Christmas! (Part II)

Our trip down to my Dad's was successful!  We had a lot of fun, but we are tired now.  I was glad to be back on Saturday so we could have a day (today) to catch up on sleep, laundry, relaxing, etc. 

We got down to Battle Creek around 4:30p on Wednesday, and we waited for my sister and her family to arrive (along with my brother).  We exchanged presents that night because Olivia and Izabella saw the gifts waiting in a magical pile in the corner and could not wait until New Years Eve morning to see what they got.

Nick, Bill, Ted and I watching the Little Ones open presents

Nick receiving Dramimine as a gift. (He's enter the Navy Seals in March)...get it?

Izabella with a gift.  Notice the tree in the tv...do not be fooled it is not a reflection. :) You can thank Kenny G and his Christmas scenes DVD for that....haha

Liv with a new coat.

New Years Eve was full of football, food (thanks Tami!!!!) and picture taking.  My sister Samantha works at the Sears Portrait Studio in Grand Rapids, so she has connections to the one in Battle Creek.  She had a great idea to get a family picture, since everyone was going to be together with my Dad.  There were 13 people in the photo: 10 adults and 3 kids.  It was kind of stressful (and hot) but the picture looks great and I am so grateful we did it.  Sam, Nick and I also got one together, just the three of us; and then my Dad hopped in and we got one with him too.  Oh, and I can't forget about Eloise.  Of course she had one by herself, she is staring into a mirror which makes her looking at the camera because of the angle.  It is hard to describe, but when I recieve them in the mail (in a couple weeks) I will scan them and post them here.  GOOD JOB and a big THANKS to my sis for the photos!!!

Chugga with her Aunt Samantha

At night on NYE we went to the casino that was just built about 3 miles from my Dad's.  We were only there for about an hour and a half, because we wanted to ring in the new year at home.  My Dad taught my sister and I to play Craps (the dice game) and Ted and Bill (my sis's one and only) watched over our shoulders.  We didn't win any money, but we didn't lose any either. :)

When we were home again, we hung out for a while (ate more food...does it ever end??) and shot off some fireworks right at midnight.  They were beautiful, and definitely illegal, but fun all the same.  Eloise was, of course, not up for the light display, but she celebrated the New Year in spirit.

New Year's Day we basically just watched football....

Tami's daughter Catheryn with Bella, Eloise, and Liv

On our way home the next day we stopped at my Grandpa's to have breakfast.  Eloise loves to smile at her Grandpa Grape (a nickname Olivia gave to their Great Grandpa), and my Mom was there too.  She was stopped by even though she is super busy packing up her house and moving on up to Elk Rapids. 

Ted and I stopped at a Babies R Us on the way home to return some bottles that Eloise will never use and we exchanged them for a JUMPER!!!  She loves it. I am going to take some pictures over this next week.  We don't think she grasps that she is controling her movements, because all of the sudden she will have a suprised look on her face when she bounces or turns in a different direction.  It is the most adorable thing ever (or close to it).

We hope everyone had a great New Year and we are looking forward to sharing how Eloise is changing and how she changes us over 2010.  (Watch out snowshoers, campers, beachgoers, hikers, and festival-goers because here come the Polleys!!)

Last Weekend

I have some Cutie-pa-Tootie pictures that will show up throughout this post! I can't wait!

The first thing I want to share is our family's trip downstate. And, when I say downstate, I basically mean the whole greater region of SE/SW Michigan. It was A LOT of time in the car, but Relly handled it well. :)

On Friday (this was October 23rd), we went and picked up Olivia and Izabella in Spring Lake. Then we drove a couple of hours to get to my Mom's (Nana) in Marshall. We had dinner there and saw my Grandpa and his friend Ginny. Then we went to my Dad's for the next couple of days.

Ted and Izabella @ Nana's

Olivia and Eloise @ Nana's

Izabella and I (she is so photogenic!)

Eloise with her great grandpa (Grandpa Grape)

On Saturday, we hung out at my Dad's in Battle Creek. My Uncle Jim gave Ted and I a great antique cedar chest that was my great grandma's. So, that is proudly sitting in our basement now. Then, we went to the Michigan/Penn St. football game, where we got soaked but freezing rain and watched our team lose...great fun...haha. Grandma Tami got to babysit Eloise during that time, and they had lots of fun watching the game on TV, reading books, and paying bills. :)

On Sunday, before we went home we went to my Grandpa's in Ceresco and had brunch. My brother met up with us there with his girlfriend, Alison. (Who is really nice!)

Eloise with her Uncle Nicky

We got back home around 5:30pm on Sunday, but decided to go have dinner with the Polleys Parents (because they called and invited us). And Mom Polleys had happened to make the potato soup that I talked about in this post.

Finally, we were REALLY home around 8pm. It was fun to travel, but it was so good to be home too. Eloise and I had a very relaxing week this past week after so much traveling. I think Daddy did too, but he was at work!

Happy Birthday Izabella!

This girl turned three yesterday!

I almost forgot to post about how yesterday was Izabella's 3rd birthday! She is getting so big and sooooooo cute! Ted and I couldn't be there, but Sam and Bill took Izabella and Olivia to the zoo and then had cake. I wish I could have been there. :(

Sam sent me some pics of the festivities. These are some of my favorite girls in the whole world! (Izabella is the monkey, and Liv is the frog.)

Izabella loves, and I mean LOVES Spiderman. One of her gifts was that Spiderman backpack she is sporting at the zoo. And, her mom even made her a Spiderman cake! How cute!

Baby Showers!

So far, I have been to two baby showers and they both have been so much fun! The first baby shower was a couple weeks ago and women from the church staff threw it for me. There were only four of us there, but it didn't matter. There was lots of good food and conversation. :)

The next shower was on May 2nd, and it took place at the Polleys' Parents house. A lot of my friends from high school/college were there, along with my sisters, my dad's girlfriend, some nieces and family friends. Ted and I are so blessed to have such great family and friends. :) We got so many useful and gorgeous things for Eloise.

Here are some of the pictures from the latest shower: (I have more to post, but my camera is not with me as of now...these are from Tami's camera) :)

My Sis, Sam, and I (and Jamie!)

Sam, busy being a Mom :)

Me...Big and Pregs (the blue chair in the background makes my belly seem even bigger!)

A GORGEOUS quilt Mom Polleys made for Eloise!

More pics tomorrow...and Maggie! I have that one pic of us, I promise I will send it to you tomorrow! :)

Will Winter EVER End?

We have been home for a few days (and it has taken a few days to get readjusted to the cold temperature/dry air) and look what happens: A snowstorm! Well, it hasn't happened yet, but tonight we are supposed to get 5 to 8 inches of fresh, heavy, wet, snow along with some thunder. May I remind you that it is March 28th? Looks like we should have planned our little vacation for this week. :)

On the bright side, Tami donated her old television to us which is about 10 years newer than our current television and about 20 inches bigger. So, tonight I will be snuggling up to a movie (or a tv show because I finally gave in, to Ted's utmost delight, and we have cable!) with the blinds closed.

Another great thing today is that it is Olivia's Princess Birthday Party! She is turning 6 years old, and she has been planning/waiting for her party for months. Ted and I can't be there due to work/car issues, but I know she is going to have the most perfect time. We bought her a CUTE tote bag that she can use as a "purse" from Disney World, and one of those pencils that is shaped into a Mickey head at the end (she loves to write). Tami is going to be the deliverer of our presents today, I hope she takes lots of pics as well.

Later today, or tomorrow, I am going to post pics of Eloise's bedding, because it FINALLY came in the mail. It is so cute and now I am working on what color to paint the walls, well Ted will be doing most the painting..but you know what I mean. :) If anyone has any suggestions let me know. I am thinking about three white walls and one dark purple accent wall, or all four walls of really light purple, or three really light purple walls and one dark purple wall. Or maybe not even purple at all, because it might be too much purple in the end....as you can see I have lots to ponder these days. :)

Valentine's Pics

Hello All!!

Ted and I went to Battle Creek this past weekend for Valentine's Day, and we had a super great time. It was nice to get away and have a change of pace and scenery. :)

We got down there on Thursday night and just went to bed because it was really late. On Friday, we met my Dad for breakfast and then waited for Sam and the girls to show up. They were running a little behind, so we met them in Kalamazoo and went to Panera for lunch. Then Sam helped me register for baby things at the Babies'R'Us. Ted and I had no idea that you could need/want soooo many things for a baby. It was a little overwhelming.

So, after that little mini-adventure was over, my Dad, Ted and I baby-sat Liv and Izabella and took them to Carmen's basketball game. Carmen is Tami's (my dad's gf) daughter. She played great, but they didn't end up winning.

Izabella @the game

Olivia @ the game

On Saturday, we all went over to my Grandpa's for lunch and hung out with him for a couple of hours. It is always nice to visit him, I love how I always get overflowed with memories when I walk in the door. :) Then, we just hung out at my Dad's for a while. The best part of hanging out with my neices this weekend was hearing them sing LOTS of Abba songs that they have memorized from Momma Mia! (Here we go again! my, my how I can resist you!)






That night, Valentine's night, my dad had planned a special surprise for Tami that no one was allowed to talk about, so that is why I never mentioned what I was doing on Valentine's Day because Tami reads this blog! ;) We drove to Marshall and Tami was surprised with a concert by a Frank Sinatra impersonator (which is kinda REALLY COOL because my Dad REALLY likes Frank and I think Tami does too.) But...the best part was when the impersonator asked where in the audience my Dad and Tami were, BECAUSE my dad had emailed him asking him to dedicate a song that my Dad had sung to Tami on one of their dates about 7 years ago. It was so romantic, and so perfect. Sam and I were really proud of my Dad for doing such a cool non-dad thing! haha

Me, My Dad, and Samantha before the show.

Ted and I @ the Show

Tami and my Dad

On Sunday, Tami made us all a delicious breakfast. Then, Ted and I had to drive the four hours home because we had to be back in time for youth group at 4pm. We went bowling..it was fun.

Overall, a great weekend! Now, I just have to work this weekend and the next, and then Ted and I get to go to TimberWolf Camp with our church. It is like a family camp, and it was a great time last year. This year, Ted's parents are going, and I know they are going to love it.

Have a good week!

22.5 Weeks!

I can't believe I am already 22 weeks pregs! It is amazing how the time is flying and how it is almost SPRING already! Well..at least it feels like Spring today with temps in the 50's!!

I finally had a pic taken and have posted it, I am sad that I am not organized enough to have a pic taken the same day every week to show my belly-bursting progress, but oh well. Here is my 22.5 week pic (on the right hand side-bar). I admit I do not look to good because I have a cold that will just NOT leave me alone. But, the baby is as happy as can be. :)

Ted felt our little baby girl move for the first time last night. I can feel her all the time, but only certain movements are big enough and strong enough for an "outsider" to feel. Ted is soo excited about the baby too. It is so cute about how he talks about her all the time. Last night he said he wished she was here right now so that he could cuddle up and fall asleep on the couch with her. When I mentioned things like crying, pooping, and spitting up, he decided he could use the next couple months to prepare. Haha!

Anyway, in other news, Ted and I are going down to Battle Creek this weekend to celebrate my Dad's birthday! I think we are actually going to leave on Thursday night since neither of us work on Fridays. Sam, Bill and the girls (Liv and Izabella) are coming as well. We haven't seen them since Christmas!! We also get to see my Grandpa and celebrate his birthday which is just one week away from my dad's. Tami (my dad's girlfriend) will of course be there as well, so it is going to be a super fun weekend. Ted and I are excited to get away for a couple of days.

Enjoy the fabulous day!! It is sooooo gorgeous outside!

Oh, and here are the latest pics of 2 of my favorite neices.

B E A--utiful!!

Here are some recent pics of some of my neices...Olivia, 5 and a half, and Izabella, 1 and a half. They are so precious and I can only hope my babies will be as beautiful. :)

@ Christmas

Izabella

Olivia

PICTURES!

Okay, so I got really excited when I got home from work and I decided to upload some pictures. I also realized how lame and boring my blog looked. So here is a sampling. :) Enjoy!

Pre-Baked Apple Pie that I made in September

and...voila! A yummy homemade apple pie made by chef Sarah. Her first ever!

Here is one of our favorite ornaments on our tree. On the back it has our wedding date.

Here is our pretty tree. We had so much fun decorating it.
The roses are from my dad for graduating.

The Kitchen. Very white, yet very functional. It will be remodeled before we move someday.

Here me in my grad garb. A very fun morning, with a fun family lunch after!
Me and my hubby.

Izabella and then Olivia, my neices. My sister likes to take fancy pics of them. :)

Okay, that's all for now. :)

Halloween! (Is it over yet?)

Today, the day before Halloween, I just discovered the magnitude of the holiday when it takes place inside a elementary school. Want to here our plans for our students tomorrow? (well, here they are even if you care not to know..)

1. A morning writing activity where students will write riddles for their friends to solve about the costume they are going to wear later on.

2. Walk 4 blocks to Sunnybank (assisted living), to sing Halloween carols. They are to the tune of Christmas carols, it's quite funny. Enjoy a snack there.

3. Back to school for a special Halloween lunch.

4. A movie with popcorn and a drink. Students will change into their costumes. The movie is to kind of just take up some time and tone down the craziness of 24 second graders changing in a bathroom.

5. Parade out of the school, as a school to downtown Charlevoix for business's to pass out candy.

6. Back to school for an in-class Halloween party for the last hour and a half of the school day.

WOW! It is going to be such a crazy day, but I am going to love it. Students are soo excited about their costumes and they are so proud of them as well. I will have to stop by and make sure I see my kindergartener's costumes too.

Roxann and I are going to be Raggidy (sp?) Ann and Andy. :) It will be fun.

BUT, the best part of the day is going to be at 8pm when Ted and I f

inally reach my dad's house and catch the very end of our niece's coming off their sugar high! :) Izabella is going to be spiderman, and Liv is going to be either a dead ballerina, a princess, or a regular ballerina...I haven't heard the latest. :)

Here are some cute fall pics of some of my favorite girlies!

Izabella

Olivia