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 308/365 ~ 2012

10am soccer game
Noon End of season soccer party
4:30 Basketball practice, followed by a game
6:00 Michelle & Isaiah's Birthday celebration

Life is busy (but fun) these days!

 Andrew is playing Basketball with some of his church friends.  What fun for him (and us!)  They couldn't be cuter and it's fun to see their individual personalities on the court.  Andrew rolled his ankle so was having a bit of a challenging time playing, but he still had fun and was happy that Aunt michelle & Uncle mike and cousins were there to watch!  (Andrew is SO accident prone right now!  I honestly think he has been to the nurse at least ten times since the beginning of the year.  Even his teacher commented on it!)



Dan had fun with his nephews.  Noah has my Dad's coloring.  Such a darling little guy.



Couldn't pass up this great expression.
Michelle liked her gift. :)



I've been SO excited to give it to her.
Truth be told, I'd like to have kept it for myself! :)



Isaiah is a decade old. Unbelievable.
He is such a sweet, sweet boy.
I clearly remember the excitement on the day of his birth and seeing him for the first time.
Mom and I went to get a birthday cake for him and stood in the bakery trying to figure out how to spell "Isaiah" (it was so funny) and we spelled it wrong! :)



We enjoyed a delicious ham dinner and topped it off with a spice cake.
Happy Birthday Isaiah & Michelle!
I love you both!

Day 186/365 ~ 2012

4th of July was different for us this year.  Because it landed on a Wednesday, we didn't make our usual trip to Richland.  We celebrated here instead.  And while we missed our traditional day spent with family BBQing and swimming, we still had a great day!

We started with a picnic at the Park with Mike & Michelle








Followed by the "Brave" Matinee (photo to come)

Where during the previews they showed an advertisement for a Batman wii game.  Dan wanted me to record this  moment for his memory...at the end of the ad for the game they said "Ages 10 & up."  After which Andrew's voice could be heard saying, "Oh GREAT."  Like his hopes had been raised only to be crushed by those four little words.  As he is only six.

Dinner Al Fresco







Followed by Fun & Fireworks with friends!









The firemen stopped by with candy for the kids.



There was sparkler dancing.



LOTS of noise! And chasing of parachutes that came out of fireworks. Andrew turned his ankle near the end of the evening in his excitement and hobbled around for a few days afterward.



Liberal firework laws (compared to what we're used to) made for an exciting night for the kids....



They were SO excited about the fireworks.  Lots of noise, things being shot high in the air....
On the way home from fireworks Kaitlin said, "I am so so happy!" The kids LOVED the fireworks and had a great time with friends. 

Happy 4th of July!!!

Day 147/365 ~ 2012

All dressed up and somewhere to go!!



Mike's Rock Star 40th Birthday Bash!



It's not often that I have an occasion wear my Grandmother's earrings. I think this is only the second time. Dan snapped a close up.



First stop, dinner at Lapellah!  Michelle looked beautiful with her "rocker" eye shadow and "Farrah" hair.  :)



Our dear friend, Brandi flew in from Idaho Falls for the occasion. It was so great to see her! 




We piled into a Hummer Limo for the rest of the adventure!



Cheers!



The limo was something else!


The limo ride was definitely a big highlight for the night ~ really fun!


We went to Kell's Irish Pub and then on to the Wonder Ballroom/Secret Society where Mike and some of the crew went to the show, and the rest of us listened to a Johnny Cash Tribute Band (that was actually really good!)



It was definitely a special night out  & such an adventure!  I was really happy to be there to celebrate Mike's milestone birthday.  Happy Birthday, Mike!!!

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 133/365 ~ 2012

Mike, Michelle, Isaiah and Noah came to see Matthew's baseball game.
It was so nice of them to make the drive to support Matthew ~ who got 3 hits (for 3 at bats) this game!
I was really proud of him!
I especially enjoyed having Michelle to chat with in the stands. :)

Day 94/365 ~ 2012

I've been tickled the last few days as I've received some emails, texts and notes from thoughtful friends who are thinking of us while we're enjoying these days sans kids. It's like we've won the lottery and everyone is wondering how we're going to spend the money!



Foot loose & Fancy Free out on the town!
Widmere, Mint, Toro Bravo, and The Secret Society.
Lots of laughs, good food and drinks...



A great way to spend our last child free night!  We have had a wonderful time reconnecting, relaxing and enjoying time together.  We are very grateful to Dan's parents that they wanted to enjoy time with the kids.



Shhhhh!  It's a secret!  :)