G's 4th Birthday Party

Yes, G turned 4 this December 13th. It's just crazy to me, 4 sounds so grown up. Not a toddler, far from a baby, but, 4 years old!!! She was very excited to invite family and friends over to celebrate with her on her actual Birthday day, which fell on a Saturday this year. We were trying to think of a theme or something a little "fun" to celebrate with. She suggested a PINK party. Of course, that's a great idea. It's easy to decorate and lots of fun for her. As it came time to create invitations, we decided to change it to a PINK and RED party so the boys wouldn't feel obligated to wear pink (even though daddy did). We all had a wonderful time celebrating with Family, Friends and Neighbors, a Tinkerbell cake, plenty of gifts, and most importantly tons of fun. It was a great and special day for our sweet 4 year old.

G's first, second and third Birthdays :-)

Siesta Key, Florida

In the beginning of November we took our annual 7 day trip to Siesta Key, Florida with K's family. K's dad and stepmom spend two weeks there each November. We've gone to stay with them every year since G was born and each year seems to be more fun for her. This year was the first year she swam on her own. She wore a swimming vest and floaties but, was off kicking and splashing all by herself. She even put her face all the way in the water all alone. This is a big deal for an almost 4 year old! This year was especially fun for her because she not only had her cousin A (who was there last year with her), she also had her cousins there too. We had beautiful weather and got to spend a lot of time on the Beach and in the pool. Can't wait for next year! (it's 4 below outside today)

Halloween 2008

So, Halloween is already over and it's November. This year G had her heart set on being Tinkerbell, which I thought was a great idea. However, I was hoping for something a little more original. Tinkerbell is very popular right now. A couple of weeks before Halloween, we headed to Michael's (store) to pick up some wings. She noticed some white bunny ears and just like that dropped the Tinkerbell idea and decided to be a bunny. I loved that idea. So we bought a white shirt, white pants and made a carrot. Nice and easy. G's Halloween party at School was the Tuesday before ..( I've included some pics of the preschool parade). I was a room mom. The party was fun and G had a blast. On the actual day of Halloween, G got all dressed and seemed pretty excited to go Trick or Treating, until a little boy in a "Jason type" mask showed up at the door. That was the end of Gracie's excitement. She ran upstairs and wouldn't come down until trick or treating was over. She is not a fan of masks. Oh well, there's always next year.

I've included pics from Halloween 2005,2006,2007 and this year.

Annual Bonfire

As you most of you know, my mom and Ern have a bonfire/family gathering every October (10/11/08). This year the weather was perfect and the family turnout was great. There was a ton of food, lots of friends and family and as usual a huge fire. We had a blast eating, catching up with everyone and enjoying being outside before the cold arrives for the season. Here the only picture from that night that I could get uploaded. Thanks to Greg and Rach. (I forgot my camera)

Oktoberfest at Gracie's School

We were lucky enough to get Grace into a school we absolutely love. When we moved to Lockport we met some great friends who introduced us to the school. We are excited for her to start her school years (even though she's only in preschool) off at this great school. Every year her school has an Oktoberfest to raise money. They have carnival rides, food and beer tents, games and other family activities. We learned this year that Gracie just LOVES carnival rides. She "open mouth" screams, laughs out loud and throws her hands in the air. She just can't get enough.

We can't forget to take some time to mention this weekend in Chicago sports. There was lots of buzz about the Cubs and the Sox being in the playoffs. Unfortunately, the Cubs lost 3-1 to the Dodgers on Saturday, eliminating them from the playoffs. This was a huge let down, especially for Kirk. As of right now, he is no longer a Cubs fan. We'll see how quickly that changes when opening day comes around next April. The Sox did manage to win one game in the playoffs but were also eliminated. Good news though, the BEARS beat Detroit 34-7 on Sunday. Go Bears!!

Let's get started...

So I've seen quite a few blog sites lately created by friends and family for various reasons. I always thought I'd love to create one of those........how fun to look back days, months or even years from now and remember some of our great days.

As I was putting Gracie to sleep tonight, I just couldn't believe how quickly these 3 (almost 4 years) have gone. That's when I decided now is as good as time as any to start the J's FAMILY blog sight....da duh da da.... applause applause.



I've included a few pics of G tonight. She was excited to wear her jammies that match Bitty Baby because she wanted to put Bitty Baby "in her crib right next to me". How cute is that :-)

(This was suppose to show up as my first blog but I think I messed with the time so it ended up second. I'm still new to all this so bear with me.)

G's First Day of Preschool

This is backtracking a little but a very big day for G. She started her first day of 3 year old preschool on 9/2/08. She goes 2 mornings a week and LOVES it. She has no problems leaving mommy and going to spend a few hours with her teachers and friends. I must admit I had a tougher time dropping her off for the first time than she did leaving me. I even got slightly teary eyed. It's nice to know she loves it and is excited to get ready when I wake her on school mornings.