Halloween Pictures

September 2009

Peter started Kindergarten today. He was so excited. He got on the bus with confidence and was pleasantly surprised to see us at school when he arrived. He ran up and gave us a big hug. We told him to go in to his classroom and he started walking. He quickly turned back and said he didn't know which way to go and a nice school staff member wisked him off to his classroom. He came home hot, sweaty and tired saying he had a great time. Tomorrow is his first full day (today was only a half day). His lunch is all made and he asked if we could get up early since his teacher said that tomorrow was going to be a big day. He liked everything, but the highlight for him was playing on the playground and running with the other kids. Ken and I were very proud.

Summer 2009

We were busy everyday and almost never home. Most of the summer was spent at Aunt Amy's pool. Sleepovers with the cousins almost everynight tired Peter and Mary Kate out. My camera was most often home and I'm not sure why. It is something I have to work on. I do have a few pictures...not the highlights, but at least you can see the kids in action.

June 2009 Pre-School Graduation

Peter graduated from pre-K this month. He had a great year and learned so many things. He was friendly and outgoing with the other children and parents throughout the year, but got shy and dramatic during graduation. He looked handsome and will miss Miss Krista and all his friends.

June 2009 T-ball

Peter played his first season of T-ball this year. Ken was the coach. They both did really well and had lots of fun. Ken is hoping to just watch from the sidelines next year. Mary Kate loved socializing with the other kids. Peter was slightly smaller than some of his teammates. One of the pictures is Peter standing next to the biggest kid on the team. Pa and Grandma Phyllis made it to every game so Peter had a big cheering section.

May 2009

Pop Pop died unexpectedly. We miss him so much. I have been truly blessed to have such a great dad and am glad I never took that for granted. As Peter and Mary Kate said the funeral service...."the blessing of Pop Pop." The picture is from our family trip to Florida in December.

April 2009

We had a great April. Mary Kate turned 3 and we had a family party for her at my parents. I forgot the camera so no pictures. Amy took many so I will eventually get them from her. We also visited Bacca's (Mardee's father) farm. The kids loved everything. Bacca gave us a tractor ride around the farm and up the mountain. Here are some picture highlights....

March 2009

March was fun, but we said good bye to Uncle Chuck. Chuck moved to Florida and loves it, but we sure do miss him.

Our Week Off

Bowling with the cousins




















Naptime fort for Peter and Mary Kate only used by the puppies. It is still up 5 days later and the dogs have rested there every day.















Peter and Mary Kate watching their favorite movie, "Monster Squad."
















Snuggle time with Daddy.

Professional Pics from Princess Makeover

Family Nap

Picture says it all!

January Blues

Mary Kate has a croupy cough and cold, but is enjoying her day in her fleece nighty! Cute even dirty and sick!

The Other Children

The puppies have been neglected in the blog so here is a shot of each of them from yesterday.


Max aka Doodle Doo











Allie











Bear

Princess Makeover

Mary Kate was excited for weeks about her princess makeover. When we arrived in Florida, we found out that the minimum age is 3. So we pretended she was three and went forward. Words cannot explain how much Mary Kate and Ken and I loved this. She got to pick out her dress, shoes, wand, crown, hairstyle and makeup. At the end of the day she even had a photo shoot done. We will cherish these pictures forever. Our camera doesn't do it justice....the professional shots are amazing.






How do you get from before to after and is that even possible?

Here is how....

Visits to Disney

Peter and Mary Kate loved the Disney Parks...especially the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom. Our favorite things were Cinderella's Castle, Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear and the Animal Safari. Here are some pictures of our time there.

Cousins Central

The best time for the kids in Florida was all the time they spent with 'the cousins'. All seven were together for part of the time and Peter and Mary Kate couldn't have enjoyed it more. Favorite activities included playing in the hotel hallway, being carried by a cousin, and swimming and eating out as long they could sit next to a cousin. Here are the best cousins in the world.

Catching Up With Old Friends

I was lucky enough to get to see two of my old friends for long overdue visits. First, we stopped in Richmond to rest during our drive and met up with my college friend Kate and her family at the Richmond Marriott. It was so wonderful to see her. She makes me feel young again to just be around her. We spent most of our time managing the seven children between us, but managed to catch up anyway. Once the kids went to bed, you would think that Kate and I would have had a chance to talk more. Unfortunately since it was our first night at a hotel, Peter and Mary Kate had trouble getting to sleep and I fell asleep trying to get them down. We went out for some awesome dollar burgers, enjoyed swimming in the pool and had breakfast together in the morning. It was not enough time, but I cherished every minute. Hopefully we can plan a whole weekend in the Spring! Kate is dedicated to her blog and has her camera out all the time. She is still my role model for this blog and being ready with the camera. I did get better during the trip, but never once took out my camera in Richmond. If you want to see any pictures from the visit, you'll have to visit her blog. It is the first link under my blog list on the right.

While in Orlando, I was able to meet up with my high school buddy Karolyn. Karolyn and her husband Tom just had a baby in November. It was great to see her....she looks the same as high school--only better if that is possible. She is absolutely glowing with motherhood and her little Matthew is just adorable. I got to hold him for awhile. Karolyn lives near Orlando now so I don't get to see her often. I hope to see her again soon!

"Can we talk all about Florida"

This has been Mary Kate's favorite line since we started talking about our holiday vacation with my family. Peter and Mary Kate were very excited. We had Christmas early at home and left for Florida on December 22. We returned home on January 3rd. It was a great time and the kids were wonderful. Here are some shots of Christmas morning at the hotel.

Happy Holidays

As many of you know, we take pride in our Christmas Card photo every year. Our goal is always to get the best shot we can with all the dogs and children. With each year, the photo has gotten more difficult as we have had more children (or adopted another dog). We have had several attempts and have not gotten 'the' photo yet. So...if you are wondering where our Christmas card is, all I can say is don't hold your breath. It may be Valentine's Day before we get them out. Just for kicks, I have included some of the better ones from our recent attempts and those that have made the card in previous years. Hope you enjoy them!




2007
















2006












2005














2004