Family Update

I decided that I would give my blog another shot. I can't make any promises about how often I will post, but I'll do my best.

So, here's an update on the family:
Jacob turned 11 in January. He is in 5th grade and I am having a hard time believing that he will be in middle school next year. He is such a good kid. He makes good grades and is very well-rounded. He enjoys sports of all kinds (except soccer) but also enjoys art. He has a very kind heart. He is a real help with Catherine and she thinks that he hung the moon and stars.

Catherine is all girl. Her favorite quote is "a girl can never have too much lip gloss". I have a feeling we are in for a real "ride" with her. She is a "follower" and is easily influenced. She is doing very well in 1st grade and really likes school. She started playing soccer last summer and will resume in the spring. She is also playing t-ball again this summer. She has started to make some really good friends at school and in her Daisy (girl scout) troop.

Brian and I are doing well. We have really settled into living in Elmhurst and have made some great friends that we enjoy hanging out with. We also have a few friends that are in the middle of getting divorces and this is hard to watch. Brian is still working at Office Max and we keep our fingers crossed that everyone will just keep ordering office supplies. He coached Catherine's T-Ball team and Jacob's football team last summer and plans to do both again. I am still with Becker and although our division had taken a slight hit because of the economy, our parent company, DeVry Inc. is doing very well. We know a lot of people that have lost their jobs this year so we are just very thankful to be employed.

We made a trip home to Atlanta for Christmas and it was great to see our family and friends there. I still get homesick sometimes and don't see that ever changing. We have a trip planned for Spring Break to Kiawah Island, SC with our good friends Scott and Ruth and their kids. We are really looking forward to this!

I will be finished with my MBA in late April. It went by so quickly! I don't know what I will do with all my "free time" (haha) when I am finished with school! Maybe I'll have more time to post on my blog!

Jackson School Carnival

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Fun Day at Six Flags Great America

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Catherine's First T-Ball Game

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Disney

We just returned from our exciting Walt Disney World vacation. We had a blast! The kids are at the perfect age for Disney. They like the rides and are still young enough that they are not too "cool" to visit with the characters. Catherine especially loved seeing all the princesses and the castle! We were able to visit the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios (MGM). We got tickets to a special "Pirate and Princess Party" at the Magic Kingdom on Tuesday night. It was a lot of fun because it was from 7pm until Midnight so it was cooler and there were a lot less people there. We were able to ride lots of rides without any wait time at all! Here are some pictures from our trip!

Pirate and Princess Party


Jacob gets a "surprise" from Snow White


Check out the "Everest" ride in the back ground.


Donald Duck!


The Family!


A carousel ride!


Goofy and Pluto


The Mouse!

Easter

I got the dreaded question this year from Jacob..."Mom...is the Easter Bunny real or do you and Dad just fill the basket up? And what about Santa...do you and dad do that too?" As my heart sank, I knew it was time to tell him the truth. He had asked some questions at Christmas last year but I could tell he wasn't sure what to think. He is smart enough to figure out that a man in a red suit, nor a bunny rabbit, can make it to every house in one night. So, after I swore him to secrecy (for Catherine's sake), I told him everything. His first question was, "WOW MOM...how did you find the Wii???". After I told him that I paid extra for it on Ebay, I got a big hug and a genuine thank you. I guess that I traded the magic in for some appreciation, not a bad deal. After we got all the questions answered, he wanted to help fill Catherine's Easter basket.
Easter morning wasn't quite the same for sure but he did play along for Catherine so he kept his end of the deal. Here are some pictures from Easter (notice the snow in the back ground):

St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's Day is a big deal here in Elmhurst. The Elmhurst St. Patrick's Day parade is more like a giant town party. We have some friends that live on the parade route that have a party every year. It was a little cold out, but we made the best of it. After the parade was over, we sent the kids home with the sitter and kept the party going till later that night. It was a fun day!