2011 Calendar Dates

As is our usual tradition, here are the important things we wrote on our calendar in 2011 that I want to record for family history purposes.

January
18 - Happy Anniversary!
27 - Kindergarten Registration

February
6 - Home Teachers coming


March
2 - Katelee's 5th Birthday!
7 - Jennifer's Adoption Physical 8:30
11 - FSA Playgroup (Families Supporting Adoption)
15 - Gerald's Adoption Physical 1:00
15 - Relief Society Activity 
21 - 26 - Spring Break!

April
2 & 3 - General Conference
8 - friends over for pizza-making lunch / Ward Party
9 - FSA Regional Conference - MAKE THE CAKE!
14 - Wedding cake tasters coming
15 - FSA Playgroup 10:00 a.m.
15 - Lunch w/ Brockbanks @ noon
16 - Date Night!
17 - Walkers over for dinner
19 - Relief Society activity
21 - Primary workers dinner and fireside
23 - Easter Egg Hunt and pot-luck breakfast
24 - Easter!
28 - Wedding cake tasters coming / 7:30 babysit for Macks
29 - Date night!

May
4 - Gerald's Final Review
5 - Tyler and Taylor coming!
7 - Spring Piano Recital 7:00 / Ella's birthday party
9 - Park at 10:00 w/ Tiffany
10 - Deliver cake for the Young Women
11 - 30th birthday!
12 - Girl movie night! / Kindergarten parent night
13 - Cake for Geoff & Bonnie's drama club evening
15 - Feed the missionaries
16 - Gerald's maymester begins
17 - Go visiting teaching / Relief Society activity 7:00
23 - Cake for Norris family

June
5 - 7 - Angie & Bobby & family coming
10 - Make a Rainbow Baptism Cake
21 - Relief Society Activity
24 - 9:30 pool with friends!
25 - Civic Green Ballet in Park 
27 - Katelee starts swimming lessons!

July
2 - Madelynne Burgoyne's baptism
8 - FSA Playgroup 10:00 a.m
9 - Feed the missionaries
11 - 15 - Storybook Dance Camp
11 - Swimming lesson make-up
16 - Winnie the Pooh cake
21 - Swimming with Burgoynes
22 - Babysit the Feichkos
23 - Pioneer Day Concert
26 - PJ Storytime at library
26 - Playdate with Mia 10:00 a.m.
29 - Swim with Petty's
30 - Fairytale Plays @ Library 1:00 p.m.
30 - 1/2 off Cheesecake

August
1 - Playdate with Walkers 10:00 a.m.
5 - Clothing drive at church
6 - Deliver monogrammed cookies to Bell receoption
6 - Camden's back-to-school party
8 - Katelee's FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
10 - Kindergarten Tissue Tea
11 - Murray Wedding Cake!
12 - Watch Burgoynes
13 - Date Night 3-6
15 - Visit teach Annette 10 am
16 - Visit teach Ashleigh 10 am
17 - Playdate with Mia 12:00
18 - Back to School Night
19 - Rockies Night!
20 - FSA Parade!
26 - Pick up boxes of peaches
27 - 10:00 piano swimming party/6:30 piano ice cream party

September
1 - choir starts
2 - Crazy Hair day at school
3 - Family Pictures 8:00 am
5 - Clean the church
6 - Little Music classes start
8 - Volunteer in Katelee's classroom
9 - See Broadway's Les Mis!!!!
10-11 - Stake Conference
12 - Katelee's Dance Class Starts
13 - See The Help with friends 7:00
16 - Adoption Home Study 1:00
16 - Ward Picnic 4:00
19 - Dance Class
23 - 26 - Travel to Mesquite
24 - Stake Relief Society Meeting
25 - Mom's 50th Birthday!

October
1-2 - General Conference
3 - Gerald late meeting
5 - Parent Teacher Conference / provide dessert
7-8 - Time Out for Women
11 - Katelee Field Trip to Pumpkin Patch
14 - Date Night!
15 - Pumpkin Festival
17-22 - Fall Break! No school for Katelee
17 - Dance
18 - Music Class / Relief Society Activity
19 - Playdate with Mia - noon
20 - Make applesauce with Sarah 9:00 a.m.
22 - Watch Burgoynes
28 - Scrapbook night @ Annette's
29 - Victorian Halloween @ Farm 6:00 / Katelee Halloween Party 11:10 / FSA Temple Night

November
1 - 12:30 - Katelee Dentist
3 - Meet with Aurianna, Annalee, Kelly to make birthplan 12 - 2
4 - FSA Story Hour 10:00
5 - Meghan's Baptism
9 - Root Canal / Temple Day
11 - Date Night
12 - Babysit Burgoynes
13 - Dinner w/ Michelle & Kassandra 5:00
14-18 - Cougar Run Book Fair
15 - Soup Night at Charity's
15 - 8:30 Flu Shots
18 - Last Day of Piano Lessons until new year!
19 - Aurianna & Annalee coming to visit!
28 - Baby Due!!!!!!!!

(side note - Blake was born on November 27!)

December
2 - Kirstie's Birthday party 1 - 2:30
3 - Penelope's Baptism 10:30
5 - Mom flies in!
8 - Dr. appointment 2:20
11- Mom goes home
12 - Baby pictures 1:30 / Visit Teach Sarah 10:30
14 - Meet with adoption lawyer 10:00
15 - Katelee's school Christmas party
16 - Farnsworths 2-5
17 - Leave town for Christmas!

As Cute as it Gets

I honestly do not think there is anything cuter in this world than baby shoes.

What is it about baby shoes that make them so irresistibly darling?

I'm sure a lot of their charm comes from this handsome little man who is wearing them.

I fall more in love everyday.

one month

One month ago today this little man entered the world, and completely captured our hearts forever. We feel so strongly that Heavenly Father meant him to be part of our family. He fits in so completely and so perfectly, and we can hardly imagine life without him.

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Blake!
We love you!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

What a beautiful Christmas Day it has been.

I have piles of pictures to post and lists of stories to tell, but in the meantime we just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours. We love you all!!

Naughty or Nice??

We've had a lot of fun this past week keeping an eye out for Santa's elves. We're pretty sure we've caught a glimpse of a couple of them, though they are pretty sneaky. It's that time of year that as parents we can use Santa and his elves to help keep the kids in line! You wouldn't want to end up on Santa's Naughty List! I saw this idea on my cousin's blog, and I thought it was pretty hilarious. We asked all the kids to show us their best naughty face and best nice face and took pictures.

Blake - less than 1 month old

Naughty

Nice

Katelee - 5 years old

Naughty

Nice

Wyatt - 6 years old

Naughty

Nice

Madi - 4 years old

Naughty

Nice

Trey - 5 months old

Naughty

Nice

Hope you all make Santa's 'Nice' List this year!

Visit from Santa Clause

Dear Santa,

Thank you for taking time out of your busy pre-Christmas schedule to stop by grandma's house the other night!

Blake loved meeting you for the first time!

He especially loves his first candy cane. :)

And Katelee had so much fun seeing you again!

We'll be sure to bake you some especially yummy cookies this year!

Merry Christmas, Santa!

Visit with Aurianna & Annalee

We invited Blake's birth mom, Aurianna, and her mother, Annalee, to come and spend some time with us when Blake was almost 2 weeks old. We had a wonderful day together! I love these women so much; they are just so amazing and have become such true and wonderful friends. My mom was in town, and so she was thrilled to get to meet them as well.

We enjoyed visiting, holding Blake, making hair bows together, and going to lunch at a yummy French cafe.

We dressed Blake specially for the occasion.

Later that day, daddy got home from his L.O.N.G. week of school! He felt like he hadn't seen the kids all week, so he enjoyed a little snuggle time.

We feel very blessed that Blake has such sweet birthparents whom we love so much! Thanks for the wonderful day, Auri & Annalee!

Mom to the Rescue!

My mom came and spent almost a week with us during Blake's 2nd week of life. I honestly think I would have gone crazy without her. It was Gerald's week of final presentations, and he was home an average of 5 hours/day in each 24-hour period - pulling an on-campus all-nighter once and only getting home really late when he could make it home. Thank goodness for my mom that saved us all by cooking us dinners, doing piles of laundry, running Katelee to and from school, holding the baby, and doing anything and everything to help us not only survive but have a great week!

Thank you!! We love you, grandma!

Showers of Cuteness

Don't judge us . . . but we don't bathe our babies very much.

We shower them.

I think it's more sanitary, and as a baby Katelee absolutely adored a nice, warm shower. (Still does!)

So, when Blake lost his umbilical cord on day 13 of life, we decided to give him his first shower right away. And he loved it! We've only given him showers since. I keep meaning to go and buy a baby bath so I can bathe Blake in a place that I feel is perfectly sanitary, but haven't gotten around to it yet. So, in the meantime, showers have been the routine around here.

Luckily, he really loves cuddling in a warm shower.

And he looks super cute when he comes out all wrapped up in his big monkey hooded towel.

In other news, I think we've figured out the reason for the hurting tummy. Blake has reflux! Last night we tried a new medication, and it seemed to help for the first time. Yay for modern medicine that can help my little guy feel better!

All I Want For Christmas

I don't need or want anything for Christmas this year. I already have the best possible gifts I can imagine.

Can you imagine a more adorable, sweet, lovable present than this?

And Katelee is my little joy.

My cup runneth over.

Church Christmas Party

We celebrated Christmas with our ward this year with a delicious breakfast followed by a program. Blake stayed home with grandma, who was visiting at the time, and Gerald, Katelee and I went. The primary children sang songs and acted out the nativity for the program, and it was really adorable! I have been in my calling as the primary chorister for just over one year now, and I still think it is the absolute BEST calling EVER! I love, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this church calling!

I meant to, but never did blog about the primary program this year, which the kids presented so beautifully. It was fun to have the kids sing some Christmas songs at this party, too.

The party ended with a visit from . . . Santa Claus! This is the best picture I got of Katelee and Santa, however. She wasn't willing to go sit on his lap this time, because, in her own words, "Mom, that's not really Santa. It's just Brother Shannon."

Sad. She's getting too smart for her own good. :) I admitted that Brother Shannon was just helping out Santa, but hopefully she'll sit on Santa's lap tonight when the real one comes to visit at Grandma's house!!

I know Blake will be happy to let Santa hold him, at least! More pics to come. :)

Decorating the Christmas Tree

This post is a couple weeks late, but that's the way my blog is going these days! Oh, well! Better late than never!

We decorated our Christmas tree when Blake was only 3 days old. We had a really fun time!

Looking at all the lights.

Katelee always wants to hold Blake. :)

Katelee was really good at decorating this year! She got a little creative at times, however, in finding new places to hang ornaments! Ha ha ha!

This picture looks totally posed, but it's the only one of me that isn't too blurry.

My two little loves.

Oh, it's going to be a very Merry Christmas!