7 Years

January is Robyn's birthday month.  By Halloween she is ready for her birthday to come but we tell her it doesn't come until after Christmas.  Once Christmas is over she focuses all her attention on her birthday.  It kills her that she has to wait a couple weeks until her birthday actually arrives.

This year she wanted cheesecake for her birthday.

On her birthday we invited family & neighbors to celebrate -- and help eat the cake.  I didn't want the whole thing in the house for very long because I LOVE cheesecake.

This year she got her own American Girl doll -  Kanani.  She's wanted one ever since Annalise got one several years ago.  We told her she had to be older (and I used the change we save to help buy the doll!)

On Saturday I let her invite just three friends over.  I took them to get their nails polished and then off for frozen yogurt.  I wanted something really simple as party planning is something I dread.

No they aren't growling at the camera, they are showing off their beautiful nails. LOL

Happy Birthday Robyn!

Rambling through the hills

Winter has been slow getting here.  Not that we are complaining because it makes it nice to spend time outside.  Last January we also went hiking up in the hills, so does this mean it has become a January tradition?  I guess we will have to wait until next year to find out. 

Christmas break

Usually we stay home during Christmas vacation but this year was a break from tradition.  The Tuesday after Christmas we flew out to Virginia/Maryland to visit with grandparents and cousins. 

We were lucky that while we were there the weather was really nice.  On New Year's Eve we shooed the kids outside so they could play (and give us a break).

That was the day we learned how to drive a lawnmower.

Robyn wasn't quite big enough to do it herself so Jeff had to help. 

Annalise didn't want to do it at first but with a lot of coaxing we got her to at least get on the mower. 

After seeing how easy it was she decided she would do it herself.

Morning from my sister's back porch: 

It was a low-key vacation.  Part of the reason was we got sick with colds.  One thing we did do was to take the girls out duckpin bowling.  I think this is the only type of bowling I ever did growing up.  You can find duckpin bowling in the DC area but I don't think anywhere else.  At least I think so because when I mention it to people I get a look that they think I'm crazy. 

We had a lot of fun hanging out with my family.  Hope to see them soon.



Favorite Books of 2011

Last year I made a goal to read 100 books.  I'm happy to say I made it with 9 to spare.  Listed below are the books I enjoyed the most at least according to what I recorded on Goodreads -- that's how I keep track of the books I've read over the years.  Love that website! 

Fiction

Skylark Farm by Antonia Arslan

Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Learning to Swim by Sara J. Henry

Fire and Ice by J.A. Jance

Somthing Missing by Dick Matthew

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Though Not Dead by Dana Stabenow

Non-Fiction

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

Young Adult

In Search of Mockingbird by Loretta Ellsworth

Firefly Letters by Margarita Engle

Summer of May by Cecilia Galante

Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor

Dealing with Dragons  &  Searching for Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

Childrens

Magical Adventures of Prunella Bogthistle by Deva Fagan

Framed by Frank Cottrell Boyce

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Re-read

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Christmas

The girls had a fun time.  This year we got to spend both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with family.  Instead of of us travelling to see the family, the family came here.  There's a certain amount of stress that comes along with having guests but my house has never looked cleaner (and it was the fastest time I cleaned up after Christmas morning!).

Christmas Eve:

Jeff's beautiful sister holding her adorable daughter:



Christmas morning:

Christmas Day evening

Jeff's other gorgeous sister (poor thing she was sick over Christmas):

Showing off her new clothes, boots & accessories:



Hope everyone had a nice holiday!