Top 11 Moments of 2011

Happy NEW YEAR!!!!
Here are our top 11 moments of last year....
11. Started Life (and so much more)
What a fun (and sometimes exhausting) adventure this blog has been! It has brought much encouragement and I have enjoyed posting our happenings and fun things to do!
Thank you for being a faithful reader!

10. I held my first Volleyball Camp this summer and enjoyed my 4th year coaching this past fall.

9. Sports, sports and more sports! (From the beginning of the year to the end...)

(Daddy's make great coaches!)

8. Mini Disney/Florida trip

7. Reese started K-5!

6. Trip to Minnesota and Mall of America

5. One of my little brothers got married!

4.  Joel and I enjoyed a trip to Germany! (The kids enjoyed a fun stay at Gramma and Pa pa's!)

3. Reese turned 6 on November 20th!

(Celebrating at American Girl Place in Chicago with friends.)

2. Graham turned 2 on July 30th!

We were all ears at this party!! The boy loves Mickey Mouse!

1. We celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary on June 5th!

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341 Days until...

The count-down started Christmas Morning- 341 Days Until Cute Bell leaves Santa and joins us for another fun December!

Her last few appearances before she left....


Traveling to Virginia
(She hung on to the clothes hanging bar the whole time!)

Christmas Cookies

She thought we should make some Christmas cookies. No arguing there!

(Chocolate Snowflake Cookie Recipe coming soon!)

A fun Christmas Craft....

(One for Reese)

(And one for Graham)

Good-Bye Note
The gift and note left before she flew to the North Pole on Christmas morning...

Inside the bag was a stuffed, plush Elf on the shelf look-a-like.

It came with this cute poem:

"I'm not the Elf on the Shelf

that you know.

I do not fly

through the ice and snow.

My job is simply

to stay here and play.

You can touch me and squeeze me

and love me all day."

Thank You Cutie Bell! We sure will miss having you around. See ya in December!

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Wrapping up Christmas

Christmas in Virginia..

My family tradition, with my parents, has always been to read the story of the birth of Jesus before any presents were opened.

My Dad purchased a fun book and nativity set called

"What God wants for Christmas"

The set includes 7 boxes...

A part of the nativity is in each box.

But when you get to box #7, you find out what God really wants for Christmas.

You!!!!

(There's a mirror in the last box, in case you are confused! :) )

Pa pa ends in prayer and then.......

Present time!

(Fun creation made by Mom!)

Joel and I joked what we wanted for Christmas was for our kids to get along....

We got it!!!!

Christmas with my Dad's side has one of my favorite traditions...

"Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday dear Jesus!

Happy Birthday to You!"

And this is how many people were singing that....

I love ALL my family and I feel so blessed we were able to spend time with most of them this Christmas!

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