Meet ?

Here's our newest addition! Could he be any cuter? Our plan was to wait until Christmas to get the kids a kitten, but we just couldn't pass this one up! A friend posted pictures on facebook of this little cutie and our plan went out the window. We are still in a heated debate about his name. Kate wants to name him Thomas (after her former cat), Andrew wants Ruby, and Max has been tossed around a lot. The kids are thrilled and the cat is...well...a little overwhelmed! Hopefully the newness will soon wear off and the cat will have some breathing room.

Family Pictures Fall 2009

All I can say is that we are so blessed! First of all..our kids are all healthy, beautiful, and tons of fun. Secondly...I am great friends with a FABULOUS photographer. We did a photo shoot on Friday and here are the results. Aren't they amazing? And here's a little background on the pics. It was an awful experience. For some reason every time we try to get pictures taken, everything turns to chaos. First, while taking a shower (right before pictures), Kate gets a ton of shampoo in her eyes and cries for at least 30 minutes...rubbing her eye until it was very red and puffy. Then once we get there, Josh forgets his sweater, Andrew only wants to play, and Abby is totally and completely uncooperative. I am just shocked that there was even one good picture! Well the results were worth the chaos and you'd never know from the great pictures.

Pumpkin Carving Party!

This post is a little late..but we've just been soooo busy! Our family has a yearly tradition that sometime the week before halloween we have a pumpkin carving party. We have hot cider, tons of yummy snacks, and fun halloween music. This year was the first year we let Andrew carve his pumkin all by his self. He had much higher aspirations (a bat, spider and "BOO"), but his turned out very cute. And like every year, Josh took on the hardest pattern in the book, and it turned out fabulous!

Prima Ballerina

Kate started her 2nd year of ballet earlier this month. Tonight was Parent Watch Night which is always so much fun. This year she is taking Creative Ballet, which starts off with 30 minutes of tap followed by 30 minutes of ballet. Kate is already a very serious dancer. It amazes me at how much she concentrates on making each and every move perfect. And she is always looking for an audience to dance in front of. She is going to be in The Nutcracker Ballet this year as a Cherub. Rehearsals start this weekend, so I am excited to see what her part is going to be like! I know we are completely bias, but she is the cutest ballerina EVER!!

Trunk or Treat

Tonight our church held it's annual Trunk or Treat. This was our first year to attend and we had a fun time. Andrew really enjoyed seeing all of his friend's costumes. And Abby was in heaven getting to constantly pick out lots of candy! After much thought, Andrew decided that he wanted to be a magician this year. I am so glad that he thought of an original costume! And Abby is an adorable ladybug. It was fun for them to get an extra night to wear their costumes!

Happy Fall

It's that wonderful time of year again. FALL!! There are so many reasons that I love fall, but close to the top is all of the fun pictures you can take with leaves. This year seems to be the BEST year in a long time for amazing fall colors. We raked our yard this afternoon which is one of Andrew's all-time favorite things to do! Here are some cute pics!

Soccer Season '09

Tonight the fall soccer season came to an end. It was a very interesting year. I have to say that it is sweet relief that the season is over. Watching your son's team get beat (badly) every single game is not only frustrating but exhausting. I do have to say that there are some very good lessons to be learned from this year. Andrew said it best.."Mom, do you know why we always lose?...because we don't pay attention during practice." So, so true! We have also been enlightened to the fact that Andrew is probably not going to be the next David Beckham. He picks at his hangnails, pulls up the grass, and literally moves out of the way to let the other team have the ball. At least he's polite! Unless he becomes more aggressive and motivated, this will probably be our last soccer season. It was definitely worth it, though...even if it was only for all of the fun photo ops.