New Years Beach Trip

There is absolutely no better way to ring in the new year than a trip to the beach.  What a day!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and even though it was a little chilly, that didn't stop the kids from putting on their bathing suits and playing in the water.  The kids scoured the beach for treasures, collected all sorts of shells, played, explored, and had the best time.  I loved it!  We even got to go to a special lunch all together after.  What a wonderful day with wonderful people.

New Years Eve 2013

We have been ringing in the New Year with our special friends the Nelson and Heinz families for many years now.  We love getting to spend time with them!  Amy Nelson always hosts, and she makes such a special night!  She always makes a fancy dinner for the grown-ups, and the kids enjoy a special dinner just for them.  The kids play, and watch a movie, and then we ring in the New Year together (at 9:00).  This year, our daddy had to work, which was a big bummer, and we wondered what to do.  We decided we didn't want to miss out on the fun, so we made the trip over to Menlo Park, and boy were we glad we did!  What a fun night!  We loved being with our special friends, and we even got to have a slumber party:)  I can't think of a better way to ring in 2014.

50 Years

After Christmas, we got to celebrate something truly special- Grandma and Papa had their 50th Wedding Anniversary, and boy, did they celebrate in style.  We all met at their church to celebrate together and to watch them receive a special blessing.  It was wonderful to see our family from far away and old friends we hadn't see in a long time.  The kids were amazing in church, and did a fantastic job.  After church, we went to a club near Grandma and Papa's house and had a wonderful party.  We got to eat a fancy dinner, dance all night, and take pictures in the photo booth.  The kids had a marvelous time!  They were all called the "Dancing Grandchildren" because they were all having so much fun on the dance floor.  I had to pull Catherine off the dance floor at 10:00 kicking and screaming because she was having so much fun, she didn't want to put on her pajamas!  I loved watching Grandma and Papa having fun with their friends, Papa's touching speech to Grandma, and Grandma and Papa kicking off the first dance.  What a magical night, and a perfect way to celebrate such a special couple.

Santa Visit With No Santa

We go every year to visit Santa.  We make quite a production out of it.  We get all dressed up, we visit the big guy, then we often have a special lunch or treat out.  It's a fun tradition, and we have all the pictures to prove it.  This year, we waited until pretty much the last minute to go.  We woke up early, sure we'd beat the lines, got all dressed up, drove to the mall, ran to the Santa spot, and.......we were greeted with a HUGE line.  Like, we'd be there all day, kind of line.  I knew we wouldn't last for five minutes in that line, and I wasn't quite sure what to do.  I looked at the kids and asked them what they thought we should do.  Lizzy said, "Well, when life gives you cracked eggs, make egg-nog."  And that's just what we did.  We took a really cute picture close to Santa, visited the Lego store and made ornaments, and had a yummy lunch out at Johnny Rockets.  The kids were happy, so I felt happy.  I was disappointed not to get our traditional picture, but proud of the way the kids could go with the flow.  Next year, we'll remember to go EARLY!

Tea Time

Catherine has been very into making food lately.  The other day I walked into her room and she had set up the baby's high chair at her little table and was feeding everyone their lunch.  How very thoughtful of you, Catherine!

Feeling the Holiday Spirit

Peter was feeling the Christmas spirit and created these wonderful pictures.  You might notice the manger with a spotted cow and dove above, the three wise men on their camels, and Mary and Joseph traveling on their donkey.  I love these!

Lego Guy

Peter has a loose tooth!  Hard to believe, but he does, and it's going to fall out any day.  When Lizzy had her first loose tooth we went to the fabric store and made a felt stuffed cat for her to put her tooth in for the tooth fairy.  It was adorable.......hand sewn........very cute.  Peter, ever patient, has asked me over and over when we could make his pillow.  Finally, I made my way to the store to get the necessary supplies for a lego guy.  A lego guy?  Have you ever tried to construct a lego guy out of felt, not to mention with a nosy toddler running around?  I made a game time decision and ditched the needle and thread and went straight to glue gun.  The result was.......this little gem.  I wasn't too sure about it, and I was ready to try again, but Peter, ever sweet and so understanding, told me right away, "I love it, Mommy!  You made it, so it's special to me!"  Thank God for Peter, and his easy going ways.  We finished that pillow just in the nick of time, and it was just right.  

Bubbles and Water

You know what little kids really like?  It's not fancy, it doesn't need batteries, no assembly required.  It's pretty easy, in fact.  It's a sink full of water and bubbles.  Throw in a few bowls and spoons and it turns into baby heaven.  They pour, they splash, they wash......it's the best.  You know what moms aren't too crazy about?  A sink full of bubbles and water with a kid playing in it.  They throw water on the floor, they get soaked, they make a mess.  But, as best as you can, put that all aside and let them at it.  Let them explore, let them be messy, let them create.  It's such a beautiful process, and it's so very worth it!

Downtown Lights

I'm a joiner by nature.  You're having a party?....I'm there.  Want to play a game or do a project?...totally in.  Don't even get me started about city-wide stuff.  I love parades, outdoor carnivals, festivals, you name it, I'll do it.  And there's something about the holidays that really gets me.  So when our town was having it's local tree lighting ceremony, I was all over it.  Now here's what I kind of don't get: people who aren't joiners.  If you tell people you're hitting up a tree lighting ceremony at night, in the cold, on a school night, some people will think of you as down right crazy.  Me, I think of it as living.  See you have plenty of nights to sit around your house, and only so many that are full of fun, so when fun comes knocking.....you better answer the door.  We loved the tree lighting ceremony.  Getting all bundled up, holding our candles (real candles, with fire and everything), and walking downtown felt magical.  There was a buzz in the air, an electricity, an excitement about what was to come.  People felt friendlier, and I felt like I was a part of something, a valued member of this special group.  We got to see The Grinch Who Stole Christmas in the old movie theater for free, with popcorn. There was Santa, and singing, and all sorts of fun to be had.  When there's a special night, take advantage.  It's always awesome!

Movie Monday

How fun is this?  On a Monday after school we surprised the kids and took them to see Frozen in the movie theater.  We don't often go to see movies, so this was a big surprise and super fun.  Our wild card is always Catherine, and I wasn't sure how she would do.  She had never been to see a movie before, and I wondered if she would be able to hang in there.  We hit the theater and were pretty much the only people there, so it felt like our own private theater.  We got treats and found our seats.  Turns out the movie was........AWESOME!  We all loved it, including Catherine, and we had the best time.  I wouldn't mind having another Movie Monday in my future.

Birthday Party for the Birthday Girl

Sometimes when you're the third kid, you can sometimes get a little.......overlooked.  It's not from lack of love, or lack of good intentions, or really anything.......it's just that there are only so many hours in the day, and so many, many demands from so many people, that sometimes, the littlest person with the smallest voice can sometimes come last on that list.  Thank goodness for Lizzy and Peter to keep me on track!  We had a family party to celebrate Catherine's birthday, and when we were coming home from dinner the night before the party, Lizzy and Peter started brainstorming all these fun games we could play at the party.  They thought we could paint a picture of Cinderella (Catherine's favorite princess) and play "Pin the Crown on the Princess," and we could decorate crowns, and also have a ring-toss game with crowns instead of rings.  It became a downright royal affair!  We decided to make a spontaneous trip to Target where we got all our supplies including fun plates and napkins for the cake.  Lizzy even spotted a Cinderella pillow that doubled as a doll that she thought would make the perfect present for Catherine.  We hid it under our cart and she never even knew:)  On the day of the party, all of the details that the kids had thought of shone with such love and thoughtfulness for Catherine, it took my breath away.  When the house was full with all the people who love Catherine the most, it was so special, and such a perfect way to celebrate our darling little girl.  

Catherine is 2!

Yay, yay, sweet baby Catherine is 2!  Happy, Happy Birthday to our sweet baby girl:)  Catherine at two is joy.  She is happy and funny and lights up every room she enters.  She loves her family, loves playing with her big brother and sister, and tries so hard to be right in the thick of things with everyone. Catherine loves princesses.  She loves dancing, and dressing up in princess dresses and her Cinderella shoes, and she loves diving right into everything that is happening around her.  Catherine loves people. She is engaging and charming and has a warm smile for everyone she meets.  She loves talking, and talking, and talking some more!  The girl is downright chatty, and has something to say about pretty much everything.  Catherine is full of love, and gives the best hugs and snuggles.  She is absolutely adorable, and she completes our family just perfectly.  We all love you, Catherine, very, very much, and we love to share your beautiful life with you!

Halloween!

Halloween is just the best!  It's always one of my favorite holidays.  It's so sweet, seeing everyone so excited, all dressed up, having so much fun pretending and getting into the spooky spirit.  Grandma and Papa came over the afternoon before.  Grandma helped us carve our pumpkins, and Lizzy and Peter loved setting up our pumpkins outside.  In the morning, we got all ready in our costumes- Lizzy as Dorothy, Peter as a fireman, and Catherine as a darling Minnie Mouse.  Everyone looked wonderful.  When we got to school, we went to the gym and saw the whole school in a giant costume parade.  Then in the afternoon, we got to see the wonderful old fashioned Halloween Carnival, complete with a hot dot lunch, spooky haunted house, and fantastic games for all ages.  Our favorite, of course, was the Angry Birds catapult that our cousins made- so fun!  What a wonderful day and so fun!