Nelson & Jenn's Blog

Christmas Morning

2012-01-01T04:08:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of the kids coming into the Family Room on Christmas morning. They are so cute that we had to share it with everyone! And Alexander was so adorable - he was so shocked that Santa actually brought him the toy he asked for (an Imaginext Triceratops dinosaur with a shooting grappling hook and a little man that sits on top with a gun). He was so excited and pleased - we weren't sure what he had thought was going to happen, but we got a great laugh out of it all! :)

Merry Christmas!

2012-01-01T04:03:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Here are some pictures we thought you would love to see! There are some videos to follow. :)

New Christmas jammies. Even Eva got a new pair!

Nana made Christmas pillowcases for the kids -- they were so excited to sleep on them! :)

Ooooh, look at what Santa brought!

Books from Aunt Judy & Uncle Dave. We couldn't get Alex to stop playing with his to open more presents. Thank you!! :)

Here is the tool kit book from Dave & Judy -- this gift was the highlight of Christmas! :)

Puzzles from Aunt Laura & Uncle Ben -- we've been putting them together several times each day! They're so cute with their new games and toys.

Emily bought gifts for us this year at her school's holiday party. She got Nelson a multifunctional screwdriver, knowing how much he loves tools! She's so sweet! :)

Alex with his tool kit book again -- I told you he loved it! :)

Emily bought me a beautiful vase!

This was the year of trains for Alex. He got a "Thomas" friend - Jack the digger.

Emily bought Alex a Lightning McQueen and Tow-Mater for Christmas. She couldn't wait for him to open them!

And Alex bought Emily a Lalaloopsy doll (the latest rage for her)! She was soooooo excited!

One of my favorite pictures from Christmas Day! :)

A new wallet for Emily (which she has already used and loves)! She said she feels like mommy when she carries it! :)

We got a lot of games and puzzles this year too -- looks like we need to have another Game Night sometime soon! :)

Aunt Sharilyn, Uncle JT and Parker got the kids these animal and monster tattoos for their hands. They wrap around the thumb and index finger and are absolutely adorable! The kids insisted on having one put on as soon as gift-opening was finished! :)

Stachlers also got Emily this beautiful butterfly for her room. And the Lego flashlight for Alex (below). They know our kids so well! :)

GiGi painted these beautiful pictures for the kids (one of a tiger and another of a panda). They LOVE them! :)

Aunt Jill made a Christmas dress for Eva. Emily was ecstatic! (And so was Eva!)

Emily bought me a candle for Christmas as well. It smells just like clean laundry! :)

And Emily also bought Nelson a winter hat. She was so excited for us to open these and couldn't wait to see our faces and hear what we thought of them.

Alex made some crafts and ornaments in preschool and wrapped them up for us as a surprise. They will always be cherished! :)

Aunt Katie bought Alex this car and gears kit. It's focused for kids older than 5, but he caught on quickly and Nelson LOVED helping him! Like father, like son!

Aunt Tracie bought Emily a "Fancy Nancy" art kit. SHE WAS SQUEALING! She's already used up one of the notepads and all of the glitter gel pens!

Alex got "Sir Topham Hat" for his Thomas the train set.

I knit Emily a hat, scarf & finger-less mits set to match her new winter coat.

PaPa made Emily a math-balancing toy. She's learning how to use it and will love it as she starts doing more and more math in school.

Aunt Tracie made Emily and Alex backpacks. Aren't they cute?!

We bought Alex a Thomas the train set. He just loves Thomas (any train for that matter) and couldn't wait to play with it!

Eva got a ballerina outfit. Emily can't wait to take her to ballet lessons this summer! :)

We bought Emily an emerald necklace. She wasn't so sure about it that day, but insisted on wearing it the next.

We also bought Emily a camera. Nothing fancy, just a point and shoot. She's been using ours and isn't too bad. She couldn't wait to get batteries in it and start snapping shots!

I bought Alex a book about Freddy the platypus and his special blanket. In the back of the book, there are knitting patterns for Freddy and a blanket (a small one for Freddy and a larger one for a child).

Here's Alex with his new favorite stuffed animal. He loved them! :)

I couldn't pass up getting Nelson this 1 lb. Reese's PB Cup. A must for any chocolate-peanut butter lover!

And Alex's big gift this year was a train table for his room. We surprised him and had it set up in his room and showed it to him when we were done opening gifts. He didn't know what was going on at first (why there was a big new toy in his room), but we caught on pretty quickly and now plays with it constantly! :)

Thank you everyone for the gifts you sent. The kids loved everything and have been playing with their new toys, books and games nonstop! We hope you all had a very, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Alexander's Christmas Program

2011-12-09T19:44:00.001-05:00

Here is video of Alexander's Preschool Christmas Program. He goes to school Tuesday & Thursday mornings and he never stops talking about how much he loves his teachers and friends. It's so much fun to see him learning new things and enjoying school! :)

Alex is in the front row by the microphone (not that you could hear him - he didn't say a word)! :)

They sang "Jingle Bells" and "Away in the Manger". The kids all did so well and were so cute. But Alexander could not be persuaded to participate! He just stood up there watching his classmates sing and do the motions. He was great! :)

He may not have sung in the program, but he was by far the cutest boy up there! :)

More of Emily's Piano Recital

2011-12-04T20:34:00.001-05:00

Emily LOVES piano lessons and was really nervous about her first recital, so we had Nelson go on stage with her and help her if she needed. She did so well and now she can't wait to do another recital! :)

We were practicing her bow or curtsy (she couldn't decide which one she wanted to do). Ever so proper and such a lady! :)

Emily's First Piano Recital

2011-12-04T20:09:00.001-05:00

Emily has been taking piano lessons for two months now and we are so proud of her progress with "Away in the Manger"! :)

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T07:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween, Everyone! This year Alexander went as a cowboy (withPapa Willis' real spurs) and Emily went as the Wicked Witch of the West (only she didn't want her face painted green, so she just looked like a witch). They had a lot of fun walking through the neighborhood and couldn't believe people were handing out candy! It was fun to watch! :)

Baby Greta Lynn

2011-10-31T07:21:00.002-04:00

Nathan/Jill (and kids) and Krissy (and girls) came in for a visit last weekend so that we could all meet baby Greta Lynn. We had a nice time (despite many people being sick) and it was so nice holding a baby again! Emily took to it right away and couldn't get enough of her! :)

It was even nice enough to take a walk and get outside for a while! :)

Alex's First Field Trip

2011-10-06T10:18:00.002-04:00

We went to an apple orchard last week on a field trip and Alex had an absolute blast! We got to take a wagon ride on the back of the tractor and then picked some apples to take home. Alex even got to take a ride on a mini-tractor, which ended up being the highlight of the day! It was so much fun! :)

Alexander's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-07T04:46:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was Alexander's first day of preschool. He was so excited to go and couldn't wait to start! He was a little sad though when Emily got on the bus and he didn't (apparently he thought the Kindergarten bus would take him to preschool). Mom just isn't as cool a chauffeur as the bus driver! :)

Emily's First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-31T06:25:00.001-04:00

Emily's first day of Kindergarten was today. She had a fantastic day and talked about it all afternoon! Her teacher, Mrs. Kell, is a girlfriend of mine from college and we are so pleased that she has Emily!

Here she is getting on the bus and not looking back! She was so brave and extremely excited to ride the bus like a big kid! (She's the one on the stairs with the purple striped backpack.)

Alex was a little lost without his sister this morning and couldn't wait for her to get back from school! We sat outside for a while waiting for her -- he was so cute! :)

Here is Emily getting off the bus with the whole family waiting for her. She was excited to see us and can't wait to go back to school tomorrow! :)

Modern Day Knights Father/Son Camping Trip

2011-08-31T06:25:00.000-04:00

Our ABF had a Father/Son camping trip this summer and Nelson braved taking Alex. They were camping from Friday-Sunday and as you can tell, they had a great time! A few speedbumps, but all went well! :)

Apparently all the kids got glow-sticks the first night of camping. Alex took his to bed and Nelson woke up to Alex having broken the stick and the tent glowing! Alex had the goo in his hair, on the sleeping bag, and all over the floor of the tent!

Poor little guy was so tired when they got home that he fell asleep on the couch around 5:30pm.

Football Hall of Fame Balloon Festival

2011-08-31T06:24:00.000-04:00

We took the kids to the balloon festival again this year. It was too foggy to have the balloons launch, but they let everyone walk around the baskets and see up into the balloons. It wasn't quite the same, but a new experience and fun nevertheless. :)

Family Visit to the Zoo

2011-08-31T06:23:00.001-04:00

The kids just LOVE the zoo and the jellyfish exhibit is leaving, so we had to make one last trip before school started! We had a blast! :)

Lewis Family Visit

2011-08-31T06:23:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from Mom & Dad's trip out East this summer and the partial reunion we had (we missed you Stachlers)!

We did sparklers with Emily and Alex while Mom and Dad were here. The kids were too tired to stay up late enough for it to be dark but they didn't seem to mind! :)

These two boys are so crazy! They came up with some of the oddest things to do, but had such fun! It will be some fun years with them as they grow up together! :)

Alex found a great friend in Uncle Matt! :)

Fun with our cousins!

And there is no one like Aunt Krissy! :)

Mom found some Wizard of Oz dolls for Emily at a garage sale and they have been the highlight of the summer! :)

Mom sewed some clothes for Eva, Emily's doll. They are perfect and have been getting some serious use this summer! :)

Our silly boy!

Our beautiful girl!

Fun with Gramsy & Papa! Thanks for coming out this summer -- we had such a wonderful time with you! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday, Alexander!

2011-06-25T17:21:00.006-04:00

Happy 3rd Birthday, Alexander!

YUMMMMMM!

Alex got some more Automoblox from Aunt Tracie, Uncle Curt, Ava & Isaac. He loves these toys and making new car makes/models! :)

He could not wait to look at his new book from Aunt Judy & Uncle Dave!

How cute is he riding his new bike?! :)

Here we are snuggling on the couch watching an episode of Shaun the Sheep - his favorite show! :)

He was so excited to see his new bike waiting for him in the Living Room!

Nelson made Alex a workbench and I sewed a tool belt for him. He also got his very own tape measure. He was SO pleased! :)

He got a new car from Aunt Laura, Uncle Ben & Isobel. He was trying to push it around on the floor before it was even out of the box! :)

Toy trains from Katie that can be used in the pool -- he can't wait to go swimming with them! :)

His favorite show! :)

A remote control car from Nana & Papa. He got this last month when they were here visiting and he has played with it nonstop! :)

"My own bike!"

Emily picked out this LeapFrog toy for Alex. She was so excited to show him how it worked! :)

A Year in the Life of Alexander

2011-06-25T11:12:00.007-04:00

Here are some of our favorite pictures of Alexander from this past year. It's hard to believe he is 3 years old today!

I believe this is Aunt Jill's corn that he stole at the family reunion last summer. The boy loves corn! :)

First time "mowing" the lawn -- we're hoping there's a future there! :)

These hiking pictures were some of our favorites of the year -- he was such a ham and posed for all the pictures! :)

Alexander was the Cowardly Lion last year for Halloween. :)

What a big boy!

He is ALWAYS climbing into or on top of stuff! You'll see more pictures just like this! :)

He loves his doll, Andy.

Just getting some paperwork done. :)

What a clown!

The fireplace hearth was his favorite place to read for a while. Just the right size for a little boy!

And his Full sized bed was a little too big for him, but he sure has loved it! :)

Carrying around a drink in Daddy's workshop - in case he gets thirsty! :)

He has his hands stuck in each end of a paper roll -- what a nut!

He was too quiet one day and this is the mess we found!

Alex LOVES popcorn and finished up this batch right from the bowl! :)

Like Father, Like Son!

Alex splashed water on the wall while washing his hands, so he climbed up and cleaned it for Mommy. What a helper! :)

Alexander, as you can see, is always on the move and getting into everything all the time. But he is an absolute joy to have in our family. We can't imagine how boring life would be without him! :)

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T07:39:00.001-04:00

We took Nelson to Dairy Queen yesterday for Father's Day. The kids loved their ice cream cones and Nelson got to have his favorite blizzard -- the perfect day! :)

The Wizard of Oz

2011-06-20T07:36:00.002-04:00

Emily and I went to see the Wizard of Oz yesterday at the Canton Player's Guild. We had such a great time and you should have seen the beaming smile plastered to her face for the entire 3 hours of the show! It was priceless! :)

We even got to take a picture with Dorothy and the Wicked Witch of the West. Emily was in heaven! :)

S'mores in the backyard

2011-06-20T07:32:00.001-04:00

We roasted marshmallows last weekend and made s'mores. The kids thought it was fantastic! Alex loved it so much that he woke up the next morning and asked to do it again for breakfast! :)

Tree Removal

2011-06-20T07:17:00.002-04:00

We discovered termites in this HUGE silver maple tree. We had it removed last week and the guys who did it were simply amazing! They set-up, took it down, cleaned up, and left our house in less than 3 hours! We thought it was shocking how they took it down and had to share the pictures! :)

The company we hired brought it two cranes, a chipper, a skid-steer, a flat-bed truck and a few other pickups as well. We had the whole end of our street blocked off for the afternoon!

They cut down 4 of these HUGE "branches" from the top of the tree and put them straight into the chipper. These branches were bigger than some of our neighbors' trees. That was one gigantic tree!

And there is the termite damage! It went about ten feet above the stump and the tree could have easily come down with a good storm. We are so glad we had it taken down!

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-20T13:14:00.003-04:00

Emily had her preschool graduation last night. They were all so cute and Emily insisted on wearing her new dress & shoes from her birthday. She was beautiful! :)

Emily was so proud of her certificate! :)

This is Emily's teacher, Miss Nicki. She has had her the last two years and absolutely adores her! :)

And this is Emily's other teacher, Miss Reka. Emily just loves school and both of her teachers! :)

Happy 5th Birthday, Emily!

2011-05-17T20:14:00.006-04:00

Our little girl turned five today -- can you believe it?! We had a birthday party with some friends on Sunday and then did another mini-celebration tonight with my parents. It's been a great year and we are so proud of the wonderful little girl Emily is. Hope you love the pictures! :)

This is Emily's new doll, Eva, and their matching jammies. Aren't they adorable?! :)

Such a big girl on her new bike!

Emily got this super-cool book from Aunt Judy & Uncle Dave. She had to read through it right away! :)

A butterfly shirt from Gramsy & Papa Lewis -- perfect for our little Razzle Dazzle! :)

A baby stroller for Eva from Aunt Jill & Uncle Nathan -- a big hit! :)

Emily got some new makeup from some friends of hers. She has worn the lipgloss every day since! :)

We made cupcakes for Emily's classroom. She was so excited to share them with all her friends!

Emily got a Scrabble game from Aunt Katie and did really, really well with it! She's so bright! :)

The weather has been AWFUL the last week and it was cold and rainy during Emily's birthday party. So, the kids did sidewalk chalk in the garage. They didn't seem to care that they weren't outside! :)

Not sure why Alex has such a mean face while eating chocolate ice cream cake -- what could possibly be wrong?! :)

Here are some pictures of Emily's friends at the party.

Emily got this game from Aunt Laura & Uncle Ben and we played it the day of her birthday party with all her friends. It is an AMAZING game and we highly, highly recommend it! They had so much fun playing! :)

Emily and her birthday flowers/balloons. She loves that she gets flowers every year! :)

Emily & Eva. :)

Another Baskin Robbins ice cream cake -- yummy!! :)

She is so beautiful! :)

Latest Home Changes

2011-05-08T21:59:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures from our latest home improvements over the last few months. The dining room is finally finished with these shelves that Nelson built for my pottery. Isn't he awesome?! I could not be happier with these shelves and I LOVE how they show off my collection. :)

And here are some pictures of the new kitchen. It was a grey/olive color before, but it was too dark. So, we went with about the brightest color possible. . . and we LOVE it! :)

Here you can see the previous color. It was in the back hallway too, so we painted that the taupe we have throughout the house. It's so nice to have that color gone!

Happy Easter!

2011-05-03T12:20:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures from Palm Sunday and Easter. Aren't the kids getting big?!

a BIG day

2011-03-17T17:04:00.001-04:00

Emily accepted Jesus as her personal savior this afternoon! We could not be happier! :)

Emily's New DollHouse

2011-01-30T07:11:00.002-05:00

Emily has wanted a dollhouse for quite a while, so we had Nelson build her one and she "helped" design it and draw the scalloped edge for the rooftop. We surprised her one day last week by setting it up in her room while she was at school. She was so surprised to see it finished and hasn't stopped playing with it yet! It's about 4' square and will be perfect for books and dolls. Didn't Nelson do an amazing job? An heirloom piece for sure! :)

Our Latest Acquisition

2011-01-24T09:13:00.001-05:00

As you can see, Nelson's truck was in BAD shape! And last week we found out the water pump needed to be replaced. This would have cost almost as much as the truck was valued at, so we chose to replace it. Nelson is now driving the car and we got an Audi Q7 for me. I love it and am so glad to have a third row for when people visit or we want to take the kids' friends with us! :)

Bathroom Re-do

2011-01-24T09:04:00.002-05:00

The half bathroom off the kitchen had this yellow striped wallpaper and it was starting to peel and look bad. So, Emily helped me strip it one day and then we painted it this seafoam color. I love how it turned out and thought you might like to see the change! :)

Merry (belated) Christmas! (part2)

2011-01-20T13:43:00.018-05:00

Here are the remaining pictures from Christmas in Colorado. We had such a wonderful visit and can't wait to see everyone again (and get back to Colorado too)! The weather was spectacularly warm and sunny and it was one of the nicest Christmas' we've had in a while! The kids have started understanding the Santa tradition and it was really fun to watch them open their gifts this year! Hope and pray that you all had a very, Merry Christmas and your New Year has started off well! :)

Isn't that a great picture of the kids with Nana & Papa?! :)

The kids had to have a turn going up the ladder with Papa! :)

Forever Sisters!

We took a drive one day and stopped at a lookout point - such a beautiful place! :)

We couldn't find Curt and the kids one morning and this is what we found. What a great uncle! :)

Alex got a dinosaur book and some toy dinos from Nana & Papa -- you should have heard that "ROAR"! :)

Isaac perfectly posed with some Christmas bells. He has grown so much and I loved snuggling with him! :)

Nana and Papa got Alex the BEST TOY EVER! He got a toy truck with a drill. The drill has three bits and he can take apart the truck into about 30 pieces. It was THE highlight for him!

He loved the drill so much that we found him later trying to take apart the bed. What a little future engineer! Like father like son! :)

And we all got Nerf guns too -- there have been many hours of fun in the Lewis house thanks to these! :)

Forever Cousins! :)

The AMAZING view from my parents' house! I could get used to that! :)

Tracie and I made photo books for Grandma & Mom and Dad. They were a big hit! :)

Mom played Pick-up-Sticks with the kids and they actually did pretty well! Aren't they adorable! :)

Before the Christmas Eve service.

I finished knitting Alex's sweater on Christmas Day -- perfect timing! :)

Ava & Alex wrestling. They were so cute together! :)

Those crazy kids! :)

The four of us went out one night and had a GREAT time! We need to do that more often! :)

Emily had been asking for the 2010 Holiday Barbie for weeks. She even saved up her allowance money but didn't quite get enough. So, Santa surprised her and brought it! She was DELIGHTED! :)

Santa brought Alex a dump truck. He was very pleased, but soon forgot all about it when he got his drill & truck! :) The kids were very enthralled by Papa's Story on Christmas morning.

Emily and GiGi! :)

We made reindeer food with the kids and then they poured it out for them. They were so excited to do this! :)

Here are the three older kids in their Christmas jammies. They look all snuggly warm! :)

Mom got the four of us matching aprons. The girls' one said "Hostess in Training" -- they were so cute! :)

Grandma made us beautiful bracelets that represent the 23rd Psalm. Thanks, Grandma -- they are gorgeous! :)

All of us cousins chipped in and bought Grandma this framed picture. She LOVED it! :)

Katie & Christie bought Alex an Action Bible. It is so cool -- I can't wait for him to start reading!! (Notice the blue drill in his hands!) :)

GiGi and her 4 kids! :)

Nana & Papa got Emily a horse for her and her Barbies. She opend it and instantly said "It's a BOY horse!" We asked her why it was a boy and she replied "Because it's brown". We all lost it! What a silly girl! :)

Dave & Judy got Alex a truck-sound book. He LOVES it -- thanks guys! ;)

The INFAMOUS truck! ;)

It was a Barbie year for Emily and (as you can see) she was overjoyed at the car from Ava. :)

Our beautiful children! :)

GiGi got Alex a train whistle with his named engraved on it! So perfect! :)

And GiGi got Emily some Barbie clothes -- she knew what she would like! :)

The two most beautiful girls at Christmas! :)

Alex LOVED Grandma's walker! :)

Mom made cut-out cookies and the kids decorated them. It was so much fun and they really enjoyed it! :)

Such a silly kid -- that apple didn't fall too far! ;)

The kids made a gingerbread house too and loved looking at it all week! :)

The four cousins all snug in bed. Priceless! :)

I'm sure Alex was a big help for Papa and his Sudoku! ;)

Even a gingerbread house needs an engineer! :)

We took a horse-drawn carriage ride one day. Notice that only Alex is wearing a coat -- amazing weather! :)

Mom and Dad had this basket in their family room for blankets. Or for holding grandkids. Take your pick! :)

Obviously we had a great time and really enjoyed each other's company. Can't wait to go back to Colorado and do it again! :)

Merry (belated) Christmas!

2011-01-05T08:23:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas from The Lewis'! Sorry the pictures are so late! We went to CO for almost two weeks and had a wonderful Christmas with the Willis-side! I will try to post more pictures later, but here are some for now! :) We did put up a small tree before we left and we let the kids decorate it! They had so much fun! :)

Here is Emily opening one of her new books - Phoebe's Sweater. It has knitting patterns in the back for a child's sweater with matching sweater for a baby doll. She LOVED that her baby and she had the same sweater coats! :)

How sweet is that?! :)

Alex got a car ramp, and him and Emily played with it for hours! One of the highlights for both of them this Christmas! :)

Aunt Jill & Uncle Nathan got them a complete of Curious George with audio cds. They couldn't have been happier! :)

Gramsy & Papa sent Emily a Christmas tree pin -- she wore it everyday that week! (No matter if it matched or not!) She was very proud of her new bling! :)

Emily's Pre-School Christmas Program

2010-12-13T18:37:00.004-05:00

Emily's preschool Christmas program was last week. The kids were so excited to sing their songs and get up on the stage -- a definite highlight to the holiday season! :)

School Picture

2010-12-04T18:50:00.001-05:00

Here is Emily's preschool picture for this year. She goes Tuesday-Friday mornings and just LOVES school! She is already asking when she can go all day everyday! :)

Trimming the Tree

2010-12-04T18:20:00.002-05:00

We decided to put up a kid's tree this year and they had an absolute blast decorating it! Note that most of the ornaments are on the bottom branches -- aren't they so cute?! :)

Fun in the snow

2010-12-04T18:15:00.001-05:00

We had our first snow this week and Alex had a fantastic time playing while Emily was at school.

Halloween Fun

2010-11-07T05:34:00.003-05:00

This year, Emily dressed up as Glinda (The Good Witch) and Alex was The Cowardly Lion. Emily has the next 3 years planned for Halloween -- all Wizard of Oz themes! We figured we could get away with it this year while Alex is still young and doesn't care. Not sure we can do the Oz theme next year! :)

Isn't that face just adorable?!

The prettiest Glinda ever! :)

A Wonderful Fall Day

2010-10-16T20:14:00.003-04:00

We went hiking today with some friends and had a fantastic time! The colors were at their peak and the kids had a great time running on the trail! :)

A Day At The Ballet

2010-10-16T20:08:00.002-04:00

I was fortunate enough to chaperone one of Emily's latest field trips to the Canton Ballet. They put on a special performance of "Peter and the Wolf" for some local schools. We had such a wonderful day and I got to spend some time with Emily's dearest friends, Jasmine. Aren't they so cute?! :)

We got to ride a school bus -- it was a highlight! :)

Speed Boat Cruise on Lake Erie

2010-10-09T06:54:00.002-04:00

We went on a cruise of Lake Erie with some friends last month. It was so cool and Cleveland looked so amazing from the water! :)

The boat was going about 70 mph when we took this picture. No wonder it wasn't in focus! :)

This is us with Beth & Brian. We had a great time with them and were so glad we went! :)

Aunt Amanda came to visit too!

2010-10-09T06:51:00.002-04:00

Amanda came down for a weekend about a month ago and it was so great to have her here! And the kids loved spending time with their Aunt Amanda! :)

The three of us together again -- just like old times! :)

Our Latest Purchase

2010-10-09T06:46:00.002-04:00

We needed to replace the Nissan over the summer and this is what we ended up with. As most of you know, this has been one of Nelson's dreams since we got married. I'm pretty sure it's not as new as he had dreamed, but at least he now owns his very own BMW. (It's a 2002 BMW 540i - for those of you guys who care about that detail.) :)

Alex's New Bed

2010-10-09T06:43:00.002-04:00

Alex has finally moved out of his crib and into a big bed. He is LOVING it! :)

Doesn't he look so small in this full size bed? He doesn't seem to mind though -- it's usually full of toys and he's sprawled out in the middle of it! :)

The Dominican Republic

2010-10-09T06:33:00.003-04:00

We went to the Dominican Republic in August with some good friends of ours. We were only gone for 4 days and I think we all could have stayed for another 4 days! The DR is absolutely beautiful and Nelson and I haven't seen blue waters like that since our honeymoon in CanCun. :)

Fun with Nana & Papa

2010-10-09T06:25:00.002-04:00

My parents came out to visit in August (sorry about the delayed posting) while Nelson and I went to the Dominican Republic. We had a great mini-vacation and the kids obviously had a fantastic time with Nana & Papa! :)

Mom & Dad took the kids to "our park", as Emily calls it. They enjoyed feeding the ducks and geese and playing on the rides.

First Day of School

2010-09-07T08:25:00.002-04:00

Today is Emily's first day back at preschool. She will be going four days a week and is already asking why she can't go the fifth day. We are sad to see her go, but we know she will love every minute of it! :)

2010-08-04T08:21:00.003-04:00

We went to the Balloon Festival last weekend. We love going to this every year and the kids always love seeing all the balloons and different shapes. Brownlees came out for the weekend and my parents are here for a while too. We had a great time! :)

We left the house super-early that morning and picked up coffee & donuts to eat once we got to the show. Emily and Alex thought it was awesome eating donuts outside -- talk about living the life!! :)

We counted over 60 balloons that morning!

Matt and Dad had a great time talking -- whether about balloons, military or their motorcycles. :)

And everwhere Nana went, Emily was sure to follow! :)

We love our cousins!! :)

Alex and Papa watching the balloons! :)

They were handing out clown noses for the kids -- isn't she so cute?! :)

We got to watch a few of the balloons from our backyard -- I love N Canton in the summer! :)

Emily loves her Aunt Krissy -- and what's not to love, right?! :)

Woops!

2010-08-04T08:17:00.002-04:00

Alex fell down our steps from the kitchen into the backyard and crashed on the concrete. This picture actually looks better than it had at first. Poor thing! But to make a bad situation a little better, we overheard this conversation after the accident.

Alex: (crying)
Emily: Does it hurt?
Alex: Uh-huh.
Emily: Are you ok?
Alex: No. (still crying)
Emily: It's ok, Alex. Your sister is here and I will take care of you.

Now how sweet is that?! :)

Lewis Family Reunion

2010-07-21T20:39:00.002-04:00

We had the Lewis' in for another reunion a few weeks ago. As you can see from the pictures, we all had a great time! :)

And while Mom and Dad were here we got a "little" work done (trees trimmed, truck examined, outlets installed, flowerbeds weeded, etc.). Can't argue with that! :)

And we read and read and read and read and read . . . :)

There are a LOAD of birthdays in June, so Jill made two amazing cakes and we all celebrated together. Aren't the two boys so cute?! :)

And of course we played some Wii.

Gramsy brought a ton of activities and surprises for Emily -- they had a fantastic time together! :)

Kids' Pictures

2010-07-17T16:55:00.003-04:00

We got Alexander's 2 year pictures taken this week. He did great and was just hamming it up the whole time! He is getting so big!!!

I knit this dress for Emily and she thought she was so beautiful in it (which she is of course). She was such a little princess posing for her 4 year old pictures too! What a big girl! :)

Don't they look so cute together?!

He looks so big and old in this picture. He will be quite the heart-breaker in ten years!!

He loves cars -- like father like son!

Summer Fun

2010-07-15T12:29:00.003-04:00

Alex got a sprinkler for his birthday from Nana & Papa and here are some pix of his first time with it. He wasn't sure what to think but it was 90 degrees, so he warmed up to it pretty quickly! :)

And Emily kept going under it with her towel on her head -- not sure why but she was having the time of her life!! :)

Boy with bubbles -- need I say more?! :)

Happy 2nd Birthday, Alexander!

2010-06-28T20:22:00.007-04:00

Alex turned two on Friday and he had a great day! He asked for pancakes for his birthday meal and then we went to the end of the week VBS carnival at church. He had a wonderful day -- full of sugar and fun! :)

Here is Alex putting syrup on his letter "A" pancake. He doesn't usually get to do this on his own -- he thought he was hot stuff!! :)

Need I say more?! :)

We bought Alex a bookcase/toy shelf for his bedroom. I figured he wouldn't really care too much about it, but it's perfect height for him to play at, so he loves it! Yeah!! :)

And doesn't it look so cute in his room?! :)

Nana made him a pillow case with his name embroidered on the edge. He was instantly in love with it and wouldn't let ANYONE lay on it! So cute! :)

And of course he made Daddy read each book to him immediately. It was so fun! :)

He still doesn't watch TV and didn't care two hoots for the movie his cousin Ava got him. Luckily Emily was very excited about it! And Aunt Tracie & Uncle Curt totally redeemed themselves with that "choo-choo" they got him! :)

Would never have guessed he would be so excited about getting clothes! :)

He LOVED all his new books!

Nana and Papa bought him a turtle sprinkler -- it was the hit of the day! He wouldn't put it down the entire day! :)

Here is the train track from GiGi and another car for his train from Emily -- he just loves his choo-choos! :)

Emily drew him a picture for his birthday. She is such a sweet big sister! :)

He no sooner got that train out of the packaging and he was pushing it on the floor saying "Choo-choo". Such a boy! :)

I just loved this picture. He was trying to figure out what to do with the present! It didn't take him long! :)

Family Vacation

2010-06-16T07:23:00.005-04:00

We just got back from The Outer Banks (North Carolina) and had a WONDERFUL time together! We went with three other families and could not have asked for a more enjoyable, relaxing week. The kids LOVED the beach and the pool and could not get enough of the sand. Hope you enjoy the pictures! :)

8 adults and 9 kids -- it was a great week! :)

We took Emily out for ice cream one night and bought her a doll (Grace) as a souvenir. She felt so special! :)

Snuggling with Daddy after waking up from a nap.

This boy was afraid of the ocean the first day and then couldn't get enough of it after that. Don't you just love his face?!

We took a walk on the beach one morning -- such a beautiful place!

We went to an aquarium one day to get the kids out of the sun for a while. They loved seeing the fish and we loved not applying sunscreen for a few hours! :)

We stayed at an amazing house! Each family had two bedrooms and the house had it's own pool and hot-tub. Then the community also had a rec center and a pool at the beach. Couldn't ask for a better place to stay! :)

Don't you LOVE these pictures!! :)

Pictures of Alexander

2010-06-04T22:03:00.002-04:00

This boy is fearless! You should see him climb up the rock wall and go down the slide -- he can't get enough of it!!

We were packing for vacation and Alex found the cooler and made it into a bench. How resourceful! :)

I left Alex unattended one morning and he decided it would be more fun to sit on top of the table instead of in his chair. Such a goofball!

This CRACKED ME UP! He looks terribly upset in this picture but I swear he was laughing two seconds before that. How he managed to get his head stuck in the stair railing, we will never know. 100% boy!

Pictures of Emily

2010-06-04T21:59:00.002-04:00

So, as you can see, Emily LOVES to pose for pictures. Especially in any new clothes she gets. She's so stinking cute! :)

The Life of a Frog

2010-06-04T21:54:00.002-04:00

Nelson found a huge frog in the back yard and showed it to the kids. They were having a great time watching it hop and then hopping just like he did. That is until Alex hopped right on top of him. The frog survived but it was worse for the wear -- Poor little frog!! :(

End of Preschool Year

2010-06-04T21:49:00.002-04:00

Emily finished up her first year of preschool last week. She has a great year and can't wait to go back in the Fall. We "celebrated" by ordering pizza and playing outside. While Emily was swinging she decided to change directions and lay on the swing on her belly. She didn't realize (and neither did we) that the swing was too low to the ground for this. She scraped up her face going forward and back. Poor little girl!! :(

My Funny Children

2010-06-04T21:42:00.003-04:00

So, Emily and Alex made up a new game today. Emily took a deck of cards and scattered them around the house (some in the family room, dining room, on the steps upstairs, some in the bedrooms, etc). Then Alex went around looking for and collecting them. It gives a whole new feel to "52 Card Pick-up". Aren't they cute?! :)

Emily is FOUR!

2010-05-17T19:25:00.004-04:00

Emily is FOUR YEARS OLD today! Can you believe it? We can't either! We celebrated her birthday all weekend and then a little today with her favorite dinner -- nachos & strawberry yogurt (separate of course). :)

Here are some pictures of her opening her presents. She couldn't be happier with everything! :) We got Emily a refurbished iPod and alarm clock/docking station for her bedroom. She was more excited that they were blue (her favorite color) than the fact that she got her own iPod. What a nut! :)

A dress-up princess from Aunt Judy & Uncle Dave -- the best gift of the year! She has not put it down since she opened it! Thank you! :)

And you can never go wrong with books -- she loves this one! :)

Gramsy & Papa Lewis got Emily a sticker book -- another favorite and classic activity for Emily! She loved it! :)

Aunt Tracie & Uncle Curt got her a Snow White doll and a Barbie movie. Barbie has been the BIG thing lately and she was so excited to find out that Barbie has movies too -- we were not quite as excited! :)

And you can never, never, never go wrong with crafts for this little girl! She still loves to do hours of crafts every afternoon after school while Alex naps. Thank you Aunt Jill & Uncle Nathan and Nana & Papa Willis -- nice choice! :)

We also got Emily a little flower nightstand for her room. She loves that her room looks like Mommy & Daddy's with her radio & lamp on her nightstand -- such a big girl! :)

Alex "bought" Emily a Ken Barbie Doll -- she is so pleased to have a "Prince Charming" for all of her princesses! :)

Emily's 4th Birthday Party

2010-05-15T17:09:00.006-04:00

Emily is turning 4 on Monday so we are celebrating all weekend! I surprised her this morning with flowers & balloons and her favorite breakfast -- scrambled eggs with onions & cheese. She was so excited!! :)

We had a little party for her today too with some friends from church. She had a wonderful time and loved having so many friends around. Even though they were all playing and having a great time, she still had time to sit on Daddy's lap! :)

I decided not to make a cake this year and we did an ice cream cake instead -- it was a big hit! :)

The Logic of a Child

2010-05-11T12:30:00.003-04:00

I was "negotiating" with Emily just now to finish up her mac&cheese. This is how it went:

J: You need to eat three more bites.
E: My tummy isn't hungry for three. It can only eat two.
J: Well, you need to eat three.
E: I can only do two.
J: How about you eat two and then one more after that?
E: Ok, I can do that.

I love it!! :)

Trip to Florida

2010-05-10T09:02:00.002-04:00

I got to fly down to Florida over the weekend and meet my new nephew, Isaac. He is so adorable and I loved being able to see him when he is so little! :)

And of course I got to spend lots of time with my favorite 2 yr old niece, Ava! Isn't she so cute?! :)

Family Room Update

2010-04-23T15:49:00.002-04:00

A friend reminded me recently that I haven't posted any new pictures of the Family Room since we got the new pieces. Hope you enjoy!! :) As you can see, the ottoman arrived and we also got a new side table & table lamp. The painting, the picture collage and the curtains are new as well. We are LOVING it!! :)

You can also see that we are "trying out" some sconces on each side of the picture collage. These are paper copies and I think we've finally decided on a style that we like! Once those are installed, we will move the floor lamp (but until then, we need light in that corner)! :)

Trip to Indianapolis

2010-04-15T20:48:00.004-04:00

We went out to Indy last weekend to see family and meet our new little nephew, Emmett! Here is a picture of us before we left -- aren't they adorable?! They LOVE giving each other hugs & kisses!! :)

We played with bubles a lot last weekend! The weather was AMAZING and he were outside as much as we could be! :)

Emily loves her Uncle JT & her cousin Parker. They had a great time together! :)

She thought it was so cool being big enough to hold the baby -- such a big girl!! :)

Isn't Emmett so cute?! I loved just holding him -- feels like a long time ago that Alex was that tiny!

Nathan was pulling the boys in the wagon and they were just giggling the whole time! They are so cute to see together -- only weeks apart in age!

Don't you just love that smile?!

The kids were so tired on the way out there --- doesn't that look painful?!

We stopped at Cedarville on the way out and saw Adam & Michael. The kids loved seeing their "uncles"! :)

Easter at Home!

2010-04-04T13:12:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter, Everyone! Here are some pictures we took before church. Luckily we did it before we left because as we were walking into church, Alex fell face-first into the pavement. He scratched up his face and the day just got worse for him after that. He must have fallen 3-4 more times this morning (new shoes and he's not used to them yet). Poor little guy! But we did get some nice family pix!! :) Enjoy and have a wonderful Easter Sunday! :)

This is Alex after we got home from church this morning. (You can see the scratches below his nose.) :(

Aren't they adorable?! :)

Emily -- The LadyBug Whisperer

2010-04-01T15:58:00.002-04:00

Emily and I were cutting up some strawberries this afternoon and she saw a lady bug. This is how the conversation went:

Emily: Hello, Lady Bug. Are you dead?
Emily: You're not dead? Do you like strawberries?
Emily: Then why don't you eat some? (She offers a strawberry to the bug.)
Emily: You can't have anymore. We have to save them.

I asked Emily after this how she could talk to the lady bug and she said (matter of factly), "She would shake her head yes or no, Mama." (Can you hear the teenage attitude? This is something new recently! Luckily (?), it's just the sound of attitude -- the lack of respect and eye-rolling hasn't sunk in yet. Hallelujah!)

What a character!! :)

Funny Conversations With Emily

2010-03-27T10:52:00.006-04:00

Emily is one crazy little girl! Here are a few things she has said lately:

We are sitting down to a nice family dinner of baked rigatoni earlier in the week. Alex has managed to knock all of his food off his plate and onto the table. Emily pointed out the "error of his ways" and I said it was ok, he's still learning and he can be a pig in the process. Emily says "Alex is a pig but I'm not. I'm a butterfly. ...They aren't messy." Priceless!

Emily stopped me one morning from pouring cereal to tell me that "I'm not a butterfly anymore. Now I'm a doggie. And a door." What a nut! :)

We had pancakes for breakfast this morning and I asked Emily which she would prefer on top of them, butter or peanut butter. She said she wanted both and I said she could only have one or the other. She then looks at me with all seriousness and says "I want the other". And which one would that be kiddo?!?! What a funny girl!! :)

Gotta Love 3 Year Olds!

2010-03-17T16:32:00.002-04:00

Emily's teachers sent home a questionnaire that Emily filled out at school a few weeks ago. Thought you might like to see what she came up with! :)

My daddy's name is "Daddy".
My daddy is "1" years old.
He weighs "5 lbs" and is "1 feet" tall.
His hair is "brown" and his eyes are "blue".
My dad loves to relax by "taking a nap on the couch".
He likes to wear "comfy pants".
His favorite household chore is "crafts".
His favorite TV show is "the one with a red dot".
His favorite song is "Bob & Larry". (Veggie Tales)
Daddy always tells me to "go upstairs and cry".
My daddy always "tells people what not to do".
It makes me happy when "he goes to bed".
When my dad shops, he loves to buy "grapes".
If he could go on a trip, he would go to "preschool" and he would take "me".

How funny is that? It sounds like he's this lazy tyrant who likes to sleep all day and yell at her. He really does love her and he is a fantastic dad. Those kids say the darnedest things!! ;)

The Joy of Spring

2010-03-09T17:50:00.002-05:00

The weather has been AMAZING and we all went for a long walk tonight. When we got back, Nelson and I sat on the patio while the kids ran around the yard. Nelson and I were commenting how much better Alex is maneuvering the slanting yard (especially since it's soggy) and just as we were saying this, Alex fell into a puddle. He was instantly unhappy (go figure since he was cold & wet), but the three of us were dying with laughter. It was pretty funny, but poor little guy!! Poor Alex -- holding his soaking wet and dirty pants while his sister is laughing at it all! :}

Check out those pants -- he was soaked!!!

And we had to strip him down outside because he was so muddy. What a crazy end to a beautiful day! :)

Hair Cuts

2010-03-05T15:49:00.002-05:00

We all got hair cuts over the last week and I thought you might like to see the new do's! Alex looks all grown-up with his hair styled & spiked and Emily looks like such a lady!! :) (And mine is curly again -- yeah!!) :)

Gotta love this "cheesey-grin" phase!!! :}

And here is Emily before we got her hair cut -- it was so pretty, but she would rarely let me comb it and that wasn't working for either of us!!! :)

Crazy Kids

2010-02-24T07:05:00.002-05:00

Emily wanted to "see if it was winter yet" yesterday -- crazy kid! I opened the door so that they could see the snow (the snow we've had for months now!) and they wouldn't let me close the door! They just sat there laughing at the snow -- what a couple of crazy kids!! :)

Loads of Fun Making Popcorn

2010-02-24T07:03:00.002-05:00

Emily wanted popcorn for dinner on Sunday night and was just mesmerized by the maker! She has seen this thing work 100 times, but it was really cool this time!! Don't you love that face?! :)

Our New Sectional

2010-02-12T12:18:00.002-05:00

Here it is, at last! We ordered a new couch after Christmas and it was delivered today! It's a brown leather and then there will be an ottomon (being delivered in 2 weeks) that will match the throw pillows. We are so happy with it -- can't wait for all of you to come visit and sit on it! :)

So, we moved some of the old furniture to the basement. We sold the long sofa on Craigs List and then moved these three pieces to the playroom. It is SOOO nice to have something to sit on down there -- and the kids are enjoying it too! :)And here is a picture of our (messy) playroom. (This picture is taken from the couch.)

Alex Playing With His Favorite Toy

2010-02-12T12:11:00.003-05:00

This horse was mine and my sister's when we were kids. Alex LOVES riding it and runs to it everytime we're in the basement! :)

The Previous Two Weeks

2010-02-12T12:07:00.002-05:00

We might have stayed out too late on Super Bowl night -- Emily was so tired that she came in, took off her shoes, and went back to sleep on the stairs. Poor girl!! :}

Alex has these hats hanging in his room and Emily wanted her and Daddy to wear them. Aren't they cute?! :)

Winter Fun!

2010-02-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

So, last night was the big snow storm that everyone had been talking about all week. They had not exaggerated! We got about 12" and then even higher where it drifted. It is awfully pretty! Although we're very happy that we weren't going anywhere this morning! :)

And praise God for great neighbors! Bruce lent us his snow-blower so that Nelson could finish the driveway more easily. Needless to say, we will be buying one before next winter -- that's some heavy snow! :)

A Nice Lunch, Until . . .

2010-02-04T12:33:00.002-05:00

Picture this:
A lovely lunch for Nelson, myself, Emily & Alexander.
Just sitting around eating and chatting about our morning.
Suddenly, there is a knock on the door.
Nelson goes to answer it and it is . . .
A POLICE OFFICER!

Emily had apparently played with Nelson's phone before we sat down to eat, and called 911 with it! They tried to call back twice, but the phone was on vibrate and it was in the other room. So, doing what they are trained to do, the very nice police officer came to check on our call and verify that we are all ok.

Life is never dull when there are kids around!! :)

A Rough Week

2010-02-04T06:19:00.003-05:00

We've been having a rough week here! Emily somehow caught Hand, Foot & Mouth and her face was COVERED in a nasty rash! Two days later, Nelson caught it and has been sick all week too! Luckily Alex & I have managed to avoid it all! YEAH!! :)

Nelson is back to work today and Emily is feeling much better. Even though she's better, I'm keeping her from school for one more day just to be safe. I thought we could do some fun things together today (bake, play games, play with her dolls, etc.). I asked her what she would like to do and she quickly got excited and said "We can clean"! What a crazy girl!! :)

Such a Big Girl!

2010-01-27T07:18:00.004-05:00

Last week, Emily and Nelson went on a date to celebrate Emily staying dry in her panties at night for almost a whole two weeks! She is doing so great with potty-training and we're so happy to have her out of pull-ups at night! What a big girl!! :)

She picked out the dress (Judy -- do you recognize this?). It's a flower-girl dress that I wore in Dave & Judy's wedding and she just LOVES it! And you can barely see it, but she has about 20 barrettes in her hair too --- she was quite the sight!! :)

New & Improved Dining Room

2010-01-11T08:29:00.002-05:00

While my mom was here for Christmas, we painted the dining room. If you remember, it was chocolate on top and cream on the bottom. It was nice, but you couldn't see the trim or moldings. So, I found this great table runner and designed the room around it. We used the matching placemats as the cornice and added the mirror on the long wall. I still have some more to do (shelving for my seafoam pottery that looks AMAZING with this wall color, and some paintings to hang), but I'm super-pleased with the end result!! :)

More BabyFaces Pictures :)

2009-12-28T05:27:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from our favorite photo studio, BabyFaces. They do such a wonderful job with the kids and I always look forward to getting their pictures taken! So, these are Alex's 18 month pictures, along with some of the two kids together for Christmas. Aren't they simply adorable?! :)

More Christmas Pictures

2009-12-27T07:31:00.004-05:00

Here are some more Christmas pictures (sorry it took me a while to get them posted -- blogger has been crazy-busy over the last few days -- go figure, huh?!) :) Our little elf! :)

Nana & Papa bought Emily a keyboard with a microphone -- thanks guys!! ;)

And Alex is enjoying it too -- just their size! :)

Alex is loving the fact that he has a book of dinosaurs and doesn't have to read about princesses and fairies anymore!! :)

Emily got one of my favorite childhood books from her Aunt Katie -- she loved it! (However, because the sketches in it are in black & white, she did ask if it was a coloring book. Who would have thought?!) :)

And of course my Aunt Judy and Uncle Dave hit the nail on the head with a princess book -- you can never go wrong with that!! :)

Can you see the excitement on his face that it isn't a fairy tale story? "Yeah -- Robin Hood! Bows & arrows! No more girly movies for me!!" ;)

But of course Emily had to get another princess movie -- poor Alex is doomed! ;)

Another classic book -- thanks Aunt Tracie!! :)

Alex loved his little wooden trucks and trailers -- and of course Emily had to "show" him how to play with them! :)

The kids also got a Mr. Potato Head from their cousin Ava -- they've loved playing with it! And Emily has gotten very creative with her configurations! :)

Mom and Dad bought Alex his first set of golf clubs! He instantly started playing with it and I would have to say he's a natural -- look out PGA, here we come!! ;)

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T19:42:00.003-05:00

Merry (belated) Christmas, everyone! The kids had a great time and Emily was such a hoot getting ready for the season! It's the first year that she's been able to understand not only Santa and the presents, but also why we truly celebrate. She keeps singing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus and talking about his birthday -- it's the sweetest thing to hear from a 3 yr old! :)
Isn't she simply adorable with her stocking? She was so excited when she got to open it and see what Santa brought her! It's the first year we did stockings with the kids and it went over really well! Alex didn't quite understand it all, but he liked pulling toys out without having to unwrap them! :)

Toys from Santa -- Emily got a porcelain Belle doll (from Beauty & The Beast) and Alex got a wooden tool box complete with tools. They were a big hit!! :)

Visit from Nana & Papa

2009-12-26T05:22:00.002-05:00

My parents arrived on Christmas Eve around lunchtime and we immediately started getting ready for Christmas! Emily and I had made cut-out cookies the day before and we were waiting for Nana to come so that we could finish decorating them. Emily just had a blast!! :)

Here are Emily and I putting out reindeer food on Christmas Eve night. She was so excited to get ready for Santa's visit!! :)

And here are Alex & Emily in their new Christmas jammies -- they both have monkeys on the side. So cute in their matching pajamas!! :)

Alexander's First Professional Hair Cut

2009-12-23T22:00:00.003-05:00

We went and got Alex's hair cut again today. Jill, I love what you did to it at Thanksgiving and it was a good transitional cut from the long curls (that looked too girly, but simply adorable) to the all-boy cut he has now! It was just getting too long again, and I finally worked up the nerve to cut off all the curls! But all the worrying and concern might have been for nothing because it's not super-short and I'm thinking he didn't lose the curl -- time will tell! Isn't he so cute in his bomber jacket and newly cut hair?! What a little man! :)

First School Picture

2009-12-23T21:55:00.002-05:00

Here is Emily's first school picture. I think it turned out really nice! Can you believe she is that big already? (Sorry that they're a little grainy & blurry. Our scanner isn't working and I had to take a picture of the picture -- didn't work out real well, but you get the idea.) :)

Emily's Preschool Chirstmas Program Video

2009-12-19T16:49:00.005-05:00

As promised, here is the video from Emily's first school program. Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!! :)

Emily's School Christmas Program

2009-12-12T05:40:00.003-05:00

Emily had her first Christmas program this week with her preschool class. They were the most adorable little 3 yr olds you've ever seen!! We got a great video of them singing their two songs, so I'll try to post that this weekend. Until then, enjoy the pictures! (Emily is in a blue dress in the middle.) ;)

This is a picture of the entire preschool (ages 2-5). They did a final song together -- quite the mess of kids fighting for the microphones or waving at their families! It was hilarious to watch!! :)

Emily is in Miss Nicki & Miss Kim's class -- they were so cute singing their songs!! :)

Alex's First HairCut

2009-12-02T17:58:00.002-05:00

I'm sure many of you have wondered when I was ever going to cut this little boy's hair. I just wasn't ready to part with the curls. But, after I realized that it was getting in his eyes, I decided the time had come. And with Jill (my amazing sister-in-law/self-taught-beautician) visiting, I put her to work. At first we just trimmed up the front. This made him look like a girl -- bangs in the front and curls in the back. Or it gave him a mullet. Either way, we couldn't keep that!! So, I had Jill cut off several inches all around and I think she did a beautiful job! And as you can tell, he still has his curls -- YEAH!!! :)

"Whatcha doin', Aunt Jill?"

There's our little man!! :)

More Holiday Pictures

2009-12-02T17:49:00.003-05:00

Mom brought some pipe cleaners and did craft time with the kids. They were all very creative with how they made their glasses and crowns -- isn't Emily adorable?! :)

After a long day of eating turkey and mashed potatoes, Alex relaxed by taking a walk with his favorite duck. Isn't he cute in his white dress shirt and bare feet?! :)

Here is Emily's first violin lesson -- it wasn't the prettiest thing we've ever heard but it was fun to watch the joy on her face!! :)

The boys found the wii-motes and were playing. Aren't they funny watching each other?! :)

Happy "Belated" Thanksgiving!

2009-12-02T17:32:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we're hoping you did too! All of the Lewis family came to our house for the weekend and celebrated Thanksgiving, Krissy & Nelson's Birthdays, and Christmas -- all in 3 days! It was a whirlwind time together, but we had a wonderful time! :) Grandma & Grandpa loved the time with the 3 youngest grandkids -- aren't they so cute?!

We even managed to get a picture of all of us together -- and I think we're all looking in this one too! Not bad, huh?! :)

The four oldest grandkids -- Emily LOVED following them around! :)

Alex with Aunt Krissy, sporting his new vest. I have to say it turned out quite nicely. And he looks adorable in it too!! :)

The boys in their jammies playing the piano -- isn't that the sweetest picture?! :)

Picture Day at School

2009-11-06T19:45:00.002-05:00

Emily had picture day at school this week and this was her outfit. With her "super-big-grin" phase she's going through right now, I wanted to get a picture of her that I knew we would like. And here it is -- isn't she beautiful?! :)

Halloween & Trick-or-Treating

2009-11-06T19:39:00.002-05:00

This was the first year that we took the kids trick-or-treating. Alex (dressed up as James Dean) had no idea what was going on -- he just liked seeing all the dogs on their leashes! Emily, however, LOVED getting candy! She was a little upset that the big bowl of candy we had in the kitchen was being given away to the kids coming to our house. But after we visited a few places, she understood what was going on. And you should have seen her just struttin' her stuff -- she was the prettiest little Dorothy!! :)

Preschool Fall Party

2009-11-06T19:28:00.003-05:00

As you can see, Emily went as Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz for Halloween and her Fall Party at school. She LOVES The Wizard of Oz and couldn't wait to dress up as Dorothy! (We got this costume from a dear friend whose daughter wore it last year -- isn't it beautiful?!)

I got to help at Emily's school for her Fall party. Her friend Chloe went as Dorothy too -- aren't they cute?! (As you can tell, Emily's in her "big-cheesey-grin" phase. Pretty, huh?!) :)

We had different stations the kids could go to (crafts, games, snacks) and they all seemed to have a great time tracing leaves, decorating cookies, and even putting their hands in spaghetti to find toys at the bottom!

When You No Longer Hear A Child . . .

2009-11-06T19:24:00.001-05:00

. . . Go check on them immediately! They're ALWAYS getting into something! This time it was a box of tissues! :)

"Hey, Mom! Look what I did!" ;)

We LOVE Autumn!

2009-11-06T19:19:00.001-05:00

Last weekend it was 70 degrees and we got to play outside in the leaves -- it was wonderful!!! :)

Emily's new hiding place

2009-11-06T19:12:00.002-05:00

She emptied out all the cutting boards from the cabinet and crawled on in. It's only 9" wide -- I had no idea she could fit in there! It reminded me of "A Christmas Story"scene ("Daddy's gonna kill Ralphie!")! :)

Alex's First Word

2009-11-06T19:04:00.002-05:00

Alex has been talking for a while but not really saying much. Mostly just babbling like, "uh-huh", "whooo" (like an owl), or "doe-doe-doe". Well, while Ben & Laura were here, Alex got really fussy at one point and reached for me and said "Mama". He's said this and "Dada" before but never actually directed at one of us in particular. Well, that night was different. It was so sweet!! :)

Vist from Ben & Laura & Isobel

2009-11-06T18:52:00.003-05:00

Sorry about not posting in FOREVER! Life has been crazy with Emily having a sinus infection, myself also having a sinus infection and bronchitis, visits from friends, Halloween and just general craziness (not to mention still having problems connecting the camera to the computer). But a solution might have been discovered -- we'll see if it lasts long term! ;)

So, as you can see, Ben & Laura came down two weeks ago with Isobel and we had a good time. Uncle Ben had his hands full in this picture -- aren't they cute?! :)

And for some reason, the laundry room was where the kids liked to play that weekend -- we're not sure why. Maybe because of the nice view to the backyard? Regardless of the reason, they enjoyed themselves and each other! :)

SISTER HAZEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-13T13:29:00.002-04:00

I have the best sister in the whole world -- just wanted everyone to know that!! For my 30th birthday present, she bought me tickets to see our favorite band perform -- SISTER HAZEL! They were at Epcot over the weekend and we got to see them perform 3 times -- it was amazing!! Thank you, Tracie -- you are the best!! :)

Tracie and I have listened to and loved Sister Hazel for over a decade! They are from Gainsville, FL and perform often in Florida. Tracie has seen them several times, but unfortunately they don't make it to Ohio very often. This was my first Sister Hazel concert and I screamed like a teenager seeing The Beetles or Elvis. Nelson would have been mortified had he been with me -- but we had a blast!! :) And as an extra bonus, my cousin Katie flew into Orlando on Saturday morning, so she got to come with us to the concert. Sister Hazel was performing three times on Saturday and between each set, they were making everyone leave the ampitheatre and go wait in line again. During the last song of the second set, Katie jumped up and got in line for us. Let me tell you -- I have an amazing family! :)

Sister Hazel is just amazing! They put on three great concerts and were fantastic live -- if you haven't heard them before, I'd highly, highly, highly recommend them! (www.sisterhazel.com) :)

Alex Walking

2009-10-09T04:37:00.003-04:00

This isn't the greatest video, but it does show you how he's walking. I think he's finally realized how much faster it is to walk, because we never see him crawl anymore. He's just all over the house now! :)