Our Gingerbread House

Today the kids put together their gingerbread house. I surprised them after lunch with this fun holiday project. They were so excited. As you can see, there were quite a few hands involved in creating our masterpiece. They each helped frost and decorate our little house...although the majority of the candy didn't end up on the house, but rather in their tummy's! We went a little crazy with the green frosting....very festive!

The house came with a cute gingerbread pine tree...but I managed to break that into about 12 pieces while assembling it. The kids were a little mad at me. Like how I "glued" it back together?? Can't even tell! Yeah, right. At least the two gingerbread people survived!

Let It Snow!

My kids were SO excited to wake up this morning and see snow! Jacob, Jenna, and Nicholas couldn't wait to get out in the fluffy stuff. Marissa, on the other hand, is not such a big fan. She cries when she sees the snow. It may be a long winter for her! Here's a picture of Jacob with our first snowman of the season. He has celery stalk arms and nose, russet potato eyes, Max's dog kibble for his mouth, and clementine oranges for his buttons!

Schnicky Is Four!

I cannot believe that my Nicholas is four already! He had a great birthday celebrating with friends and family. Thank you to everyone who made his day such a special one for him. We appreciate the cards and phone calls...they made our birthday boy smile. :)

Nicholas requested a monster truck cake and I had fun making it for him. I even took a hammer to the Matchbox cars to make them look like the trucks had actually smashed them...how fun is that?!? He was quite happy and had fun licking all the frosting off the wheels after he blew out the candles.

When I asked Nicholas who he wanted to celebrate his birthday with he rattled off a very short list of VIP's in his life. At the top of his list was his good friend, Joshua. He and Nicholas are in the turtle room together and have become close buddies. So, we decided to have Joshua over for a sleepover! His big sister, Lauren, is friends with Jenna and came over for the night, too. It was officially a slumber party! The kids had a ton of fun and Nicholas was thrilled. We ate popcorn, watched movies, played monster trucks, and then headed off "to bed". The girls slept in Jenna's room and Nicholas and Joshua set up their sleeping bags in Nicholas' room. How cute are these pictures of them together?! The boys crashed quickly...they were tired from all the fun. But Lauren and Jenna stayed up for awhile acting like girls. They took me back to my sleepover days...the amount of giggling was hilarious. When I went back upstairs to re-tuck them in, I caught them in mid-jump off the bed holding hands...pretty funny!

No explanation really needed....it's just classic Nicholas eating a birthday sundae at Red Robin. Couldn't wait for the waitress to bring a spoon??

We wonder what the next year will bring with our colorful, curious, little Nicholas. Lord knows, the past four years have been an adventure with him. I spend a great deal of time just trying to keep him safe from himself. I'm sure he'll continue to keep us smiling, shrugging, and shaking our heads. I just love that little guy. :)

Fall Into Autumn

I almost missed my opportunity to get pictures of my kids in the leaves this year, but we got these photos just in time...there were still plenty to play in!

Even Mr. Dale (as my kids refer to him) couldn't resist jumping in! Turns out our good friend is a true kid at heart. After raking a HUGE pile of leaves in his front yard, Nicholas spotted it from our front door and was out there in an instant....no shoes, just out the door and headed straight for that pile of leaves. Eventually, everyone was in on the fun! I just love fall.

That's Mr. Dale on the bottom of the leaf pile. My kids just love him. :)

Halloween Fun!

The kids were excited to go and get their pumpkins so we took our annual trip to a family owned farm that we visit every year. From the get-go Nicholas was intent on picking out the perfect one to be his Thomas jack'o lantern. After getting their pumpkins, we enjoyed a little hay ride and a run thru the hay maze! My Mom, Dad and Yia Yia came along with us, too. We all had a great time.

Here is Nicholas with his final pick!

Here Tom is carvin' up the pumpkins with the kids. I love this picture of Jenna helping with her dinosaur pumpkin. She was SO excited that Tom found this apatosaurus design for her! We did four pumpkins: an Elmo for Marissa, an apatosaurus for Jenna, Nicholas' was a Thomas the Tank Engine, and Jacob did a tradtional scary face pumpkin.

The kids couldn't wait to go out trick-or-treating! I was disappointed that I couldn't go along with them for all the fun. Instead, I was home recovering from the swine flu (don't take me there...it was awful). So, Tom headed out with them. While it was a bit chilly, they still managed to come home with gobs of candy...more than they'll ever be allowed to eat. Here they are in their costumes...three cute dinosaurs and a happy frog!

Happily Ever After

On October 4th, my baby sister got married! She was the most beautiful bride that I've ever seen and I was so happy and honored to be there by her side.

Jenna shares a quiet moment with her Aunty before the wedding. She did a great job walking down the aisle. I was so proud of her! We all know that she would have preferred to wear a dino t-shirt, but she didn't complain once about her fancy dress that day. She hated her shoes though and took those off immediately after the ceremony. I do believe that she was spotted wearing pink crocs at the reception....more comfy! She enjoyed the day, but eventually tuckered out and crashed on the couch in the bridesroom. Doesn't she look pretty??

Jacob was a junior usher and took his job very seriously. He was also responsible for handing out wedding programs to guests. Isn't he handsome?? He had a ball at the reception! He danced the whole time with anyone who was willing and able to keep up with him. There are some GREAT pictures of him dancing the night away, but they're the professional pictures that we don't have the copyright to yet so I cannot share them here. Bummer!

To see these and all other 1000 photos from the wedding day, go to http://www.essencepv.com/, click on "Proofs" and type in "Alejandro". Enjoy!

Rick's brothers, Melissa's best friend Karen. I had SO much fun at the reception! What a great day...

Look at this handsome couple! My Mom and Dad now share their wedding anniversary with Melissa and Rick. How cool is that!?

Okay, enough....I'm ready to be an aunt now! :)

Spa Day

Recently we invited the McCarron girls over for a spa day here at our house. This was something that I was really looking forward to. The kids couldn't wait either! We started our evening of pampering with a facial. Everyone got to choose their scrub of choice in preparation for relaxing in the "rest area" of our spa (e.g. my master bathroom). Of course, we moisturized afterwards. The girls were so cute asking me questions about why we need to scrub our faces, etc. They were totally into it.

Next, the girls were escorted (by Nicholas) to the rest area where chilled zucchini (I didn't have cucumbers...and zucchini have more nutrients anyway) were applied to their eyes while they lounged and left all their worries behind them. After all, they were carrying around the stresses of their first week of school. This was a big hit with them and they were absolutely hilarious. Mallory took this seriously and got very concerned if people were talking when they had the zucchini on their eyes....shhh, they were supposed to be relaxing!











The babies were so funny! Brianna was as stiff as a board and stayed still for quite awhile. How funny are these pictures!?!?













Oh, don't worry...the boys were involved too....



....Nicholas was towel boy (and that's exactly what the girls called him all night)....

...and Jacob was in charge of atmosphere. He provided a nice, calming environment by blowing bubbles lightly over the girls as they relaxed.

After our facials and relaxation time, it was time to fill up the foot spa (e.g. my whirlpool bathtub). It was actually better than a real foot spa because they could all sit on the side and soak at once. They loved the rose petals floaties that I put in the bath water. Each one of them got a foot and calf massage with my special sugar scrub. Afterwards, they chose their color and got a fresh coat of nail polish. They were very into the cuticle oil which had dried flowers floating in it. Yep, even Nicholas opted for nail polish, but this is where Jacob drew the line!

Finally, it was time to become beautiful so we pulled out the make-up! Nicholas was ALL OVER this and absolutely enjoyed himself to the fullest extent possible. The girls had tons of fun giving him and each other makeovers.

I'm so mad..I forgot to serve the refreshing strawberry water...oh well, next time. We were so busy with the zucchini. I don't know
who had more fun...the kids or me!

Funny follow up to this day...apparently both Brianna and Marissa have not soon forgotten what happens at the spa in our house. Brianna was recently found smearing Softsoap all over her body in a "spa-like" fashion...and last week when I was chopping zucchini for dinner Marissa picked one up and put it on her eye saying "EYE"! :)

Back To School

I can't believe the kids are back to school! The lazy days of summer have come to an end! They went so fast. Jacob started second grade this year and has Ms. Avery who just adopted a baby and is on a leave until after Christmas (we think). Ms. Smit has taken over the class until she comes back. So far, so good though. Jacob is embracing the new challenges that have been presented to him, including weekly spelling and math tests. He's also very excited to be participating in the accelerated reading program again this year. Basically, he reads books and takes comprehensive quizzes to accumulate points which he then turns in for prizes at the library. To give you an idea of how much he enjoys this program, he took 173 tests last year! It was a rainy first day, but we did the traditional "first day of school" walk to school anyway. Marissa has been excited about all the buzz around her and has really taken to her Elmo backpack. She insists that I pack it with a water bottle and a snack almost every morning.

This is a big year for Jenna. She started all day kindergarten and we were very happy to hear that she has Ms. Louis. It's a LONG day, but she's adjusting quite well. She's definitely tired and has been having some tummy aches, but she's doing a great job. I did find out that she's napping in class and has a specific spot where she likes to rest...the bean bag! She rests/sleeps there every day. She's very excited about her new dinosaur backpack and lunchbox!

Nicholas is in preschool...really!?! How did that happen so fast?!?! He's in the turtle room (of course!) with Ms. Hollenbeck. He's been looking forward to being a turtle for years now and he's thrilled that his moment to shine is finally here. He's already got the schedule down pat, loves carpooling with Ms. Bonnie, and feels like he's such a big boy now that he's in school, too!

Ice Cream

Marissa really enjoyed our latest visit to Oberweis. She loves ice cream, just like her mommy!

Family Vacation

I'd have to say that the highlight of our summer was our family reunion to Three Oaks, Michigan. We had so much fun. The kids were really looking forward to going away for a whole week (so were we!) and it turned out to be everything we hoped it would be...fun and relaxing. We stayed at this great place called Lakeside Cabin Resort. It was a very family friendly place
and our cabin was fantastic!

Here's our cabin! This was home for the week. It had two porches...a little one on the front with two rocking chairs and a huge one off the back. Our neighbors on both sides spend summers there and were very friendly.

This was the best part of all...the loft! The kids absolutely loved this cozy space and claimed it as their own. The ceilings were just tall enough that we were able to set up Marissa's pack-n-play up there, as well. Aunty Melissa and Uncle Rick stayed up there too when they joined us later in the week.




This was our family room/kitchen area.






We did ALOT of fishing..both real and pretend! The resort had a little beach with a dock that the kids could fish from...it was perfect for them.
Tom took Jacob almost every day to throw in his line. I think he asked us (at least) 20 times a day if/when he could go fishing...it was hilarious. He caught quite a few fish over the week!

The resort provided everything we needed to go out for a canoe ride on the lake, including life jackets. Jacob and Jenna went out in their own canoes. Jenna was happy out there on her own until she paddled herself into the spray fountain in the center of the lake. Jacob had to rescue her. She was done after that! The little ones took turns going out with Tommy. Marissa loved it.




I've always wanted to go blueberry picking and it finally happened for the first time on vacation! I was definitely the most excited person in the bunch about this...but it WAS alot of fun and we came home with a ton of yummy blueberries.



Here's Jenna, Anna, Nicholas, and Jacob proudly displaying their harvest. We picked almost four pounds of blueberries!


My Uncle John and Aunt Nancy brought their speed boat up with
them and we were all excited to get it in the water. I've never been tubing before so I was a tad nervous, but Uncle John assured me that he would "be nice"...which he was the first time out...but my second ride was crazy! My family said they could hear me screaming from the shore. What a blast!! The raft was really cool...three people ride together. The end seats are extra bumpy. I almost bounced out of the raft multiple times. Here I am with my cousin Michelle and my Aunt Jan before my first ride.

The kids also rode the raft and Jacob and Jenna loved it. I was AMAZED that Jenna agreed to go out! She tends to be a bit tentative in situations like this but on vacation she was open to trying all kinds of new things!

Marissa and Nicholas preferred the safety of the shore and spent hours on the beach wading in the water and playing in the sand. Aunt Jan gave each child a net to catch fish (or lightning bugs) and Nicholas spent a great amount of time trying to do just that. He never did catch a fish, but he had fun trying.



Beach "Connect Four" anyone????









We also visited some "real" beaches. The kids had fun exploring all the rocks and running from the tide on the shores of Lake Michigan. This beach was near the lake side town of New Buffalo where we did our shopping and went out for ice cream.

I just love these pictures...






This family picture was taken at the Warren Dunes beach where we discovered a new hobby...searching for sea glass! Jacob and I were especially interested and walked up and down the shore looking for our gems. We found lots of blue, white, brown, and green pieces but we weren't lucky enough to find red which is very rare. We came home with over 30 pieces! Tom, Jacob, Jenna, and Nicholas also climbed a 200 foot dune to the top at this beach!



So vacation is a good time to catch up on some extra rest and relaxation, right? This is where we found Nicholas after a returning home from a long day at the beach. He was exhausted and slept standing up like this for 2 1/2 hours! Marissa chose to take a snooze under the shade of Grandma's sunhat.

We had nightly campfires and each family took a turn hosting one at their cabin. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone, tell funny stories, play games, and of course make smores! We even made bananas foster one evening...yummy! The Brezinski's had a great set up...firepit and lake access for fishing! It was great family time.

Anna provided us some great relaxation time. She told us months ahead of time about the spa treatments that she would be offering on vacation. She took "reservations" and had quite the set up...full foot spa complete with massage (with scented lotion of your choice) and nail polish. Of course, every woman on the resort was there but I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that most of the men joined in, too! Here's proof...sorry Michael, don't be mad at me but this is just too funny not to share. And I do believe that cousin Danny opted to get the full treatment complete with a light dusting of glitter powder! My dad got not one, but TWO, pedicures! He was actually in line behind me and hovered around the entire time worried that someone would cut in front of him...too funny!

To cap it all off, a good friend of the family invited us to come have a bon fire on the beach. We continued our search for sea glass, watched a beautiful sunset, and gathered around the fire to stay warm...it got a bit chilly!







The girls...Shannon, Me, Anna, Jill, Lelah, and Michelle.


So, here we all are! I'm so thankful for my family. These are the people that matter the most to me and I'm so blessed to have each and every one of them in my life. We had a great time, lots of laughs, good relaxation, and tons of fun! The only bummer is that the Visco's weren't there with us the whole time (they came up for a day)...but they had a good reason for missing our reunion....


...meet Dillon Michael...the newest addition to our family. Welcome baby Dillon!