Monday, February 29, 2016

February 2016: Busy Kiddos

Here's what the kids were up to this month.
Liam:
Competed in his Destination Imagination final.  The group did awesome and his problem solving skills were amazing to watch in action!

 It took lots of practicing to get their play just right.  They made all the costumes, wrote and directed their play!
Principal Davis came to cheer them on!
 DI team: Rayming, Avishree, Liam, Justin, Priya and Rohan
 Celebrating their great job with a night a Chuck E Cheese!

 Award ceremony at school! So proud!
Pine car derby with his boy scout pack.






Participating in his school's multicultural night.  Liam represented Italy because he figured out he was 12.5% Italian :)  He did a great job teaching his schoolmates a few words in Italian and serving tortellini.  



Still playing with Wilson, his soft indoor soccer ball he's had since he was a baby...
 Valentine's party at school!

 Loving on his littlest sis...
 Celebrating his half birthday (it's officially a thing in our house)!
Getting to go home from school with best buddy Justin...

We received Liam's scores from his standardized tests...99th percentile across the board in the nation!  So proud of this kid!
Elinor:
Yes, she has decided her name is Elinor, or rather when asked will tell you her name is Elinor Barker. Pronounced "Elinoor Bahkah" :)
 Hanging with her BFF, her big sister Bryn.  She is enamored of Bryn and I'm so happy they are little buddies :)
 Still dressing herself.  To be fair we handed her the football when we realized she looked like Ace Ventura, haha!
 Crazy girl...
 Tea party with playgroup girls.  While Bryn doesn't get into this "girly" stuff, Elinor does!

Tough princess ;)
 Playing trains with Dallie and Foxy...
Baby doll in one hand, Pink Ranger sword in the other...that's our girl!

 Bryn:
She is doing so well in school.  Here is the contents of her folder from 1 week at school.  Studying shapes, abstract art, singular/plural words, parts of a leaf and frog, and fractions.  She's amazing!
 Bryn did our squares for the Super Bowl this year!
 Making my Costco list for me...
 Bryn presented on mass, density and volume at her school's science fair this year.  She worked so hard on her poster and we were all very proud of her!
 Bryn was set up next to her bff Devyn...
 Their teacher, Ms. Vishali...


 Her masterpiece!
 Still loving soccer and her teammate Arya...
 Cheering her on...
This was Bryn's first year attending the Daddy-daughter dance.  They had a great time eating cookies, dancing, and playing at the arcade afterwards!





Bryn really enjoys her one-on-one time, so Mallie and Dallie took her for a day one weekend.  They did mani-pedis, (her first one!), had lunch at Fuzzy's (her favorite), and played lots of games!





Nick:
Found out he was getting a big promotion and new position later this year.  So we took the family out to dinner to celebrate!  So proud of him and how hard he works.

 Family time:
Alex and Tippy were back for a weekend and came to the Krewe of Barkus Mardi Gras parade with us...


 Mardi Gras Fat Tuesday party at our church...





Celebrating Dallie and Tippy's birthdays...
 Celebrating Chinese New Year with Grandpa and Grandma...




Lindsey and JE had a great wedding shower in Houston...

We had a great visit with Uncle Tim, Aunt Debbie, Britty and baby Dottie!
 Brittany took the kids climbing which they loved!



Yeah, I'm exhausted just recapping this month.  Bring on Spring Break!

Sunday, January 31, 2016

January 2016: Staying Active and Celebrating Birthdays!

2016 started off as expected.  Busy, silly, cold...and weird.  Looking back on the pics, I wish it's funny to see what our month consisted of :)

Bryn loves her new watch and taking pics/videos of the family.  Sometimes when I'm on the phone or driving, I look up to find her wrist pointed at me behind her silent smile.  She has a lot of film she could probably blackmail me with one day, haha!


 So now we are in the awesome stage where Nora can dress herself...of course this means I have to go along with her crazy outfits.  If it means one less daily task for me...I'll take it!
 Liam reading his book from Santa, Hatchet.  Very big boy and very cool.
 They all love playing Contraptions...
 and Heads Up...during dinner.  Sure, whatever works!
 Is Manchester United playing today? Yup, I think so!
 Getting out some energy at the nature reserve...



 I started working out with a trainer at the gym.  The kids and Nick are very supportive :)  Lunges on the way out with Nora...
Nick and Bryn doing the at-home military mom work out I couldn't do...
 I get it Bryn, you are a rock star!
 Lately Bryn is my biggest helper...laundry, clean up, taking care of Nora.  I joke I will sneak her out of kindergarten because I need her!!
 Yup, it finally got cold this month...
 January birthdays...Liam celebrated with Jackson and Joshua.


For my birthday this year, Nick and the kids gave me SPFC shirt to wear to the kids games...
 and a special trip to NYC with Bryn and Nick later this summer!
 But the best BIRTH day was baby Pepper!!  We were all so excited to finally meet her.


 Especially Bryn, who dubbed herself Pepper's "God cousin" :)