Christmas came and went...

It seems that Christmas has come and gone!  All this time decorating, baking, wrapping, preparing food and over in a blink.  However the Kyre family was very busy celebrating and loved every minute.

To recap...the kid's had their winter parties on Dec. 20th and which I again am the party coordinator for both.  Erik however worked from home so I talked him into helping with Ethan's party so I could be with Emma a little more.  This is here last year in elementary school so I do not want to miss it either!

Then we had Christmas with my parents and my sister Jessie and her 2 kids, Tyler and Mandy on the 22nd.  The kids had fun opening gifts and making "flat" gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, frosting and M&M's.  This is a great idea from my dear friend, Kelly Ortman.  They can make it and eat it right away!

Next Christmas Eve came...our church has a Christmas program for the children and Emma played Mary & Ethan played a camel.  Both did a wonderful job and had so much fun!

We also visited the State Auto Nativity Scene downtown which is an annual tradition.  It was a little chilly but still a nice night for it!

Christmas day arrived!  Emma decided to get up at 6:15 am but did not wake up everyone.  I think she may have peeked a little but waited for us at 7:30 am.  Both kids received Razr Scooters and clothes.  Ethan got his Skylanders for the Wii and Emma got an iTunes gift card, American Girl items, make-up items for dance and of course she already received her iPhone!  We hurried up and got ready for Christmas breakfast with the Turner Family at Fort Rapids.  Then back home and lunch with the Kyre family!  Both kids received even more gifts!

Dancing Diva in The House...

Well it was interesting last weekend!  Friday we had a icy morning so school was cancelled and Emma's Christmas show was cancelled for the community dances during the day and the show in the evening.  Emma was disappointed but liked the snow day.  Secretly for me, I was relieved the show was cancelled due to I was exhausted from driving here and there, etc.  Erik was off so we went to the grocery store and hung out all day.  It was a nice lazy day.

Saturday it was showtime for our little dancer.  She danced at 11:30 am show, 2:30 pm show and 7 pm show.  I helped backstage at all shows except the 2:30 pm show where I watched with Erik, Ethan and Grandma Kyre.  I am very proud of her!  She loves to dance and loves the Westerville Christmas Spectacular!  It is always a good show for all ages.  We saw some friends come and see her and even had a cast party Saturday night with some goodies to eat!  However the Friday show was rescheduled for this coming Friday so the show must go on!

Here are a few pics backstage with my little diva...of course she is not little anymore!  She is 10 and is almost as tall as her Mama!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had several Thanksgiving dinners this year.  First we celebrate with my step-dad's family the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  It is so nice to see the Turner family all together and some yummy food!

Then we celebrate Thanksgiving at our house with Erik's family.  Luckily it is a small family so we just get Honey Baked Ham & Turkey and Erik and I make the sides and desserts!  Again more yummy food and nice to see Erik's family as well!

Finally we stopped at my Mom's house later that evening since my step-dad worked and they decided not to make a dinner.  My sister had her own meal with her kids that evening too.  However it was nice seeing them since we do not get to visit much with them due to their work hours.

Fall in the air...

Fall is here and so are school parties.  Again this year I volunteered to coordinate not one but two parties for my kiddos!  I know...what was I thinking??  Luckily I had great parents that helped me with these things so I could run up and down the stairs every 15 minutes!

On Nov. 1st, Emma had her 5th grade fall party and all they wanted to do was to make rainbow looms, eat and dance!  That was easy!  Emma and her classmate Nick were a little late since they were at a leadership conference all day but still got to join in the fun!  We provide the food and rubberbands and they brought their loom kits.

Ethan's class I sent up Bingo, musical chairs, a craft, coloring station and of course food.  Again, had wonderful parents that helped me while I ran to check on each room.  It was too pj day so all the kids were in the pjs!

Then the following weekend was the Fouse Pancake Breakfast!  Emma had dance rehearsal so she was only there about 20 minutes but still got to eat her pancakes and say Hi to some friends.  Each grade sang some songs with their music teacher.  Ethan was about to sing with the first graders...which he loved!  Emma and Ethan entered a creativity show and both painted and BOTH won first place in their grade level categories!

Here are some pics of our little man racking the leaves for us...I think the last of them!

Happy Halloween!

It has been so busy and fun this fall!  Last Friday night, Emma had her last 4th Friday performance in Westerville for this year.  It was called Midnight Madness and many of the local businesses join in on the fun with sidewalk sales and lots and lots of food!  It was a little oool but all the dancers had a great time and did very well with their new dances!  Very proud of my Emma!

On Sunday, our church had a "trunk-or-treat" for the kids and it was a big success!  We decided to let the kids do whatever they wanted to my trunk and we just used our current fall/Halloween decorations.  They received lots of candy and had fun looking at all the cars!

Then this Halloween it was a little windy and rainy but the kids and I were troopers.  Erik stayed home to pass out candy but we only had a couple of trick-or-treaters.  We usually do not get many due to all of our neighbors are "snow birds" so they leave for most of the fall and winter and it is dark in our cul-de-sac.  Oh well more candy for us.  The kids still received a ton of candy which we will be giving away most of it!

Today was Fouse's Fall School Party.  I was the party coordinator for both!  It was a little tricky but I had many parents to help me with going back and forth!  Ethan's class needed more help since they were doing a a craft, BINGO, coloring and musical chairs AND I only had 2 parent volunteers.  Emma's class was pretty easy since they ate and made rainbow looms.  They LOVED it!  

Plus Emma was awarded to go to a Leadership Conference all day with all of WCS for 3rd, 4th & Fifth graders.  She wrote an essay about community involvement and it was chosen.  She was very excited to attend this meeting and she saw friends from other schools.  Happy little girl!

Here are some collages of both...

Fall is here!

This past week, Emma's dance studio invited parents to observe their dancer's progress for each class.  I took some pics of my little dancer.  The themes this year are broadway.  She even tried on a costume for her production performance as a tree in Wizard of Oz.  All cute this year!

Then on Friday evening, we went to a trick-or-treat trail in Westerville.  There were little game stations and all kids received treats.  A little young for Emma but she was okay with it to get candy!  Emma is Draculara from Monster High and Ethan is a Red Dragon Ninja.  

On Sunday we went to Boo at the Zoo at the Columbus Zoo.  It was a great day with sunshine and not too cold!  There were many treat stations and all the animals were out!

GOAL!

Ethan played WASA U7 coed soccer this fall!  He was so excited since he got his cast off right when the season started.  We allowed him to play a week earlier than he was supposed to play but he ended up being fine.  This season was a little hard since he just turned 6 and most of his teammates and other teams were a little taller and bigger than him.  However he gave it his all and did score some goals!  Proud of our little man!

Fun Times

Last Thursday, my kid's school Fouse Elementary, raised $20,000 with their Walk-A-Thon.  The money raised will go towards technology items in the classrooms.  Both my kids had a ball running the middle school track and since I work at the school during their lunches and recesses, I was able to capture some pictures.  This is Emma's last year at Fouse so I hope to capture my girl as much as I can before she becomes a middle schooler and more independent!

Then last Friday, Emma performed at the Westerville 4th Friday her dances from the previous school year for the last time.  Secretly, I am glad because I have memorized all the songs and dances and now I want to see her new ones she is learning.  Last year it was the circus theme and this year it is broadway!  Her songs this year are great and can't wait to see the new costumes.  Here are some pics of the last performance of her dances....

Then on Saturday we visited Freeman's Farm to pick out pumpkins.  We rode the hayride, petting some goats, ate some popcorn and of course the kid's got their pumpkins.  This year they have decided they just want to paint them.  Not sure what yet but we will paint!

Finally on Sunday, Emma's dance studio had an open house for new, current and past students to come in and visit.  We had snacks, took pictures and Emma got to take home some pretty ballet dresses.  Fun time had by all!

Blessed

I look back sometimes and think how blessed I really am in my life.  I have a roof over my head, food on the table, clothes on my back...there was a time in my life where I did not have many of those things.  My parents divorced when I was a teenager and I lived with my Dad who struggled being able to provide for my sister and me.  It was a tough time in my life but I got through it.  Giving back has always been a priority to me and I have taught my children to do the same.

This past weekend, Emma had the opportunity with our church to volunteer at a Westerville food pantry (Westerville Area Resource Ministry) to help sort food that was donated.  She was so happy to help and wanted to do so much more.  I am proud of her for not just thinking about herself but for others.  I hope she will always continue to remember that in her life.

Erik and I also ran a 5K last Friday night for March of Dimes Night Moves.  It was really my "bucket list" item when I turned 40 but Erik said he would like to try it too.  Thank goodness, since I really needed someone to give me a boost.  It was much harder than I thought it would be but we did it.  We ran 3.1 miles in 41 mins and 40 seconds.  That was faster than on my treadmill of 43 or 44 minutes!  We also lucked out and no rain until later that evening downtown.  I will be definitely doing another 5K in the near future.  I am keeping my jogging into my workout plan at least once or twice a week!

To end the weekend, Emma and I volunteered to help our church with a charity 5K race in Westerville.  It was a wonderful event and I will definitely try to run next year.  It was a 5K run/walk and also a 1K.  It benefited The Heinzerling Foundation along with Bradley House of Hope for individuals with disabilities. Emma and I helped pass out water and cheer them on.

Apple Picking

We started a tradition when Emma was in daycare to start apple picking at Lynd's Fruit Farm in Pataskala.  Emma took a field trip there and loved it.  So we have been going for 5 years now!  The kids get so excited and want to pick as many as they can.  This year I wanted to pick the beloved "Honeycrisp" but they were gone on 1 day!  So we decided to pick McIntosh last Saturday before the OSU game.  It was a very busy but productive day!

No Cast

Ethan finally got his arm cast off on 8/19/13!  It was a big day for him.  However with no recess or gym for 3 weeks and no soccer for 4 weeks...not so much fun for a 6 year old.  He has been a trooper with this and since his Mommy and the duty aide at school...I do let him go to recess but no climbing and no soccer.

We are also re-thinking the trampoline.  Since he fell on his right elbow and broke it, this Mommy is a little scared of it happening again or even to Emma.  We have had it since Ethan was a toddler and had many kids play on it but no I am not so sure.  Right now, the Kyre trampoline is banned until further notice!

Here are some pictures of Ethan and his reading buddy Reggie from school whom got to go to the doctor with him!

Fun Times

Last week we had the end of the summer picnic with our neighbor Bob.  His wife was out of town and he asked if we wanted to cookout with him.  He is a very sweet elderly man who treats our children like his grandchildren and us as his children.  His kids and grandkids do not live in Ohio so I am sure this is a good thing we are here for him.

Also our beloved kitten, Buckeye turned 1 on 8/15/13.  He is now a BIG kitten who we rescued from the Cat Colony shelter last December.  He is a very spoiled kitty who received some toys we bought on vacation and lots of treats that day.

It was a nice weekend, last weekend and Erik did not do any work so we decided to do a family walk on Saturday.  We went to the Scioto Mile and Columbus Commons.  We parked in Erik's parking garage and had a great time!  The Columbus Commons even had a food truck festival!

Vacation, End of Summer and Back to School

We finally went to HHI, SC from July 26th-Aug 3rd.  With Ethan breaking his elbow, 2 days before we left, we were not sure we could go but the cast was on and we were out of here.  We drove 12 hours on Friday and stayed at a hotel over night since we could not get into our villa until Saturday afternoon.  We were beat Friday night but so happy to be on vacation.

We woke up early Saturday morning and checked out of our hotel and decided to drive to Savannah, GA and walk River Street.  It is only about a 45 minute drive from Hilton Head Island.  It was a hot day and very busy but we loved it.  We visited a shop that makes candy and taffy.  The kids love it since they throw out fresh pieces of taffy!  And of course loved walking through all the shops and looking at the boats on the river.

Then we headed off to the villa.  We stay every year at the Hilton Head Beach & Tennis Resort on Folly Field Beach.  This time we stayed at a different villa since the guy we usually rent from is no longer renting.  He said he is remodeling so I am guessing he is getting ready to sell it.  Anyway it was still a nice villa and we still got our ocean view!  Here are some picture of our view from the balcony...

The rest of the pictures are from going to the beach every morning and going to the pool each day.  We even found Ethan this cool rubber glove thing to go over his cast so he can at least walk the beach and play a little at the pool.

We visited Cology Beach Plaza and watched a magic show and Emma was picked to participate!

We found this Horseshoe Crab washed ashore...found many of them this year...

Then we went on a dolphin cruise which we do every year and listened to Shannon Tanner afterwards for a Tuesday party in Shelter Cove Marina.

Visited a petting zoo in Harbour Town before a storm came...Ethan was in Heaven since he is our animal lover!

Climbed the steps to the lighthouse and then the rain came....

Erik helped Ethan at mini-golf and he got a hole in one!

Happy 6th birthday Ethan!  He loved spending his birthday at the beach!

Ethan's birthday dinner at the Frosty Frog in Colgny Plaza and we met Frosty!

Sweet Carolina Cupcakes for his birthday..yum!

Then as soon as we came back we had our annual Beres Family Reunion...

That week Emma started her Dance Camp along with that weekend a performance...

Guest choreographers....

Then it was back to school..Emma is now a 5th grader and Ethan a 1st grader AND their Mommy is working as a recess/lunch duty aide everyday at the school and I will see them too!

Ethan had a soccer practice this week too...

Back to school pics...