Catching up...through 2011

I love to blog. I really do, it is my best way of journaling my life in this phase. That said, I've been completely away almost seven months. So this post with be a highlights post and then I hope to return to a regular routine of blogging.

So rewind the clock to the pioneer days...or at least Pioneer Day. As relief society meeting coordinator I was put in charge of this activity (who knew that that calling pretty much entailed every ward activity/event). Anyway, it was lots of fun. We had a Dutch oven cookout, pony rides, a children's parade, made ice cream in a bag and played other games. 

My sweet pioneer girl.

 

Cowboy Bryan cooking up the Dutch oven chicken, potatoes and peach cobbler for the whole gang.

Pioneer babies too.

Tasting the homemade ice cream.

Potato sack race.

Telling secrets! El's sweet friend Ava Wallingsford joined us for the afternoon.

She even got a pioneer blister from her boots. Poor baby.

It was sure a hot day! Florida in July doesn't make it easy to be outside.

One day in August, we had a girls day at the mall -- to let Eleanore try something she'd been begging for a long time to do...JUMP! She loved jumping on the bungy cord and trampoline and the babies enjoyed riding on the quarter rides.

We've done lots of playing...

Sitting in funny chairs.

A favorite toy at our house: the little dolls.

Going on horsey rides on the rocking horse Grandpa built.

Going for horsey rides on Daddy (a nightly routine for a few weeks there).

Doing anything for a laugh....Eleanore has sure become a bit of a class clown.

 

 Eating messy treats...My girls love chocolate as much as their mama does.

For some reason Ivy is always the one pushing Eleanore and Maya around in this cart...seems a little backwards, but she is happy to do it so who am I to object?.

Although she s getting a little sassy in her older age, Eleanore is really the best big sister ever. she loves to take care of the girls, like to play with them and is very protective of them. If they ever get into trouble and I scold them, I'll hear her comforting them and telling them that they are great. Makes me proud of her.

We've been doing Mommy School. I have decided not to send Eleanore to preschool so we've been doing as much enrichment as possible at home. I have been trying to do art projects, science experiments, writing and reading using the Before Five in a Row curriculum. We've really enjoyed it, although I don't always get to spend as much time as I'd like to on it.

Painting with pudding.

 

We had a Teddy Bear picnic when we spent the week reading Jesse Bear What Will You Wear?

Playing dress up with her pal Max. She makes a pretty cute little builder, I think.

In August I planned and organized another Relief Society event, a "Tea Party Luncheon" for the women and girls in our congregation. It was wonderful! We had soup and salad and were entertained by a string trio from the Sarasota Orchestra. Eleanore and I had fun attending together.

We went to Disney on Ice

Daddy graduated college (hello, I know this deserves a post of its own!). After 8 years of hard work while keeping up with our growing family, his growing career and growing church responsibilities he finished school with great grades and a sigh of relief. I am so proud of him for his achievement and dedication.

 

Everyone loves going to dance class. Ivy and Maya are learning the steps by watching Eleanore practice and Eleanore is gaining more and more poise and confidence.

 

Eleanore and I went to a tea house in St. Petersberg for a tea party with her friend Ava and her mom Ashley. We had a fun big girl's day (thanks to Aunt Catherine for watching Ivy and Maya). It was a fun lunch where the girls got to try on all kinds of different hats and gloves and we dined on fancy china.

Bryan turned 30 on September 24! He did it was grace, and has lots to be proud of in his first 30 years. I'm looking forward to spending the next 30 (and the 30 after that...) with is amazing guy. I sure am grateful he was born and was raised by such wonderful parents to become a hardworking, loving, kind, generous man of integrity. We are lucky to call him husband/father. To celebrate he got a new grill and we had Rob and his family over for a little BBQ.

In September our Bishopric was reorganized and Bryan was a released as a counselor to Ben Shipley. He was a wonderful Bishop with a genuine Christlike love for the members of our ward. A sister in a our ward made a quilt to thank him for his service and this was the block we contributed.

Ivy is our resident hair stylist. She loves fixing anyone's hair and will stay entertained with is for a really long time. I am always surprised that Maya and Eleanore will sit and let her do it. These girls really have a special relationship that I love observing.

Early in October we had a Halloween party since our friends were expecting a baby right around Halloween and we didn't want them to miss out on the fun. We hit a pinata, played a ghost hunt (finding ghosty lollipops), ate lots of yummy food and enjoyed good company!

The girls were Super Sisters for Halloween. We celebrated the holiday by attending the ward trunk or treat on October 29. Then on Halloween we went to the costume parade and trick or treat in downtown  Venice before meeting up with the McKinney's for trick or treating in our old neighborhood. It was really a fun night and the kids got a TON of candy...way too much in fact (I think I threw the last of it away just before Christmas).

El and her best buddy Jarom.

The girls riding in style while trick or treating.

Super Sisters!

We visited Hunsader farms to get apples for applesauce and fed the baby goats and chickens while were were there. The girls have been asking to back ever since...need to get a day for that planned!

 

Then we made, bottled and processed about 50 quarts of applesauce. Eleanore loves the peeler/corer...always the most fun job (at least for the first few apples).

We did a session of gymnastics at Acrofit. Eleanore really did well on the balance beam. The teacher was nice enough to let me use the equipment to play with Ivy and Maya while El was in class, so they all had a wonderful time. The pit was the definite favorite activity for all of them. I couldn't believe how brave my little babies were jumping in.

My brother Dave and his family came for a visit from Denver in the beginning of November, but sadly I lost my camera SD card that contains all the pics of their visit. We had lots of fun playing at the beach, visiting Disney World and visiting the aquarium with them though. Here are a couple of pics from my phone the day at the Mote Marine Aquarium.

Another activity that consumed TONS of my time in November was Relief Society Super Saturday, but sadly all my photos from that were lost too. It was a huge craft day event for the ladies in my ward. We had a great turn out with about 10 different craft options, bread making and candy apple making. It was a huge project, but was gratifying because it went over so well.

We hosted Thanksgiving this year, with Bryan's parents and his brother's family and Shay and her family there with us there was a total 19 people. We love a crowd!  Dinner was delicious thanks to everyone's contributions and the company was better. We have so much to be thankful for, most importantly a wonderful family.

The day after Thanksgiving Christmas begins at our house (I actually have a hard time waiting that long!).

Our elf, Eddy, appeared to check up on the girls and report to big man Santa.

The girls were thrilled when Daddy put Christmas lights on the house. That was one of our funnest traditions this year: driving around looking at lights.

We had fun decorating the Christmas tree.

Ivy got to put the star on the top!

Our pretty ballerina by the Christmas tree.

 We visited the girls and I went with Bryan's parents to the Crosley Mansion for the Festival of trees. It was lots of fun to see the amazing restored house and look at the neat trees, trains and gingerbread houses.

 Of course Grandpa loved looking at the old Crosley cars and El even got a chance to play driver.

 

 We went with Nana and Grandpa to lunch and to paint Christmas ornaments one day. Good thing they were with me...painting ceramics with three toddlers would of been pretty wild, and Nana has lots of artistic ability that I do not.  Each girl had a fun time painting their own ornament and I love looking at them on my tree.

Eleanore's precious letter to Santa Claus. She is doing so well at writing.

We visited Santa Claus at the Bass Pro Shop in Fort Myers.

Eleanore and Daddy went on a date to see the play Annie.

We met a new friend, Savaya Martinez

And said so long to another, Miguel Tenorio leaving for his mission to Denver.

 So glad that we got so spend some of the holiday season with Nana and Grandpa visiting from Utah.

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 We made gingerbread houses with Nana and Grandpa and Rob and Buckley and kids.

El's house was great...good thing we got a picture quick because it feel about five minutes later.

Bryan is always the slowest builder, but his house is always the last one standing. Slow and steady.... :)

We decorated Christmas sugar cookies with the McKinneys.

Mommy was feeling homesick for a white Christmas so Eleanore and I made our own snowstorm.

I turned 29 and Bryan spoiled me! He brought me home these beautiful flowers and had a yummy edible arrangement sent to the door. He also made my favorite: strawberry shortcake!

Eleanore was an ice skater in the Nutcrakcer. She did so good remembering her steps and smiling and being brave on stage. I couldn't be more proud of her. She looked so cute too!

Our Christmas Eve-Eve tradition is to go out to eat and then sleep by the Christmas tree. It was a fun and exciting night.

 Christmas Eve was spent with Rob and Family. We played games and ate. Then we enacted the Nativity story. Just as we finished a special visitor came with some early gifts: Christmas jammies! The kids enjoyed sleeping in them.

Christmas morning was lots of fun! Everyone got what they wished for.

 Sleepy heads ready to check out what Santa brought.

 Ivy got the candy she wished for.

 They got a train set.

 They got a train set.

 Eleanore got her Cowgirl Jessie doll.

Maya got her baby doll toys.

Maya loves being Super Maya

After we got through Santa's gifts we hurried and dressed for church, which was a special treat to attend on such a special day. It was a musical program that really helped us rejoice in the birth of our Savior.

 
 

 

After Church, the Elders came and spent the day and we played, played, played. By the time evening came we had three tired girls who were happy to watch their new movie, Dumbo while we played board games with the missionaries.

We rolled in the new year a couple days early with a hot dog and marshmallow roast with the McKinneys. Our kids have so much fun together it is fun to see them play. So glad for good friends. On the real new year we played it cool and were asleep by 10 p.m. -- I think we're getting old!

 

It was a truly wonderful, blessed Christmas and year in 2011. I wish I had written sooner so I could write more details. I won't be letting myself get behind again. Looking at these photos makes me wish I had done better. It is crazy how much my girls grew and changed over the course of six months both physically (check out the hair they grew!) and intellectually (they are babies no more!). I am so blessed to be the mother of these precious daughters of God.