Easter 2011

Easter is always such a fun holiday for us. Izzy enjoyed 3 events- one with the Ryser's, one with my family and one with Devan's family. We always have a great time hiding eggs and opening baskets. All of the kids looked so cute in their Easter attire! We all had a great time this year!

Izzy's First Egg Hunt

We decided to take Izzy to her first official Egg Hunt this year the Saturday before Easter. Although she was absolutely ADORABLE- it was a little chaotic. We went to Thanksgiving Point where we had to wait in line for 35 minutes just to pay and enter the area where they were hiding the eggs. There were a gazillion people and not nearly enough staff. Izzy caught on quickly though and managed to collect several eggs- and CANDY- which is her favorite. She even met the Easter Bunny! Every time she sees a bunny now she says, "BUNNY- Hop, hop, hop!" We'll probably stick to smaller events in the future but I am glad she got to experience the fun of racing for eggs.

Green Dinner- 2011

We love getting together with the Garcia's each year for a St. Patrick's Day Green Dinner. We try to only have green food and everyone wears something green. It was such a nice day this year that we were even able to put the swings back up on the swing set! Izzy especially had a great time and loved Nana's carrot cake with green frosting for dessert the most!

More Gymcats

Izzy is still loving her gymnastics class! Here are a few more pictures and a video of her progress.

Grandma Dee's 84th Bday

We had a great time celebrating Grandma Dee's 84th bday this year. Of course we had the usual dinner at Oliver Garden and then back to my house for cake and presents- luau style! Devan, Izzy and I looked for the brightest shirts we could find! It was a great evening.

Izzy at Gymnastics

Izzy took her first gymnastics class yesterday and had so much fun. Because the kids are so little, all of the parents participate too. She started with a warm up in the little gym which included stretching, the balance beam, a slide into the foam pit, somersaults, and the bar. After that, they headed out into the big gym where she jumped on the tramp and then off of a 10-ft platform into a giant foam pit. I never thought Izzy would do all of that on her first day but she did! She absolutely loved it and was so excited after each activity. She'll have 6 more classes this season and I have no doubt she will have a blast!

Vacuuming with Daddy

Izzy loves to clean with Devan- especially when he is vacuuming! She insists on having her pink Dyson every time he turns on the vacuum. It really is adorable.

Engagement Breakfast

On Christmas morning, my brother and his girlfriend, Mayra, announced that he had proposed the night before on Christmas Eve! Yes- there would be a wedding in 2011! We decided to surprise them with a quiet Engagement Brunch the following Sunday at La Caille. It had just snowed and the grounds were beautiful. It was a wonderful way to celebrate their special announcement.

A New Year's Day 5K

Ok- so it actually sounded a little fun but there was no way we were running a 5k on New Year's Day. It was only about 10 degrees outside! My mother, however, thought it was an awesome idea and ended up running the race by herself. We figured the least we could do was cheer her on at the end. You gotta giver her props for this one!

New Years 2011

We typically like to stay home on New Year's but we love having guests over and eating as much food as we possibly can! This year was no exception. Our tradition is to watch the Times Square ball drop at midnight and then we head outside for a spectacular fireworks show! It was great fun having my parents and the Ryser's over this year as we welcomed in 2011 in style .

Christmas with the Clarks

We had a great time visiting with our friends, Adriana and Ryan Clark after Christmas! Adriana loves to clean and they were so excited that they had found Izzy a pink Dyson vacuum that was VERY realistic. Izzy also showed them her new favorite dance- Ring Around the Rosie!

2010 Family Christmas Moments

I just wanted to share a few moments from our family Christmases. We had an exciting, fun filled- and a little exhausting- December 25th. Devan and I woke up at 3:30am for stockings at our house and then Izzy joined us at 4am to open gifts from Santa and mom & dad. By 5:30am, we were on the road to Devan's parents' house where we spent Christmas morning. Around 2:00pm, we arrived at my parents' house for Christmas afternoon. We had a great day with all of our family and we just posted a few of our favorite moments below.