goodbye 2009

saying goodbye to 2009 started with
a trip to the air zoo.

the kids loved it.
josie decided she's too cool to ride in a stroller.
tim & i learned that riding backwards
on kiddie rides is not a good idea.
overall, lots of fun - and lots of tired kids...

...and tired kids don't care about staying up till midnight!
so we had our big celebration at about 7pm :)

it's been a fun year
filled with lots of fun memories.



we're all together.
everyone is happy & healthy {most of the time - ha ha}
we can't ask for a better end to 2009 than that!

move over cake boss

the beginning stages

we proudly present...

the superhero house
and
the littlest petshop house

why stop with houses???

and for my favorite shot of the whole day...

we wish you a

 

opposite end

last night we went bowling -
we didn't realize it was a league night.

is it any wonder they placed us at the
opposite end of the bowling alley?

wordless wednesday

what you need

a well thought out plan



a small tolerance for sticky messes



a trusty, hardworking friend



and a whole lot of candy

{stay tuned}

snapshots of a saturday

this time of year,
there's always fun stuff in the mail.
usually cards, cards & more cards.
{well except my cards - a little behind schedule over here! ha ha}
yesterday, i got more than cards in the mail -
i got a fun new camera lens :)

we were heading out the door so i brought it along.
the perfect time to try it out...
well, maybe if i really knew how to use it - ha!

here's a few of the fun shots i took...



yes, olivia & garrett made those faces EVERY time they came around.
they make me so proud :)

ohh to be 7...

not sure why this hat was necessary...



and now the BEST shot of the day - HA HA

i had to laugh as we stood in line to see santa -
all the families around us had kids dressed
in cute coordinated holiday outfits.
us, not so much :)
but you should still be impressed...
this picture was taken AFTER
we stopped for pizza AND a cookie monster.
{big bob's pizza across from jersey junction - sooo good!}
the fact that they are all clean is a major miracle!

now, these next 2 should be in black & white -
but unlike my kids' outfits, nite lite displays are nicely color coordinated...

liking the lens...no flash, from inside my car with the window up!

so while i don't totally understand my new lens,
i sure had fun playing around with it :)

3 kids, school & december...

what do you get when you have 3 kids in school
AND
it's december??

A LOT OF ACTIVITIES!!!

a preschool christmas concert
{happy birthday, baby jesus}

an elementary school concert
with a cute sugar plum fairy!

a preschool christmas party
3 yr olds, cupcakes, frosting & sprinkles -
simple parties are the best!

a 1st grade hawaiian luau party
mele kalikimaka

and finally,
wear your pjs & eat breakfast at school party
for the kinderstart kids

what do you think?

is josie ready for skittles?



maybe.

but let me find her a bib first!

bad guys, beware!

{badge is courtsey of a certain 1st grader}

good combination

our kids LOVE go fish

our kids LOVE christmas

how about a go fish christmas concert???
yup, good combination...they LOVED it!



and don't be surprised if you see my kids
wearing these shirts more than usual...

now they are signed by the go fish guys -
or as garrett & ryan call them "rock stars"

thanks for a cool concert, go fish!
and thanks a ton for our light sticks :)

come back to michigan soon!

birthday desserts

last weekend i had a pretty fun birthday -
thanks to tim, the kids & some good desserts...

check out my awesome birthday dessert -
the 1913 forbidden apple
the apple is actually ice cream with a chocolate sauce inside,
that has been dipped in a candy coating.
the tiny brown/white fruit is actually a tiny poached apple
that's been dipped in chocolate.
so good!



clearly this was a cool restaurant -
and by cool, i mean we didn't take the kids - ha ha

so we celebrated with dessert again!

definitely a kid friendly {and fun} dessert :)

thanks for a fun birthday, tim & kiddos!

it made "halfway to 70" not so bad - ha ha!!!

determination

garrett is by far our most determined kid -
especially when it comes to figuring out a new skill.

this summer it was skateboarding &
riding without training wheels.

this fall it was flips on the trampoline &
doing hand stands.

his latest... tying his shoes.
it's not that tying shoes is exciting or super duper fun.
he just wants to wear his "fast shoes" all time.

his "fast shoes" lave laces.
i'm not a fan of lace up shoes.
too many kids. too many feet. too many shoes.

getting out the door is never easy.
unless you never buy lace up shoes!
which is what i did for as long as i could.

i finally gave in, but i had 2 rules the kids had to follow.
{at until they can tie their own shoes}

#1 they can't be worn every day,
especially on days when we're running late for school.

#2 if boots are worn to school, we don't pack lace up shoes.
{unless it's a gym day}
consider this my gift to their teacher - ha ha!

garrett is not a fan of these rules.
and garrett is very determined.

so...

yesterday garrett was in his room for a timeout.
he wasn't happy about it...screaming, crying, etc.
suddenly it was quiet.
{i sort of forgot about him}
when i finally went to get him up, here's what i found...



determination.

wordless wednesday

our tree

our tree with all it's tree friends :)

our tree in our nice, warm house

we always dress up to decorate our tree



adding the finishing touch to our tree

...

sorry garrett, life isn't fair.
maybe you can add the star next year.
and until then, i'm sure we'll continue to
hear about how your life is sooooo unfair :)