MySpace Graphics & Free Myspace Layouts
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
*** 2008 Year In Review ***
Only a couple of more days before 2009 is here. I cant believe the holidays are already over!!
Here are some of our highlights from the past year.
January
We started 2008 on a very sick note. Gavin spent some time in the ER and was diagnosed with pneumonia. He missed 2 weeks of school, karate, and Tball. It probably took a good month or so before he was back to his normal self. On the 23rd we celebrated Ken's 34th birthday.
February
Gavin celebrated 100 days of school by making a project out of 100 Skittles. It was fun for both of to make!
Gavin also had his last Tball game of the season and awards ceremony which he was so proud about.
Katelyn tested her limits this month with getting into everything she possibly could to make a mess in the house!!
March
March 3rd Ken and I celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary. :)
Gavin started his season of basketball and was on the Nuggets.
Katelyn officially moved out of her high chair and into a big girl booster chair.
We celebrated Easter at the end of the month and went to our church's Easter Egg Hunt at a local park.
The kids also took their annual mystery trip with my inlaws to Dinosaur World
April
We started out April with Gavin being on Spring Break from school. We stayed at a cute little hotel on the beach for a couple of days. Gavin and Katelyn had so much fun playing at the beach.
We also took the kids to the zoo while we were on Spring Break. Gavin rode a camel and a horse. Katelyn had the time of her life in the bird exhibit where she and I fed some of the colorful birds.
On the 23rd we were very proud of Gavin when he got his Orange Belt in Karate.
May
May brought the end of the basketball season for Gavin. He had a wonderful time playing and was once of the strongest players on the team.
We also went to Adventure Island for the first time this season. Katelyn LOVED the water and tried to keep up with the big kids as much as possible. She did NOT like the water shoes I bought her and kept trying to take them off all day.
On the 27th Gavin had the best night ever when we took him to his first Rays game. We had great seats right on the 3rd base line. We were all very surprised when a foul ball came our way and Ken caught it!! The night got even more special when the game was over and we were able to walk out on the baseball field!!
June
Gavin's last day of kindergarten was on the 4th. He was excited that he was officially a 1st grader!
We also spent alot of time in pools, slip n slide, and sprinklers to deal with the heat of summer. Katelyn loves anytime she has in the water and Gavin finally mastered swimming.
On the 20th I celebrated my 34th birthday! Woo hoo :)
July
Katelyn finally got her very first Big Girl Haircut from Uncle Johnnie. She was such a good girl and sat nicely the whole time.
Love you John!
We also celebrated Gavin's 6th birthday in July. We had friends and family over to have fun in the water slide that we rented. Gavin told me it was his best birthday ever!
We also took our family vacation this month to St Augustine. We all loved it and cant wait to go back!
August
The first week of August we spent at VBS. Katelyn spent her week in the nursery and did very well for the most part! I volunteered to be a group leader and had a blast with the kids in my group - including Gavin!
The 19th was Gavin's first day of 1st Grade. He was so excited. The excitement quickly faded when he found out there was no play time and lots more work. It took him about a month to get used to his new work schedule!!
Katelyn also stared school in August. She goes 2 days a week for 3 hours at a time. She was not very happy about going for a couple of weeks but now LOVES going and cries the days I don't take her!
On the 25th we celebrated Katelyn's 2nd birthday. We had our friends and family over for a Dora themed party. She enjoyed opening her presents and playing with all the kids!!
September
Gavin started back in choir this month. He has practices on Wednesday evenings before Karate.
And on the 14th Gavin attended his very first Bucs game with Ken!! We also have season tickets to the USF Bulls so quite a bit of Saturdays were spent at football games!
October
The first weekend of October we spent at Disney to go to Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. The weather was great the whole time we were there and the kids had a great time in the hotel pool. We had a wonderful time at Disney. Katelyn loved all the rides and even walked most of the park like a big girl!
And of course Halloween. Gavin was the Hulk this year and Katelyn was a Ladybug. We went to the Trunk or Treat at our church and then a couple of houses in our neighborhood.
We were also so very proud of Gavin at the end of the month when he got his Green Belt in Karate! He moved up to the next class level where the kids start to spar!November
We went to Busch Gardens at the beginning of the month and celebrated Danyelle's 14th birthday at the end of the month.
December
December flew by! I was able to go on one of Gavin's field trips this month. His class walked over to the ALF by his school to sing Christmas songs. Very cute little show they put on.
I was also able to spend some time with Katelyn at her school too. I volunteered to help with Christmas party. I spent the whole morning with her. She loved that I was there and showed me around the classroom and to all her friends.
Christmas Eve we watched Gavin sing in the Christmas Eve service at church and then went to my dad's to celebrate the holiday with him.
We had a wonderful Christmas morning at home opening presents. We are all very blessed to have each other. We had lunch at my MIL and then dessert at my moms.
So there you have it. 2008 in a nutshell!
Happy New Year to everyone! Stay safe and talk to you in 2009
Monday, December 29, 2008
My M&M's
Last year for Valentines Day my sister Gina bought her husband personalized M&M's with their names on them. I remember thinking "How cool is that??"
This year for Christmas I was so excited to be able to personalize some M&M's just in time for the holiday.
I simply went to mymms.com and picked out the colors and messages I wanted printed. Very very easy site to navigate and FUN too.
Personalized M&M's are perfect for wedding favors, baby showers, birthdays, graduations, and of course holidays. What a great surprise they would be for Mothers and Fathers day!
With 22 different colors to choose from and your own personalized message the possibilities are endless. You can even upload a picture of your favorite photo to have it printed on your M&M!!
And new this year, MY M& has even teamed up with Martha Stewart for ideas to make personalized gifts even more special. Each of Martha's MY M& personalized gift options provide easy step-by-step instructions.
Visit mymms.com to order some of your own!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! We sure did. Christmas was very exciting this year for the kids and we had a beautiful day spent with family.
Right now my brain is too fried to do much of a Christmas recap post. The day after Christmas is always like a drunken hangover day for me. I got dressed today only because Ken's brother was stopping by.
Gavin has stayed in his pajamas all day long. My house looks like a tornado went thru it. Twice. I think Gavin and Katelyn have opened up every.single.thing. they got for Christmas. And left piles of destruction behind them. I cannot walk from one room to another without stepping over wrapping paper, a new toy, or the many tubs of play do that Katelyn just had to have open.
Oh, and it didn't help matters that I got this for Christmas:
Be still my beating heart. I cannot put it down. I guess that kinda explains my messy house.
So- I'm off to get more of Bella and Edward. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Finally. Done.
I am finally done Christmas shopping as of today. We went up to Target this morning to get Danyelle one last thing and also to get all of the stocking stuffers. So it wasn't even really alot I had to get today. Whew!!
Gavin and Katelyn are more than excited to have Christmas here in a couple of days. Katelyn is absolutely in love with Santa. She loves talking to all of our Santa decorations around the house and greets them one by one whenever she enters the room.
Gavin has been singing Christmas songs all day long for about the past week. I guess it doesn't help with all of the singing decorations that I have that he likes to sing and dance along to. Of course Katelyn gets right in the middle of it too doing her best to sing along to Jingle Bells.
The Christmas spirit is definitely alive in our house. I am going to finish wrapping the rest of the presents tonight after the kids go to bed. And then I plan on taking the next couple of days to relax and enjoy Gavin being home with me on his Christmas break. Because that is what is most important to me right now. Enjoying both of my kids during this beautiful holiday season.
So, if I don't post again until after Christmas- Merry Christmas to all of my wonderful bloggy friends. I have enjoyed this past year with all of you so much. I hope you and your families have a wonderful holiday season!!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
My Fabulous Award
I want to give a big thanks to Stacy over at Stacy's Random Thoughts for passing on this award to me!!
And here are the rules that go along with this award: I have to tell you 5 things I am addicted to and pass it along to 5 other people.
I am addicted to:
1. Diet Coke. The first thing I do in the morning is head straight to the fridge and pop open the ice cold yumminess. I drink about 5 a day and am probably ruining my insides. But I LOVE IT.
2. In Touch and Us Weekly magazines. I have a subscription to both even though they say the same exact things every week. But if I dont know what is going on in the lives of all those celebrities that I will never ever meet I would be in withdrawl.
3. Naps. I take a nap almost every day of the week when Katelyn takes her nap.
4. Entrecard. If you are an Entrecard user I dont even have to explain this.
5. Cheese. It goes on everything.
I am passing this award on to:
Mommying On the Fly
Dianas Daily Ramblings
The Life of a Mom
Mumsy
MommyCracked
Friday, December 19, 2008
10 Right!
I scored higher that I thought!! The only language that I was sure of were Italian and German. The rest of my right answers were very educated guesses!! Take the quiz and see what you score!!
You Can Say "Merry Christmas" in 10 Languages |
 You can say "Merry Christmas" in: English Spanish Arabic German Italian Swedish Portuguese Greek Dutch Esperanto |
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Guess Who?
Guess which 2 year old has been going to pre school since August and and can recognize her name?
Guess who has been looking under the Christmas tree and finding all the ones to her and bringing them to me saying "Dis my present?"
I guess I should be happy that she hasn't figured out to open it yet!!
Fire Safety
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, nearly 47,000 household fires occur during the holidays each year.
47,000? WOW!
Misplaced or dry decorations mixed with fires and candles can lead to injuries, the loss of property, and even to lost lives, a tragedy which most families fail to consider amidst their festive holiday planning.
In preparation for this year's holiday season, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Holly Robinson Peete, actress, philanthropist and mother of four are teaming up to raise awareness and spread simple tips to keep families safe this holiday by encouraging moms to set aside a few moments before the holiday rush to review fire safety precautions and response plans with their family at BeFireSmart.com.
The website www.BeFireSmart.com acts as a resource for parents and educators offering tips for talking with children about fire safety, how to prevent fires and how to create a family escape plan should a fire break out. Games and activities such as a free downloadable coloring book further engage children as they learn how to spot potential fire risks and help to keep their families safe.
You can never be too careful. Please check out their website to keep your home safe this holiday season!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Best Friends
Sometimes the things Katelyn says just blow me away.
This weekend when we got home from my inlaws I was getting Katelyn out of her car seat. Danyelle had just gotten out of the car to go in the house. Katelyn said "Bye Danyelle"
And I said to Katelyn " Do you love your Danyelle?"
Katelyn said "Yes"
I said to her " Is Danyelle your big sister?"
Katelyn said "Yes. Nope- she not my sister?"
I said " Danyelle's not your sister?"
Katelyn responded "Danyelle my best friend!"
I almost fell over right there in the driveway. Is that the cutest thing EVER???
Then she ran in the house yelling " Where my best friend?"
Later in the afternoon the best friends had some snuggle time on the couch with Katelyn falling asleep with her big sister:
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Madagascar ~ Escape 2 Africa ~ Review & GIVEAWAY ~
***This is a Sticky Post- Please scroll down for new posts :) ***
I have to say, when I had the opportunity to review the new Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Video Game I literally jumped at the chance. I knew Gavin would love any new game we got for the Nintendo Wii.
It was an instant hit from the moment we received it. All of the characters we love from the movie are in the game : Alex, Marty, Melman, Gloria, and those Crafty Penguins!
To play, you are the characters from the movie in an action-packed journey to help save the African Savannah. You work your way through 12 different levels of mini-games and adventures that include swimming, driving, racing, playing soccer, safari photography and may other fun-filled things!
Gavin loves playing this game still. It was very easy for him to navigate on his own with barely any help from me. And he absolutely LOVED the characters and spent most of his time laughing along with them.
If you are looking for a great new game for a Christmas present this year I strongly recommend Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa Video Game. It is available for the following gaming systems: PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and the Nintendo DS. If you need more information about this game visit their website here: http://www.madagascarthegame.com/
Win it!
I have 3 sets of Madagascar Dog Tags to give away to 3 lucky people. The set includes tags featuring Melman, Alex, Gloria, and Marty. To enter to win a set, leave a comment on this post with a valid email for me to contact you if you win. This contest will be open until Tuesday December 16th. I will email the winners on the 17th for mailing info. Good luck!
Monday, December 15, 2008
He Made My Night
I really don't think I could love Gavin any more than I already do. Especially tonight.
Gavin was in his room playing this evening while I was on the couch reading a book. After a while he walked into the room and just stood in front of me. I lowered my book and said "Yes?"
He was looking at me funny. Like he wanted to say something to me but was hesitant. He shifted his weight from foot to foot and looked around the room.
I asked him- Gavin, what do you need?
He finally said- Can you stop reading your book so I can sit on your lap for a little while?
I immediately threw the book to the side and gobbled him up in my arms. We had a precious 5 minutes together talking about Christmas next week and his Tball game coming up this Saturday. I loved every single second of it.
I love that he still needs me like that. I hope he always needs me like that. It makes my heart ache to think of the day he can no longer sit on my lap. Ache terribly. Nights like to tonight remind me to treasure every single moment with my kids.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Randomness
It was raining this morning when we woke up. Not raining- POURING , with thunder, lightening, and the wind was blowing so bad I thought we were getting a tornado.
The wind was howling throughout the whole house making Katelyn run around saying " I skeered Mommy, I skeered."
I turned on the news to watch the weather and Gavin says- " Is school cancelled?"
I quickly said- " No school is not cancelled!"
Gavin said " But why not? Its raining so hard!"
And I had to agree with him. It was raining so bad that I was seriously hoping that the news would tell me schools had closed.
All morning Gavin ran from the front door to the back door to check on the rain and wind. By the time we had to leave for school Gavin was telling me he would be the only one there because everyone else stayed home because of the rain.
Now in his defense, I do think this was the first time ever that I have taken him to school while it was raining. It usually rains in the afternoons here in Florida. So even though we are very much used to rain here, its never been storming this bad on the way to school.
And as he is moaning and groaning the whole drive to school, of course I thought about how I was going to blog about it.
But then I thought of the poor poor children who have to go to school in the snow. My god the freezing cold cold snow. And how anyone who is reading this who has snow outside their window is cursing at me right now for complaining about rain. Funny, huh?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
CFBA ~ Book Review ~ Engaging Father Christmas
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Robin grew up in Orange County, California and has lived in all kinds of interesting places, including Reno and Hawai’i.She and her husband currently live near Portland, Oregon and have been married for 30 years. They spent their first 22 years of marriage working together in youth ministry, and enjoying life with their son and daughter who are now both grown.
As a frequent speaker at local and international events, one of Robin’s favorite topics is how God is the Relentless Lover and we are His first love. She delights in telling stories of how God uses fiction to change lives.
Robin is the recipient of the Christy Award, the Mt. Hermon Pacesetter Award, the Sherwood E. Wirt Award and is a Gold Medallion Finalist. She also serves on the Board of Directors for Media Associates International and the Board of Directors for Jerry Jenkins’ Christian Writers’ Guild.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Miranda Carson can't wait to return to England for Christmas and to be with her boyfriend, Ian. She has spent a lifetime yearning for a place to call home, and she's sure Carlton Heath will be it, especially when a hinted-at engagement ring slips into the conversation.But Miranda's high hopes for a jolly Christmas with the small circle of people she has come to love are toppled when Ian's father is hospitalized and the matriarch of the Whitcombe family withholds her blessing from Miranda. Questions run rampant in Miranda's mind about whether she really belongs in this cheery corner of the world. Then, when her true identity threatens all her relationships in unanticipated ways, Miranda is certain all is lost.
And yet...maybe Father Christmas has special gifts in store for her after all.
If you would like to read the first chapter of Engaging Father Christmas, go HERE
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
