Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year. Decorating and spending time with family just makes me so happy. This year is even more special because it is our first Christmas in many, many years that we are all together. My mom and dad, my sister and her family and us. It is so great having the family together again!
Here Samara and Annorra are doing their part to beautify our Christmas tree. We had the festive music on and let the kids do all the decorating. It was so fun to watch them put all the ornaments on and see how proud they were of the finished tree.
Emma loved putting up the ornaments and wanted to show off her favorites. She did a really great job of decorating and would proudly come running to me every time she successfully hung and ornament, yelling " I did it, I did it, I hung it on the Christmas tree!" Here she is showing off the Vermont Teddy Bear Ornament that her Grandma Nancy bought for her.
Here she is showing off the snowflake ornament that her cousin Evan made for our tree last year. Below she is sharing her favorite red bell.
Emma loves going to work with Daddy and tries to go with him every chance she gets. She packs her little backpack full of her snacks and toys, all her favorite things. It is so cute to see them together and all smiles like this! I love them.
The family went through a good month of being sick, passing the cold/flu around between us. This was the first day that Emma felt good enough to go outside and soak up some sun. You can still see it in her eyes that she doesn't quite feel better.
After taking the picture of Emma, I looked at my phone to see how the picture turned out. I was still in camera mode and this is what I saw, my sweet Hershey looking up at me through the screen of my phone. It was so cute, I had to snap the shot.
Here you can see that she is finally starting to feel a bit more like herself. All smiles and cuteness! Thank goodness this sickness has finally passed and other than a lingering cough, we are all feeling better.
These two photos just make me smile and are my absolute favorite of Samara and Emma. They capture the love between them perfectly. They are so cute together, always playing, laughing and getting into trouble. I love it! They are growing up so fast, I remember when Samara was Emma's size, and now she is almost as tall as me. It is amazing how quickly time flies, it seems like just yesterday Emma was a tiny little thing, and now she is so big and independent. Enjoy every day, cherish every moment, because in the blink of an eye they will just be memories.
I am so incredibly proud of these two beautiful girls. Aiyanna is attending UNLV and living on campus, and Annorra is starting CSN in the spring. They have both worked so hard to achieve their goals and I can't wait to see what life has in store for them next. What goals are you excited about achieving? I'd love to hear about what has been going on in your life!
Hello! My name is Shayla Kochenower and I formerly taught 5th grade at Frank Kim ES. I love teaching and can't wait to get back in the classroom. I graduated with my Bachelors in Human Services from the University of Phoenix, then went on to earn my Masters in Education. I am married to my wonderful husband Adam and we have four beautiful daughters that are my pride and joy. I love camping and hiking and pretty much anything that lets me enjoy the beauty of nature. My youngest is 2 years old, and I am currently enjoying the opportunity to be a stay at home mommy. I will more than likely be returning to the classroom next year when she is a little older. I would love to hear from any of my former students. So say hello, and let me know how you have been doing!
Here she is showing off the snowflake ornament that her cousin Evan made for our tree last year. Below she is sharing her favorite red bell.
