December 2010... the LAST Super Mega Post of the Year and say Hello to 2011

Our December was packed to the brim of jolly good times and memories in the making! And of course I took LOTS AND LOTS of pictures to document the festivities...  so without further ado....

 let me share with you in probably the LONGEST POST IN HISTORY Christmas Festivities and traditions for the Zito Family :) get comfy...seriously ;)

PS... this post has been a work in progress :)

~ Kaitlyn & Carly Decorate the KIDS tree! :) ~ 

 lovely job little ladies :)

 ~ The Rest of the House Christmas Holiday Decor ~

 The front room decor didn't really change from last year.

I still love this fancy tree.

But I did add a few lovelies in the kitchen and family room :) I LOVE that All is Calm, All is Bright frame... it was a lucky Hobby Lobby find before all the good stuff was gone. I happened to find in on my birthday shopping trip back in Nov.   Lucky me :)

The Nutcrackers are new and those sparkly cone trees! Did I ever tell you I love things that Sparkle? ;) hee hee!

One of my favorite pieces.... I made these for the ladies in our ward YEARS ago when I served as the Enrichment Leader. I still have mine and love to put in out every year! :)

~ GO DADDY HOLIDAY PARTY 2010 ~ 

This is our 3rd Go Daddy Christmas party and this year they went all out and transformed the Chase Ball  Field into a CARNIVAL... with a ferriswheel and carousel, bumper cars, fair games and popcorn, pretzel and cotton candy stands. It was pretty amazing! The best part of the evening other than spending time with Lenny was listening to JEWEL perform live! 

YES!!! JEWEL was really there! It was ASWEOME!!! That lady is so so talented! She sounds just like she does on the radio! She even yodeled for us and it was so cool! I got it on video on my phone, check it out! the quality isn't very good but her yodeling is :)

See what did I tell you?  Love that lady :)

 Me & Lenny, Larissa & Justin, Julia & Jeff.... just a few friends :)

Jillian Michaels was there as a new GO DADDY Girl and she helped Bob Parson's give away a truck load of $$$$$ to the employees! I always wish we name our name in that bag, but Leonard is only contracted with Go Daddy and they LOVE him &  so they invite us to their party! It was quite the party again :)

~ Kaitlyn's Christmas Orchestra Concert ~ 

It wouldn't be Christmas time without a good ol christmas orchestra concert. Kaitlyn did MARVELOUS as usual! :) The gym was Packed to the brim and this was the only view i could get of Kaitlyn. Beautiful hu? ;)

~ Little Moments that melt your Heart ~  

 Blake loves his dad and loves to snuggle with him as they watch football or some cool outdoors show together. This evening he fell asleep on his daddy! It was a rare and precious moment! oh man, our little boy is growing up so fast!

~ DATE NIGHTS with my LENNY ~

 Leonard & I keep the magic alive in our marriage by going on a date every weekend! I love my dates with my hubby and I love that we make it a priority in our life to spend quality time together.  This night we went to JESTER'Z Comedy club in Scottsdale and we went to the Late show at 10 pm... It was THE funniest show we ever saw! Our cheeks were sore from all the smiles and laughing for 90 minutes! We can't wait to go back for some good clean fun :)

~ Parkwood Ward Christmas Party ~ 

The youth in our ward put on a cute christmas skit and sang to us some carols! Do you notice the newest member in the youth group?

 There she is...  our little Beehive! Sweet grown up Kaitlyn! 

 Carly was beyond thrilled when she was picked to be Mary... she told me that she dreamed on day she could play Mary and this gal's dream came true. I whiped up this costume from a sheet and pillow case. I think Carly makes a very Lovely Mary, don't you agree? :)

 The primary kids filled the stage singing christmas songs about the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. it was cute!

 Who is that Red Punch mustache kid staring me down??? Oh little Blakey Boy! you are so silly! Being a big SUNBEAM now, he gets to sing with all the primary kids too.... although, he just ran around and talked really loud! gotta Love Blake :)

Our Nativity Scene! These kids did great... So reverent and so stinking cute too :)

~ The TRAIN GARDEN ~ 

We heard about a home in Mesa that has his entire backyard transformed into a toy train garden! We had to go check it out and Blake was in HEAVEN!!! 

As we waited in line to get in, we passed through a garage/shop filled with ROWS and ROWS of Trains! Just that sight alone was cool until we entered the backyard and this is what we saw... 

IT IS HUGE!!! and AMAZING!!!! 

 Blake got to ride on his dad's shoulders so he could get the best view of this "boy's dream come true" train village! 

 The details were so cool! everywhere you looked was another and another realistic and miniature detail :)

Tunnels, bridges and depot stations oh my!

along with a Happy Boy and Girls :)

Zito Family 

My parents came with us, they were equally impressed! 

There were several trains moving at a time and about 6-7 men standing guard making sure no train wrecks occured and little fingers stayed away from the tracks! It was an awesome sight and a fun place to visit. plan to go check it out next year! 

As we were leaving, there was a Special Visitor there to visit with the kids

SANTA CLAUS!!! Blake had quite the list to share with Santa! He wasn't shy at all. Carly had a few things to add to her list as well! I LOVE Santa ;)

~ The MELTING POT experience for our Anniversary ~ 

 My man took me to the Melting Pot in Awatukee for a nice romantic evening to celebrate our 14 years of Wedded Bliss!

I have heard about the Melting Pot, but this was our first visit and it was FABULOUS! We the " Big Night Out" 4 course meal for 2! Let me say D  E  L  I C  I O U S!!!!!

We enjoyed talking about our future together. Came up with some future goals for our life and for our family! We laughed, giggled... well actually I giggled ;) we talked and talked and talked! We enjoyed our 3 hours together in our little private booth. The time did just fly by!  

The Dessert was to die for!!!!  The Flaming Chocolate Turtle Fondue and dippers! We savored every bite. I would reccomend going to the Melting Pot for a special occasion. just a warning though, it is a pricey meal but one worth it at least once with the Love of your Life :) I Love you Leonard! Thanks for the wonderful 14 years :) 

~ Phoenix Children's Museum ~ 

My brother Jacob and his family came down from Utah to spend a week here in Warm AZ and be here for Christmas. We went to the park and had a picnic one day and then the whole family ventured to explore the Phoenix Children's Museum. We have never been here before and it was pretty cool! It was the LOUDEST museum I have ever been to. EVER!!!! Millions of little kiddos having a blast squealing, screaming and laughing and yes some crying too! 

The Noodle Jungle was all our favorite place to play at. See that HUGE shoe on my foot? kinda funny story... we were sitting around letting the kids play and we saw the pair of HUGE shoes laying on the ground. We started talking about who's shoes are these? size 18????? There has to be a giant around here! We kept our eyes peeled and after searching for a bit we noticed several pairs of GIANT SHOES laying around.... ah ha!!! it has to be a Prop. There are no giants here! I had to give them a try and they were stinking big! I would cry if my feet were that big! Anyway.... the Children's museum was great and we had fun together.

~ Cookies for Santa ~ 

It is tradition to frost sugar cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve at my parents home. We look forward to this fun family tradition every year and I am sure SANTA just loves all that Frosting and sprinkles too :)

Janie, Molly & Ella were going to town with their cookie decorating skills. I was impressed!

Frost, Lick, Sprinkle... repeat!

Merry Christmas Eve!

 My Lovely Mother wearing the CUTEST Christmas Apron EVER!!! My very talented sister Ann made it for her! I Want One ;) hint hint!!! 

PS... we sure missed Ann and her family this Christmas. They moved to Washington state back in August where Mason is now a dentist. They were not able to come down for the festivities. We hope they can make it next year!

 The Aftermath..... oops i mean the sugary sweet beauties all for Santa :)   We sure love this tradition. Thanks Mother :) We LOVE you!

~ Temple Lights ~

 After a wonderful Christmas Eve Shredded Beef Taco Dinner, THANKS MOM!   We headed off to visit the Mesa Temple Christmas Lights and listen to the Christmas Concert being performed that night. It was jammed packed as can be expected. We found a spot to stand and listened to a very talented singer, Jordan Bluth... i think his name was?

His voice was just beautiful. I especially loved when he sang O Holy Night! What a powerful beautiful song about the Savior's humble birth! You could feel the spirit so strong on the holy grounds of the temple that night! I love being able to celebrate the birth and life of the Savior! 

While at the temple we bumped into some of my favorite people.... our good friends the Gloschats! We chatted for bit and it made my Christmas Eve that much better! I am thankful for good friends! I insisted we get a group photo! Thanks guys :) What a wonderful night!

We hurried home to head to bed, for Santa would surely be on his way. Blake was fast asleep before we even got home, so that was easy! The girls were very excited that Christmas Day was just hours away! They were good girls and went right to sleep!

In a blink of the eye it was Christmas Morning. Carly happened to wake up first at 5 am and was begging to start opening presents. I remember those days like they were yesterday. We were waiting for Blake to wake up before the fun could begin.

 ~ CHRISTMAS MORNING ~

6:30 am and Blake was up and boy oh boy was he excited! SANTA CAME!!!!  He really came!

"It's a Pillow, It's a Pet, It's a Pillow Pet!" that little jingle has been sung several times a day at our house through the month of december. So I am sure Santa knew just want the Zito kids wanted! WOW!!! Santa is good ;)

Santa also brought Blake a NEW BIKE!! his first bike actually! He is one happy boy!

 One more picture before we open presents! 

Merry Christmas!!!

Leonard is armed and ready to go with the video camera!  

 Let the gift giving begin!

I love Christmas, who doesn't??? I love seeing the joy in my children's eyes. Their excitement is contagious :)

Almost every picture of the 3 is so well "posed" as some might say! Their mother taught them well ;)

Merry Christmas Lenny! New Garmin GPS for his road bike... and aero bars on order for his bike as well!

 Lenny got me a cool cadence sensor for my road bike! It will be a great training tool to make me a better bike rider! Thanks Babe! 

It is funny... if you look at my reaction.... I see where my kids get it when they are excited about a gift!

 Check out these JAW Popping Pictures! I LOVE it!

 This collage is PRICELESS! Carly really really really wanted a special baby doll. This doll walks, talks and more. She was wishing Santa would bring her one.  Look at her reaction when Santa pulled through and made her wish come true. These pics make me laugh! They are in order from L-R down the grid :) Carly you are so FUNNY! I love you girl :)

 Saving the Best for last :) Ipods for both girls! They were beyond thrilled! :) 

WOW! looks like the Christmas Bomb went off! They are checking out the goods in their stockings!

 The girls each got a special gift from us... a Love Pearl... a little kit that has a real oyster that you crack open and a fresh water pearl is there for you to have and it come with a pendant you can put your special pearl in and wear it on a necklace. Each pearl is unique and Special.

~ Christmas Day at Mom & Dad's ~

 We met at my folks house for Strawberry Waffles...another favorite tradition for Brunch and boy oh boy it was soooooo good!  Then we had our family gift exchange. Gotta love gift exchanges!

My cute nephew Van got this SWEET Guitar from my parents and this boy can ROCK! he is a natural :) 

 Spending the day together, lounging, visiting and playing with our new toys! This year all the kids got Sing-a-ma-jigs!!!  These funky little toys are so FUN and addicting. They are little plush toys that when you push their bellies, they sing note. When you have several together, they harmonize together! it really is so cute and I even got my mom one because she had so much fun playing with them at the store! She got a kick out it... Hey, I even got one so the kids and I can play together! 

 My Brother Michael is serving a mission in Dominican Republic. He has been out for 1 year already and we got to Skype with him for a couple hours on Christmas Day! It was so fun to see him and visit with him! He is doing great and his spanish is coming along! We are excited to have him home with us next Christmas... less than 12 months away :) yahoo!!!

Christmas night, we had a yummy Ham & Cheesy Potato Dinner with the family and stayed up late playing Oh Heck! what a great day :)

I hope your Christmas day was wonderful with your family too! 

~ Granny & Pappy Zito's fun gift ~

 Granny sent the kids each their own Amaryllis Flower growing kit. The kids were so excited to plant their bulb and water it and we are excited to see our flowers grow! oh and she also included the ingredients to make a yummy FHE desert! Thanks Granny!

PS. ..Oh and thanks again for the SOLAR OVEN! We looking forward to using it and having it with our food storage and emergency supplies! You really have helped us with our emergency preparation stuff & our year supply organization! WE love and miss you both!

~ It SNOWED!!! in Mesa, Az of all Places!~

On the freezing cold afternoon of December, 30th 2010... It snowed in Mesa, AZ.

It SNOWED in my back yard. Now, I am not saying it was a blizzard or anything... in fact it was so fine and light that it melted when it hit the ground or your hand. But it was snow and it was AWESOME!!  

See you can see that white powdery stuff. That is eensy, weensy, baby snow flakes! :)

When I saw the snow start to fall, I hollered to the kids to come out and see for themselves. They were so excited! They ran to the trampoline and jumped their hearts out, shouting for joy! I grabbed the video camera and got it on film, so I have proof. :) but by the time I got my camera the snowing had pretty much stopped. 

Here is the amazing footage I captured on Dec 30, 2010! yippee ~ SNOW!
What do kids do in AZ when it snows? play in it wearing shorts and no shoes! it's perfect :)

Boo Hoo! Our winter snow storm only lasted a couple minutes... but they were a couple minutes of PURE BLISS!!! It is a Winter Miracle :)

PS... man i Love that green gorgeous grass... isn't Az Winter rye so pretty! Winter in AZ is pretty great :)

 ~ HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011 ~ 

On New Year's eve, things were pretty mellow at our place. Blake was sleeping, Leonard and the girls watched a movie and I balance the checkbook. OUCH! that's never fun! But someone's gotta do it! Oh, but when the clock struck midnight, there was a PARTY Going on over here! :)

We got our pots and pans to bang and clang in the front yard.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR"!!!! We shouted with joy! We whooped and hollered! Whistled and hoorayed! I of course had my handy dandy camera to record this momentous moment.

The neighbors had fireworks and we watched them until we were frozen to the bone.
HAPPY 2011!!!

Once back inside the warmth of our home,
We each had a glass of the BEST Sparkling Apple cider ever! i HEART Martinelli's  :)

This is Carly's first NEW YEARS that she has been awake til midnight!
Cheers my darlings! To a Happy and Healthy 2011!  "cling"... can you hear the glasses cling?

Ahhh, and a Toast to my Best Friend in the ENTIRE World!
Happy New Year Leonard! May we rock 2011!
I wish you all a very Happy New Years too!


PHEW... you made it through the LONGEST POST IN HISTORY! Congrats :) pat yourself on the back!

Lot's to come in 2011! Come back and check often ;)