Brrr..... and Yay!

 It was 12 degrees when we left for school yesterday, and Claire the eskimo was bundled up and ready for school! 

On the same day, Jesse received his acceptance letter to SBA.....too fun!  Can't wait to see what the future hold for this young man!!

Very Proud.....

 Jesse was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society this morning in a lovely ceremony after mass.  We are proud of his efforts this year, with  his maturity and drive that have evolved so much since last year!  He was joined by both sets of grandparents, and Claire's class even got to stay and watch him as well!  He will wear that pin with pride!! 3 more months and he'll be ready for high school (we hope!!!)

It's Been Too Long!!!

 Well, I am so so sorry for not having posted since Christmas! We have been sick around here and I'm just now feeling up to catching up!!  Lots going on around here!

 We decided to take a stroll on the Riverwalk on a pretty day and Jesse decided to show off.....

 Ms. Fashionista with her fuzzy sweater and scarf from Aunt Cathie and Uncle Charlie

 Jesse at The Zoo ice skating.....worked up a sweat

 Claire in her red in honor of seeing the movie Annie with Grandma and Mom!

 Jesse doing what he loves....putting stuff together!

 Claire asked for a few sewing lessons over Christmas break, and it turns out, Claire loves sewing and seems to have a knack for it!  She insisted on wearing reading glasses (with no lenses) and those are now her "sewing glasses"!  I had her make pillow after pillow, and now that she's mastered that, she is moving on to skirts....will post on that soon!

 With our friends The Wadovicks skating at the zoo over Christmas Break

 Claire's first 3 pillows. ....

 Jesse after receiving his Principal Honor Roll Certificate....way to go straight A Jesse!

 Claire and mom chaperoning the New Years Dance for 4th and 5th Graders....Claire took up money and had a blast doing it!

 On of my Etsy copycat crafts......

 Aunt Gretchen and Gracie having lunch with the 4K class!!  Had a blast!

 We took a 4 day trip to Miami for a big conference and I got to tag along!

 Enjoying the view in between meetings!

 Luckily, my best friend Margaret lives in Hollywood, Fla. right near where we had the conference, so we got the pleasure of hanging out with her and her husband Joe during the trip!  Had a blast and was treated to lots of great food!

 Claire after invading my closet.....

 My first painting ever from a girls' night out at Pinot's Pallette!  Had a blast!

 Claire showing off her Valentines that she will give out next week in class.....popcorn is underneath the cards.

 Baking it up with mom!

Claire's most recent pillow made for her brother.....

Well, lots going on soon, so I promise to post again soon!!

Love, Gretchen

Wonderful Christmas

 Well, Christmas Day was wonderful, and we were all germ free and feeling great!! Believe it or nor, Jesse was the first one up and even had to wake up a very tired Claire!!

 Jesse awoke to some golf goodies, and a robotic arm to assemble and program...yes, a 3D printer was on his list and even Santa couldn't deliver on that one!

 His first men's full size driver.  Very excited!!!

 Of course, Claire is the queen of playing pretend so she was thrilled to have a school set...we were all given report cards at the end of the day....I did not receive straight A's I must admit......

 A very tired Claire enjoying her new bean bag chair!

 Yes, the boy is now wearing a men's size Medium!

 Daddy checking out his stocking...complete with new Uof M hat!

The kids made Christmas cards for each other, and Jesse enjoying showing his off!

Well, the day was a good one, with both of our parents and siblings coming over for a wonderful Christmas Lunch....trivia , fun, and lots of food was had by all!!! We are truly blessed!!!

Christmas Break has arrived.....finally!!!!

 Well, this year Lance and Jesse came up with our Annual Christmas Card idea, and my idea was outvoted....but I'm ok because this one is super creative!!  As anyone who knows us is aware, we both graduated from the UofM and are big fans.  So Lance decided to go with the football theme, especially since they are on a roll and also going to a bowl game with year!!  So, there ya go.  Enjoy!!

Well, the 3rd Grade Christmas Party was a success.....unfortunately, I was running the party, and did not have a moment for a single picture!  The kids made an adorable reindeer ornament, played a fun Christmas game, had wonderful food, and ended the party with The Nativity Story....all fantastic time was had by all!  Jesse, being an 8th grader and all, has no party,only exams...(yuck) and therefore I have no pics of him....lots to come soon though!! 

I pray that everyone stays health (us too!!) during this wonderful holiday season.  It seems we've all been under the weather lately, and hope this passes so that we can enjoy these next few weeks!! Lots to post coming up, so I promise to post again soon!!

Love, Gretchen

Serious Fun in December!

 As usual for December, lots and lots have been going on! Jesse competed in his school spelling bee and did well...he was a nervous wreck!!!

 Claire was Mary in her class Nativity Story play and was adorable and remembered all her lines!!!

 Jesse and his 8th grade Beta Club member set up for the St. Jude Marathon by setting up over 11,000 medals!  They worked hard in the pouring rain, and had a blast doing it!

 

Claire getting ready for her Christmas Program at School

 Of course, the Christmas season would not be complete with out The Nutcracker! We went to our yearly viewing and this year had the pleasure of sitting super close and watching 2 of our friends perform!  It was such fun seeing Claire mesmerized by the whole thing.  She truly enjoys that ballet so much!

 We went to dinner before at Mosa with Lance and Jesse, and grandma met us at the last minute (right down the street from her house) and off to the Orpheum she and I went!

We have tons of stuff coming up, so I promise to post again soon!

Love, Gretchen

Odds and Ends.....

 Well, in addition to preparing for the Christmas Season, we are also prepping for high school! Yes, high school!  When I started this blog, i had a 5year old son and was impatiently waiting for a daughter from China!  Well,  Jesse is going to be a SBA Eagle next year, and took his high school placement exam yesterday.....Oi Vey!!  Can't believe how quickly the time passes by.  Jesse's goal is to play golf for the SBA Eagles and will practice with all his might until the summer, when the team has been finalized, but the coach has assured him there's a place on the team for him!  So we are proud of Jesse for finding something he truly loves and desires to  improve!

 Little Claire and her scarf that magically disappeared out of my closet......

Yes, this is one of the first pictures (if memory serves) when I created my first blog post while we were awaiting Claire's referral......

The kids' Aunt Cathie and and Uncle Charlie visited over Thanksgiving from Ocala, Fla. and had a little time for fun and games......Fibber to be exact!!!