5 years - REALLY?!?!?!?!

I look at my sweet Elise and can't believe that she entered our lives 5 years ago! How lucky we are that we have this magnetic little bundle of love. Elise has always been independent, but over the past few months we have really witnessed her blossom. She wants her "private time" away from Olivia, Joe and I to play school, or pretend that she is a singer/dancer. She could pretend for hours on end! Liv couldn't have a better "big" sister - she teaches Livvy her letters/numbers, manners and she even rewards Liv with a treat when she uses the potty (sometimes not mom/dad approved). Elise is entering Kindergarten this Fall and couldn't be more ready! She adores school and learning. There is a feisty side to Miss E - if she wants something she will usually find a way to get it.
We celebrated her 5th birthday last weekend with her friends from school and the neighborhood. She wanted a Woodland Fairy party - and that's exactly what she got! The party had to be held in our garage because the weather wasn't cooperating, but it didn't make a difference! Joe designed the invitations that set the tone for the party. I created mushroom cupcakes that as Elise said "looked magical" (the fairy dust). All the kids made fairy houses out of sticks, bark, acorn tops and gem stones. They were super creative - acorn tops were head phones for the fairies, leaves became blankets to keep the fairies warm at night and the gem stones were stepping stones so fairies didn't have to get their feet dirty. Elise had a smile on her face NON-STOP! She loved being the center of attention and having all of her friends there to celebrate her. It was so much fun - bittersweet for sure! Joe and I were catch each other looking at her and we'd just shake our heads - thinking we can't believe she is 5! Enjoy the pictures - they don't do the party justice.

Hilton Head Island 2011

We finally decided that instead of heading back to Illinois this year over our break we were going to take a "real" family trip. What a great decision that was! We packed up the car and headed down to Hilton Head Island. Weather was perfect - we were at the beach everyday. We went crabbing, ate lots of ice cream, went for bike rides, walked the beach, ate some sand - we did it all! It was so much fun to watch the girls explore the beach. They found all kinds of sea creatures - sand dollars, starfish, sea snails, jellyfish etc....Elise saved them all. Instead of keeping them she sent them all back into the ocean to be with their families (where did she come from?). We were also lucky enough to see alligators and dolphins. Joe and I decided that there is something magical about taking a family trip! What joy it is to watch your kids be carefree and totally happy. I declared multiple times on the trip that we will be taking some kind of family vacation (preferably beach) every year!
Enjoy the pics.

OLIVIA is 2!!!

I can't believe I'm typing it, but our Livvy Carmen is TWO! We celebrated Sesame Street style - Cookie Monster was our theme and all of his friends joined in for the fun! We had stuffed shells with Joe's homemade gravy (which is Liv's favorite) - she was checking out the food big time! We were lucky to have family and friends celebrate Liv with us - she is PURE joy!!!
Just for kicks I'm putting in a picture of the latest "Cat Girl".

Jesse and Mrs. Potatohead

We've been celebrating Halloween for the past week and we are pooped! Joe and the girls carved pumpkins. Elise carved her own pumpkin while Liv played in the seeds! I worked on their costumes (not one piece of thread- all glue). Elise was monitoring and would guide me while I added details. Elise had a Fall Party with her Pre-K class. They paraded around the school and then had a small party in their classroom. It was adorable - she was so proud of her costume and wore it with pride. We had a Halloween party last night with a bunch of friends - the new neighborhood is the best trick-or-treating place EVER - FULL SIZE! Anyway, I made Olivia's costume and as you can tell from the pictures she was Mrs. Potato-Head! She was a riot - watching her walk around the hood was hysterical. The kids received a huge amount of candy and were hyped up - a true Halloween celebration. After a walk around the neighborhood we came back, had a warm bowl of chili etc...and sorted through our candy and decorated cupcakes. The kids were on a big of a sugar high and crashed through the night (YES). I have to say that Halloween was a HUGE success. Enjoy.