Joy & Chaos & Love.....

Shoveling Fun

2012-01-24T13:03:00.000-08:00

We got some more snow the other day and of course everyone couldn't wait to get out in it, including Chance. Mike will pay the kids a $1 for shoveling......they have no idea that they are getting scammed :-) But they did the entire driveway and sidewalk, with only a little help from me. You can see that Chance LOVES the snow. Abby kept throwing snow in the air with her shovel and he went crazy trying to "catch" it.

Bunny Ears

2012-01-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

Someone just learned how to tie his shoes. Mike's a much better teacher than I am......within 5 minutes he got it. He's very excited that he has this new life skill. :-)

His lips are bright red from the red popsicle he had just finished :-)

Our Artist

2012-01-17T16:59:00.000-08:00

Hanny is quite a little artist. She loves to draw and give pictures to everyone. Below are some pictures she has drawn recently. I love the eyelashes!

Hannah drew this for Griffin this afternoon. It says I love you Griffin. Hannah...and she always signs her name with a heart :-)

This is our whole family. She draws all of us a lot. She is always front and center and the biggest :-) Abby is next to her, Griff next to Abby. I am the yellow person and Mike is next to me with the spikey hair!

Hannah drew this one when we were in Illinois for Thanksgiving. It's a picture of me and Hannah.

Skating on the Pond

2012-01-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

It's been such a strange winter here, and it's only now that the pond across the street has been frozen enough to skate on. We got everyone out there this morning for some fresh air. We didn't last long...Griff is getting over pneumonia, Hannah as the stomach flu and a fever and Abby hasn't stopped coughing since yesterday....but they rallied for about an hour. Some pictures of the fun....

Car Wash Fun

2012-01-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

so, there is no snow to play in......notice how sad hanny is :-) however, if i had a picture of myself, you would notice how unbelievably giddy i am :-)

anyway, although there is no snow, somehow the car has gotten very dirty, so we headed to the car wash. han and griff love the car wash because it means they get treats from the gas station and get to act a little crazy.....

Han with her CoCoPuffs Marshmellow Treat....

And Griff with Doritos......ugh...they smell so badly......

Racing

2011-12-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

We've been having our own little Daytona 500 in the dining room the last few days. Griff got a super cool race track for Christmas from Uncle Dave and he hasn't stopped playing it. He loves to race Mike, but anyone will do if Mike is busy.

Mike just crashed and Griff cracked up......

Bowling Fun

2011-12-29T16:52:00.000-08:00

We went bowling today, as it's Griff's favorite thing to do. We all had fun.....and no one fell this year, although Abby managed to throw the ball backward once ... :-)

We've been keeping busy during Christmas break, even without the snow. Good thing they all got other Christmas gifts besides the new sleds that were under the tree! Tomorrow we are going skating and then heading to the library. Griff has hockey on Saturday so we need to get some practice in. We might have to hit one more movie before it's back to school. Abby and I saw We Bought a Zoo the other day, while Mike had to endure the Chipmunks (it was his turn....I had to suffer through the Smurfs over the summer :-) . Zoo was very good......and H&G really liked the Chipmunks....Mike, not so much.

That's all for now.....

Just got a strike and giving Mike a high-five!

Just Dance 3

2011-12-25T16:30:00.000-08:00

Oh my....comic relief for Mike and me and lots of exercise for the kids. Best Christmas gift ever.

3:30am Wake Up Call

2011-12-25T10:18:00.000-08:00

It happens every year....someone, or EVERYONE, wakes up at 3:30am ready to go. After telling everyone to go back to sleep, I lay tossing and turning, not able to fall back to sleep. That is how I know Abby was reading in her room from 4:30am to 5:55am and Griffin was loudly sighing in frustration at the injustice of having to wait until 6am to run downstairs. Hannah, thankfully, did go back to sleep. At precisely 6am, Abby was standing in our doorway, with Griff hot on her tail. They ran downstairs, opened their stockings and then decided they couldn't wait for Hannah to wake up, so they ran upstairs and woke her up so they could get on with the present opening.

They all must have been on the good list, as they made out like little bandits. No one could pick a favorite gift, they loved everything. We've had a fun morning of playing nicely with each other, sharing gifts. A Christmas miracle itself :-)

Thank you to everyone for all the lovelies you sent our way. We love it all and are so appreciative. Enjoy the pictures!

Cookies and letter to Santa before bed......

Pretty lights so Santa can find us :-)

Our tree before Santa arrived.....

So excited at 6am....

And the madness begins

Hannah got an American Girl Doll from Santa, as did Abby

Griff LOVES bowling!

And Abby's Doll, Marie-Grace

Hannah hugging her big white horse from G&G Meiers

Did someone really get me a bow and arrow set??? Awesome!

Abby with her new handmade hat from Grandma Newman and new robe

Playing angry birds game with Dad

Messy house :-)

New trick scooter

Hannah and her doll and matching outfit

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T17:14:00.000-08:00

Traditional family picture before leaving for Mass Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas, everyone. Hope Santa treats you right :-)

Cookie Frosting....

2011-12-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

Abby had her very good friend over today and I put everyone to work frosting the gingerbread men and sugar cookies I made yesterday. They did a great job, although I think the best part was squirting the frosting all over. We had a ton of cookies....I think I went a little overboard on the baking. I gave Abby's friend a ton to take home and the pictures show what we have left.

3 days and counting.......and trust me, we are counting.....

Hannah Gymnastics

2011-12-21T05:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I would post some new pictures of Hannah gymnastics. She really enjoys it and is getting more and more confident every time she goes. She likes all of it, but especially likes flipping over the bars backward! Mike was able to come to her class yesterday and she loved showing off to Dad.

Christmas countdown is in full swing at our house. Can you believe it, only 4 more days!! Ho Ho Ho

Practicing cartwheels over the mat....

Front rolls over the....not sure what that is :-)

Backward rolls over the other thing :-)

Running and jumping off the spring board

Balance beam....scary!

Swinging on the bars and practicing her "cast offs"

Can you see how red her face is? Working hard!

Backward flip over the bar

Climbing like a monkey!

Breakfast with Santa at Macy's

2011-12-18T10:29:00.000-08:00

The kids and I had breakfast with Santa this morning. Really fun, really cute. Santa and Mrs. Claus were very nice and posed for lots of pictures. The nice elf made reindeer antler hats for everyone. Another nice elf painted Rudolph's red nose on Abby and Griff and a pretty snowflake on Hannah's hand. Fun morning for everyone.

Before leaving......

First to arrive at Macy's. We were a little excited :-)

Abby and the Big Guy in the Red Suit

This one is my favorite although a little blurry.....

Gingerbread House

2011-12-17T12:51:00.000-08:00

Busy afternoon decorating the gingerbread house and gingerbread ornaments. We had a bit of snow this morning but the sun has melted it all. No surprise that I like the snowless December.....the kids, however, are itchin' for a snowball fight or two. No snow expected for the next 10 days, so looks like a snowless Christmas in Minnesota.

Ho Ho Holy Cow!

2011-12-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

Letters from Santa arrived today in the mailbox. WOWZA. Kids could hardly believe he knew their friends, teachers, and activities. And he asked for our special gingerbread cookies to be left Christmas Eve....so some baking is in our future :-)

ps ignore the pjs on hannah and griff. they were playing slumber party :-)

Gingerbread Houses

2011-12-16T10:15:00.000-08:00

Hannah and Griff's class made gingerbread houses today at school. Parents were invited to come and help so I popped in after my run, not knowing that there would be photo opportunities....so, ignore my post-run look....but do look at those fantastic houses they decorated :-)

Party!

2011-12-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

Holiday Party with great friends in LA. Great time....can't wait til next year!

Halloween Picture

2011-12-06T14:27:00.001-08:00

Just got this and thought it was so cute! Can you find Han and Griff??

Visit with the Guy in the Red Suit

2011-12-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

Actually, this Santa doesn't wear the traditional red suit, he wears the vintage suspenders and santa printed shirt :-) But you knew who I meant, right?

Day off of school today so we loaded up for some shopping, Santa and lunch at Ruby Tuesdays. Fun day for all. Santa was a big hit this year. No one was nervous and everyone chatted up a storm with him. Luckily we were the only ones there and he was able to spend a lot of time talking to them. After they were finished I asked what they talked about it and none of them could tell me. Just like when I ask them what they did in school all day. They have no idea. BUT....something he said seemed to stick with Miss Hannah because she was very polite all afternoon and cleaned up the kitchen counter and the toys in the family room all by herself without being asked. I told her how happy that made me and she smiled at me and told me that Santa told her she had to listen to Mom and Dad and help around the house. Love that man :-)

Advent Program

2011-12-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

The kids had their school Advent Program tonight (it so doesn't feel like Christmas without any snow on the ground!). Hannah and Griffin rang the bells and Abby's class sang 2 songs. They all did great. We were rushing to get there on time so I didn't have time to get the "perfect" picture of them....and i think if you look closely you can see ketchup from our corn dog dinner on Griff's face :-)

The Christmas Tree

2011-11-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

Got the tree up this afternoon. The kids hung all the ornaments and did a fantastic job. They are very proud after they are done. I'm hoping to get the outside stuff up tomorrow.....haven't been feeling great so didn't want to spend the afternoon outside. Hopefully I'll feel more myself tomorrow and get up some lights!

Took Abby and Hannah shopping this afternoon for Christmas dresses. Hannah needed one...Abby just tagged along hoping I would get her one, too. She knows me well :-) Abby picked out exactly what I thought she would and what I would have picked for her. Hannah, on the other hand, has her own style. After trying on no less than 15 dresses, she told me she didn't like any of them and was tired of me always picking out her clothes and dresses. After a bit of a stare down in the store, she finally relented and we agreed on a dress. Or at least I thought we did.....on the way home she informed me that she didn't like the dress at all and pouted the ride home. All that changed though when she tried it on for Dad and he loved it. Suddenly it was the best dress ever :-) You can be the judge when you see pictures from the Advent Program this coming Thursday.

Yes...it was early and we were all in our pjs :-) And you can see some of Hannah's style...she is wearing a Snow White apron over her pjs....just cuz :-)

Thanksgiving ... And Special Friends Day at School

2011-11-26T18:05:00.000-08:00

Just returned from a great Thanksgiving visit with the Newman family in Illinois. We made the obligatory stop at the Dells on the way there and had a fun night at our favorite water park. We then spent a few days at Uncle Tim's, messing up his house and eating all his food :-) We again took the kids on a train ride...they think the Metra is about the coolest thing ever. I guess it might be if you are under 10...not so much if you are riding it twice a day, everyday, for an hour going to and from work. Brought back some memories....We only took it to Arlington Heights. I had a momentary thought that it would be fun to take everyone downtown for the day, but then after really thinking about it....the walking, the crowds, the whining, I thought better of it. Lunch in AH with some yummy ice cream for dessert was just what the kids ordered.

Fun week with everyone, sad to say good-bye. Now I guess it's time for the Christmas madness to begin!!

Afternoon in Arlington Heights. Weather was perfect...a balmy 57 degrees!

Family picture with the Newmans.

And I keep forgetting to post about Grandparents / Special Friends Day at the kids' school. It was a couple of weeks ago and Aunt Nancy and Uncle Don were kind enough to attend the event with the kids. The kiddos got to introduce them to their teachers and give them a quick tour of the school after Mass.

The White Stuff

2011-11-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

I know we should consider ourselves lucky that it didn't snow until Nov 19.....and I do. I still didn't like seeing the white stuff whipping around yesterday. And it's still on the ground this morning, so I think it's here to stay. The kids, of course, we beyond excited. After a busy morning at the ice rink (figure skating and hockey), everyone quickly got dressed for snow and headed out. I would not go out, so all the pictures are through the kitchen window. So not ready for this. Now I'm wishing I booked that January beach vacation......I think there is still time :-)

Oh, and it was Chance's birthday yesterday. 1 year old and over a 100 pounds. Big guy. And he LOVES the snow. Kept trying to eat it as it fell and the "snow balls" the kids were throwing to him.

(those are snow angels on the patio....the girls had to improvise since there wasn't enough know on the grass!)

For You, Mom

2011-11-11T18:24:00.000-08:00

This is for you Mom.....the mudroom is finished and we love it! All of us, including the dog, can now fit in there and there is plenty of storage in our bench!

Slumber Party

2011-11-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T18:05:00.000-07:00

We had a blast....lots of candy and smiles!

Doin' Some Carving......

2011-10-31T05:13:00.000-07:00

Carved pumpkins yesterday afternoon......Wait.....Correction......Mike carved pumpkins yesterday, H&G painted pumpkins and Abby and I were in charge of sorting out the pumpkin seeds for roasting :-)

Abby picked out the cool bats and ghost carvings......Mike did a super job carving. Off to a fun day at school and then some trick or treating tonight. Pictures to come!

Try and guess who is irritated that I made them stop playing a racing game on the computer to come outside to take a picture.....

SpOoKy FuN!

2011-10-29T19:47:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I took the kids to a Halloween trail walk at the Arboretum for a little trick or treating fun. It was really fun and we spent a couple of hours there walking the trails, getting lots of candy, seeing scary costumes, walking in a "haunted maze" and decorating apples. We again had super weather and hope that it holds for a couple of days so we can enjoy Halloween on Monday.

We parked in the back parking lot so we had to walk through the "forest" to get to the Arboretum.....it was actually really fun and the kids liked playing that they were lost in the wilderness!

All the people taking part in the fun afternoon.

Getting some candy :-)

Abby running from a scary monster that jumped out at her as she was walking through a tunnel made of trees.

Abby and Hannah in a "fairy house". There was a lady dressed as a fairy playing a flute inviting kids into her fairy house. The girls loved it.

Abby having her fortune told by a psychic.

The start of the scary maze.

Hannah acting like the cheetah she is :-)

All finished walking the trails and getting candy. Heading up to the main building to decorate apples.......

....our finished apples!

After we finished at the Arboretum we went to downtown Victoria for a little Halloween event and got even more candy. Fun afternoon with the kiddos!

Horseback Riding

2011-10-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

No school today. Teachers' workshop. What to do on this gorgeous day? Take Abby and her very good friend horseback riding. Unfortunately, Hannah and Griff weren't tall enough for this excursion, but according to them they had more fun with the babysitter :-)

It was a great time, and the girls really had fun. The horses were beautiful, the trail ride was really pretty and the weather was perfect. We'll definitely go back again!

Somehow I managed to stay on the horse while taking some pictures :-) Enjoy!

Just got there and so excited!

Racing to the stables

Abby hair cracks me up here.....looks like bat wings!

The cowgirls posing for a picture

Reviewing the rules

Abby on Casper

Olivia on Sidekick

Pretty view

After the ride

The horse farm

Grandma Meiers Visit.....and a backbend :-)

2011-10-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

First, the backbend:

Hannah still loves gymnastics. She teaches Griff everything she learns :-)

My Mom came for a visit last week. The kids had a couple days off of school so we had lots of quality time together! We spent one afternoon at the Arboretum. There was a scarecrow display there that the kids really liked. We walked a bit, had some yummy food and ran around. Grandma also got to watch Abby at figure skating and Griff at hockey. Hanny didn't have gymnastics while she was here, but she showed her some moves anyway.

Lots of fun pumpkins

Kiddos in a really cool "house" that was built completely by sticks. I should have taken a picture of the artist information. The house was really incredible.

The kids and grandma

The really cool house of sticks.

Lunch with Great Grandma Meiers and Aunt Mary Kay

Saying good-bye to grandma early in the morning :-)

Thanks for the visit! Come back soon!!

Fun Walk on the Trails

2011-10-09T15:45:00.000-07:00

We took a drive to one of the many parks this afternoon for a little walk with the kids and dog. It's been so nice out....hot even.....that we have to get outside as much as possible. We know what is coming next :-)

Took some pictures of the kids while we were walking around. They are doing great. Abby is liking school, although she has said that it's not as much fun as it has been in the past. More work at school, more tests and more homework. But, she is doing great. Hannah and Griff have both adjusted to kindergarden and are enjoying it now. They are both making friends and have lots of stories about the games they play at recess.

Abby is still taking ice skating lessons and has been begging to get back to karate, so that will be starting soon. Hannah loves gymnastics. It is only Hannah and one other little girl in her class and she likes all the attention from the coach. She teaches Griffin everything she learns once we get home b/c he refuses to join the class. He runs around the gym following her and watching everything she does, but when I suggest he join in he says "no way, don't want to". I don't believe him at all :-) He is doing great at hockey and has even agreed to playing in the next session. He's fast on his skates and once he learned that falling doesn't hurt with all the equipment and padding his fear was gone.

That's all for now. Enjoy the pictures!

Not sure what Mike is point at, but everyone seems interested!

Notice Abby's bare feet. She wore her boots...winter boots....without socks.....and got a nasty blister.

We saw lots of itty bitty snakes on the path. The kids got brave and wanted to touch one.

Pictures with Abby

2011-10-01T15:32:00.000-07:00

Abby was the only one up for a little photo shoot today. And I do mean little. The tree colors are so pretty right now I wanted to get some pictures of them.....but Abby ran out of steam quickly :-) Hoping I can get some tomorrow of everyone!

Below is what I got.....

Fall Fun

2011-09-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Out enjoying the perfect fall afternoon today after a busy morning of running around (running , Target, figure skating practice, birthday party drop off, hockey practice, grocery store.....).

The kids ran around for a couple hours playing some strange tag game using a hula hoop and then they started to play some make-believe game I couldn't follow. After that they asked if I would take some pictures. They were acting awfully squirrelly, so I didn't get many good ones.

After dinner we had s'mores by the fire pit. All in all a pretty good Saturday :-)

Tomorrow we are doing nothing but praying for the Bears and then watching said Bears. Our flag is already out flying proudly.

This one cracks me up with Griff trying to get into the picture!

Chance went to the vet the other day for an eye infection (all good now)...guess what he weighs. Guess. 98 pounds....and he has another year of "filling out" per the vet. Yeah, he's big.

Griff's belly isn't that big...not sure what is going on in this picture!! He did just finish 1 1/2 cheddar brats, maybe that is it :-)

School Pictures

2011-09-22T14:45:00.000-07:00

Cutest kids ever..... :-)

Griff Kindergarden

Hannah Kindergarden

Abby 3rd Grade

Score!

2011-09-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Griff had hockey today and the whole fam was there to watch him. He had much more fun this time and I actually saw a few smiles during practice. His favorite part is shooting the puck into the goal...he does it over and over again! Enjoy the pictures (and all the pictures are taken through the glass so you might see some imperfections :-)

All the kids before practice starts. Listening to the coaches to find out what they are doing.

Griff - he's in the white jersey with the white helmet and black skates......

Smiling at Mike after making a goal.

Mike telling him good job and going in for a fist bump :-)

In the thick of it with the other kids. If you see pink laces on the skates it means the player is a girl :-) (and ignore Abby's head...she got right in my picture :-)

Shooting the puck into the net.

The Tooth Fairy

2011-09-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

The tooth fairy will be paying us a visit tonight......Miss Hannah lost her first tooth tonight after dinner. It's been loose for awhile. We were cleaning up after dinner and she told me it was bothering her. I told her I would look at it when we were done cleaning and she said that's okay Mommy, I'll pull it out....and she did!

Hannah and Gymnastics

2011-09-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

Hanny had her very first gymnastics class today and she was all smiles for the entire hour. She loves it.

Stretching before getting to work!

Learning her summersault. Mike wants me to tell you those aren't her undies - it's part of her little dance leotard that she insisted on wearing :-)

So excited!

Balance Beam

Uneven Bars

So excited she just did a flip over the bar....with a little help.

Trampoline!

Whee!!!

Saturday Update

2011-09-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Fun day for everyone Saturday. Griff had a great time at hockey, Hannah loved having one on one time with the babysitter, and Abby and her friend had a great time at the American Girl store having lunch (you had to be 8 to go....otherwise Miss Hannah would have joined us :-).

It's a hot one today.....Abby and Griff are outside washing the cars with Mike; Hannah is passed out sleep on the floor. I think the first full week of school wore her out. Chance is sleeping, too......he had class today too and he's a bit tired :-)

Off to see what I can throw together for dinner. Enjoy the camera phone pictures from the fun yesterday!

Oh, and GO BEARS!

Lunch with their dolls

Right before practice started.....giving me the thumbs up

Right after practice. Mike told me Griff asked him what that water was dripping off his face. Mike told him it was sweat :-) A full hour of skating and hockey drills....he was tired last night. Not sore today but I'm betting his little legs will be hurting tomorrow!

Hockey

2011-09-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

All set........he gets his jersey at 11am tomorrow and then it's game on! I'm bummed I'm going to miss the first session, but you can bet I'll be there next week and take lots of pictures!

Week 1 Under Our Belts

2011-09-09T15:13:00.000-07:00

Everyone made it through week 1! Hannah and Griff even told me they wanted to go all day every day after a fun full day on Wednesday.....but come Thursday morning they changed their minds and were happy they were on a half-day schedule for the rest of the week.

They all made some goals for themselves this year....I think they came up with some good ones. We'll see how they do this year :-).

All our Fall activities are starting up...Griff and Mike have hockey on Saturday morning; I'm taking Abby and a friend to the American Girl Store for a store event Saturday afternoon; Chance has dog training Sunday; and Hannah starts gymnastics on Tuesday. Abby will be back to figure skating next Saturday. We are holding off on signing her back up for karate b/c she is trying out for the school play. If she makes it, it will require lots of rehearsals after school so karate will have to wait until after the play.

1st Day of School

2011-09-06T08:58:00.000-07:00

Can it be? Everyone in school? Yikes......they all made it and were smiling as Mike and I dropped everyone off this morning. We did have some tears last night, but after some loonnnggg talks with mom and dad, Hannah and Griff finally drifted off to sleep around 10pm. They were excited when they woke this morning, so fingers crossed that they'll have fun stories to share when we go to pick them up later today. Abby was excited, too. Couldn't wait to see all her friends.

Enjoy the first day back pics!

Kindergarden and 3rd grade. WOW!

Last Couple Weeks of Summer

2011-08-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Outside playing tonight after dinner. A little jump rope practice. A little obstacle course running. A little fetch playing with Chance. Just lovin' the last few days of summer vacay before school starts. sob sob....I really do love summer vacation. And although I'll love a couple hours of quiet once school starts, I'm going to miss having the monkeys home with me. I like 'em. They're fun :-)

Is Abby really going into 3rd grade? Are Hannah and Griff really going to be in Kindergarden? Yikes, that sleepless first year seems very long ago suddenly, yet I can remember it in great detail. I was talking to H&G about school starting the other night, the fun they were going to have, yada yada yada, and the conversation turned to when they were first born and how little they were. They wanted to hear all the stories about late night feedings, how they cuddled together in the pack-n-play, how Hannah never wanted to eat, how Griff used to cry at night and I would sit in their room (they shared at first) and sing quietly to him until he feel asleep, hoping I wouldn't wake Hannah with my off-key voice. I told them about the nights Mike and I were so tired after multiple feedings that we would just fall asleep in the bed in Hannah's room with them sleeping right next to us, too tired to put them back in their cribs. Those nights seemed so long then, I remember just wanting it to be morning. And now I look at them and it's hard to believe the little people they've turned into. I wasn't sure we'd make it to five! But we did....and they are great!

And Miss Abby. Thank God she is and was such a good, easy going kid. So much older than her years. I guess she had to grow up a little fast, but she did so with ease and is such a doll. I asked if she would make sure H&G got to their classroom the first couple of days and she told me not to worry, that she was planning on walking them to their room every day for two months :-)

Okay, some pictures from tonight. Off to check in the kiddos and then bed.

Abby in her yoga pose.

Hannah is completely out of focus in this picture, but I had to post it. This is completely her. Always the joker!

"Griff, can I take your picture?" "Sure Mom......like this face?"

A bit of Daddy love.

Final Birthday Fun

2011-08-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

The 2011 birthday season has officially come to an end. Can I get an AMEN?

Abby had her friend birthday party today at the local swim school. Lots of swimming games, some pizza, cupcakes and presents. Perfect end to the birthday celebrations.

Kicking Races......

Surfing......(Hannah)

Surfing......(Griff)

Surfing.......(Abby)

Sharks and Minnows......

Chop Chop Timber.......

Free Swim......

Cupcakes!

Good Friends :-)

Wizard of Oz

2011-08-13T05:06:00.000-07:00

Abby was at a theater camp all week. They performed Wizard of Oz last night and it was a huge success. Abby was one of the flying monkeys :-) She had two speaking lines and got to tease the munchins during the play. It was super cute and the kids did a great job. She has one more performance this morning and then we are off to her kids birthday party this evening at the pool.

We've had a busy and fun summer and it is flying by......I don't think any of us are ready for it to end. School is creeping up on us......I wish it would slow down!

Abby teasing Dorthy and the munchins.

The flying monkeys and winkies on stage.

The entire cast.

They flying monkey cast. Abby is second on the right.

So proud of their sister!

Hannah and Griff's 5th Birthday

2011-08-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

I meant to post these before the MI pictures but it slipped my mind. So....here are the pictures from our birthday dinner celebration last night. Lots of cake in this house lately.......

Grandma Newman, Hannah has barely taken the dress of since she got it :-) She absolutely loves it!

5 year check ups yesterday before our cake celebration. Hannah is exactly the same size Abby was at 5. Griff is catching up....he's only a 1/2 in shorter than Hannah now. They are doing great!

Michigan 2011

2011-08-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

I've finally made it through the pictures and picked out some favorites to share. We really had a great time. The beaches in Michigan are so pretty. The sand is so perfectly fine, and water so warm and the beaches are HUGE.....it was like our own private ocean every day. The kids LOVED the water and got to experience a couple days of huge waves thanks to an overnight thunderstorm. Both Abby and Griff could not get enough of the boogie board. It was great to have my brother and his wife there, along with their two kids. Everyone is the same age and loved having a playmate for the week.

Michigan is one of my favorite places.......thanks Mom and Dad for hosting us. We loved each and every second of the trip!!

Our first day.......Hannah loved playing in the sand and building castles.

Miss Avery. Hannah was thrilled to have a girl her age to play with. Unlike Griff, Avery was happy to play princess with Hannah all day, every day!

Being thrown by Dad is the BEST. Mike spent a good portion of each day tossing the kids into the air. They couldn't get enough. It was a great shoulder work out for him :-)

Swimming out to the sand-bar. The kids thought it was so cool that there was a shallow sand-bar WAY out there. We had to take them out there b/c the water to get there was way over their heads but once they were out there they played and play in the middle of the lake.

Mega-blasters....FUN!

Racing to the beach, a quick 2 minute walk down the road.

All the cousins playing.

Avery acting silly!

Griff falling onto a wave and trying to splash Abby.

I think Avery is going to pour water over Hannah's head!

Abby learning to skip rocks.

More playtime with the cousins.

The next three pictures show the ever present water droplets on their faces, all day every day.

Our lovely private beach.

Boats stored up on the grassy dunes.

Waving to me from the sandbar.

Sandcastles with Dad.

Our own private beach......love it!

Oh the waves!! They were big and LOUD!

Griff and Abby couldn't wait to get in there and try to body surf.

Hannah was a bit worried about them!

A bit of help from Dad.

Hanny was more interested in playing on the beach than the waves.

We had more than one big tumble in the waves....they just got right back up and went back to it. No fear at all!

Crazy cousins!

Avery running from the waves!

Hannah, Griff and Avery running down the path to the beach one night for some evening pictures.

H&G and Avery

Wanted to get some good shots with the sun going down, but we were too early. The sun was still really bright and in the kids' eyes.....

Sidney

Hannah loves to pose for the camera.

My mom and the grandkids. Avery is peeking out by Griff!

Griff is still surfing!

Hannah's bum :-)

One last picture with Grandma and Grandpa before getting in the car for our 4 1/2 hour drive to Chicago......should have only been 2 1/2 at the most, but WOW, that lalapalooza traffic!!!

Group good-bye!

We're 5!!

2011-08-10T06:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Hannah and Griffin!! They are so excited to be 5. It's all they talked about yesterday :-) We took some pictures last night - the second picture is of them yelling "we're 5!" Griff was so excited to turn 5 he woke up at 4am asking me if he was 5 yet......little bugger.

We opened gifts early this morning and had a yummy breakfast of chocolate muffins (Hannah's choice) and cinnamon rolls (Griff's choice). We have 5 year check ups at the doctors this afternoon (along with some shots so some ice cream might be in order, too) and then the requested birthday dinner at Perkins. Gonna be a good day.

Off to drop Abby off at her Wizard of Oz camp (she has a part of a flying monkey :-).

Pictures of Michigan STILL to come. It takes me awhile to get through 400+ pictures........

They really do love each other.

We're 5!!!!

So excited at 6am!

Beach toy.

Cars coloring pages.

Finally, paper dolls of your own, Hannah!

Paper airplane how to book (this was more for Mike.....)

Rocket Launcher! FUN!!

Birthdays!

2011-08-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Back from a fantastic vacation to Michigan.....I have loads of pictures to share, but first I wanted to post some pictures of some birthday celebrations.

Abby turned 8 while we were in Michigan so we did a little birthday party for her there with her cousins. Hannah and Griff got to open some gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Meiers, too, while we were there.

Then on our way home we saw G&G Newman and opened some MORE presents (the never ending parties are great fun :-)

And then of course we had to do our own little family celebration for Abby when we got back. H&G will have to wait until Wednesday to open their presents from us.

So...lots of celebrating, lots of gifts and lots of smiles.

Pics of Michigan to come......

Backyard Fun

2011-07-28T17:33:00.000-07:00

The humidity dropped a bit this evening, so we decided to have a little outdoor family fun after dinner. The kiddos were practicing their hula hooping abilities and basically acting a little crazy. Mike somehow convinced me to take a picture with the kids - yikes I need some make-up....and maybe take 5 minutes to do my hair. Good golly.

Love my black-eyed susans! They make me happy :-)

Updates and Some Pictures

2011-07-24T17:43:00.000-07:00

Time for another kid update. Abby is helping me with this one.......

Abby
* Just finished a two day safety camp with her good friend that was put on by the local police department. She loved it. Now all she talks about is our escape plan if there is ever a fire in our house. And do we have a "go kit" in case we ever need to evacuate for a few days.
* Is officially a cool kid with feather extensions in her hair.
* Still writing lots of plays which require family participation. Hannah is usually up for it, but Griff is tiring of playing the prince or dragon :-)
* Wrote & illustrated a story for Hannah for her birthday. She can't wait to give it to her.
* Katy Perry, Pink and Bruno Mars are her favorite singers right now. Unfortunately I can't let her buy any of the CDs b/c they all have explicit lyrics stickers on them.....then I had to explain what that meant :-)
* Will not take off the swim flippers at the beach - she swims back and forth....over and over again...to the 6 foot buoy kickin' her little flipper feet the whole way. She loves how fast they make her!
* LOVES America's Got Talent

Hannah
* Talks about above mentioned feather extensions every day. So sad she is not part of the in crowd.
* Loves Chance. A lot.
* Loves Cheetahs. Pretends she is one. A lot. A bit worried :-)
* Has a bit of a crush on our new neighbor. But still says she wants to marry Griffin and live with us forever.
* Has an excellent front crawl and backstroke.
* Will say something she thinks is funny and look at you and say, "do I crack you up?"
* Knows the words to almost every current song on the radio and sings them loudly in the car. Especially loves Moves Like Jagger by Maroon 5, but we have to be a bit creative with the words b/c they are not so appropriate for an almost 5 year old.
* LOVES America's Got Talent

Griff
* Angry Birds. All he is interested in. Walks around with the iPad 24/7. Even knows how to check YouTube to find videos on how to best get those birds. This is so over my head I can't even pretend to understand the fascination....but he and Mike have bonded over this game!
* Loves to be flipped at the beach by Dad. I apparently am not able to toss him high enough.
* Loves the water and the beach. Can do 3 somersaults in a row without coming up for air!
* If he can't play on the iPad he likes to play Wii with Mike. He's pretty good at baseball and golf.....he's a lefty at both.
* Could survive on raisin toast :-)
* He loves Moves Like Jagger, too.....and will break into song almost anywhere.
* LOVES America's Got Talent

Some random pictures....

Playing Wii.....We've had to ban Chance from the basement when the kids are playing because he "chases" the "balls" and tries to "catch" them. You should see him run back and forth and try to find the ball after it's hit. When he jumped up to catch the ball and came this close to Mike's tv that was it.....he's upstairs when they are playing.

An afternoon at the park. Neither one was interested in pictures.

Ice cream pizza. Griff asked to make them after seeing them on Team Umi Zumi (cartoon). We had everything on hand...cookies, ice cream, candy.....so I said of course. They were very good! Griff put mini m&ms on his; Hannah put nerds on hers.

We Miss You Already

2011-07-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Good-bye to our CA friends! We miss you already and are looking forward to our December trip!

A Good-Bye Party

2011-07-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors and good friends are moving out of state this week. Abby is especially sad as she is really close to two of the girls in the family. She asked if we could have a little going away party for them so we did tonight. We invited all the neighbor kids to a little hot dog cook-out. Everyone ran around for a couple of hours, ate some food and then had some bomb pops as dessert. We'll miss you S Family!!

Flippin' Out

2011-07-10T12:43:00.000-07:00

The beach is so much more fun when Dad is there......(you've gotta get those flips and throws in before the lifeguards come on duty b/c there is a no "no throwing rule".....all the kids know it and whenever we get there before they are on duty the kiddos are thrilled!)

Summer Fun

2011-07-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

We've been keeping busy around here lately, doing a bit of this and that:

Graduating from Ninja Camp as Master Ninjas. They LOVED this little camp. Here they are with their ninja headbands and graduation scrolls! And they are kickin' it like ninjas :-)

Griff, very proud of his Master Ninja certificate.

Always the joker, Miss Hannah.....wouldn't let me take a picture of her.

Oh, she thinks she's funny!!

They had to show me the obstacle course they did every day. Abby joined in on the fun.

We've been beaching it quite a bit now that it's been nice and hot and sunny. We love this little beach 5 minutes from our house.

Running into the water after the safety break was over.

Hannah doing an almost perfect handstand in the water. She's really good at them!

Here are Griff and Abby doing their handstands....Abby is wearing pink flippers :-) Griff can actually do a full summersault in the water, which he's pretty proud of!

Picking tons and tons of wild raspberries from the backyard. We have a ton of wild bushes that are super easy to get to now that our backyard is landscaped. This has lead to lots of nasty bug bites, one of which took us to the pediatrician. Hannah had a doosey on the back of her leg that started look red and puffy and very itchy. She's now on antibiotics and seems to be doing better.

Practicing our jump-roping. They are getting better and better with lots of practice.

Love Hannah's face in this picture!!

Using the jump-rope as a bungy cord and "shooting" the kids like "angry birds".....do you play that silly game on your phone or ipad? Griff is obsessed!

And just acting goofy, enjoying the summer days!

The Fourth!

2011-07-05T04:48:00.000-07:00

We had a great long Fourth of July weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather (FINALLY!) and spent all weekend outside enjoying the heat and the sunshine.

Below are some pictures from the parade. We go every year and every year it's HOT, crowded and lots of fun. The kids love to sit right on the curb and gather as much candy as possible. Mike and I stayed on our blanket and tried to get some shade from a nearby tree.

It looks like it might rain today, so we may get some needed inside time today. Perhaps I'll put everyone to work and they can help clean the house a bit :-)

Yelling Happy Fourth of July as I'm trying to take a picture before leaving for the parade.

Patiently waiting for the parade to start.

There were lots of fancy cars......

Lots of marching bands.....

Lots of candy......

......and horses......

And loud fire trucks.

And our yearly picture of Griff (and now Hannah) covering his ears at the noise!!!

Tired Hannah

2011-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

After 3 non-stop hours at the pool, Hannah collapsed on the couch. So very tired :-) Jumping in and out of the pool 3,472 times will do that to a person.

Slippin' and a Sliddin'

2011-06-30T14:42:00.000-07:00

Was planning on going to the beach again today, but I started feeling guilty for leaving Chance home alone all day again....so we opted to bring out the slip-n-slide, sprinklers, and water guns and have some fun in the yard. Our neighbors came over later in the afternoon and everyone had a great time. If the weather holds, we'll be back at the beach tomorrow, but it was definitely a fun day at home today. Enjoy!

Hannah liked the slip-n-slide, but she liked posing for the camera better :-)

A Yellow Sunny Day and A Pink Eye

2011-06-28T17:40:00.000-07:00

Just about a perfect day here in Minnesota.....high 70s and completely sunny. Was planning on a beach day after Detective Club and swimming lessons this morning, but Miss Abby came down for breakfast with a very red and itchy eye. After a quick trip to the doctor, pink eye was confirmed, as well as a recommendation not to spend all day at the beach. So....we played outside all afternoon with various neighbor kids and also got in a quick little photo session. Enjoy, and ignore the pink hue in Abby's eye :-)

Laura Ingalls Wilder Camp

2011-06-23T11:39:00.000-07:00

Abby went to a Laura Ingalls Wilder camp this week and she loved it. Today is the last day and they were encouraged to dress up like Laura and her family. We didn't have anything here, but one of our neighbors has the best closetful of costumes and dress up clothes and I knew she would have what we needed....and she did! Abby was thrilled with her look. They are doing a little hoe-down later today for the the families and I'll try to get some pictures and post them later.

Abby and her friend Lindsey, who went to the camp with her.

Bubbles

2011-06-23T04:56:00.000-07:00

We are on day 3,486 of rain. Running out of things to do to pass the time. We pulled out the bubbles. Again. I think this has been the third time this week. They were new to Chance. He really liked them. Chased one bubble all the way down the street. When he caught it, he trotted right back for more. It was pretty funny.

We are so hoping for some nice weather here soon. Or at least a peek of the sun. I'm tired of wearing a jacket. I've been wearing one since September of last year. Ugh.

Rainy Saturday

2011-06-18T17:48:00.001-07:00

Making the most of a very rainy Saturday....a little puddle jumping. Based upon the 10 day forecast, we may never see the sun again. As Judy Moody might say, "all this rain makes for a bummer summer."

Sprinkler Fun

2011-06-16T19:12:00.000-07:00

The day started off a bit chilly and overcast, but by mid-afternoon the sun was out and so was our sprinkler! Some friends joined us for some afternoon fun and everyone had a great time.

And of course some snacks after all that fun!

Taylor Swift ROCKS!

2011-06-16T05:23:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: ah, figured it out. So easy...love these Apple products! Anywhoooooo....pics of Abby and her friends at the concert are below.

Another great concert by one of our favorites Wednesday night! I took a couple of cute pics of Abby with her friends with my phone when we got there....we'll see if I can figure out how to get them onto the MAC and post 'em!

Now I'm unbelievably tired....doesn't Griff know I didn't get almost midnight and that is well past my bedtime??

Zoo and Summer

2011-06-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Abby's class went to the zoo the other day as a kind of year end celebration. Mike stayed home from work so I could go with her and it was HOT. Below are some pictures of her with a few of her friends from school.

And all of our flowers, shrubs and trees are blooming...finally looks like summer around here. And this never gets old....fun in a box.....Mike got a new mower and the kids had to jump in the box and start playing.

Best Parts of Summer

2011-06-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

.....Beach Days
.....Bike Rides
.....Scootering
.....Reading in the screened in porch
.....Dinner on the screened in porch
.....s'Mores on the new patio
.....Roller Blading
.....No schedules
.....Lots of giggles
.....Lots of smiles
.....Lots of FUN!!

Dinner on the porch after a fun day at the beach......

......now some yummy dessert......

.....made using the new fire pit on the new patio......

.....and a little exercise after to burn some energy!

In Case You Didn't Know.....

2011-06-04T14:03:00.000-07:00

....the Newmans LOVE summer! Took H&G to the beach yesterday while Abby was at school to kick off summer. Didn't bring my camera b/c it was a bit windy, and Griff actually was mad that I wasn't able to take any pictures of "our first beach day."

I made up for it today....I got our slightly white-trashy plastic pools out and we had a little pool party right in our front yard :-) Abby was at an actual pool with one of her friends, so she missed the upscale fun at home. H&G loved it. Enjoy the pics!

Play Ball!

2011-05-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

T-ball, that is. Griff had his first t-ball practice today. After a lot of whining about not wanting to play yada yada yada ...... he finally agreed to give it a shot. Good thing too, because Mike is a co-coach of his team! Anyway, two seconds into practice and he was lovin' it. Below are some pictures from the practice.

Abby's friend Olivia was there (her brother is on a different team) and the girls had a great time playing together . Enjoy the pictures.

Looking forward to the LONG weekend!!

Just got to the field and getting things squared away with Mike. Griff would't leave his side and was a bit nervous.

Hannah, on the other hand, was super excited and sat right down on the bleachers and started yelling "Go Green Team!"

Hannah watching Griff practice some drills. She turned to me and told me she was a little worried about him and hoped he was okay out there.

That's him, practicing running the bases. He's running to second base.

Abby and her friend Olivia picking dandilions.

Practicing throwing. Griff is the third kid out in front.

Abby and the girls.

Team huddle.

Griff catching....

....and throwing.....

"Mom, not so many pictures...."

Batting......

....and running the bases after his hit.

Last Day of Preschool

2011-05-18T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Griffin are officially done with preschool. They had a little concert for family and friends today and that was that! I guess they are kindergardeners now - yikes!

Quick picture before heading off to school.....

Walking into their school......

Snow cones after their concert

Hannah and her friend Maddy

Playing by the pond

Hugging their teacher Miss Lisa good-bye

New Bikes!

2011-05-14T04:57:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Griffin got new bikes the other day. They couldn't be more excited. They are using training wheels right now, but hopefully after this weekend they will be on two wheels. Suddenly Abby looks really small on her bike, so there may be a new bike in her future, too....although she did say that there was no way she was giving up "ol' trusty". Apparently she has named her bike.....

Oh, and do you see the silver horns on their handle bars? I'm regretting that purchase. It's hard to resist blowing them every 5 seconds and they are LOUD. The neighborhood dogs especially don't like them!

Updates

2011-05-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

We started some landscaping on the backyard this week. We are extending the sod to the edge of our property and adding trees, scrubs, flowers and an additional patio. Should look nice when it's finished....now it's just muddy :-) It doesn't stop the kids from playing back there, though!

Here are some pictures, and some of the kids with Chance:

First Communion

2011-05-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

Abby had her First Communion this weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Newman and Aunt Trish came up for the big day. Abby did great and we are very proud of her. We had a great weekend with everyone here. Enjoy the pictures!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T08:17:00.000-07:00

EGGcellant

2011-04-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

A bit of egg coloring this afternoon. Those metal egg holder thingies never work so I just told the kids to use their hands to dunk the eggs in the dye.....kinda forgot it was permanent dye. The kids are now walking about our house will purplish colored hands with instructions to not touch anything!

An Easter Activity

2011-04-20T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Griff made tissue paper eggs yesterday afternoon for an Easter activity and they had a lot of fun. They turned out great. They each made one for themselves. Then Hannah decided to make one for Abby and Griff wanted to make one for Mike. They of course liked playing with the glitter the most!

Oh, and it's snowing this morning. April 20th.

A picture of Hannah from the other day. She really likes having Chance here.

Starting our project.....

Lots of glitter to choose from.

Finished product hanging on our door.

Gma & Gpa Meiers Visit

2011-04-18T08:29:00.000-07:00

Had a great long weekend visit from Grandma and Grandpa Meiers. The kiddos love having them here - lots of love and attention! They also got to meet Chance, who is fitting into our little family nicely. He even sits for family photos:

Thanks for the great visit!

Taking a Chance

2011-04-11T18:38:00.000-07:00

We'd like to introduce you to Chance, our newest family member. He's a sweet little guy, but a little shy, especially towards the kids. He's part boxer, part rottweiler, and part who knows. We got him from a local rescue center. He's 5 months old, has a pretty good bark when he's startled, and snores like crazy. The kids love him, although they wish they could rough and tumble with him. I think within the next couple of weeks he'll be used to the noise and chaos in our house and be ready to play hard with the kids.

A Bit of Fun

2011-04-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Griff and Hannah have been enjoying the warmer days, and we've been spending more time outside. They were running around having a great time this afternoon so I thought I would get some pictures. Abby misses all the fun b/c she is in school :-) I'll get some of her this weekend...hopefully the warming trend will continue.

Hanging on the monkey bars

"Griff, give me an underdog"

This picture describes Griff to a T...he is full of energy lately and never stops moving.

He's starting to love soccer and loves to kick the ball around.

Miss Hanny

"Why is the sky moving, Mom?" It wasn't, it was just the clouds floating by...... :-)

Spring Break 2011

2011-04-01T18:54:00.000-07:00

We're back. Had a wonderful time in sunny and beautiful California with our great friends. We fit a lot in during our six day trip....beach house in Manhattan Beach, Hollywood, DisneyLand, Los Angeles....and now it feels good to be home! The kids did great the entire trip. Plane rides were good, car rides were good and they slept great every night. It's getting a bit easier to travel with them now! Below are some pictures from the trip. Enjoy!!

Waiting to check in at MSP. So very excited!

Our first glimpse of the ocean in Manhattan Beach. The kids couldn't wait to run to it. So different than the snow we left.

5 seconds after this picture Griff took a header into the ocean....wet head to toe, tears flowing. We had our first clothing change in a van at the ocean. Thankfully our suitcases were in the car!

The next day. The kids had a great time playing at the ocean with Olivia and Drake.

The beautiful beach houses.

Abby's mad b/c I was asking her to move back...the waves were huge and kept pulling the kids in deeper and deeper. You can tell she isn't pleased I'm asking her to move closer to me!

It was a bit chilly but it didn't stop them from getting sopping wet. Don't worry, we learned our lesson......we put them in their suits the next day.

Griff and Drake not only look alike, but like playing Angry Birds on our phones together!

Love their reflections in the water!

See, swimsuits......and who cares that it was only 65 degrees? Not these midwestern kids!

Bumming around Hollywood on our way to Disney.

Can you see the Hollywood sign???

Mickey and the kids.

Snow White's Star

Swimming the hotel pool at Disney. It was FREEZING. I can't believe Mike was in there with them. The water was actually heated and warm but the air temp was so cold. They only lasted a 1/2 hour and came our shivering!

Waiting to get into Disney. We had a beautiful day....sunny and 75 degrees.

See Miss Pouty Pants over there in the corner? She didn't want her picture taken with her mom.

"Hmmmm, where should we go when we get into Disney?"

Sleeping Beauty's Castle.

The twinners and Mike on the Dumbo ride. Mike gets to ride all the fun ones :-)

All Hannah wanted to do was ride on the Carousel.

Ah, the Princesses. Hannah was SO EXCITED to see them. Abby actually was pretty excited, too. Griff asked every 5 minutes while we waited in line (which was almost an hour) why he had to see the Princesses.

But then he got a hug from Ariel and he was a happy guy again :-)

Riding on a train around Disney. A highlight for Griff.

This was on Tom Sawyer's Island. One of the coolest things we did there. We took a raft over and played on the island for awhile. Lots of forts, treehouses, treasure, etc.

On our way out we stopped for ice cream sundaes. Yum!

And then we had to hit one more ride for Griff. He saw this rocket ship ride the second we walked into the park. We kept telling him we'd go back and ride it.....we thought he forgot. He didn't. So we were bone tired but we stood in line and he got to ride the rocket ship. And he was thrilled!

So that is about it......had a great time, but good to be home. Wasn't so thrilled to see the snow on the ground, but hopefully that will be gone soon!

Swimming!

2011-03-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Griffin started swim lessons today. They LOVED it. Hannah could hardly keep still through the lesson she was so excited. Enjoy the pictures......

Meeting their teacher, Tiffany.

Showing Tiffany their monkey cheeks

Bubbles!

Kicks

Go Griff Go!

Go Hannah Go!

Patiently waiting his turn

She's ready!

Rocketship jump!

Singing Humpty Dumpty Sat on a Wall and then jumping into the water

Signs of Spring

2011-03-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

Ah, warmer weather. You know what that means......bikes, bubbles, chalk, rain boots, and lots of smiles and laughter. Felt good to be out today, even if you could still feel the chill in the air. The chill didn't seem to bother anyone in the neighborhood, as everyone was out. We saw neighbors we hadn't seen all winter ;-) H&G were having a good time playing with each other, and Abby spent the entire afternoon at the end of the cul-de-sac playing kickball with all the neighborhood kids. Yes, there is light at the end of the tunnel!

Griff trying to shovel snow into the new neighbor's yard :-)

Hannah's flower

"this is a monkey and these are his ears"

Hannah adding a picture of me to her flower....

...she added a dog, too, but I don't have that picture. She is quite the little artist. Loves to draw and color. She really takes her time and stays within all the lines.

All the chalk artwork

And since I didn't have any pictures of Abby outside, here she is after coming in from a long afternoon of kickball. She got into her favorite chair and picked up a book.

Hannah

2011-03-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

She's been on her own this week for school and has been LOVIN' it. Griff had a 48 hour bug that he has finally beat, so he'll be back next week. Hannah has loved telling Griff about all he has missed at school :-)

Ice Show Video

2011-03-06T19:16:00.000-08:00

Attached is a video of Abby's ice show on Saturday night. Can someone leave a comment or send me an email and let me know if this works? If so, I have a video of her karate tourney from the other week to post, too.......Thanks!

Ice Show Success!

2011-03-05T19:48:00.000-08:00

Abby and her troupe did a great job at the ice show this evening. They really looked like they were having a great time. The pictures below aren't much different from the dress rehearsal, but I figured you'd want to see them anyway :-) Mike took a video and he promises to upload it tomorrow to the MAC so hopefully I'll have the video to post tomorrow.

Lunging, top left corner....

Third girl in facing front...

Third girl gliding....

Second girl spinning....

Sneak Peak

2011-03-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Big ice show tonight......Abby had a dress rehearsal last night and I was able to get few pictures. I won't be able to take any tonight, so these are it! We'll see if the video works tonight...it's pretty dark in there, but we'll give it a whirl. Abby is super excited and her troupe looks really good out there. They are doing their routine to I Feel Pretty from West Side Story - it's cute!

Waiting and reading (HP, book 6) before going out onto the ice....

Warming up - she's in the purple jacket, lower right side

Abby and her friend Reese doing a spin during their routine

Another spin

Bunny hops on the ice...she is the first one in the first row of girls, leading the pack

doing a lunge...the spotlight is on her....and she looks a little tippy!

Doing a one foot glide

A spin....second girl in

Another spin shot.....hard to get her face on those!

Winding Down Before Bed

2011-02-27T19:52:00.000-08:00

Watching a recording of Spongebob before bed tonight......

A Shovel of My Own

2011-02-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

Griffy got his very own snow shovel today. He and Mike made trip to Home Depot and he came home with a mini shovel. Loves it. Was out all afternoon with Mike shoveling the new snow we got overnight. It's so fun here...it never stops snowing :-0

Hannah's Happy Face

2011-02-24T12:02:00.000-08:00

"I can't stop making my happy face!"

Hannah was so excited this morning. She had a friend from school coming over to play and she was smiling ear to ear, waiting for her. She said to me once, "I can't stop making my happy face!"

There was lots of Barbies, dress up, a movie, some cars with Griff, coloring and lots of giggles. So nice to see them making friends of their own.

More Kiddo Updates

2011-02-23T19:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, you all like the kid updates. Apparently you like to hear about the boring and mundane goings ons around here :-) You asked for it, you got it....more tidbits on the kidbits. And more pictures to come....I just can't take ONE.MORE. SNOW.PICTURE.

Griff
* Counts snowplows everyday when we are in the car. The most we have ever seen in one day is 21. He has rules though...they have to be moving, not parked in a parking lot and it can't be a one of those bobcats with a plow on it, that doesn't count. Has to be a pick-up with a plow or one of those humungous trucks. And if he sees one with a double plow, cover your ears b/c he screams to let you know it's coming!
* Wants to be a Dad when he grows up. Seriously, when you ask him that is what he says...or a hospital boy, but we aren't sure what that means!
* Likes to ice skate and play hockey with Mike, but will not take a hockey lesson for anything. He does say he wants to try golf, so he might be out there with Mike this spring and summer.
* Is funny, seriously funny. And he's starting to realize it. Easily the most funny kid in our house. He's a Newman, through and through :-)

Hannah
* Wants to play Barbies all the time. She'll ask you to play, give you a Barbie and tell you to start. Which means you need to start talking to her Barbie about who knows what and basically keep the conversation flowing. Excruciating :-)
* Asked me why she had a tongue this morning. I told her that her tongue helped her eat and that it also has taste buds on it to tell her what food tastes like...it helps her figure out what she likes and doesn't like to eat. She processed that for a beat and then told me her tongue does not like chicken.
* Wants to be a mermaid when she grows up. She looked so crushed the first time I told her that I didn't think that would happen that I stopped telling her that she couldn't. I now just nod and tell her she will make a beautiful mermaid.
* Loves to sit at the computer and look at "pretty dresses and shoes". There is a kids clothing site that has daily sales and every morning she asks to get on the computer to look. And every day she asks if she can have this or that. When I tell her no, she looks at me, says okay, then for my birthday, and resumes "shopping".

Abby
* No longer wants me to read to her at night. The first night I was like great, I have 20 more minutes for tv, rock on. We are now are week 2 and I miss it. Now she gets ready for bed, I tuck her in, she grabs Harry Potter, and says "night Mom"... and that's my cue to leave her room.....
* The other week during Mass at school, Abby did one of the readings. I asked her if she was picked or volunteered for the reading and she said she volunteered. I told her I was proud of her, that it took some courage to get up in front of the entire school and do a reading. She said to me, "Yeah, I like doing it. I REALLY like using the microphone." Then tonight she comes home from Faith Formation and says it was music night. Really? What'd you do? I got to sing in the church in front of everyone by myself....with a microphone...I was so loud Mom!
* Is really starting to evolve into a great big sister. As soon as she gets home from school she'll get with Hannah and Griff and want to play with them. Barbies, cars, trains, reading books, whatever. Today as I was making dinner she was leading them in a game of Life. It's too hard a game for H&G, but she reads the board and cards for them, counts their money, helps them decide what to do. I love hearing them together from the kitchen.

That's all for now.......

Our Snow Monster

2011-02-20T14:02:00.000-08:00

While the girls and I were staying toasty warm inside playing the Game of Life (quite possibly one of the longest board games ever.....second only to Monopoly), Griff and Mike were busy outside shoveling and using the snow blower to clear our sidewalk and driveway. The snow was coming down hard and heavy, but they got it done. The below picture doesn't even come close to showing you how covered in snow Griff was when he came in. I laughed out loud when I saw him.

Taken through our window....Griff working the shovel hard!

After a hard afternoon of work!