Sunday Sledding

After the gym this morning, we decided to take the kids sledding again!  Pat didn't get to enjoy the sledding the other day and we had some time before the kids and I headed to grandma and pop-pop's and Pat headed to work so off to the hill we went!

Today was even better than the other day!  We took our giant inflatable pool raft and it was PERFECT!  The snow was nice and packed, the tracks were there because everyone else had already been sledding and the hill was pretty much empty!!  We had a GREAT time and took a TON of pictures!  I really couldn't pick from all of the ones I liked so I'm posting a slideshow of all of them!

Enjoy!!

A slideshow design by Smilebox

STRIKE!

Today has been a busy day!!

We started off by hosting a playdate with our friends this morning.  The kids had a great time making snacks and playing with the mix of toys while the moms got to chat and sit for a bit!

After our playdate was over we headed out the door!

Nicholas needed a hair cut and we were heading to a birthday party for a little girl in his class who we have known outside of school, too!  We got Nicholas an awesome haircut so that he looked handsome for the party and then we headed over to Rockaway Lanes to celebrate Nicholas' friend B's birthday!

Both kids were generously invited and had an AWESOME time!  This was a first time bowling for both of them and the just loved it!

After bowling we ran a few errands, went to Church and then grabbed dinner- everyone is in bed now and the house is nice and quiet!!

The pictures aren't that great because it hard to get a good shot when their back is to you constantly!!

Sledding

We had a snow day today! YAY!

Unfortunately, today was also Pat's long day at work which means that he's there until 10 at least.  Since I knew that if the kids and I stayed home all day we probably wouldn't survive, I reached out to a few of my playgroup friends and we made a plan.  We all met this afternoon and took the kids sledding and OH MY GOODNESS did the kids have fun!?!?  And they killed a TON of energy!!

After a good 45 minutes in the snow and the cold I took the kids for an early dinner then home for baths and pjs.  Bedtime is only moments away because they are SO tired and I'm ready for bed, too!

All in all a pretty good snow day!

SnowFun 2011

As I said before, we had a snowstorm today.  Nothing too major, but enough to close schools and make staying home a reality.  We stayed inside for most of the day since I had parked myself on the couch and the kids were playing upstairs!  I decided, late this afternoon, that the kids needed to get outside for a bit, and I needed to get off the couch, so we headed out into the snow!!

We suited up and went out into the snowy weather.  I thought it had stopped snowing before we went outside but it hadn't and a lovely soft snow was coming down lightly.  The kids had a ball throwing snow at one another, sliding down the huge piles of snow and just rolling around in the fluffy white stuff!!  It was pretty cold so we didn't stay out too long but just enough time to satisfy their love for snow play and my need to get fresh air and take a bunch of pictures!

We're off to the shore tomorrow to spend the day with good friends and hopefully the kids will have a snow companion and more chances to play outside again! And tire themselves out!!

Life Goes On...With Pizza

The first week of 2011 has been a difficult one for us.  On Tuesday we found out that our August baby was gone.  Our Wednesday I had surgery and I've spent the past few days at home resting and recovering.  Yesterday, I got a phone call in the early afternoon from Nicholas' school saying that he had lost two teeth on the playground and would need to be picked up!  We took him right over to the dentist and luckily, they were baby teeth!!  Today, we're in the midst of a snowstorm and are just enjoying some time at home.

It has been quite a whirlwind week!  

Last night, we decided to have some fun with dinner and we let the kids do make their own pizzas.  They LOVED it!  Pat helped them to stretch the dough, spread the sauce and add tons of cheese.  They waited patiently for their pies to come out of the oven and once they did, the pizzas looked AWESOME!  And they tasted pretty good, too!

Even in the wake of sadness and loss we are seeing that life truly does move forward!  Kids lose teeth, snowstorms occur, and pizzas get made by little hands!  Thank you to everyone who has been so wonderfully supportive and kind over these past few days, we cannot begin to express how much we appreciate your compassion!

New Year's Eve 2010

As I write this it is January 1, 2011.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope that each of you had as wonderful a night as we did!  

Normally, we have friends over or we go to spend the night with friends at their house.  This year, so many of our friends were working tonight or tomorrow and Pat is working both that we ended up canceling out normal party.  We decided that since we didn't really have any concrete plans that we would head to the family restaurant for the evening.  I was a little concerned about the kids being able to make it to the 9pm seating and then staying up but looking back at it now, I really shouldn't have been!

Dinner was delicious and it was so nice to spend the evening with family and good food!  After dinner, the kids started to hit their walls and were just about ready to sleep when their cousins arrived and injected a TON more energy into the evening!  Grandpa turned on the disco ball in the dining room and started up the music and the kids were able to dance and run around and have tons of fun.  Noisemakers and hats were handed out and everyone enjoyed the time until midnight.  We counted down and wished a giant Happy New Year and then piled into our cars and headed home.  The kids and Pat were asleep within minutes leaving me with the drive home to reflect on what a great night it turned out to be!

If our unexpected New Year's Eve is any indication of how great 2011 is shaping up to be, I am wholeheartedly looking forward to the coming year!

We hope that 2010 finished on a wonderful high note for you and that 2011 has already set the bar even higher!  Wishing you a very Happy and Blessed New Year 2011, from our family to yours!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!