Christmas Card

This year I was only able to send out a limited number of Christmas Cards...so I decided to design one of my own and post it on my blog for everyone else I wish I could send a card too!

Here is 2009 for the Culbertson Family in review!

~Brent~

Brent has been enjoying second year in the field of Health Insurance. He still works from home 2-3 days a week and as always loves being in sales! This June/July he had a change in his Church calling...for the first time since we moved to Florida Brent is not working with the Youth, he is in the Elders Quorum Presidency! He has enjoyed getting to know, teach, and work with the other men in our ward.

~Sara~

I am loving being an at home mom to my children. It has been a great blessing that I have been able to be at home with them at least during the day since I had Aspen! I have been teaching piano lessons this year, but through advancement and moving I am currently with out any students, something I hope to change in the next few months. I really enjoyed sharing my love for music and the piano with the younger generation. I am still in my same calling at Church as Primary President with a few changes around me in the organization...is it just me or does it seem that every time you get a group organized or almost there something big happens! We have had some major changes in our Stake. At the beginning of the year they split our stake, then they dissolved our old ward in Fort Myers sending those members to 4 different wards, then a few months later they dissolved the other ward in our building so we are just one Cape Coral Ward now! It has been a great thing in the primary we when from 15ish regular attendees in Primary to 40!

~Dane~

Dane has been enjoying his Junior Year at HS. He participated for a 3rd year in the Marching Band Drum line and will be trying out for the Drum Captain position for his senior year! He hit a big goal this semester in school by passing his FCAT (state standardized tests) for Reading and Math which are required for graduation. We can't believe that he will be graduating in just 1 1/2 years and are so proud of him!

~Aspen~

This has been a big year for our Aspen! She has started Preschool; in the state of Florida they have a government funded program called VPK (voluntary pre kindergarten) that is free for children the year they turn Four before Sept 1. She goes to school 3 1/2 hrs M-F and she LOVES it. She can already write her first name, knows the sounds to all the letters and can sound out basic 3 letter words! We are looking forward to next semester when they really start to focus on reading! Her favorite color is still Pink, and her favorite Princess is Belle. She is such a fun little girl to have in the family and we love to see how much she grows every day. Aspen has loved being a Sunbeam in primary, she has improved a lot over the year in sitting still during Sharing Time, and she loves to learn the songs. I can't believe she is going to be a CTR in just a week and a half!

~Ella~

Oh Ella, what a year. Ella fell head first into the Terrible 2's this year. She is great at hitting, pinching, and pulling hair, throwing tantrums and screaming fits. But then she can be so sweet wanting to cuddle with you and be wrapped up in her blanky, share with big sister, and kiss her baby dolls. We love her so much and it is fun (when I don't want to pull my hair out) to watch her learn to deal with each new challenge in life. Ella loves nursery at church. She has a little friend who is just less then 2 months younger then her and they love to play and fight with each other! She has one more year of nursery left before becoming a Sunbeam!

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! Hope you all have had a wonderful, and blessed Year and Happy Wishes for the new one just around the corner!

Brad and Andrea's Wedding: At the Temple and Disney's Polynesian Resort

The new couple and their Parents.

It was nice meeting Andrea's parents, they are a very nice couple. The hard part was their first language is Spanish and my first language is English and none of us are very good at the other language! We tried our best and did have some good times! They often visit Orlando (they live in Peru) and we hope to get to know them better over time.Right after the Temple we went to the Disney Polynesian Resort to have more photos taken. I don't have very many since I was in some of the ones taken here, but there are some really cute ones of the 4 girls!

Brad and Andrea's Wedding: The Reception

Waiting for the party to get started!

Introducing for the first time....Mr and Mrs Culbertson!

Brad and Andrea exchanged rings at the Reception. It was very simple and sweet, the told each other how much they cared about them and loved them and gave them their ring.

Ella became best buddies with the Photographer (who I found through a friend here in Cape Coral, and who's husband graduated from MY High school in Utah!)

Aspen sitting on the floor watching everything going on.

Brad did a little musical performance that summed up his 'courtship' of Andrea from meeting while he was locked out of his apartment, to unsure affection, to engaged! It was very cute.

Brent was asked to give a toast to the new couple.

The new couple embarrassed about something Brent said in the toast (has to do with keys and locking themselves out ask me about it later...)Aspen and Andrea formed a very special bond from the first day they met back in August. Aspen was so excited to be able to get dressed up and 'party ' with Andrea.

First Dance

Son and Mother

The Bridal Party

Ella, Aspen, and Presley getting their groove thing on!

We had a great time and were so glad we could be there with Brad and Andrea on this special day!

Preschool Christams Program

We were excited to be able to go to Aspen's first Christmas Program. Aspen attends a private Christian School and they decided to do a separate program for their PreK 3, 4, and Kindergarten classes this year. It was so fun to hear them sing and do little actions. I am looking forward to many more performances over the years!When Aspen's teacher wants them to be quiet she tells them to put bubbles in their cheeks. Aspen is very good a following directions and kept her 'bubbles' till almost all the kids were in place and they started singing.

They were SO cute. They sang Jingle Bells, Away in a Manger, Angels We Have Heard on High, and Go Tell it On a Mountain to name a few. They did such a good job on some of those harder songs!

Grandam and Grandpa Culbertson were able to come to the program too. Aspen loved having them their, and Ella loved seeing Aspen up on the stage (and wanted to join her!)

Sponge Curlers Part 2 and 3

My kids were really in the mood to have their pictures taken this morning...but I promised a part 2 (removal of the curlers) so here they are...

Aspen's Part 2 of the hair experiment...She had a rough night so I ended up taking the curlers out some time during the night. It left her hair with a nice body wave and some extra curls. It will be curlier next time cause I'm planning on doing them in the morning and leaving them in to dry not having them sleep in them.

Ella's was so funny, I have some new methods for the back of her hair so it won't have the straight gap there, but I just couldn't help but laugh...

PART 3

The finished product!

You are probably as surprised as I am, but Ella was completely content to let me do her hair (as long as she had cartoons, juice, and a snack)

I didn't get as good a picture of Aspen's but she loves it...it makes her look like Belle she told me.

So today is the test to see how much these hair do's can hold up too! If they work this is how I will be doing their hair on Saturday for the wedding.

Sponge Curlers Part 1

I've been wondering what to do with the girls hair for the upcoming wedding. Aspen's said curly and princess...so we decided to give sponge curlers a try. So far they both sat still long enough for me to put them in and have fallen asleep with them in....I'll post part 2 pics after we take them out in the morning!

If you couldn't tell, Ella didn't want her picture taken...

The newest fashion trend....

Aspen and Ella have really enjoyed head bands recently. They are really good about keeping them in and everything! Last week I caught them running around like this however (obviously Ella didn't start out with a head band, but pig tails...) I wonder if the trend will catch? :)

My Hair....

Thank heaven for good friends who do hair! My friend Kim cut and highlighted my hair for me for the cost of the product and baby sitting (I watcher her two youngest while she got HER hair cut!) Here is some before and after shots.

After

I don't have any good pics to show the length but she cut close to 5 in off! I'm loving the cut and color and am even thinking of going a little lighter next time, but still just highlights! I don't think I'm up to the maintenance of a all over color coming from a girl who has had her hair cut twice in the same calender year for the first time since 2005!!