Weekend Wrap Up

We wrapped up our weekend with fun activities. Jacob had a hockey game, on Sunday he and Lee skied with his friend Cole for 4 hours, Linds and I went to see Frozen (wonderful), and we went to see the lights at the zoo. And last night we made our Gingerbread house! It was 10x better than every other one we have made. Thankfully, Jen and I found kits where the houses were already put together, the kids just had to ice and decorate, and maybe taste a little! The holiday season is always very busy but we are enjoying every minute!

SAAANNNTTTAAAA!!!!!

We have all seen the movie Elf, well, you should if you haven't! :) Remember the scene when Will Farrell is screaming because Santa is coming...that is my Lindsey. She loves him and gets overly excited every time we see him. She has sat on his lap three times, three different places. I am sure there will be a few more Santa laps before Christmas! Gotta love her!

Friday Night Family Night

Last Friday we took a drive to Syracuse. We decided to check off a place on our NY bucket list and eat at the original Dinosaur Barbeque! It was mouth watering delicious! Afterwards we drove through the Lights on the Lake. Jake's favorite was of course the hockey player shooting a goal!

Jingle All The Way!

Last Friday Lindsey's class had a small holiday program and celebration. Lee and I were both able to attend and it was adorable! One of her sitters was able to come watch too! She did great, she has no fear of the stage! haha

A little late..but an end of November recap!

OK I have been slacking but here is a recap! A huge suprised was received the Saturday before Thanksgiving...Lee is home! I was pretty shocked myself so you can imagine how excited the kids were! However, home is where he belongs and we are grateful he is here! There are some pictures from Thanksgiving, it was one of the best we have had! Suprising our family with Lee and a delicious dinner with our family! The kids had a Christmas program in which they sang a few songs and Lindsey took her first ski lesson of the season. We are hoping to get off skiing on her own before this winter is over, I think she is close! November is a wrap...on to December! The most wonderful time of the year!

Dream Big!

It's no secret, Jake is a pretty awesome kid! Some days I wonder...will he be a hockey player bc he is pretty amazing to watch already? Will he be a doctor, he loves coming to work with me and the other day was eager to get home from school to take care of Lindsey, checking on her every 30 mins? Or maybe even a singer? Who knows, but whatever he chooses, I know he will be great at it, the world is yours my Jacob!

Girls Only

Lindsey got a bug..a girl's day out bug! This past Sunday she and I along with Jen and Leah spent the day in Syracuse. We took the girls to lunch followed by the Pirates and Princesses show. They absolutely loved it! Singing, dancing, and some of their favorite characters! Since then, she asks for a girls day every morning. Today I took her to the Cider Mill after school for a treat. Only one more week to squeeze in some donuts and cider!

New Do!

Jake is a sweat head, he really doesn't like having his hair anything but short, so after his game he was itching to get it cut. Even though, the longer it gets the more I realize he definitely has a bit of my curls. Maybe someday he will embrace them! They both got new looks and love them!

2024

My sister swears by this number, it represents the year Jacob could be drafted to the NHL. It makes me giggle everytime she says it but I guess you never know! Jacob had his first game last weekend of the season against Clayton. He is just amazing to watch on the ice, I may even shed a few tears. In the first two minutes of the first round (they played 3 20 minute round robin periods) he scored 3 goals! In total, he scored 10 goals! It is so fun to watch, especially because he loves it and skates his heart out at every practice and game! Love you Jake!

Jingle Shaker

Jacob came home with a project this week, he needed to make a homemade instrument. After much consideration, he decided to make something with jingle bells, Tis the season, but he also wanted it to have rice or beans inside so it was a shaker too. We looked in our recycle bin, asked some friends and came up with this! He was very happy! We finished it after hockey tonight, hence his messy sweaty hair! I am very proud of him!

Do re mi....

This past weekend was the first practice for The Polar Express. Jacob and Lindsey will be singing in the show on Nov 30th. When deciding to sign Jacob up, I had a feeling Lindsey might love it too, she isn't very shy (lol) and she did great at the first practice! Christmas music is on in our house!

Sunshine with Friends

I am beyond grateful for friends, whether Lee is home or away. It has been so wonderful to trade "babysitting" days with friends. Last week Jen had to work and I had the kids and this week she was off on Monday and took my kiddos. I am very grateful for "free" babysitting, but the bonus, the kids love playing together and keep each other busy! It's a win win!

Report Card Day!

This past week I had two parent teacher conferences. One for Lindsey and one for Jacob. Lindsey teacer said she is doing very well in school and even though she is the youngest one in the class, she is right on track with all the other kids and could easily go to Kindergarten next year! I had my conference with Jacob's teacher today. He had near perfect grades and outstanding marks in all areas. I couldn't be more proud of him! He works so hard and it definitely shows. Way to go Jake!!

Kickin'

She swam like a fish...no she is running and kicking! We decided to sign Lindsey up for Kicks for Kids soccer through the YMCA this month. Tonight was her first practice and she loved it! She ran and kicked and played fun games for 45 mins, and got to do it with 2 good friends! I think she is sleeping well tonight!

Monkey Business

I used to think Jacob crawling up the steps or jumping off a coach was just crazy...but along came Lindsey. She is so fearless, it makes my heart skip a beat sometimes but I love her for it! She is full of life and energy and keeps me on my toes. If you ever see us at a park, most likely you will find Lindsey hanging upside down off something!

Weekend Action

This past Saturday it rained all day, so Jake had a friend over for the day and we went bowling! They had a great time. It isn't very often that we don't have hockey so we took advantage of some play time and family time that night. On Sunday Jacob and I went to see a local production of Oliver, we had some good friends in the show and it was fantastic, the cast did a great job! Now, on to week #2!

One Done!

As most of you know when Lee deploys we make a chain link of weeks to count down. The kids were thrilled to take off our first link this past Saturday. This time Lee wrote a special message in each link for the kids to read! One down!!

Trick or Treat

It was a bit rainy but that didn't stop our kiddos from Halloween night! I am so lucky to have a flexible job, this year I had the chance to not only attend Jake's school parade but stay for a couple hours in his class after wards and help out. The kids had a party with snacks and music and made some crafts. I can't wait to do it again! They got more candy than I could fit in my cupboard so Jacob suggested we send some to Daddy! Sounded like a great idea to me so we sent it in our first box to Lee! After dividing it up I realized Jacob kept a bunch of chocolate and Lindsey kept mostly Smarties and Skittles. They are so different but that's why I love them!

Dear God....

Dear God, Please bring him home and all our troops as soon as possible, safely. We love and miss you each second of each day. Can't wait to see you again!

Soaked....

We tried our best to soak up every bit of family time we could in the last few weeks. I think we did a pretty good job, even though, no one wanted to give it up! I can't wait to take more pictures just like this!

Then and Now

The picture on the bottom was Jacob at 3 1/2, his first time standing up on the ice, his second hockey lesson. Look at him now! He amazes us and his coaches. His love for the game hasn't changed at all, well, maybe its even stronger! He puts his heart in to every practice and we are so proud of him! Can't wait to watch his games this year!

Jacks

Friday night the kids carved their pumpkins with Lee. Thanks goodness Lee was home because digging out the slimy inside of pumpkins is really not something I enjoy. I am the pumpkin seed baker and the picture taker, perfect jobs for me! They had a great time and can't wait to light them up this week!

Splish Splash

Last week Lindssey finished another round of swim lessons, she is a little fish! We are taking a break for the winter to avoid frozen hair after lessons, but we hope to have her back in the pool in the spring. I have a feeling she will be swimming all by herself next summer! She has been practicing without a noodle! Way to go Linds!

Stand In Grandmas...

Last week was a grandparents breakfast at Lindsey's school. She is so lucky to have 2 Watertown grandmas who love her very much and invited her to breakfast. She loved spending time with them and her best friend Leah. Thank you Grandma Barb and Grandma Bonnie!

The Big 4!!

This past weekend Lindsey celebrated her 4th Birthday! She was so excited to be 4, like all of her friends at school and especially her best friend Leah. She asked a few times on Saturday, "I am 4 now, right?" Just to make sure! She wanted a gymnastics party, so we invited a few friends and Nana and Papa and we celebrated Sophia the First style! The kids ran for an hour and then sucked up some sugar, it was a great party! Lindsey is definitely our one of a kind. There is no one quite like her. While sometimes she could be frustrating and definitely test our patience, she makes us laugh and smile everyday. She has a great sense of humor and she is fearless! She loves to play with her dolls and wear pretty dresses, but she also loves to play in the woods with her brother and doesn't mind a little dirt! We love you to pieces Lindsey Marie, always will!