Trampoline

In celebration of a great fall semester and as an early Christmas present, we bought a trampoline for the backyard. We surprised the kids with it when we came home on their last day of school before Christmas break. It was (and continues to be 2 months later!) a big hit. It is a great way for all 3 kids to go out and play together in the backyard. It has also been a fun toy to share with our neighbors and friends.

Christmas 2010!

Here are some pictures from Christmas day. We had a nice day here at our house. Nana was here with us and Mimi, Papa, Uncle Chris and Gigi came in bright and early so that the kids would not have to wait too long to open presents. It was a fun family day. Here are some of my favorite pictures....

Christmas Playathon

The boys both played in Mrs. Gustafson's annual Christmas Playathon at a local mall in early December. Both boys played so well and enjoyed it. Mrs. Gustafson asked them play their songs two times each. After that, she dismissed all the students but invited anyone to stay and continue to play if they wanted to. Both Henry and Owen wanted to stay and both continued to play for another 30 minutes. We ended up shutting the place down and being the last to leave. It was fun to see them really want to play in that setting and enjoy performing. They were both so relaxed. Enjoy the pictures from the evening including Meghan all dolled up in her Christmas duds.

1st Place!

Check out Henry with his 1st place trophy that he earned for soccer this fall. The Vigilantes was a new team in the league this year and included several boys who had never played soccer before. Nonetheless, they managed to win the league which includes several teams of boys that have been playing together for 3 years or more. It was an exciting fall of soccer including several close games however I think we are all ready for a break...... or should i say a change of pace..... basketball starts this weekend.

Owen's Bday Part 3- Are we done yet!?!?

Last, but not least, we spent the evening after the party opening presents, presents and more presents...... Owen got all sorts of cool new things which he was excited about.

Owen's Bday Part 2- Ahoy!

Aaarrrrggghhhhh Me Mateys!! Owen's birthday party was a pirate theme this year. It is amazing that his parents, Stinky Pete and Sweet Marie, managed to pull it off despite some raindrops here and there. The party was filled with pirates including none other than the great Uncle Redbeard (aka Uncle Chris), Merciful Mimi, Merchant Fezziwig (Papa), Henry the Swift and Rough-Sailin' Meghan. All of the attendees received their very own pirate names which Eric (Stinky Pete) delivered during a ceremony..... it was hilarious!! Here are some pictures from the event. He invited the 1st grade from Coram Deo and also our community group friends. The party was on a Thursday right after school.

Owen's Bday Part 1

Owen's birthday fell on a Wednesday this year. We planned his party for the next day (Thursday) after school but we celebrated on his actual birthday with dinner out at Snuffers. Snuffers is a local burger place that serves great cheese fries. For the first time since Owen turned 2, his birthday dinner request did not include pizza! Cheese fries are a close second to pizza.

Here are some pictures from our evening out as a family. We opened a few gifts that had arrived from family while we waited for our order. The waitstaff at Snuffers were jealous of all of Owen's cool new things.