Day 358/365 ~ 2012

Ready for Christmas Eve Service & dinner with the cousins...

Will Santa make an appearance?
Excitement is in the air!!!

Day 327/365 ~ 2012

Thanksgiving.

 Much to be Thankful for.

 

We had a lovely Thanksgiving Day.

 



Thankful for family present with us...







And for family present in our hearts...



 

Thankful for plenty to eat...





And fun family traditions...

 

Much to be thankful for.

Day 146/365 ~ 2012

Mike turned 40!
It doesn't seem possible, as we remember Mom turning 40! A significant milestone required some special fun to celebrate. With the big bash planned for the following night, our family gathered to celebrate over dinner. All in black to mourn the passing of Mike's youth. :) That is, all except Mike who didn't know we'd be all in black. :)







Steak, Wicked shrimp, salad & baked potatoes followed by Snickerdoodle Cake for dessert!  It was a nice to be gathered together.



Happy Birthday!!



Mike's new kicks. This is very Mike at 40.

Day 134/365 ~ 2012

I had a wonderful mother's day.
Breakfast in bed.
Lunch at "Beaches" ~ sitting outside in the sunshine!
A walk by the river.
A nap & Harry Potter with the boys.
Dan grilled a delicious dinner ~ pork chops, spinach salad, grilled zucchini & squash.
A variety of treats for dessert.




I was touched to see a message sporting Andrew's best penmanship.  His enthusiastic "a"s give his handwriting away.  :)  His writing is improving!



So much to be thankful for.

Day 120/365 ~ 2012

We made our annual trip to the Tulip Festival!  The combination of beautiful flowers, great weather and fun friends made for a great day!


Our little crew.  We've been going together since Kaitlin was just 8 weeks old.



My 3 little loves.  Known at home as....



"Matty."



"Muffin."



"Kitti."



These two were being silly as we were setting up for the group photo.  This just makes me smile.  They share quite a bond.  I really wonder sometimes how Andrew will cope with Claire dating someday.



While the holding hands in the tulips was totally posed, the sweet look up at Daddy, was not.  Love this photo. 



Some sugar from my boys.



Best hugger ever.



A little Tractor tire fun. 



A highly anticipated moment.



Tromping through the tulips.  The pinky kills me.  So Kaitlin.

We misplaced a child.  Again.  But managed to go home with the same number we arrived with.  So all in all, a successful day!

Day 106/365 ~ 2012

"Come on kids, we're going to run some errands!"
Little did they know the back of the van was filled with luggage. Two hours later we pulled into the parking lot of Great Wolf Lodge ~ SURPRISE!!!  And some of their very best friends were there with us!  The kids had a BALL.  My favorite quote was from Andrew after he rode the scariest slide at the park (that I only dared to ride once)....
"The (Howling) Tornado was so much fun!  I almost cried!"



A very fun day, indeed!

Day 99/365 ~ 2012

The kids were SO excited for Easter!  The Easter bunny doesn't bring a lot of candy, but likes to deliver books, games, and little fun things....The kids found plastic eggs hidden around the house and then enjoyed their baskets.



The Bug was dripping in pearls.  She likes to "match mama" so the Easter Bunny delivered on some matching goods. 



The blessings in my life.



I love Easter.  Of course I love all the fun that it brings and frothy pink dresses, but most of all, I love the Easter message.  I love church on Easter morning.  It is my favorite service of the year.  It was so beautiful this year.  The message was great, the choir sang beautifully....It was a lovely, meaningful service.



My loves are growing up.  Two Little men and a little lady.



And I took way too many photos of Katie because the dress, the flower, the gloves, the purse, it was just all too much.  I couldn't help myself.  (And I'd like to point out, in keeping with my Lenton sacrifice ~ no one had new Easter clothes on.  Kaitlin wore her birthday dress, and her gloves/purse were from last year.  Toot toot!  (That was me, tooting my own horn). 



The fun & surprising thing for me about Kaitlin's dress was that it provoked several comments from people my mom's age and how it brought back memories from their childhood.  That was fun to hear.



Daddy helped Kaitlin pick her beloved blossoms.



A delicious brunch at the Hilton with Mike's family and Dale & Glenda, followed by a change of clothes (for some) and playing at the park with cousins!   We were given the gift of sunshine on Easter and it was not lost on us!



The afternoon was spent playing in the back yard & relaxing.  It was a wonderful Easter!

Day 42/365 ~ 2012

Kaitlin had a "Ballerina" Birthday party for her 4th Birthday.
Daddy gave her a corsage which he has done since she was two. 
She loves this.
He's so sweet to wear pink on her birthday.



The dessert table & favor bags.



The cake!  Oh, the cake.   White cake, each layer dyed a different shade of pink, with cookies & cream and chocolate buttercream filling.  It was a chore to make this cake!  But it turned out really fun.  I was up until 3am, which was the least amount of sleep I've gotten before a party.  I attribute that, to this cake!





Nana made the trip for the party.



As did Grammie and Grandpa...we were happy to have them all here!



Our sweet friends.  Kaitlin was SO delighted with all the people, as they were arriving she exclaimed, "Mama!  Our house is going to BURST!!" 

There was also dancing with ribbon wands....

 

Time for cake!



 

Dan took the boys bowling, and I missed sharing this moment with him.
But the boys were much happier bowling than doing ballet.



The Bug has no trouble being the center of attention.



There were lots of thoughtful, girly gifts!



When the party was over, the boys returned and we finished the day with pizza/cake with brothers and cousins.

It was a happy, happy day!!!