Virtual Coffee

Hello! It's our first virtual coffee date of the new year!!!! Are you so excited? I knew it.

If you were really here for coffee today, I would have the coffee nice and hot and ready for consumption since it's only 20 degrees here today. No worries, though, cause it's supposed to be 50 by Friday.

I'm sure we'd share holiday stories and I'd probably show you the 450 pictures I took of my nephews while they were here. I can't help it, I must show them off. I heart them.
Maybe we'd talk about the new year. Maybe we'd even share some resolutions. I haven't totally made a list but I have been thinking about it a bit...
I'd like to continue to journal the books I read this year like I did in 2010. I loved it and I liked looking back on all the books I loved and need to share with others.

I want to make 2011 a year of gifting experiences. I know I've talked about this before, but I loved that my family took my idea seriously and ran with it. The girls will be getting swim lessons and tumble tot time and other things instead of more toys for our house to hold.Of course, I have some healthy habits I'd like to actually make habits and not just wishes.
I'm going to continue trying to cook through my cook books!! I tried so many new recipes in 2010 and this year I plan on trying even more!!!
Ok, your turn. What are you resolving to accomplish this year? Cause you may have some great ideas that I will need to make one of my resolutions too.
If we were having coffee together, I'd tell you how I am in hyper-moving mode. I'm freaking out about organizing the basement, closets, cabinets and rooms. I'm determined to have everything that is in the basement in rubbermaid tubs so that when we move I don't even have to worry about organizing the new basement/storage area because I'll have done it all here months before. I've never had the cleaning bug last so long in my system. It's weird.
But, don't you worry! Cause even when I'm melting into a puddle of sweat from the humidity in Texas since we'll be moving in the summer and it's freaking 1,000 degrees there in the summer, I'll still have Tuesday coffee dates with you. But, they will be frozen coffee dates. And I will stock up on deodorant so you'll still come visit me even if I'm sweating away to nothing.

E & O

I need to tell you that while Matt, Kyle, Ethan and Owen were here I took over 450 pictures.

I also need to tell you that i will post each and every one here on today's post.

Just kidding.

But, I do need to share a few with you; especially since Julia woke up this morning and specifically asked to see Matt and Kyle and asked when they would be back. :(

The girls waited as patiently as possible when we told them that E&O were just minutes away from arriving.

We opened Christmas gifts and Evan was most excited to receive this hat from his sister.
The girls instantly claimed Owen as their own and smothered him with big cousin smooches and hugs.


And then there was Ethan and Julia. These two are a love/hate bubble of fun. They are two peas in a pod and make each other belly laugh like no one else. They also can make each other scream and cry like banshees.
Sweet baby O. (Oh my lord, this boy is nothing but sugar and honey and syrup wrapped up in edible baby dimples.) All he does all day long is sit quietly and eat his toes or his toys and smile whenever you make eye contact with him. I lovelovelove him.
We visited Evan at work. He only worked one day with they were here, but we still had to go and pester him.
Don't you worry, I totally gnawed on Owen's cheeks and legs and belly and dimpled hands. I huffed his baby scent and kissed those cheeks for hours.

Ethan shows a lot of interest in Legos, which makes his Uncle Evan most happy.

I put Owen in a few things for fun.

While they were here, there was only one accident. It involved a vacuum cleaner and somebody's nose. Unfortunately, this picture has been censored and you can not see the damage.
Kyle brought a dancing game for the Wii and Ebeth danced for over 3 hours. I'm not exaggerating. Owen was completely captivated by Elisabeth and even tried to dance on his own.

We celebrated New Year's Eve at our home and tried to stay awake.

And I let Ethan open his birthday gifts 2 weeks early.
We sadly said good-bye to them. We won't be seeing them again until September, which is an awfully long time from now. I'm not even going to think about how big the boys will be, it'll just make me cry.

I'll post more tomorrow about all of our outings while they were here. But, for now, I have realized in the past couple of days that it is only a matter of months until we are high-tailing it to Texas and I have to start organizing and getting rid of and labeling things for the move. I feel sad/panicky/excited/overwhelmed. My basement is indescribable. Ugh.

They're Here!!!!

The girls waited patiently all day long. And when they were minutes away, the girls took up watch by the window so they could scream when they saw the car pull up. Who are the girls waiting for?! Their cousins. Oh, and Matt and Kyle too. :)

Ethan and Julia both love cars. And apple juice. And apologizing after hurting each other.
And then there's Owen. Oh my goodness, sweet sweet Owen is all smiles and dimples and rolls of fat that need nibbled on. I had to share holding him because both girls wanted turns.
You might remember that Kyle and Matt and Ethan visited us last year. This year we have even more things planned because Kyle is no longer growing a child and can participate in more activities! It's going to be a fabulous week!!!

A Quiet Little Christmas.

Christmas Eve was spent watching Elisabeth sing in the church children's choir.

And keeping Julia quiet by letting her draw on the floor (something I distinctly remember doing as a preschooler in church).


I made a traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner--The Feast of the Seven Fishes.
And, we left cookies and a gatorade for Santa (dude, he has to be sooo dehydrated flying at that high altitude).

Santa left his loot.
And the girls woke up very eager to see what he'd brought.

Julia received her big, red ball.
Elisabeth fell in love with her bee pillow pet.
Other gifts were opened.





After we opened everything and called our families in Illinois, we hung out all day and enjoyed our new gifts.

And took a much needed nap.
A quiet, simple Christmas was probably my favoritest gift this year. We are very blessed and extremely full of cookies.