December
Man down, man down! My poor little man was miserable for 6 days (by the time the antibiotics kicked in).
Cookie baking extravaganza 2012!!! This is one of may favoritest (yes, I made that word up) times of the year. It's cooking, togetherness, family, Christmas movies all day, Christmas music all day, wine or something alcoholic, lots of love, coffee, something cooking in the crockpot, burnt cookies (only on the rare occasion), lots of flour, aprons, smiles, laughing and all around a swell time:) I cry at least once (usually twice) about the love that I feel doing this yearly tradition!
Day one begins Friday night. Usually just my mommy and me. Yes, the baking usually starts with an alcoholic beverage. However the beverages in hand were celebrating mom successfully completing a big project at her job.
Mom made the aprons for everyone:)
We are cookie crazy!
The first batch going in the oven
All baked and ready to distribute
The cookie tins/baskets/bags ready to be filled with yummy goodness
Yeah! All done!!
Love this mommy!
Oh Scooter:)
Scooter, there are people reviewing this site. Close your legs and show some decency!
This note says "I had a LONG talk with Santa tonight:(" The children weren't particularly pleasant that day.
Opening our presents from our family in NY. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa Wisniewski, Great Grandma & Grandpa Wisniewski, Great Grandpa Levandoske, Aunt Carol and Uncle Kevin, Megan and Nick!!!!! (I hope I didn't miss anyone)
Stockings!
This little skirt was a gift from Reagan's godparents and she wants to put it on every time her older sisters dress up. They love playing dress up and having dance party!
Silly girl!
November
The dinosaur museum in Woodland Park was awesome. And the guide we had was even more awesome. She was probably in her early 20's but she knew sooooo much, had an answer to every question from adult and child and was so good with all the kids.
Digging up bones:)
Aaaaaahhhhh!!! There's a T-Rex coming!!
Well-behaved side....
Silly side:)
October
I some how managed to not post October pictures and am so sorry! However, the only pictures that I had were of Anna's birthday:)
I can't believe she's 6!! This is the birthday cake she had on the day of her birthday. We always have a little cake on their actual birthdays with just us:)
September
Every year we go to a family campout in Two Buttes, Colorado. We have a blast! We have 3 campers, 9 tents and about 25 people!
Canoing with Poppie:) Sorry it's a little blury.
And finally some pics of our house. It only took me 6 months:)
Kitchen/Dining Room
The flip side from the kitchen
Front view from driveway
Kids rooms - Ian and Anna on the left and Reagan and Kara on the right
Downstairs living room
Spare room, kitty room and homeland security:)
August
Hiking to do some bonding with Mike's dad and our good friends Andy and his two boys Corbin and Blake.
Reagan didn't enjoy it as much:)
It was a rough night in the Wiz house one fine evening. There was screaming and fit throwing and just an all around bad time. So Mike and I did, what I like to refer to as, our victory lap. A victory lap is something I picked from another mommy blog. It's basically the end of the day, when the kids are asleep soundly and beautifully in their beds, and Mike and I can sit on the couch and look lovingly into each others eyes and let out a sigh of relief that we have lived and survived yet another day. Wait. I mean we look lovingly into each others eyes and say thank you for our beautiful, healthy children. We are so blessed.
We celebrated our victory lap with an adult beverage with this shot glass that I came across from my grandma's things. Mike and I felt that this particular shot glass was perfect for our victory drink. It says - Happy Days Are Here Again.
And at last my beautiful sister's wedding. The wedding went awesome! It was cloudy all day and the sun broke out at the exact time Marie came walking down the aisle. It stayed sunny until the ceremony was over and the last person went inside the building for the reception. Then the flood gates opened and it poured:) Then of course a rainbow appeared to make the day complete!
The ladies getting beautified
My sister-in-law Lacey:)
Brent (my new brother-in-law) dancing with the kiddos.
She was so not excited about wearing (or even putting it on) the dress. Mike said it took Reagan 30 minutes to finally stop crying and accepting the fact that she was stuck wearing the dress:)
My mom made my girls' dresses.
So the story behind Ian wearing his Transformer bumblebee outfit for the wedding:
Marie asked my girls if they would be in her wedding as the ring bearer and flower girl. She asked if they would be butterflies and they were both super excited. And Ian immediately said "And I can be the bumblebee" Since he apparentely associated butterflies with bumblebees. And so here he is so proudly pulling Reagan in the wagon down the aisle as official wedding security:)
Look at the smile on my sister's face! She is obviously so excited to be walking down the aisle to marry her man:)
Another sweet picture of her smile:)
My favorite pic of my sisters and brother. (He's actually smiling)
Not sure if this is him supervising the children on the playground or if this is laziness or if this is relaxing:)
Reagan going down the slide like a big girl.
My Kara ruling the slide
This has been one of the kids favorite past times....riding their bikes in a circle in the garage.
(Note: Ian is wearing a winter hat and gloves despite the 80 degree temperatures outside)
July
Well, here it is July already. And I'm saddened that there were no fireworks in Buena Vista (and many other places in Colorado). Which happens to be our favorite place to watch them. There is nothing more breathtaking or spectacular then seeing fireworks with the collegiate peaks in the background.
But alas, we still went camping and still had a good time.
Enjoying playing in the water.
Where's Reagan?
After a many failed attempts at microwave popcorn (it's a high altitude thing, I guess) we bought a popper and the kids loved it.
Camping trip with my parents. The ATV was the highlight of the trip, hence why there aren't any other pictures:) Poppie made them draw straws to see who rode first. Now "drawing straws" is a new concept to them. Kara didn't like it so well because she was last:)
June
We were very fortunate, and very grateful, to have Mike's dad come and help us build a third car to our garage. We'd still be working on it if it wasn't for him. Here's some before and during pictures.
We took a very brief mother/daughter trip to Orlando. Very brief. Got in very late Friday night and got home Sunday night. This mother/daughter trip was a surprise for my sister Marie for her wedding. So it was my mom, Marie, best friend/sister Rhea, Kara, Anna and myself. Marie is obsessed with Harry Potter which is why we chose Orlando because of the new thing at Universal Studios. Mom, Marie and Rhea did the HP thing because I've not read a single book and I took the girls to Dr. Seuss Landing. We met up for lunch and spent about 8 hours at the park. We had a great time!!
Beautiful face painting that was washed away in a matter of minutes after they played in McElligot's pool:)
Lunch
Don't be scared!
Roller coaster
Our first camping trip of the year wasn't until right before 4th of July. Sooo not like us. But we were super busy and in desparate need of this camping trip. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. It was really great watching Reagan run around with the older kids. There is nothing more relaxing than being able to escape from reality and internet. Although it's funny because throughout this stretch of our camping trip I continuously checked my phone or iPad for service. It was random in parts and what was amusing about it was that it was kind of neat being 'off the grid' but at the same time I felt like I was doing something wrong. What would happen if this happened or this happened? What would we do? :)
Going on a nature hike.
Love this picture. The park rangers stopped by to make sure we knew we couldn't have any fires. We had been in a Stage 2 fire ban and were randomly checking to ensure that everyone was abiding by the rules. They gave the kids binoculars.
May
Another birthday!!?? My little man turned 4 this month! He's grown up so much. He loves counting! He counts any stairs he climbs, any rocks he picks up, how many people are sitting at the table. He loves any construction equipment and monster trucks! Can you tell by his birthday cake:)
Super cool fireman raincoat!!
This stroller is awesome!!!
Playing at our new neighborhood park:)
This makes my heart sing:)
Oh, Reagan.
Reagan is reading the instructions to Grandma and I can put together an eliptical machine. She read the French instructions so it took us an extra hour to put it together.
April
My sweet baby, Reagan is now a year old. What?!? How does this happen so quickly?. I swear she is too cute for words and everything she does is over the top cute. Were the other three kids like this? Or is it because she's our last kid and it's meant to be this cute so we can cherish these moments? Reagan is walking all over the place. She only has two teeth on the bottom. All the other kids had 8+ teeth at a year old. Anna is close to losing her first tooth and swears that when she loses it it gets passed on to Reagan and she will get more teeth:)
There is a Polish tradition that on your first birthday you are given a rosary (praise Jesus), a silver dollar (prosperous enough to retire your parents) and a shot glass (enjoys the bubbly too much). They are placed in front of you and the first one you grab is your fate. Well, I can assure you that Reagan will allow us to retire:) It took the family quite a lot of memory digging to remember what the other kids picked - because, well, I didn't write it down. Kara the rosary (halelujah), Anna double fisted the rosarie and the coin (praise Jesus - ching ching), and Ian the shot glass (dangit).
Here are a few pics from her birthday party.
This is our first snow storm in our new house. The kids laid down on the ground at the top of our driveway and rolled down. They loved it!
Snow angels
Reagan checking out the deer.
Easter:)
Reagan saying "oooooo" on her Easter loot.
Ready for the hunt
The kids blowing colored bubbles so they have Poppie's shirts over the Easter dresses and shirt and tie. They were so very careful not to get any on them. They all took off the shirts when they were done and then Anna picked up the yellow bubbles and started to shake it. Well, the lid wasn't securely fastened and yellow bubbles went all over her pretty pink dress. She was sooooo upset:(
My handsome little man!
March
I can't believe Kara turned 7 years old! It sounds and feels different to say 7 years ago then to say she's 7 years old. Not sure why. But in any case, she has grown up so much and is such a great big sister. She's a really good student, likes to play with her friends and brother and sisters, but she definetely likes her alone time. My favorite thing is to watch her play with Reagan.
The chaos that was our house while moving.
\
February
Ian helping daddy in the garage. He's sportin his "worker pants". The two of them have matching carharts:)
This is our first dinner at the new house. We closed on the house March 1st and brought the kids up to celebrate. The kids were so excited!
More pics of the new house to come in March:)
January
Man down, man down! My poor little man was miserable for 6 days (by the time the antibiotics kicked in).
Day one begins Friday night. Usually just my mommy and me. Yes, the baking usually starts with an alcoholic beverage. However the beverages in hand were celebrating mom successfully completing a big project at her job.
Yeah! All done!!
Boxey Red Guy - The note says "Sharing is fun" This particular barbie pez set is a constant battle with Kara because it is hers and she hates sharing it. So Boxey Red Guy reported this to Santa:)
November
The dinosaur museum in Woodland Park was awesome. And the guide we had was even more awesome. She was probably in her early 20's but she knew sooooo much, had an answer to every question from adult and child and was so good with all the kids.
October
I some how managed to not post October pictures and am so sorry! However, the only pictures that I had were of Anna's birthday:)
I can't believe she's 6!! This is the birthday cake she had on the day of her birthday. We always have a little cake on their actual birthdays with just us:)
September
Every year we go to a family campout in Two Buttes, Colorado. We have a blast! We have 3 campers, 9 tents and about 25 people!
Canoing with Poppie:) Sorry it's a little blury.
Kitchen/Dining Room
Back side of the house
Spare room, kitty room and homeland security:)
View from garage facing road
August
Hiking to do some bonding with Mike's dad and our good friends Andy and his two boys Corbin and Blake.
At a parade, patiently awaiting for the candy to come flying into their hands.
Horseback riding with our cousin Cori. Anna did it by herself first and then rode with Cori.
Reagan didn't enjoy it as much:)
We celebrated our victory lap with an adult beverage with this shot glass that I came across from my grandma's things. Mike and I felt that this particular shot glass was perfect for our victory drink. It says - Happy Days Are Here Again.
And at last my beautiful sister's wedding. The wedding went awesome! It was cloudy all day and the sun broke out at the exact time Marie came walking down the aisle. It stayed sunny until the ceremony was over and the last person went inside the building for the reception. Then the flood gates opened and it poured:) Then of course a rainbow appeared to make the day complete!
The ladies getting beautified
My handsome little man.
My mom made my girls' dresses.
Marie asked my girls if they would be in her wedding as the ring bearer and flower girl. She asked if they would be butterflies and they were both super excited. And Ian immediately said "And I can be the bumblebee" Since he apparentely associated butterflies with bumblebees. And so here he is so proudly pulling Reagan in the wagon down the aisle as official wedding security:)
The happy couple!
Some camping pics
My sweet Anna
(Note: Ian is wearing a winter hat and gloves despite the 80 degree temperatures outside)
July
Well, here it is July already. And I'm saddened that there were no fireworks in Buena Vista (and many other places in Colorado). Which happens to be our favorite place to watch them. There is nothing more breathtaking or spectacular then seeing fireworks with the collegiate peaks in the background.
But alas, we still went camping and still had a good time.
Oh, my sweet baby Reagan:)
My pride and joy!
ooooooooooo, it's cold!
Waiting for the Buena Vista parade to start. They actually throw candy here:)
Ian playing monster trucks with one of the camper's wheel chucks. One of his favorite things to do when we camp.
Bambi!! There are lots of little baby deer around now. This is right across the street from us. The kids are enjoying watching the spots fade. They label them babies, kids or teenagers:)
This was a bear that crossed our driveway, hopped our fence, walked over this fallen aspen, hopped the other side of the fence into the neighbors. I was sure the bear was young enough to have a mama bear follow behind it but she didn't. But pretty neat to see
We were very fortunate, and very grateful, to have Mike's dad come and help us build a third car to our garage. We'd still be working on it if it wasn't for him. Here's some before and during pictures.
We took a very brief mother/daughter trip to Orlando. Very brief. Got in very late Friday night and got home Sunday night. This mother/daughter trip was a surprise for my sister Marie for her wedding. So it was my mom, Marie, best friend/sister Rhea, Kara, Anna and myself. Marie is obsessed with Harry Potter which is why we chose Orlando because of the new thing at Universal Studios. Mom, Marie and Rhea did the HP thing because I've not read a single book and I took the girls to Dr. Seuss Landing. We met up for lunch and spent about 8 hours at the park. We had a great time!!
Our first camping trip of the year wasn't until right before 4th of July. Sooo not like us. But we were super busy and in desparate need of this camping trip. It was a lot of fun and very relaxing. It was really great watching Reagan run around with the older kids. There is nothing more relaxing than being able to escape from reality and internet. Although it's funny because throughout this stretch of our camping trip I continuously checked my phone or iPad for service. It was random in parts and what was amusing about it was that it was kind of neat being 'off the grid' but at the same time I felt like I was doing something wrong. What would happen if this happened or this happened? What would we do? :)
Another birthday!!?? My little man turned 4 this month! He's grown up so much. He loves counting! He counts any stairs he climbs, any rocks he picks up, how many people are sitting at the table. He loves any construction equipment and monster trucks! Can you tell by his birthday cake:)
This stroller is awesome!!!
Playing at our new neighborhood park:)
April
My sweet baby, Reagan is now a year old. What?!? How does this happen so quickly?. I swear she is too cute for words and everything she does is over the top cute. Were the other three kids like this? Or is it because she's our last kid and it's meant to be this cute so we can cherish these moments? Reagan is walking all over the place. She only has two teeth on the bottom. All the other kids had 8+ teeth at a year old. Anna is close to losing her first tooth and swears that when she loses it it gets passed on to Reagan and she will get more teeth:)
There is a Polish tradition that on your first birthday you are given a rosary (praise Jesus), a silver dollar (prosperous enough to retire your parents) and a shot glass (enjoys the bubbly too much). They are placed in front of you and the first one you grab is your fate. Well, I can assure you that Reagan will allow us to retire:) It took the family quite a lot of memory digging to remember what the other kids picked - because, well, I didn't write it down. Kara the rosary (halelujah), Anna double fisted the rosarie and the coin (praise Jesus - ching ching), and Ian the shot glass (dangit).
Here are a few pics from her birthday party.
This is our first snow storm in our new house. The kids laid down on the ground at the top of our driveway and rolled down. They loved it!
Reagan saying "oooooo" on her Easter loot.
I can't believe Kara turned 7 years old! It sounds and feels different to say 7 years ago then to say she's 7 years old. Not sure why. But in any case, she has grown up so much and is such a great big sister. She's a really good student, likes to play with her friends and brother and sisters, but she definetely likes her alone time. My favorite thing is to watch her play with Reagan.
Our neighbors have a tree swing and have told us the kids can come over and swing on it anytime. However, they can never break any limbs, tree or person:) Hanging with our buddies Corbin and Blake.
\
My sweet boy.....Patiently waiting his turn for the swing.
February
Ian helping daddy in the garage. He's sportin his "worker pants". The two of them have matching carharts:)
More pics of the new house to come in March:)
January
Not too many pictures taken this month not because there weren't any taken but because Ian got a hold of the camera and took a lot but then deleted a lot:o) Oh well..
The girls decided to use their pink hello kitty chapstick to apply to their faces as makeup....
Reagan helping with the dishes. I train them early;)
This is technically February but wanted to add a little more pictures to January. This was our snow day from school. If Kara could have it her way she would stay out there hours. She is a true snow baby.
We probably got about 18in over the course of 18 hours. But the wind was blowing pretty good so the drifts are around 2-3 feet in areas.
