Lots of laughs and fun memories made today. It was our niece’s first Xmas, which made it even more special.
Shecklet #4 received pink “sheeters” just like Nana. Her big sister also received a purple pair. Papa had to work hard to get the lenses out of the frames! The girls had a lot of fun helping everyone else open their gifts. And the boys waited very patiently as we took turns pulling surprises out of our gift bags.
Uncle Tony and Auntie Kristin invited Shecklet #1 over to spend the night at their house as part of his birthday present. From the looks of the photos that Kristin sent, he had an awesome time! They took him to Toys R Us where he selected a LEGO set, they played at the park, took Teddy (their dog) for a walk as well as played with him, made homemade pizza, and got to open an enormous art kit present from Kristin’s mom. (She is always so sweet to think of my kids!)
My brother and sister-in-law recently shared the exciting news that they are having a baby! The new addition is slated to arrive in late July. They had an ultrasound this week and found out if it is a girl or boy. Keeping us in suspense a few days, they made a special trip to our house this afternoon to share cupcakes with us. Topped with yellow frosting, we had to bite in to the middle to discover whether the filling was pink or blue. Shecklet #2 was the first to make the discovery – PINK! Shortly after Shecklet #2 reported what he found, Shecklet #3 piped in and said, “I hope mine is pink too!” Lucky for her, it was 🙂
Christmas at my parents’ house was lovely…tasty food, fun with family, laughter and surprises…
…until about 8:30, when we discovered that our dog, Cooper, was not feeling well. We quickly discovered that he had found a stash of chocolate somewhere in the house…enough to fill this tin:
After speaking with the after-hours emergency vet, we decided that we needed to bring him in. Since we had only driven one car to my parents’ house, my dad offered to take Cooper and me to the vet so Jake and the kids could stay and finish desert.
I’ll spare the details, but suffice it to say, we left two hours later with a dog with an empty stomach who, though he was shaking due to the caffeine in the chocolate, was going to be ok. Christmas 2014…one for the memory books!
After Shecklet #2 lost his tooth, we loaded up into the suburban and headed for Grandma & Grandpa’s house. We gathered early this year since Jason and Bri were in town from out west. Great Grandma Lois and Papa Dale also joined us for the evening’s festivities. (Unfortunately, Stacie couldn’t make it home to be with us.) We had a delicious ham dinner with tasty side dishes and wine – just the adults 😉 After dining, we gathered in the family room to open presents. This year, Shecklet #4 had a much better idea as to what was going on. She was more than willing to help everyone with their gift opening! Once the kids had a chance to check out/play with their new things, we had desert – peppermint ice cream pie – delish!
Shecklet #3’s birthday party took place a few days after her “official” birthday. She requested a tornado cake and wanted to go bowling (like her older brothers had done.) She had also been asking for a Barbie house for quite some time. Jake and I talked and thought it would be a fun surprise to pass along the house that my parents gave to me when I was a little girl – complete with furniture & accessories. (My were kind enough to dig it out, dust it off and decorate it for the big surprise.) The look on her face when we presented her with the house was absolutely priceless. She gave me a huge hug, which was the sweetest response I could have asked for. It brought a smile to not only me, but my parents as well. I am sure she has hours of make-believe play time in store!
Many moons ago, (enough to total 40 years,) two twenty-somethings started their life together as husband and wife. Together, they made a wonderful, loving home in which they raised their two children.
Today, 40 years later, their family has grow five-fold.
Mom & Dad – today we celebrate the commitment you made to one another back on September 7, 1974, and have lived out every day since then. Thank you for saying “I Do!”
We love you!
My parents have had a little project going on this summer. That seems to be a theme in their lives the last several years. When they take something on, they’re all in. Their latest project is no different. They took down the deck on the back of their house earlier in the summer and have been working on the rebuild during almost every “free” moment in their schedules. My dad has put in countless hours measuring, cutting, lifting, leveling, and nailing while my mom has been a staining maniac. Together, they make quite the team. Jake and Tony have also pitched in to help, which I know has also been a huge help.
The reason I mention all of this is because my dad’s birthday was August 12th, but we just celebrated together, today. We all gathered together for dinner on Labor Day and my mom figured today was as good of a day as any to pull out the cake she had frozen along with ice cream. My dad loves German Chocolate, so the kids loaded on the candles and we sang “Happy Birthday” to the man we love to call Dad/Papa.
Growing up, it always felt like I had two grandmas on my dad’s side. My Grandma Fran was a twin, which made us the recipients of double the love, homemade bread, and prayers.
We were able to make a trip up to see my Great Aunt Helen (and introduce her to Shecklet #4) today. Jake and I got to spend almost 2 hours with her, listening to stories about the early years of her marriage and motherhood. Meanwhile, my dad’s cousins, Mary & Helen, were kind enough to keep the Shecklets entertained – such a gift!
After visiting Auntie Helen, we called and left a message for my Aunt Ann and Uncle Gene to see if they wanted to meet us for dinner. After attempting to decode the message we left, (apparently the background noise of the wind made the message nearly impossible to understand) my uncle called back and invited us to their house for dinner. We had a great time catching up and eating together as a family!
I am so thankful for this day and the memories we made!
Easter morning came early for us this year. In order to make it to mass on time (7:30 am) with all six of us dressed in our Easter finery, my alarm went off just a tad before 5:30 am. I longed to hit the snooze button just one more time (I had already pressed it 4 times) but I manged to get myself out of bed to start the day. The kids were wonderfully chipper and got ready without incident. If there’s one perk to attending the “early” mass on Easter, it’s being able to arrive at the church 10 minutes prior to mass beginning and still get a front row pew. And we had all the space we needed, which comes in handy now that Shecklet #4 is a wiggler/mover.
After mass, the kids searched for their Easter baskets and were treated to some new duds, flip-flops, gum, Holy Heroes cd’s and a few chalk activities for the driveway.
A little while later, we packed up and headed to Jake’s grandparents’ house to have brunch with family and friends. The weather was gorgeous – we couldn’t have asked for a nicer day.
Once we returned home, we let the older kids break out the sidewalk chalk paint. (We have yet to bust open the new box of chalk. I don’t know who is more excited – me or the kids!)
I was hoping to snap a few more photos today, but instead chose to just enjoy the moment and conversations taking place around me. I did capture a few pictures of relatives we don’t get to see very often as well as one of Lincoln with Uncle Mark. They were sporting similar hair styles 🙂
