally posting pictures (a big "Thank you" to my mom who remembered to take them!) The family got a big gift this year, Rock Band for the Wii, and Guitar Hero World Tour for the Wii, plus a couple other games. Madison, in true Madison style, asked for mostly Aeropostale clothes, and Breyden's big request was games for the Wii and a box of his favorite popcorn (Act II popcorn that can only be found at Sam's Club). Alyssa didn't really care what she got, the only easy thing about her right now! So, after opening presents and while breakfast was cooking, we set up Rock Band. The problem with these games, if your familiar with Guitar Hero you know this, is that you only get a limited number of songs to start out with and have to earn your way to more songs. Well, honestly, I kind-of suck at Guitar Hero and can only play on the Easy-level. So, we started out with our five or six songs and began working from there. Brandon does Guitar, Madi does Lyrics and Brey and I switch off on the drums. At this point, we've only earned 19 of 63 songs available. Although, last night Madi and I earned a new set that included "Dirtly Little Secret", which is one that we actually know. Madi got 100% on the lyrics, (yes, I know, I'm the bad influence.) I know there are secret codes we can find to unlock all of the songs, and I'm half-tempted to find them, because I'm not really interested in playing on the World Circuit Tour or anything, I just want to go jam-out with the kids and relax every now and then. Anyhow, we received a lot of fun stuff from our families, and all-in-all had a great day running around and seeing everyone. But, I'm really glad to be back to work!

New Year, New Year's Resolutions

Well, this year my resolutions are two-fold. I'm going to try not to spend so much money, and maybe start being a saver (yeah, right!), and I'm going to update my blog spot once a month. Any more than that is pushing it!! Updates on the kids:
~Madison is 9 1/2 going on 16 years. She is requesting specific name brand clothes and accessories now. We updated her shuffle over the Christmas break, and because it was being loaded on a new computer, it was going to delete everything on her i-Pod. When I asked her if that was okay, she told me, "Yeah, it's all just baby-stuff on there anyway. Like High-school Musical and Disney stuff." Smirking, I said, "And you don't want that anymore?" Her reply, "No, I'm SO over that!" Brandon said that I'm a bad influence on her, because we like to listen to dance-club music, like Lady Ga-Ga, Paramore, Katy Perry, Fall Out Boy, etc. Oh well, we always have fun in my car with the radio blaring!
~Breyden is 6 1/2, and has started Kindergarten. We held him back one year because his birthday is the end of August and I wanted him to be the oldest kid in his class, not the youngest. So, from April to September, he lost his front eight teeth. His school pictures were a sight to behold! He's playing indoor soccer right now, and is still just the little jock of the neighborhood. He and his friend Gavin can be found playing army video games, soccer, basketball, soccer, etc; those two are always on the move. Oh, and he's already a womanizer; he told us, "I like the 16 year old chickies, they're hot." Yeah, we're in trouble, and we already know it.
~Alyssa turned 1 in November, and she is going to be the one to lead me to medication and alcohol when she's a teenager(Ha, joking). She has a BIG attitude. She rules the roost, and if you weren't sure about that, just tell her No and she'll point out how wrong you are. Our constant saying is that it's a good thing she's cute, it's her only saving grace right now. I can't wait for her to hit the Terrible Twos! I can't even imagine that it could get worse than it is, but I'm sure it can, and in her case, will. She's also discovered M&M's, and this morning before rushing out the door, I found her with a mouthful, and both fists full, clenched in a death-grip, refusing to let them go. Yeah, she's a chocoholic on top of everything else.

After two full weeks home with my kids during the Christmas Break, I can say I have a new respect for daycare providers and stay-at-home moms. I couldn't WAIT to get back to work. It was nice having the time to do laundry and keep up on that, but I'm too independant of a person to stay still and be subjected to another person's schedule. I needed adult interaction!

Anyhow, Christmas pictures to follow, I promise.