Most.Amazing.Vacation.EVER.

We went on a Disney Cruise with Jon's family and it was so wonderful! Key West, The Bahamas and Disney's Castaway Key. The memories will last a lifetime.

 

 

 Poppy and E in the Atlantic Ocean by our Hotel...Loews' Ft. Lauderdale

 

 Jack-Jack playing in the water

 

"All Aboard"

 

Adult dinner at Palo....so good!  

 

 Addi, Jack and Ella in Key West, FL

 

The view from our Cabana....Castaway Key

 

Taking the tour of Disney Dream 

 

 In Key West, FL

 

 Having so much fun with Grammie and Poppy!

 

 Getting ready to board the ship

 

 Getting ready to have fun at Atlantis!

 

 Beach babes

 

 E and her favorite, Princess Ariel

 

 Ready for the Pirate Party Argh!

 

 Poppy went with us to swim with the dolphins at the Atlantis Resort

 

 He's not so sure about the dolphin

 

Jon and our dolphin...who happen to be a little on the sassy side :)

 

 

Now it's time to catch up!

O.M.G.

I am a slacker! Life has been REALLY busy and I feel a little guilt that I haven't been posting regularly. I've slowly started to tinker more with my camera...here's snapshot of our lives over the past few months.

December

So close to finishing my project 52 and I fell of the wagon. The holidays really do take over! We had a lovely Thanksgiving at home this year. My mom joined us and we had lots of fun baking. Fast forward to the week before Christmas!

Fun in Denver the week of Christmas! We love the snow!

Much Needed Family Time

We enjoyed a lovely weekend with Jon's family. We came together to celebrate our cute-as-a-button neice, Addison! From a minor league baseball game to a water gun fight at the park, the kids had a great time with Aunts, Uncles and their Grandparents. The party was just the icing on the cake.

We are so blessed to be able to get together as much as we do, especially since we are so far apart. Jon's family is just great. Everytime we get together, I am flooded with memories of my childhood. Spending time with my Grammie and Papa was one of my favorite things to do. It was never about eating out or the stuff they gave us, it was about the time they spent with us. Teaching us, loving us and molding us. They were always 100% present and never worried about the world around them when we were with them. I feel so blessed to give that to Jack and Ella.

Happy Birthday Addison!

Happy Birthday Addison Elizabeth!
We can't believe you are three!

We love you very much xoxo!

Competition Across the Pond, The 2012 London Olympics

Growing up I wanted nothing more than to have a "cool" accent and the English accent has long been my favorite. Everything sound so much more sophisticated. The opening ceremonies of the 2012 London Games was tonight and Amy and I celebrated in style. I am so happy that she was here to celebrate with me. We LOVE LOVE LOVE the Olympics! I took a 1/2 day and made a feast.

USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA USA

 Garlic Pita Crackers with Fresh Mozzarella and Tomato Pesto

 Red, White and Bleu Mac 'N Cheese
(Bacon, White Sharp Cheddar and Bleu Chees)

 Festive Cupcake

Champagne with Olympic Rings (Lifesavers)

Happy Birthday America!

One of my all-time favorite holidays! We had a great time at Kaboom Town in Addison and Jon didn't get a call until after the fireworks were over! It was a great night for family time!

FINALLY!

We got great news today! Amy was offered a job with Crocs in Texas! She has accepted and is moving down in two weeks! TWO WEEKS! Holy moly is there work to do. I just can't even begin to think about all that right now! I am just so excited she and Zoe are headed this way!

Amy and I haven't lived together in nearly 17 years. When my parents divorced she went with my dad and I stayed with my mom. Hidesight, I don't think my parents should have let us seperate, but you know what they say about hidesight. I am so excited that our kids will get to grow up together. It's so important to have family around. Amy and I were really blessed to grow up with lots of cousins.

Now, if I could just get Jon's family here......

Happy Birthday Grammie!

Happy Birthday Grammie! J and E always have the best time with Grammie; not to mention all the wonderful things she does for the whole family!  We are so grateful for her love and generosity!

From Denver, with Love

Tomorrow is the last day of our peaceful vacation. We took the kids to the zoo and to the museum over the past few days. The zoo never gets old.... I really do love taking the kids there because its like a new adventure every time we go. I am sad to bid farewell to our family. The best thing about Jon's family is that they are "go with the flow" people. Their home is one of the warmest places I know and everyone is happy to just spend time together without going, going, going. I can't wait to come back for a little r & r.

One last thing....E fell in love with Uncle Josh. She was just adorable with him. She would play so coy with him in the morning and by lunchtime no one was more important to her than him. I hope they are always close...reminds me of my relationship with my UB (Uncle Dave).

Happy Easter

What a wonderful Easter celebration we had. The kids had so much fun at Grammie and Poppy's house hunting for eggs this morning. Sue and I cooked a fabulous dinner that included pork tenderloin, poblano corn pudding, scalloped potatoes, green beans almondine and fresh rosemary bread. I enjoyed a nice afternoon as well. Special thanks to Sue and cousin Holly for letting this mama rest. The day was just perfect!

Countdown to Colorado

In six short days I will be relaxing......visiting the my lovely in-laws in Colorado. Can you tell I am excited? Truth be told, its time for a break. It's time to get away and chill. Once of the best things about my husband's family is that they are really laid back. We never try to cram in as much as possible into our short visits with each other. They are "go with the flow" people and I love it- I need it. My life is scheduled to the minute most days and to escape for a few days is going to be great. Other than a trip to the zoo and Easter - we have no formal plans. J and E are so excited to see Grammie, Poppy and Uncle Josh. Every morning J counts down the number of "sleeps" we have until we get on a plane and fly west.

Papa Joe

I finally got some updated pics of my dad, or Papa Joe, as he is known these days with the kiddos. I just love them! It is so much fun to see my dad being a grandpa. He's laughs and plays rough with Jack and is gentle and sweet with Ella. He also works to help guide them. When they act out, he talks to them in the same voice I heard through my youth. One that was stern enough to know he was serious and trying to teach me to be better, yet soft enough to know he was only saying things out of love. Everytime they see Papa Joe, J and E scream with excitement and run to him. He gives the best "bear" hugs. I love the the way our relationship has changed over time. It's great to have him interact with the kids and great to have him for advice when I am ready to pull my hair out. It's funny because my dad's a pretty big guy and for one reason or another comes across very intimidating to some people...deep down inside he's a teddy bear- but then again, he has a soft spot for me. 

2011 Recap

What a year- a year of travel, growth and love.
January: Time to celebrate the New Year. Ella is 6 months old and thriving and Jack is learning his letters and counting higher and higher every day.
February: Katie turns 32 and is learning to spread her culinary wings. Cooking is creating and nothing feeds the soul more.
March: Jon turns 35. Ella gets her first tooth and Jack is learning to ride his bike.
April: We celebrated the Easter holiday with Jon’s family. We attended an Easter egg hunt at St. Andrew’s and pulled off a great surprise party for my mother-in-law. She was soooo surprised.
May: Party planning is in full-force for Ella’s 1st birthday. We celebrated Mother’s Day with a lovely breakfast and trip to North Park where I was spoiled with a new pair of Tory Burch shoes. We also took a trip out to Possum Kingdom lake for a little getaway weekend with Jen and Cody.
June: We celebrated Father's Day with a great breakfast with my dad. Ella Grace is 1- what? Can it be? Time really seems to go buy faster with the second baby. Grammie, Poppy, Uncle Josh, Papa Joe, Lala, Mimi, Aunt Virg and some extended family came in to celebrate our little girl. Jon and I celebrate 6 years of marriage (16 years together (that’s ½ my life!)).
July: Aunt Kim and UB came into town to visit for a few days and we bid adieu to Harry Potter with the 8th and final movie this month (tears).
August: Record heat has really put a damper on this summer. We had 41 days over 100 degrees. We took an amazing trip to Denver to visit Jon’s family. We rarely get to enjoy summer there and this year was a real treat. Jack caught his first fish, we went up to Breckenridge and rode the Alpine Slides and even saw a few patches of snow at the Continental Divide.
September: With September came a great vacation to Florida. Amy and Zoe joined us and we got to spend a week in the sun. It was Ella’s first time in the Gulf and we got to see some old friends. Fun, sun and beach…it doesn’t get much better.
October: Jack Ryan turned 4! He’s growing into the cutest little man EVER! Jon’s family, Papa, Lala and some friends helped us celebrate at The Little Gym. He had a great time at his Avenger’s themed party.
November: Jon worked Thanksgiving, so we celebrated the day after with a lovely meal. Charlie the Elf on the Shelf came into our home to keep an eye on Jack for Santa.
December: We celebrated Mimi’s birthday and decorated lots of cookies! Christmas was so much fun this year. Mimi came to visit and the kids got to hang out with her and Papa Joe for the day. They were completely overwhelmed by the gifts, but enjoyed every moment of the day.

Ringing in the New Year

To ring in the new year, we joined Jon's brother Rick, sister-in-law Jess and niece, Addison in Houston for a weekend of family fun. The kids had a great time playing together. Sadly, there's only a few shots of us at midnight. We enjoyed a bottle of Krug this year and brought the new year in right with a smooch.

UB and Cousin Justine Visit

My Uncle David or UB (Uncle Brat, it's a family joke) and cousin Justine stopped in Frisco on their way to San Francisco. I know this makes little sense, but my uncle is driving my cousin (technically my cousin-in-law) out to California to join her hubby, my cousin David. David accepted a BIG promotion with Subaru and moved out there in August and Justine just finished LPN school. They are stopping in Phoenix next to visit my UB's mom and then its on to sunny California. I can't wait to see what this adventure holds for my cousin and his wife. Here's a few pics from their visit.

Merry Moments

Just a few of my favorites from the day! Next up I'll post some information about the menu :)

Thankful

Thanksgiving....a time to reflect on the wonderful things in my life. I am so very thankful for my husband, children, family, friends, health and job. I have everything I need in life and more.

This year we are headed to the fire station to visit the hubby while he works and I am prepping some of the food for our Thanksgiving celebration on Friday. It will be small this year, just the fireman, the kiddos and Papa Joe. Jack and I made some cut-out cookies in the shapes of pumpkins and turkeys. I also made a pumpkin pie. I love cooking so tomorrow I will be in heaven.

Lazy Beach Days

What a wonderful vacation we had to the Gulf Coast of Florida! My family has been spending time in Venice and Sarasota since I was a baby. It is such a treat to share these beaches with my children. My mother graciously flew the family and my sister and niece to Florida for a week of family fun. The kids had a great time! Jack and Zoe were so cute together. It made me long for the days when my sister will be in Texas and our children can grow up together! Ella had a great time as well. She loved the sand and water much more than Jack did the first time he visited the beach.