Happy New Year 12.31.14

Party!!  Here's wishing you all a very happy 2015 as we close out another great year!  May 2015 bring you all health, happiness, and love!

New Toys 12.30.14

Fun. So much fun to have time after Christmas to enjoy our new treasures and spend time together.  There's many reasons I love being a teacher...having breaks the same time as my son, well, that's just icing on the cake.  Our last couple days of 2014 were spent playing, enjoying our family, and relaxing.  It was just about perfect!

Christmas 12.25.14

Merry Christmas!  Logan woke up to a visit from Santa!  Lucky boy.  The stockings were stuffed, the presents were under the tree, and all the boys in my house were oh so very excited to see what Santa had brought.  We let the puppies go first because there was a lot of sniffing going on...then it was our turn.  I simply loved Logan's facial expressions as he would open his presents.  Such joy!  Such disbelief that Santa heard his requests and granted them.  He must have been a good boy this year!  It was a lovely morning and then Logan went to his dad's and I headed to Papa and Grandma's!  Merry Christmas everyone!

Puppy Love 12.24.14

Brothers. These two...they've been inseparable since Beau joined the family.  They love each other, and boy do we love them.

Christmas Extravaganza 12.23.14

Friends. Oh how we love celebrating the holidays with you guys!  Karen hosted us this year and as always, we had a lovely time.  This year, we even had the addition of Wilson, who was very excited for all this present opening!  The boys actually ended up all having the same shirts which was a lovely coincidence.  Karen spoiled us yet again and we had such a great time playing, visiting, eating, and celebrating this holiday that we all can't get enough of! Thanks dear friends!

Beau 12.20.14

What ya doin' Beau? With Ron and Dianne in Texas for the holidays, I had the pleasure of having Beau for Christmas.  He and Norman act just like brothers, but they are very different.  Norman doesn't give the tree or the presents a second glance, while Beau's little sniffer just can't tear him away from those presents.  He's certain there is something under that tree for him!  It's pretty darn precious!  Patience sweet Beau, patience.

Craig's Birthday Party 12.19.14

Sports. Sports. And more sports.  Craig's enthusiasm for sports knows no bounds.  So for his birthday this year, Karen and Scott rented out a local sportsplex and it couldn't have been a better fit.  The kids got to play soccer and football and basketball and run around like the crazy kids they are at the age of 9!  There was also a separate room for cake and presents.  It really was the perfect set up and I think Craig had a very good time!  Thanks for inviting us you guys!

Harem Christmas 12.13.14

Fart. Yes, that is the memory that I'm forever going to associate with this particular Harem Christmas.  Jason and Gina were kind enough to invite us all over and while it was an absolutely lovely time, my darling son had to go and be a little stinker.  For dinner, we had a kid table (in the kitchen) and a grown-up table (in the dining room).  And as all the adults are enjoying their meal and visiting and such, we hear from the other room what sounds like ridiculously loud farting.  Upon further investigation, it was my son showing everyone how we learned to make the farting noise with his armpit.  Ahhh, I'm such a proud Momma! ;o)  It really was a great time!  Hopefully we'll do it again next year (minus the farting!)

Wilson and Norman Meet 12.14.14

So much love...eventually.  Karen and the boys brought Wilson over today to meet Norman.  It was such a kick to watch.  Norman very much wanted to check out this new little guy and Wilson was not having any of it.  It took quite awhile, but Wilson finally let Norman come kind of near him.  When they first arrived, Wilson ran for the nearest spot he could hide from Norman in, that and Karen's protective legs! :o)  It was very fun to have him over though and so sweet to see Norman wanting so much to play with this little puppy!

Meeting Wilson 12.6.14

Oh. My. Goodness. Scott, Karen, Craig, and Brett added a new member to their family recently and today I got to meet him.  This is Wilson.  Isn't he oh so cute?  I can't wait for Logan and Norman to meet him. 

Big Hero 6 11.29.14

So good!  After finding the perfect tree, Logan and I decided to take in a movie.  We went to Big Hero 6 and IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!!  Like way better than I could have imagined!  What a fantastic November day!

Black Friday 11.28.14

Shopping. Shopping. And, yes, more shopping!  A few years ago, Karen asked me if I'd be interested in taking advantage of all the Black Friday sales and braving the crowds.  I said yes, and that has led to one of the most fun holiday traditions!  We get up early, but not ridiculously early. We meet up so we're in one vehicle.  We get Starbucks, peppermint mochas of course.  And then we shop.  We don't wait in lines for hours because there's never anything life or death on our lists.  We just like to see what's out there and hopefully get some good prices on some items for our loved ones.  And it's the best.  No stress...we go until we feel like stopping.  We get some lunch and call it a day!  This year was no exception!  Thanks for a lovely day Karen!

Hello Hadley 11.26.14

Precious.  That's the perfect word for Logan's sweet new little cousin, Miss Hadley.  She was born back in July, but because Leslie and Brian live so far away, this was our first chance to meet her.  And of was a little doll.  Logan and I got to spend the evening out at Ron and Dianne's and have a lovely visit with them and Leslie and Brian.  I miss spending time with all of them, but man oh man, is it great when we get together.  And I could just gobble up that little doll.  Congratulations Leslie and Brian.  Your little girl is beautiful!

Charlie's Birthday Party 11.16.14

Harry Potter.  That was the theme of Charlie's party this year and Matt and Julie outdid themselves.  First of all, the decorations were awesome.  Second off all, the cake Julie made was simply perfection!  I mean, I am in awe of this lady!  It was the perfect Quidditch Field!  Then, Matt had set up their very own Quidditch Field out in their backyard so the kids could play a broomless version of the game!  Spectacular!  I was so impressed.  Logan was thrilled to be a part of it.  And Charlie was such a happy birthday boy!!  Thanks for inviting us Charlie and a very happy birthday to you young man!

Playdate 11.11.14

Good friends. On this Veteran's Day, Carolyn invited a few of us and our kids over to spend some time together.  It was cold, but that didn't stop the kids from heading outside to play.  And it gave us mom's a lovely chance to get caught up.  I appreciate this day for so many reasons, just one of which is that I get the opportunity to spend it with people I love.  Happy Veteran's Day everyone.

Bigfoot? 11.3.14

He does exist. In fact, he's been in my house for the past 9 years!!!  Logan...aka...Bigfoot!  Let the issue be put to rest! ;o)

Christmas Eve 12.24.14

This year Christmas Eve was a little bittersweet for me. On one hand, it was awesome being able to spend all day with my folks, Mike, Kim, Jeff, and Shane, and Loganberry; on the other hand, this was the first Christmas Eve in the course of my life that my entire family (aunts, uncles, cousins) didn't get together.  I was so sad to see that tradition that I grew up with go.  But, on the bright side, it allowed my immediate family to have a lot of quality time together and make some great memories. I'll be curious what next Christmas Eve brings.  As it was, we had a lovely day filled with family, gifts, food, love, and laughter.  I couldn't ask for more!