2011 Year in Review

Happy New Year! 2011 was a wonderful year for us!! So many things happened and we were able to do a lot of fun things. Here is our year in review:
January: We celebrated 2011 by letting the kids stay up until midnight for the first time; Lily began ballet/tap classes, Zach received his First Reconciliation; Zach and Riley both raced cars in the Pinewood Derby.

February: We helped Jeff celebrate his 35th Birthday; had fun in the snow; Jeff taught Zach how to cook on the grill.

March: We were in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with Grandma Logan; the leprechauns visited us again this year leaving footprints and gold; I turned 33; and we added a patio in the backyard.

April: Riley turned 6; Zach got glasses; we celebrated Easter; and helped celebrate at Aunt Amy & Uncle Sam's wedding.

May: Zach received his First Communion; Lily got her first "big girl" bike; Zach was a narrator in his play at school; and Riley graduated from Kindergarten.

June: We set up our backyard pool for some summer fun; Riley & Lily ran in the Tot Trot; Zach & Jeff went to Scout Camp (Zach's first overnight camp); and Lily turned 4.

June/July: Since we were in St. Maarten in both June & July, I put these pictures in their own collage. We had fun swimming in the ocean, playing on the beach, and exploring the island!

July: We celebrated the 4th of July with lots of fireworks; had a water balloon fight with the cousins; and participated in the Summer Olympics that Aunt Dianna organized.

August: We went to the Sternberg Museum; attended a Chief's game (Lily's 1st); and the boys started school (Zach in 3rd grade & Riley in 1st grade).

September: Lily & I (with Aunt Mary & Johnny) went to Botanica for the 1st time; Lily started in the Dance Academy at the YMCA; Zach started back in scouts as a Bear Cub; Riley started scouts for the first time as a Tiger Cub.

October: We started October by Jeff fixing our swing set; we went to Walter's Pumpkin Patch for the 7th year in a row; the kids had a sleepover in a tent in the backyard; for Halloween, Zach was a pirate, Lily was Rapunzel, and Riley was a vampire.

November: In November, Jeff & I went to Texas to meet our new niece Madison; we celebrated Thanksgiving with family; we also had Zach's birthday party.

December: Zach turned 9; Riley got his very own library card; Lily had her first dance recital; and we celebrated Christmas with our families.

We ended the year on New Year's Eve with our own little celebration:

While this covers a lot of what we did and what happened, we were blessed with so much more. 2011 was a great year, and we look forward to 2012!

Preschool Christmas Party!

Yesterday, Lily & I had her cousins that are her age over for a Christmas party! We made these cute treat bags for everyone and had games, an art project, and yummy treats ready!

The first thing we did was make our craft.

We made Santa ornaments!

Aren't they cute??

Then we played Santa Says.

The concept of this game was a little hard for them to get, but I think they still had fun.

Then we played Christmas Bingo!

After we were all Bingo-ed out, we had some yummy treats!

Everyone brought something to share, and everything was yummy! Thanks Kathleen, Rachel, Dianna, and Mary for bringing things to make our party great! I'm so glad Lily has such fun cousins to share these moments with!

Christmas Craft Fun!

On Saturday, we headed to the library where they had some fun Christmas crafts to make. You could also see Santa! So, for the second time that day, the kids took a picture with Santa. (The other time was at Lily's recital.)


We just took a group picture this time. =)
After a yummy snack, the kids headed to the craft tables. The first craft they made was an igloo out of a cup, cotton, and marshmallows.

I don't have any other pictures of this craft. =(

After that one, we got stuff to make snowmen.

It was 3 small paper plates hooked together with white pipe cleaners. There were tiny holes already punched out to put the pipe cleaners in. The arms were black pipe cleaners, and you could choose either red or green pipe cleaners for the headband part of the ear muffs. Then they had white puff balls for the rest of the ear muffs. The nose & boots were constructions paper, and they had pre-cut fabric for scarves.

They turned out really cute!

On Monday, we had craft day with Lily's preschool age cousins. We made Rudolph out of tracings of their hands and one foot on construction paper. We also decorated foam gingerbread men.

They used puff paint, wiggly eyes, and Christmas beads to decorate the gingerbread men.

They did a good job & they all turned out really cute!

Happy Birthday Zach!

On December 2, 2002, at 5:02 pm, Jeff & I welcomed an 8 pound 3 ounce baby boy. He was 2 weeks early. Our lives have never been the same.

I never thought time could fly by so fast. Nine years has not lasted as long as I think it should. My little baby boy is almost as tall as I am!

Zach, you are such a smart and clever boy. Sometimes your intelligence astounds me. You are so funny too, and you can always make me laugh, but you can also frustrate me with your stubbornness. You have such a loving heart, and I am so proud of the person you are becoming. Happy Birthday Zach. We love you SO much!!

Decorating the Tree

We set up our Christmas trees after Zach's party on Sunday. We don't decorate for Christmas until after Zach's party with family. That way it's only about his Birthday.
Riley helped Jeff set up the big tree in the family room. I don't have pictures of this. I have no idea where I was during that. Seriously. Lily helped Jeff set up the smaller tree in the living room. (Yes, I have 2 trees. One with all of the kids' handmade decorations, decorations they have been given, and decorations that are mine & Jeff's. The other one is a "pretty tree" that matches.) Anyway.....Lily was super excited to be helping. She hasn't gotten to help put the tree up before.

Why yes, she is wearing a tiara.....is that odd? ;0) I like how she cheeses up for the camera whenever I have it out.

Yes, that is a very cluttered TV cabinet.........why do you ask? ;0)
After both trees were up, they kids got into their boxes of ornaments. They each have their own now so there was no more fighting this year over someone putting up someone elses' ornament. It made putting up the tree so much more fun.

There was a mad dash to get their ornament on the tree first though. Riley put a gingerbread man he made in Kindergarten last year on first. He is so proud of it. =)

After the coveted front and top of the tree spots were taken, they settled down and carefully put their ornaments on. Zach took the longest. He has a ton of ornaments. Not only is he the oldest, but because his Birthday is so close to Christmas, he got a lot of ornaments as presents when he was a baby.

Lily picked out this glittery ballerina with a feather tutu for her ornament this year. It just screams Lily. She has a tendency to pick out the most girly things.....

Towards the end of them decorating, (and while they were starting to put up ornaments that are Jeff's & mine) I noticed the front was pretty full. I told them that they had to put some of their ornaments in the back too, that they couldn't all go in the front. Lily then said to me, "We're not putting them all in the front. We're putting yours & dad's in the back." She is such a sweetheart. ;0)

Baby Bird

We were outside yesterday in the backyard.
The boys were in the pool, I was reading on the patio, and Lily was in her chair on the deck.
All of the sudden, Lily said, "Mom, there's a baby bird over here."
I said, "Yes, Lily I know, there are baby birds over there."
"No, mom!" There's one over here, on the deck."
Again, I said, "Yes, Lily, they are in that basket of flowers."
Getting frustrated with me, she walked over to me & said, "No Mom! There's one ON the deck!!"
I walked over to where she was pointing and saw this little guy:

I walked toward him to see if he would fly off, but he didn't.

I didn't want to pick him up, but I couldn't just leave him there on the deck.

So I got a plastic sword one of the boys had left on the deck and scooped him up & put him back.

He almost looked mad that he was back in there. ;0)

He wouldn't go back in the nest, he just sat there on the edge.

The last time I looked last night, he was still sitting there.

I think he really wants to get out of that nest. =)