Happy Birthday Naomi

It's someones birthday!! Cousin Naomi!

I can't believe she's 4! (I can't believe Anne Marie is not far behind). My sister called me a couple months ago & asked for help with Naomi's birthday this year. We decided it would be cute to do a "winter wonderland" birthday. I was in "charge" of making cupcakes (w/ chocolate snowflakes) & made the girls little wraps to wear - so they could be snow princesses & coming up with some game ideas. It turned out to be a really cute party & the girls had a ton of fun!

All the girls......

The cupcakes

Happy Birthday

Y-U-M!

The little wraps I made the girls (and the hat in the left was for Naomi too)

Naomi got a new pair of earrings & a princess jewelry box from her mommy

Pin-the-nose-on-the-snowman

Instead of "hot potato" they played "cold-snowball" w/ a balloon

Then, they each made their own snowflakes

Happy Birthday Naomi -- we hope you had a WONDERFUL day!! We Love you !!

Someone's Birthday is Coming!!

Someones cousin is having a birthday this weekend!!! Yeah!! Anne Marie is excited .. and we're making the cupcakes for her party!!! More pictures to come after the party on Saturday!!

Down Time

I know I've mentioned the amount of snow we've had around here. And over the last month, that has meant quite a few "snow days" for us. Well, other than sewing, we've found a new way to spend some quality-at-home-time as a family.......GAMES! Anne Marie got her first few games this Christmas. She got Candy-Land - and a hand-me-down game from my niece - Mickey Mouse Yahtzee. Well, then Mike introduced her to one of "his games". He's had a video game (PlayStay*ion) for years! Well, during one of the snow days he decided to break out his guitar-hero-game -- and OH WHAT FUN this little girl had with it!! Daddy helps w/ the colored buttons & she "strums" along. She's done quite well in the little bit of time she's been playing! So funny! She's actually (along with daddy hitting the notes) made it through almost one whole song - 98%!

Mickey Mouse Yahtzee

Candy Land fun w/ Grandma & Grandpa & Daddy!

What Have We (or I) Been Up To?

Wow! What a busy start to our new year!! 1st off -- the snow (from the 30 inch snow storm) is still on the ground. Until this week we've not seen temp's over the lower 30's -- and it's iced/snowed again since. WhoooHoooo...Friday was over 50!!!

I'm also back to work @ the Bakery with my friend while Anne Marie is in pre-school & we're back to babysitting our friend Mattie again!

Not that all those things aren't enough to keep us being adding them to our "normal life", but a really good friend of mine (who has since left the area) and I came up with a fun way to keep in touch with each other! We were the "crafty-moms". We loved to get together and get the girls together to do crafts. Well, since that is hard now that she's over 3 hours away, we've started a new pact w/ each other.....we're hand-making all our gifts this year! We're sewing, knitting, gluing, stamping, making jewellery & home-made food items. We're sending each other pictures and directions so that we can share ideas & feel like we're "with each other" as we're crafting. Well, I won't even tell you how busy I've been!! I've made 3 Christmas presents for Anne Maire, a Birthday gift for my mom, as well as a few other gifts for people down the road. I thought I'd share just a couple things I've done...so you know I'm telling the truth. (Haaaa) But I obviously can't show everything...we need to keep things secret ya know!!

A little swing-dress for Anne Marie & a matching dress for her China baby-doll "Ling".

A fleece hat & mittens (which I also made for my niece for her birthday)

A "fur" wrap for Anne Marie and her cousin Naomi to wear to Naomi's "Winter-Wonderland-Princess" theme birthday party!

So, I promise that I'll try to keep up with the blog more -- but you might have to endure a few more "crafting posts"!! Sorry!!

Blog Award

I've been gone for a bit --- very busy start to the new year -- I'll post about it soon!

But when I did get back on my blog I found a nice little suprise!

Ally (one of our "China Friends") @ 3Boys & a Princes -- check it out HERE was awarded a "best-blogger" aware and passed it on to me!!

A few of the rules are:

#1 -Post about the award and post who gave it to you w/ a link to their site

#2 - Pick 10 blogs to pass the award to

#3 - Inform those bloggers they have won

I will have to say that many of my blogs are the same ones that Ally has given, but there are a few others:

1 - Where our treasure is - http://whereourtreasure-is.blogspot.com/

2 - Gaggle Family -http://ggaggle.blogspot.com/

3 - My mom & her husbans bicycling trip accross america -- they just started the blog & will be soon updating it! They will start their trip in May - http://www.ridingfornhu.blogspot.com/

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

We spent New Year's Eve with some of our friends. Our wonderful hostess had a GREAT idea -- she decided that we would have a Pajama party. Since everyone was bringing kids & it was cold outside, it just made sense! Yea! We could bring in the new year with good friends, good food, and being comfy in our PJ's..........you know you're old when, right?

All the "littles" in their PJ's -- and in the New Year hats that I made for them. Anne Marie and I spent our morning with construction paper, glue, glitter and feathers making our friends special party hats...they loved them!

Then, the girls spent the rest of the night playing dress up....aren't' they cute!!

The big girls spent the night on the couch chatting & eating yummy food!!

The boys spent their night between the football game & THIS.....boys will be boys!

We wish everyone a Happy& Blessed New Year.

As Mike and I joked....2009 was a very "trying" year for us.....

we're excited to see what God has in store for us in 2010!!