HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We would like to wish everyone a very happy new year. I hope 2009 brings you everything your heart desires. I am looking forward to many things in the upcoming year. My brother and sister in-law are expecting a little girl in a few weeks, I am waiting for God to bring me another sweet angel, and watching Abby grow more and more everyday! (I am also hoping Mr. Right will make an appearance in 2009!...lol) I have a truly amazing family and awesome friends to be thankful for. So, from my family to yours....Happy New Year!!

Perfect Christmas!

Well, the hustle and bustle of Christmas has come to an end. I am ready for the holiday season to be over but I am kind of sad at the same time. Abby and Brianna were so much fun this year. Abby is finally at an age where she 'gets it'. Although I have to say "playing Santa" is going to get harder and harder. I keep catching myself saying things that are not going to work as Abby gets older. She is going to figure me out if I'm not careful...lol Anyway, Christmas was a lot of fun. We made cookies and read Christmas stories to the girls on Christmas Eve. The girls left cookies and milk for Santa and carrots and oats for the reindeer.





Then, it was present time in the morning. We did much better this year. Last year, Santa brought so many gifts, that Abby actually asked if she could please stop unwrapping gifts....lol This year, I went for quality over quantity. It worked out so much better. The girls loved everything they got. It helps that they can actually ask for things specifically too.





Even Bailey got some treats!


In the afternnon we went to my mom's house for a yummy dinner! We had prime rib, baked potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and asparagus. It was delicious!! It was a lot of fun hanging out with my family. Aunt Jan and Uncle Brian bought the girls some dress up dresses. They were a huge hit! Even Tavish loved them...lol

This last weekend Tiff and I took the girls (and Katherine and William too!) to the Wildlife Experience Museum for some Holiday Fun. The museum had a special Christmas celebration with decorations, lights, crafts, real reindeer (yes, I said real reindeer!) and the big man himself...SANTA!! We had a great time. It was freeaing cold but well worth it. The lights were beautiful and the activities were fun. They had a little village set up with elves and all. Then they got to sit on Santa's lap. Of course Abby told him she still wanted a Barbie Diamond Castle. I sure hope Santa remembers....wink, wink!

Happy 1st Birthday Charlotte!!

Today is Charlotte's (aka Annabelle) 1st birthday. We are very excited that today is her birthday! She is a very special little girl. She is very blessed to have so many people that love her. The girls made her a little video, after 47 takes, we finally have just the perfect one!


Happy Birthday Charlotte! We miss you so much our hearts ache! But we are very happy you are with such a great family!!

A fun day with Papa Bear!

Abby and I had a great day with my dad (aka Papa Bear) today. I subbed in 1st grade this morning. It could not have been any easier. I worked from 8:00-11:00. Which by itself is cake, but then the kids had book buddies for a half an hour and library time for another half an hour. So, the only teaching I actually did was handwriting and their spelling test. Talk about easy money!! So, after I worked, I went and picked up Abby from home. We went out to my dad's house to get him and then we went to the Butterfly Pavillion or as Abby says "The Butterfly Million". We had a great time. Abby is finally getting to an age where she is actually interested in things and asked questions. She even held Rosie the tarantula. When ever I am off-track, we always have a date with Papa Bear. It's always fun!!

Tavish turns 2 and the girls see Santa!

Well, Tavish (my nephew for those of you who do not know who he is...) turned 2 on December 1st. We had his birthday party last night. We had a great time. He got the best toys. He got a trimmer from his Uncle Matt and Aunt Lisa and LOVED it! It is all he wanted to do all night long. It was really cute. It was really nice getting together with family to celebrate his birthday!




We also went to see Santa yesterday. The girls we not afraid of him at all. They both just walked up to him and sat on their laps. Abby told him that she wanted a Diamond Barbie Castle and Brianna said she wants a pink dinosaur?? After wards, I told Abby that Santa is always wactching her and he saw the fit she threw in the morning. And Santa said "you threw another fit??" It was great!! So, Abby confessed to him and told him that she threw a fit because she didn't like the shoes I made her wear. It was so funny. Good memories!!

My new discovery!

Check out my new slide show! I was browsing other 2nd grade teacher blogs last night and came across this site that lets you make slides. It is so much fun. You can either just watch it from my blog or you can click on preview and watch a bigger version. If you put the cursor over each picture, as it scrolls by, it will stop the picture and give you a caption. So much fun! I love this whole blog thing!!

Putting up the tree...

Well, we decided to take out all the decorations and put up the Christmas tree today. Since it snowed last night, we figured it would be the perfect day. Usually, when we decorate, it is me asking Tiff, "where do you want this?" She is the decorator, I just do not have an eye for it. No rhyme or reason with me! LOL Anyway, we finally got it done and it looks great. The girls were really into it this year. We let them help with the ornaments....you will notice all the ornaments on the bottom of the tree! :) I am so excited it is finally Christmas time. It is without a doubt my favorite time of year.









Ok, well now we are going to watch "Elf" the movie. If you have never seen it, you should!!

Thanksgiving fun!

Well, Thanksgiving was a lot of fun. Tiff and I cooked and my dad and her mom came over. It was a very relaxing day. The girls had a great time too. Papa Bear chased Abby around the house and she laughed and laughed! That is the best holiday sound!!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Tiff and I made the stupid decision to get up at 5:00 am and head to Walmart. They had the Leapster on sale for $30 which is a $20 dollar discount. Sounds like a good reason to fight the crowds right? WRONG! I will never do that again. I thought the day after Thanksgiving madness only happened in NYC or the movies. Well, I was wrong, it happens is suburban Aurora too. I could not believe the amount of people who were there. So, we finally find a parking spot and make it into the store, push our way over to the toy section and what do you know? The ONE thing I went for is completely sold out! We were there 15 minutes after the store opened and it was already gone. I was so MAD! Not only do I not do well with crowds but I don't do well with mornings and it was 5:00 am and the Leapster was gone. So, we figured since we were already there we might as well shop. We found a couple of things but left with such disappointment. The only good thing is that we were close to Gap and Gymboree and they were having a great sale. What a horrible morning! In case you were ever thinking about going out on Black Friday at 5:00 am, I would highly suggest you don't!

Anyway, we are going to put up our Christmas decorations today and it snowed last night. What a perfect time to get into the holiday mood. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Dancing with the REAL stars!

Life is good!

What else do a couple of girls need in life? They have their cheetos, their blankies, they are watching Go Diego Go, they are wearing their favorite nightgowns, and they have each other! Life is good!




Gymnastics

Abby and Brianna are going to gymnastics on Saturdays and are having a ball!

Christmas Time is almost here!

I LOVE this time of year. The lights, the weather, the shopping, the friends, the shopping, the family, the music, the parties, the shopping, etc. There is nothing I don't love about this season. I took Abby to get her pictures taken for Christmas and if I do say so myself, she is pretty darn cute!!

Sick, Sick, Sick!

Well, I can officially tell you that I am sick of being sick! Not only was I sick all last week, but now Abby has a cold as well. Poor baby sounds so congested and she keeps saying "my nose hurts!". It breaks my heart to watch her lay around being sick.

I had my first parent/teacher conference this week. It's nice to be the parent for once and not the teacher. Abby is doing great in preschool. Her teacher said she can be stubborn at times however. I was shocked! Not my daughter! That teacher is off her rocker! *wink* *wink* Overall, she is doing quite well. :)

I am counting the days until I track off! I have 7 school days left and then I am off from November 25th to January 5th. Does that rock or what?? I love being a teacher! (Not only for the days off either! )

Hope all is well with everyone.

I am loving this new site. I have put together a little slide show for your enjoyment! Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Thank you Salina for the cute site! I think I love it!!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Halloween Fun!

We had such a great Halloween this year. Abby is finally getting older and understands the concept of trick-or-treating. We had a blast. We carved a pumpkin the night before. Abby loved it but Brianna thought it was yucky. Halloween night we had a little party. We had friends and family come over for a pot luck and trick-or-treating. The weather was beautiful too.