Ava's Baptism

We are blessed to be the Godparents for my adorable niece, Ava.  The daughter of my brother Chad & his wife Oksana.  It was sweet seeing the kids take part in the sacrament of baptism uniting family and faith. 3.24.12

Dominic's first tooth

Dominic noticed his loose tooth and he asked if it was ok to wiggle it.  He then wiggled too hard and it came out.  He was really upset that it came out so easy. After he got over the shock he was pretty excited that he lost his first tooth. He is determined to not have dangling teeth like his sister.  He is a go getter. 3.19.12

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2012

We have done a lot of fun things for St. Patty's day but this year we got adventurous with the rainbow.  I surprised the kids with rainbow pancakes for breakfast and we worked together to make rainbow cupcakes for lunch.  The toilet water was green again too...darn those leprechauns! Another fun feast day. Its funny....with all the fun things we have done over the years the kids still are most excited about the green oatmeal I made the first year.  Seriously they asked to have green oatmeal as a snack today because they think that is so much fun.  Let me tell you....green oatmeal is way easier than rainbow cup cakes!  3.17.12

Lucy's Birthday on the Oregon Trail

Dressing up like you are from the old west, hitting pinatas and trying your luck on Oregon Trail. Another party success. Happy Birthday Lucy. 3.10.12

Tinkertoys + chocolate = hours of fun

Dominic took all his Valentine's candy, mixed in some Tinkertoys and turned our living room into a battle field where Batman could fight crime.  Who knew chocolate was so versatile.

Book Club: Baby Island

Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink is one of my favorite books from childhood.  It was so exciting to get to read the book and discuss it in the girls book club.  We pretended we were on an island with our own "babies" and we had island snacks as we discussed the book.  2.20.12

Happy 92nd Birthday Grandpa

My sweet grandpa turned 92!  It was so great to see his family around him celebrating his life.  As a bonus I got to hold my new niece Ava.  2.19.12

Spy Party

Looking Sharp

Spy training

Dominic's friend Isaac had a spy birthday party.  It was super cute. The kids did spy training, decoded messages and ate some cake.  Dominic really got into it and dressed up.

what I needed to hear

"Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies."-Mother Theresa

Romantic table for 4

We could go out on a fancy date to a restaurant but it wouldn't near as fun as a candle lit table for 4 that includes chocolate dipped strawberries and sparkling wine and two boxes of chocolates.  Sharing it with my super cute kids makes it priceless. 2.14.12

Valentine's Day 2012

The kids did an amazing job making their Valentine's boxes. I am so proud of their creativity.  We had a great Valentine's breakfast with scones & eggs. 2.14.12

History Fun King Charlemagne

Studying Charlemagne in history prompted some fun activities making crowns and learning more about kings.  2.8.12

Super Bowl 2012

Super bowl...what a great reason to eat yummy appetizer foods and watch commercials. Oh, I hear there is some football that happens in between.  Fun family tradition.  This year Dominic wanted to stay up to see who actually won the game. I think he likes football.
2.5.12

Wonderscope

It has been a few years since we have been to Wonderscope, Children's Museum.  The kids had a great time practicing their skills as physician's and vets.

Jedi Wars

Good thing Obi Wan can regenerate his head because Darth was really hard on him. The Jedi Wars of 2012 begin.

Sweet Stella

This cat is amazing. She tolerates a lot of "love" from the kids.  Dominic never tires of holding and playing with her.  1.2012

Welcoming Ava Irina

 My brother had his first baby, a sweet little girl: Ava Irina. The kids are so excited to have a cousin to play with. 1.19.12

Emily's first day of School

Isabella got her first American Girl doll for Christmas and she wasted no time getting her enrolled in school.  They even have matching school uniforms.  1.2012

Fun with the Cousins

We did a kid swap with my aunt. They had a weekend away and we watched their kids then they watched our kids for a weekend so we could have a weekend without the kids. The kids saw this as a win-win situation since they got to have 2 weekends this winter with their cousins. Here is a couple pictures from the weekend at our house. This most likely will be an annual event. 1.8.12

Festive decorations

Every year I mean to take pictures of our decorations for Christmas. The house wasn't the cleanest when I finally got around to taking them but....at least I finally did it.  1.4.12

Favorite Christmas Books

For several years we have been doing a book study for advent called Christmas Mosaic by Cay Gibson. We throughly enjoy reading 80-100 books in the 4 weeks before Christmas (ok sometimes we don't finish until closer to the Epiphany). I feel so Blessed to have such a great book list to pick from each year. After doing this for many years the kids and I have put together our favorites out of the many that we read. Some we all love. Some the kids love. I am sure the list will change each year. I hope to update it and repost it before Advent so that others can share some of the greatest Christmas books we have found. Please share if you have a favorite.

Family Favorites
Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco
The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski
The Little Fir Tree by Margret Wise Brown
The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans
The First Christmas Stocking by Elizabeth Winthrop
The Light of Christmas by Richard Paul Evans
Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
Josie's Gift by Kathleen Bostrom
Candy Maker's Gift by David & Helen Haidle
The Baker's Dozen: A St. Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard
One Candle by Eve Bunting
Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell
The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado
The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell
The Last Straw by Fredrick H. Thury
Marta and the Manger Straw by Virginia Kroll
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
Jonathan's Gifts by Louise Mandrell

Kids Favorites
Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
Allie the Christmas Spider by Shirley Menendez
The Attic Christmas by B.G. Hennessy
A Small Miracle by Peter Collington
Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson
The Grinch that Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess

New Year's Fondue 2011

It just wouldn't be New Year's Eve without our famous fondue. Toasted bread & vegetables dipped in cheese sauce, meat & chicken in oil and fruit & marshmallows dipped in rich chocolate. All of that screams Happy New Year!!