cuteness!

New Year

Happy 2012! So far we have had a healthy, happy start to the new year. We have some fun events coming up, including the wedding of dear friends Delight and Jason :) I am so very excited about the weekend of January 28th I can barely stand it!

I didn't really make resolutions but they say if you write things down you may stick to them a bit, so here are a few things on my mind for 2012.

1. Get out more with friends, and visit more friends and family this year!
2. Continue the date nights we started last summer when we found a few great babysitters.
3. Run a couple of 5Ks. I am signed up for the Polar Plunge again this year and will do the 5K associated with it. Wish me luck! It has been many years since I've done an organized race.
4. I'm torn between organizing the house once and for all, and just letting things be the way they are and stop worrying so much about the state of the house. I'm leaning towards the latter.
5. Try to stop worrying so much about every aspect of the kids health, development, eating habits, social habits, education etc. etc. and just enjoy them for the unique, funny, smart, interesting little people they are.
6. Take another photography class, take more pictures and learn more in photoshop.

Anyway, some lofty goals and things to keep in mind this year.  Now a few fun pictures of our early 2012.

A few to embarrass them with when they are older :)

 practicing focus on her eyelashes

i love flowers in winter too

just playing with collages... no need to press play :)

Create a free photo collage

A few Christmas pictures

I got a new lens that I've been wanting for Christmas! It helps me take crisp, colorful pictures inside with low light :) I'm still learning so much about taking photos but I'm also still really enjoying it and like practicing. Here are a few photos from the past week. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas! Too bad these pictures didn't make the card this year. We are all doing well. Grandma Weller is recovering (fantastically) from hip replacement surgery at our house over the holidays and we love having her here. Mia is beyond excited about Christmas. She was a Sugar Plum Fairy in her school program today, complete with adorable dance moves. Ellie has learned to say "Ho Ho Ho" and hasn't broken too many ornaments :)

I hope you enjoy some good Christmas movies with loved ones (we are currently laughing at "Elf") and find peace and joy this season. Until 2012.


The McBs

I wish I were an eloquent speaker and writer and could convey how we are feeling right now. It is the middle of the holiday season and we are busy shopping and decking halls, but we are also heartbroken and grieving. We said goodbye to Grandpa McBride on November 9th. He had lymphoma and it seemed to progress rapidly towards the end. We were with family in Tennessee and we leaned on each other and we cried and we are still just beginning to grieve. I will remember him as a brilliant, curious, patient and caring man who knew something about everything and had many passions. My girls will remember him for his big hugs and bedtime stories and being at the beach. I hope to keep posting pictures of our lives and catch up, but for now, I just want to post some pictures of Grandpa with the girls that make me smile. We love you.

Preschool Party Favors

Mia's teachers are really pushing the healthy treats this year, so check out the adorable, easy treats she helped me make yesterday :)

Pumpkin Patch Pictures

Words

Sick week for the McBs. Croup, ear infections, colds and coughing, ugh. Finally today we are feeling a little better and hope to get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather.


I haven't touched my camera in a while (I've barely moved from the prone position if I can help it) but I do want to share a few things that were said this week.

• Mia loves to look at our old photo albums. She calls them "A long time ago books" and she always asks if she was in my belly if she's not in the photos. I still don't have a great answer for this.
• Last night at dinner Mia said that her "taste bugs" liked the taste of her food. This is so cute but it makes me wonder what she envisions living on her tongue? :)
• Ellie started saying "I love you" back to us this week, but she pronounces it "Yuh yoo". Makes me melt every time.

And I just want to copy an email that Mia's preschool teacher sent last week. It was so sweet and it just made me smile and want to go hug all of the great teachers in the world. Here it is:


Dear parents,




I want to share with you something that occurred on the playground on Thursday. No worries – it’s all good. Following a discussion about rakes and shovels being tools to use with buckets (and NOT weapons), one enterprising child turned his bucket upside down and began using his shovel as a drum stick. A few more joined in, and before we knew it the whole class became part of the concert. Singing was added in, as well. It was totally spontaneous and everyone was smiling and laughing. Wish I had been able to videotape the whole thing – it truly was like a flash mob. As they performed for their delighted audience, their teachers clapped and cheered. It was sheer magic! I am always struck by how little children need to make their own fun, even in this high tech world we live in. Who needs video games, TV, and computers when a simple bucket and shovel can provide so much joy? They have so much to teach us.




Have a nice weekend.

Love this too

Soccer Practice

Mia's "Little Kickers" Soccer league is super adorable. Most of the kids don't really seem to get the concept of trying to get the ball away from another kid, and kick it by themselves. It makes sense when you think about it, since we have been drilling "share with your friends and be gentle" in their heads from birth :)

But Sean and I have to bite our competitive tongues a little bit when Mia just stands there while another kid takes the ball and when Mia asks to come out because she saw Ellie have a snack on the sidelines and she wants to have one too. Oh well, like I said, it is really darn cute.