It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Yes, it is that time again. Time to put up the tree and hang the stockings and of course shovel, shovel, shovel.

Road Trip

What's a road trip without cheesy Doritos.

*************BEFORE****************

**************AFTER*****************

Notre Dame vs. U of U

OK, so it is FINALLY my turn to get to go to a game, and it just happens we were playing U of U....the place where Matt and I both got our BA degrees. ND was supposed to get killed against the Utes, but it turned out to be exactly the opposite. ND totally crushed the Utes: 28-3. Even though it was raining ALMOST the entire time and we were sopping wet, it was still fun to feel the energy of the fans...especially since the Irish were winning.

The Irish color gaurd.

The Leprachaun during the pre-game parade.

The bag pipe concert before the game.

Oh yeah...this was what it looked like at the end of the game....a massive rush onto the field for some celebration!

Happy Birthday to You

This year was a special year for Brandon. He turned 8, which means a couple of things: 1) most importantly he gets to be baptized and 2) he gets a friend party! (we only do them when they turn 8, 12, and 16). So because his real birthday fell on a weekday, we had a little family celebration with donuts and presents, then had his big birthday bash on the weekend. There is not a lot of fun things to do for your birthday in the winter around here, but he chose have a swimming party at a local hotel. He invited friends from school and church, plus he got an extra special treat because his good friends from Crystal Lake got to come and stay the weekend. It looked like the kids had a great time in the pool and later we played a Phineas and Ferb game and of course opened presents and ate pizza and ice cream cake. As Phineas and Ferb would say, "it was the best day ever!" Happy Birthday, Brando! We Love YOU!!!!!!

American Girl Birthday

This year Caitlyn decided that all she wanted was an American Girl doll for her birthday so we decided to make a fun night of it. We drove to Chicago and went to the American Girl Doll store downtown. There she took her time and finally decided on the doll Julie. She is the doll that is suppose to be from the 1970's. The boys were very glad when we were able to leave and go get ice cream at the Ghirardelli shop just across the street. We had a great time...Happy Birthday Cait! We Love YOU!!!!!!

Brandon didn't want his picture taken...he didn't want any proof that he was in a "GIRL" store. In fact he would call shopping there as complete torture! (so dramatic!)

As you can see Parker had no problem and proudly carries the infamous red bag. :)

Because we had to go to the American Girl store on a different day than her birthday, we still had a little celebration with her favorite donuts on the real day.

These are a couple of presents she got from her grandparents and other family.

Firehouse

This year Parker and I took a field trip to the local fire station. We got to see where the firemen eat and sleep when they are on call, and most importantly we got to see a fire truck up close. The kids weren't too sure about the fireman in his big, scary mask, but it was good for them to get to see what a fireman looks like in case there ever is a real fire.

Good-bye Old Friend

So, after almost 12 years of faithful service (we got this as a wedding gift), I finally had to break down and buy a new one. I could handle the melted knob and scratched lid, they were kinda like battle scars, but when the lid's handle completely popped off, leaving a whole in the top, I knew it was time to retire it. Actually, it really is weird to think that we have been married for so long that everything we got for our wedding is starting to give out, including our griddle, waffle iron, and toaster. Is this a sign we are getting old?

Happy Halloween

Halloween was tricky this year because it fell on a Sunday. But have no fear, a good friend of ours found a neighborhood that was doing trick-or-treating on Saturday, so we dressed up and met some friends and got more than enough candy to last for forever.


Here we have a greek goddess, a dead hippie, and the prince of persia (chosen only for his awesome weaponry).

And of course the dual personality super hero, Batman Robin. Who needs a sidekick when you have yourself right? :)

Last Hurrah!

Here we are at our last ND family tailgate! It was a perfect day and a perfect way to end this season.

Happy Harvest

Can I just say that Parkers field trip to the pumpkin patch was not just cold, it was F-R-E-E-Z-I-N-G! It had been raining all week and we had a major drop in temperatures, but luckily the rain stopped just for that morning. And since the cold weather snuck up on us quite quickly I didn't have time to pull out our heavy winter coats. But with that said, Parker loved every minute of the hayride, picking out the perfect pumpkin, playing on the playground, visiting the petting farm (eew!), and the yummy treats in the greenhouse.

Pretty Ballerina

Observation day came once again at Emma and Cait's ballet studio. Cait was sick on this day, so we just got to see Emma. I love to get to see her as a little ballerina, maybe it brings back memories from my childhood and a little wishful thinking. BUT, Emma doesn't share the love. We had a talk about it the other day and she told me that she ballet was ok, it just wasn't her favorite (trying to let me down easy) and it was kind of like being in school, lots of concentrating. SO, if she had her choice she would rather do horseback riding (that darn love of animals). If it has to be horses I guess it is a good thing we are moving to the south.

My Little Zombies

Since we couldn't go to Grandma's annual Halloween party, she sent a party in a box to us. These crazy glasses were some of our favorites. Thanks Grandma!

Back to Basics

This year we had beautiful fall weather. One Sunday afternoon we decided to get out and enjoy some of it before the inevitable gloominess of winter hit. We went to a beautiful little park with perfect little "hiking" (hiking in quotes because no mountains were involved) trails (not too long) through a forest preserve. It was a great way to spend an hour on the sabbath, because it truly is amazing how beautifully our world was created.

ND vs. Pittsburgh

FINALLY it was Parker's turn to get to go to the game. Every time the other kids got to go he would say, "but mom, I want to go in there (pointing at the stadium)." So he was very excited that it was his turn. And he lasted about 20 minutes until he was ready to go. BUT it is partly my fault because that happened to be a busy Saturday for us, so I didn't get his nap in and believe, he needs his beauty rest. So, he wasn't being bad, he just told Matt he was tired and ready to go home. I think he fell asleep before the car even left the parking lot. But the good news is he has nocomprehension of time, so he thinks it was the greatest game ever and has no ideahe was only there 20 minutes.

Fall Ball

Here is Brandon's last game of the season. He had great coaches this year and his team was undefeated (unofficially, they don't really start keeping score till next year, but all the boys know who wins or loses). I think his favorite position is short stop and he has been getting some pretty good hits. So far baseball is his favorite, but he is eagerly awaiting the age when he gets to play football (you have to be 8 around here). Personally, I hope he sticks with baseball....a little bit easier on the nerves.