Christmas morning

The squeal of delight, the magic in the air, giggles of joy...Santa came! Christmas morning is one that I'm sure every parent treasures as much as myself. I love it. At 7:30 the kids woke up and hurried in our room. "He came, Santa came" We sent them around to wake up the grandparents, before we started our morning. Just moments later we were all gathered around the tree, in awe of all the presents and full stockings. Avery was just a bit overwhelmed and wouldn't leave Jeff's side. But Z&E dumped out their stocking immediately and anxiously awaited the gifts. I played Santa's elf this year and handed out the gifts out to everyone.2 1/2 hours later we were finally done with the opening. Avery's favorite gift was her American Doll and doll house. She plays "make believe" all day. "Lucy ( her doll) has freckles, blue eyes and honey colored hair, just like Avery. Zachary loved his motorcycle jacket and electric guitar.He wants to be a rock star.Ellie loved her Nintendo ds, hands down, her favorite gift.The kids also got a keyboard, which all 3 love and are starting to play beautiful music. I'm hoping to get Ellie in lessons in January.The rest of us grown-up's also had a nice Christmas. My favorite part was having our parents in town and seeing my happy kids play together. They are my joy! The magic of the season never fades.

Christmas Eve

It's tradition to go out to dinner on Christmas Eve in my family. Since it's my birthday, we usually do our "big Christmas dinner" on Christmas night rather than the Eve. Gigi & I started off the day doing the usual last minute Christmas shopping. I love shopping even on Christmas Eve. So, this is fun for me. Later, we went to Olive Garden for dinner. We discovered last year Omaha doesn't have many restaurants open for Christmas Eve. But, with 9 of us together, Olive Garden suits our needs just fine. Thanks to Gigi & Papa and Grandma & Grandpa for the night on the town. I had a wonderful birthday celebration. A big thank you to Jeff for my favorite perfume EVER- Quelques Fleurs ( sold at Nordstrom exclusively so, he ordered it.) and the new printer I have had my eye on. My parents & Jeff's parents spoiled me this birthday with gifts. I am a lucky girl, thank you so much. I am thankful for my life, my family, and my 40 years!

A birthday celebration

Just the way I like it. To me, the very best way to celebrate my birthday is a night with Jeff & friends, going out to eat, a little shopping, and ending the night with dessert & games.

Last Friday our good friends Mia, Kimberly & Wendi planned the perfect celebration. We ate Kobe Steakhouse.

Followed up with some shopping at Borsheimes and on to Bischoffs house for gifts and dessert. Mia made a delicious peppermint brownie with "snowballs". Yum! Everything Mia does is to perfection!

The gals were so very generous, and gave me 2 awesome gifts, a lazy susan (perfect for the taco fixin's) and the amazing apple peeler. I was thrilled and surprised...I had mentioned wanting both items before. We played "apples to apples" and laughed our way through the night. This was a biggie for me...the big 4*0! Thanks gals for making my birthday so special (with no embarrassing entourage of singing waiters or silly hats.) Thanks for the fun times, the gifts, the celebration and most importantly, your friendship!

Underneath his gruff exterior

lies a little boy who loves his "baby" sister. Our pediatrician was concerned about Avery's lungs so she sent us over to the hospital for a chest xray to rule out pneumonia. It turns out she is clear of pneumonia but she does have bronchiolitis and is having nebulizor breathing treatments. Tonight the whole family went to tuck Avery in bed. Imagine the scene.. all 5 of us gathered on her twin bed while she endured her first breathing treatment with the nebulizor machine. She is sitting on bed with a mask covering her nose & mouth, breathing in the medicine. Zachary was so concerned for her. He quickly asked for his blanket. Normal thing for him to do. What is not normal, was his next move. He reached over and handed his blanket to Avery. Then softly held her hair out of her face and away from the mask. How gentle and loving of him. You may or may not know the meaning of his "kiki". It stands for comfort. It stands for home. It brings him a sense of security and escape from the world around him. But, this night without a second to waste he handed it over to his sister. The very one he pretends to not care about. I beg to differ. Actions speak louder than words. And, tonight I saw a little boy who loves his baby sister. Zachary, thank you for your sensitive heart.

'tis the season to give

Ellie has a student teacher this year who has had a profound impact on her 3rd grade experience. Mrs. Eikemeyer won Ellie over the first day of school and has only become closer to her each day. She is extra sensitive to Ellie's needs and seems to go the extra mile for her. Everyday as the children are walking out the doors at the end of the day, I spy Mrs. Eikmeyer holding Ellie's hand as they approach the loop. Ellie loves this, she loves the attention and the feeling of security. I love that Ellie feels so content. Mrs. Eikmeyer's last day at Fireridge is December 19th. Mrs. Goolsby, her reg teacher is planning on a surprise gift and party for Mrs. Eikemyer. We, as parents were asked to donate one dollar. Ellie announced to us that she wanted to clean out her piggy bank and give all her dollars to the gift. And, that is exactly what she did. Right before school the next morning, Ellie ran upstairs and cleaned out her piggy bank. She loves Mrs Eikmeyer and can't see a better reason to spend her money than on making someone special feel happy. What a sweet girl, Ellie Bellie. She surly loves to give. It might be a picture she made for Avery or sharing her candy with Zachary. We love you,Ellie and are proud of your example to give.

you're invited to share our "teddy bear breakfast" memories

Wednesday was Avery's birthday and her party. We invited 6 kids over to celebrate her birthday with a "teddy bear breakfast." Each child came over at 9:30 am for breakfast, dressed in jammies and with their favorite teddy bear. Our party started out with pancakes topped with sprinkles. We played with toys in the basement for a while, before moving on to organized games. The kids especially loved the relay races which included hopping to the finish line with their teddy bear in tow. We did a craft. I made teddy bear paper dolls. The kids each decorated and dressed their own paper teddy bear. It was fun to pick out the different outfits. My favorite comment came from Luke... "this outfit does not match, Ms Laurie." We had cupcakes. Put on our party hats. I had made each kiddo and their teddy bear a visor to wear. It was silly and fun trying to get our animals to keep the hats on. ha. Avery is not keen on the idea of everyone singing Happy birthday to her, however the children broke out in song anyway. We compromised by saying we would not look at her during the "Happy Birthday" song. I guess she doesn't revel in the attention. Of course, we opened presents and Avery is a very gracious hostess. She politely thanked everyone and is enjoying all the wonderful gifts her friends brought. We finished off the party with a pinata. Avery has talked about having a pinata for a whole year now, so we knew it wouldn't be a party without her pinata. The kids went home with some candy, their visors (party hats) a little teddy bear and teddy grahams. I love birthday parties for 4 year old, these kids are easy to please. Simple and inexpensive. Looking around the room I saw 6 sweet children all giggling together, and enjoying their time. Thank you to all her friends who came to celebrate with Avery. She had a great birthday party.

Look who turned 4 today

Avery Hope is the birthday girl.

Avery is a special little one. She brings joy and love to our lives. She is peaceful and content. Infact, when she was only a few weeks old we quickly noticed that she brought a feeling of peace to our home. Amidst the chaos and stress at the time came a precious, quiet, and content baby. We have said many times that every bit as much as the twins are miracles; she is a true blessing! She blesses our lives in many ways and enriches each and everyday. Avery is calm, happy, and she lights up a room with her giggle. Avery is thoughtful and gracious. I can honestly say she shares her toys better than any other preschooler I know. Avery is obedient and polite. She is social and gregarious. Avery makes friends easily and is often found surrounded by many. I love the freckles on her face, her expressions, and the way she wrinkles her nose. She is unique. Truly, a gift sent from Heaven. Avery is one sweet little "peach pie!" Stayed tune for more details of our day including pictures from her Birthday party.

"Ice, Ice Baby"

Good morning from Omaha! Our little corner of the world is covered with ice. A thin but solid sheet of ice covering everything in sight. This tree may look pretty but it's what lurks underneath the beauty...freezing rain, that doesn't appeal to me. Snow, sleet, & freezing rain are not my thing! Today is the start of December, brace yourself, hold on tight, here it comes... Hoping for all to stay warm, dry and safe this winter.

Happy Birthday Gigi!

Today is a special day, it's my mom's birthday. I wish we were there so we could celebrate in style. We did have the chance to sing and open presents last week when we were all together, but it just doesn't feel the same. Mom, I hope you have a wonderful year. One that is filled with many rich blessings and special wishes. We love you.

I love Gigi for many reasons and these are just a few:

She is my best friend, one I want to talk to each and every day and several times in between.

Gigi loves to play with the kids. And I mean "down on the floor" kind of playing. Make believe, princess play, games, reading, going to the park, watching kids videos, making cookies, riding bikes around the block.

She is patient and tolerant.

She is always on our side. We can count on her to support us in all of our endeavours.

She is interested in the little things, simple details of our life.

I can call her with very important news or just the boring details of my day and she will listen intently as if it's all the same to her.

She is stylish, and loves to decorate. I wish I had the same sense of fashion.

She is always willing to help and offer service to us, many times at her expense.
She loves us all. Unconditionally.

Thank you, mom.

Thanksgiving!

This is what it's all about. The perfect Thanksgiving weekend. We spent a wonderful weekend with our family. My parents and my brother came in town to celebrate together. We spent our days playing games, watching movies, chatting, laughing, computer fixing (thanks again, Robby) shopping, eating, eating, and more eating. As I reflect on our many blessings at this time of the year, I would say being together with my family tops my list. Thank you to mom, dad, Robby for making the trek to Omaha. We sure loved having you fill our home with love and laughter and memories to last a lifetime.

It's always hard for my kids to say goodbye! Saying goodbye to Uncle Robby was no exception. But until next time, they have lots of fun memories to hold on to.

From New York to Omaha

Oops...keep your eye on the ball, Avery

Uncle Robby flew in today for a Thanksgiving visit. We are so excited to see him and have him all to ourselves. In Denver, when Rob visits he usually books so many" play dates" our time with him is limited. Here in Omaha he is stuck with us...the whole crazy bunch. Uncle Robby brought a little bit of New York with him and gave us all a few gifts.

"Rock your socks off"

Ellie and friends before the show started.

Daddy and Avery after the show. Someone looks happy to be in daddy's arms.

Last night was Zachary and Ellie's 3rd grade concert. What a special treat for us. They performed in the High School Auditorium and each child was dressed up in 50's attire. Ellie's class performed the song "Jail House Rock", while Zachary's class was spotlighted on the song "Rock Around the Clock Tonight". The kids were very nervous beforehand, infact Ellie begged us to let her back out of the show. Zachary mentioned having "stage fright" at least a dozen times. For several hours prior to the show I heard a steady stream of comments like this, "Please, don't make me go." and, " I can't remember my dance moves" But, lo and behold we were able to coax both kids into performing. And they were fantastic! We were so proud of them. What super STARS! Ellie knew her dance well and really shined on stage. She did a couples dance, and her partner was...a boy." EEK". She secretly loved that part. Zachary had a special chance to "Rock out" while playing the guitar during his song. He really showed us who is boss up there on stage. "Bust a Move, Zach"! Who said he was nervous....it appears he loved the attention. Like I said before, we are really proud of both of them. After, the concert we celebrated the fine performance at Dairy Queen with the Enlow family. This was a special night to remember and one for the twins to discover the power of accomplishment. They did it!

Hit play to see Zach's guitar action-Live!

Fall into Fun

What do you do when your kids are bored and have already watched a solid hour of t.v. ..We run outside and play in the leaves. At 5:00 tonight,without a moment to waste the kids and I raced each other outside and began "Operation Leaf Pile" (a very professional sounding code word) We quickly attempted to rake up the leaves into a huge pile. Ellie used a rake, Zachary used a shovel (don't ask) and Avery used a tiny bucket to scoop. Needless, to say we were not very effective but we sure had fun. Jumping in and then throwing the leaves at each other...oh what fun it is! I was able to catch a few moments on camera. I couldn't let this opportunity slip, however it did put a damper on Zach's mood ( still not a fan of the camera) so, only a couple- I promised him.

A perfect day at Vala's pumpkin patch.

We ate...hot dogs

We ate...roasted marshmallows We ate...s'mores We played... on antique tractors and equipment

We played...with the "mini village" We played...in the sand.

We played... with the apple launcher. Just for the record Avery's apple hit the farthest target. We rode...on the go-carts


And, together on the "family cart"

And down the slide..together
Our family enjoyed a beautiful fall day at Vala's. After postponing the first date due to rain I was concerned about the weather. No need to worry- it was 60 degrees and the sun was shining bright. We reserved a fire pit, and roasted hotdogs for dinner and smores for desert. The Enlows, Fentons and the Williams families joined us. We missed you- Bischoffs. Vala's is huge! Infact, calling it a mere "pumpkin patch" hardly does it justice. There is a full day of activities in store for you at Vala's. A few of our favs are: the go carts, apple launcher, giant tube slide, petting zoo, and huge jumping "pillow" (basically inflatable trampoline to hold 40 kids at a time) Did I mention the kettle corn? It's a delicious combination of sweet and salty. We wrapped up the evening at the pig races. Each race they would call a volunteer from the audience to come to the front and vote for their favorite pig. Ellie desperately wanted to get the nod. No Luck. Maybe next year.