Away in the Manger

Christmas program at K & J's preschool..... they did such a great job!

We are heading to Hollywood b/c of this performance.

Texas Visit

Sweet, sweet friends of mine from my mom's group in Texas.

My wonderful friend, Cathy, threw a birthday party for Kendall and Jace and invited a few of their friends from our old neighborhood. Every detail was so thoughtfully planned down to the cupcake stands Cathy made for K & J. And those cake balls were soooooo good! Thank you Cathy!

Curt, Jimmy, Dan, and Matt....

On Saturday night, we went to dinner with a VERY large group of our neighbors. It was a blast and so great to see their faces again. We just picked up right where we left off.

Party of 17....Such a fun night!

Kids and their bikes

Jace got a "big boy" bike for his birthday and he is doing really well using the pedals. Almost everyday we get home from school, he is ready to ride. So cute!

No training wheels!!!!!! What a big girl!!! She had the motivation to learn and off she went.

Working hard to get those pedals going!

I love these 2!

Kids' Birthday Party

High NRG Gymnastics Center in Chesterfield

Jace and his friends from school.

Jace and Kendall's friends who attended the party

Happy 3rd Birthday Jace! (with his Toy Story cake)

Happy 5th Birthday Kendall!

An oldie but GOODIE!!!

I said the pirate pic of Jace might be my favorite.....uhhh....it takes close 2nd to this one.....
Jace- 13 months, learning to walk with Daddy

Happy 3rd Birthday Jace!

My all time favorite pic of Jace

Love that smile!

A little coaching from Daddy

I have so many thoughts going through my head as to how I want to write this post about my little man turning 3! He has turned into a little boy overnight, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. While I miss the baby he was, I am loving watching the little boy he has become. He's good at so many things. 1 of his better talents is having the ability to rattle my every nerve. He's excellent at that! :-) All joking aside, he is the sunshine in my day. Just like this moring when he woke up to tell me he has his "show and tell" item ready to go for his "fwiends" at school. Or when he goes onto to tell me, "My fwiends will think my cookies are fantastic." (his birthday cookies he brought to school) Or, the best....when he introduces himself to people as "Jace Man." He just might be the coolest little 3 year old there is.....well at least his Mommy and Daddy think so!

I love to see his independence grow and know this year will be one of so many new adventures for him (and Mommy, too!).

Happy Birthday Jace Man!! We love you more than words can express!

Happy 5th Birthday to our sweet Kendall!

Look at my big 5 year old girl! I am so proud of the little lady she has become and how many facets of her personality have developed. At the same time she wears a tutu and princess crown, she is ready to wrestle with Daddy. And while she still sings "Mary had a little lamb", she is a champ at belting out the top 20 hits on the radio. My heart beams with joy when I think of what an amazing little girl we have been blessed with. Happy 5th Birthday Kendall!

(Go back the archives on the left side of the blog and click 2008. Scroll down to the video of Kendall singing "Jingle Bells". I could watch that video a million times.)

No training wheels, Mom and Dad!!!! Whoa!!!

Heading off to Pre-K

Loving life at gymnastics!

Add a splash of sass and there you got it.....Miss Kendall

Disney Characters

My favorite one of Kendall!!!!

The funny thing about this picture is that 2 seconds before I took this, the kids were both like...."who are these people?" Made for a cute pic though.

Castaway Cay- Disney Cruise...more pics

Before I get to the Castaway Cay pics, I have to share these. This is my absolute favorite picture EVER!! Jace was so exhausted that he took a nap in the porthole. He is dressed as a pirate because it was pirate night on the ship.

Below are pics from Castaway Cay, Disney's Island.

Do you think Pluto was hot?

Greeted my Mickey as we entered the island

More Disney Cruise Pics

Ty, Jace, Zac, Kendall and MaKenzie

Our waiter, Paul from Poland. He was a wonderful addition to our trip and followed us to dinner each evening. Top notch service!
My precious family in the atrium of the ship

Childcare center...this was Jace's favorite room in the center. Andy's room from Toy Story

Mimi and Pap Pap with their grandkids at the Enchanted Garden, a restaurant onthe ship.

Disney Cruise 2011

Talk about a vacation! We had an AWESOME time on our first cruise, and a Disney cruise made our experience that much more amazing! The kids absolutely loved seeing all the Disney characters and swimming in a Mickey Mouse shaped pool. The ship had a kids' area that was incredible with themed rooms....Andy's Room (Toy Story), Fairy Room (Tinkerbell) and many more. And seriously, 4 course dining every night....I likey!! ;-) A huge thank you to Mimi and Pap Pap for taking us on the wonderful trip! The memories are incredibly special and the kids loved spending time with their cousins.
Hope you enjoy the pics!!

Disney Dream Cruise ship

Our balcony on the ship....9th floor

Top deck on the ship where the pools and Aqua Duck were located. The Aqua Duck is a waterslide that goes out over the ocean. Very cool to experience!

Jace excited to board the ship! (pics a bit out of order)

The lobby atrium of the ship....Stunning!

American Girl NYC

American Girl near Rockefeller Center in NYC

Kanani....Girl of the Year

Happy Girls!

Girls' Weekend in NYC

Radio City in the background near Rockefeller Center
Times Square
M&M World in Times Square
Above: We went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway
Below: Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity in Midtown

Kendall and I met Mimi, Aunt Jenn, and Kenzie in NYC for a girls' only ;-) weekend. It was such a fun trip, topped off by a visit to American Girl and Kendall's 1st American Girl doll. (Thank you Mimi and Pap Pap!!! She absolutely loves her doll.) On Friday, we ate at Carmine's Italian Restaurant in Manhattan. Talk about sinful...4 courses of pure food pleasure!! We also saw Mary Poppins on Broadway, followed by a trip Serendipity. We waited an hour and 40 minutes for a frozen hot chocolate. Was it worth....YES!!
Thanks Mimi, Aunt Jenn, and Kenz for a fun weekend!!!