Life is Good

Does is make sense to back track over the past 6 months? Probably not. Maybe just the highlights...

We did have a great Christmas. We decided that instead of buying "things" for the big kids, we would plan for a special activity each month this year. We are at the point where time together is more important to us than having more stuff around the house. So far the kids and dad have gone to Funset Blvd. and also The Fire to create their own ceramic master pieces! We missed sledding in January because of icy weather, but that's okay. This month we will spend as evening at Tundra Lodge's water park in Green Bay. SO looking forward to the bathing suit! :)

Clara and Tommy each had a birthday, she is 11 and he is now 10. I cannot believe how time has flown by. Tom also had a birthday- but once he crossed that line of 40 he has quit talking about his birthday!

Baby Drew spent 2 days in the hospital due to some random virus that made it difficult for him to get enough oxygen while sleeping. He thought is was great- lots of extra attention. I almost had a meltdown (more than once), but we made it through and Drew is doing fantastic.

Emma and Drew continue to grow and change and amaze us daily. Emma talks non-stop (no, SERIOUSLY... Non-stop!), and Drew wanted to be walking yesterday. He works so hard to keep up with Emma and she works equally as hard to get herself and her things- mostly her things- away from him. She has Drew-dar, she can tell if he is within 2 feet of her and she will panic, gather up her toys. and move elsewhere while yelling at me to, "take Baby Drew somewhere else!".

We did have a wonderful Easter even though Emma got totally hyped up on sugar- my fault, not hers! The kids helped with Easter eggs and with a wonderful breakfast that Emma didn't eat because her tummy was full of marshmallow chicks and kisses. She did, however, eat three rolls at dinner ("Mommy, I LOVE roll!").

Up next is Spring Break with the little ones at home then Tom leaves for Vancouver B.C. for several days. There is always something going on around here, and I love it!

October!

Finally, October! My mom and dad flew in from Idaho to visit nearly 2 weeks. Dad had not met Drew yet so it was extra exciting! They were here for the tail-end of the flu, Halloween, and Drew's first teeth. On my day off we went to the NEW Zoo and Lambeau Field- both firsts for the kids. Sadly we are very short on photos from that day as my mom and I were both a little camera ignorant. Good thing we have great memories. Emma still talks about Grandpa and Grandma "Hidaho"... "Grandpa snores SO loud!". Not sure where she got that from.

We loved having Grandpa and Grandma here and can't wait for them to come back.

Emma was a jaguar (I think)
for Halloween and
Drew was a little
green monster.







Emma was not a fan of all the masks kids were
wearing and was done Trick or Treating after 3 houses.












(This is Cole and Tyler Sanofsky. Tommy opted out this year)
Luckily we partied that day with the Sanofskys' and they always have plenty of treats!

September

Back to school...
School supplies, routine, H1N1.
What a month!

No back to school pictures this year of the big kids. Tom was out of town for the big day. I know it broke his heart, Tom has never missed being with them on their first day back. Somehow Madeline became a Freshman at Little Chute High School, Clara is in her last year of Little Chute Elementary as a 5th grader, and Tommy is in 4th grade. I cannot believe that Madeline was younger than Tommy is now when I first met them!

Both Emma and Drew were down for about 2 weeks with the "flu". Drew's progressed to some Bronchitis/Croup mess that left him sounding like Darth Vader for about a month. Both kids were troopers, though. They played and smiled through it all, but I know Emma was ready to get back to her routine and see the Taylor's again.

The best part of September was Emma starting her music class at Heid Music. She loves the songs, the instruments, the teacher, and the new friends. I love watching the joy in her little face and body as she experiments with music. I know most parents like to think their children are gifted... but this little girl IS!



Playing with
instruments
before class starts












Rockin' the rhythm on her drum!

Sometime in August...

Once Baby Drew was blessed he decided it was time to grow WAY too quickly. He also learned that you can't go through life being so serious and he began to laugh and smile all the time. We have the cutest darn kids!









On the computer with Madeline. I think he is chatting with the E*trade babies.









Ok, maybe he still has a
few serious moments...

Enjoying a some sister time on the couch.
Just a hunch, but I am guessing
they are watching some "Charlie and Lola"!

Baby Drew's Blessing

On Sunday, July 26th, Tom gave Drew his blessing. It was a wonderful day and we loved having Tom's parents and his sisters, Suzie and Nancy, here to experience this time with us. Drew was an angel during the blessing- we expected nothing less from him. He is still a very serious little man but that just makes his smiles that much more precious. We pray daily that he know how loved he is by his family and what a blessing he is in our lives.

Aunt Nancy and Aunt Suzie relaxing after a long day of church and lasagna!









Grandma Clifford entertaining the crowd.











Grandpa and Grandma Clifford's baby holding our baby!






Aunt Suzie and Grandpa Clifford at dinner the night before the big event.

Tummy Time

There is nothing sweeter than a baby on his tummy!

8th Grade Graduation

I think we are all still in denial that Madeline will start high school in the fall.
Go Little Chute Mustangs!!!

Father's Day

The whole family was able to be together on Father's Day for a wonderful dinner at the Tourville home. Every time we all get together Tom and I marvel at how much fun we have. We recognize how blessed we are to have such a positive relationship.

The kids all had a great time playing and eating. Emma discovered the wonders of goggles- or as she calls them, Ant Glasses- used to find ants in the grass.


This was Drew's first big family outing and he loved every minute of it, even though we didn't let him in the pool!

Grandma's Studio

Our favorite little redheads!

Andrew Brent Clifford

And, of course, the main event in May was the birth of Andrew Brent Clifford. He joined us at 3:25 on May 22nd. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 13 ounces and 20 inches. Baby Drew is a complete joy.

Little bun, fresh from the oven!













Loving and curious big sister












The whole family!

Welcome Grandma!

May continued to be a big month when Grandma Cunningham arrived on the 12th to stay with us for a month. She and Emma have the best little friendship. They are a joy to watch together. Grandma tends to be a bit camera shy but her presence was certainly felt every single day. She was a HUGE help to us all and a blessing to have in our home. We can't wait until she and Grandpa come in the fall...

Happy 2nd Birthday Emma!

May is going to be a big month around here! The first major event is Emma's 2nd birthday. I cannot believe she is such a big girl. Not too sure I like that. She is not very concerned with the potty or a big girl bed but she LOVES counting (to 20 pretty darn well) and reading. She is more ready for kindergarten than several of the kindergartners I taught! I am daily amazed with what she knows.

We had the kids over for a celebration of noodles and corn and cake- Emma's favorite things!













Being the animal lover that she is, we knew her farm would be a big hit-- and Tommy loved playing with it too :)

Easter Comes Early

Due to a very busy weekend schedule, we decided to have the Easter celebration today, a day early. Tom brought the big kids over and they got to "hide" eggs for Emma's first official Easter Egg Hunt.









Rather than fill her eggs with candy, I decided to put her favorite animals inside. This was a big hit! While the big kids placed Emma's eggs they also found their baskets. The kids also helped Emma on her new big girl bike!











Even though we only had the whole family together for a few hours, we had a great time! We are so blessed that Madeline, Clara, and Tommy are such great older siblings. They are kind and patient and loving and Emma cannot get enough of the "kids". We are sure baby Andrew will feel the same way when he gets to know them!

March Madness

With Easter being later than usual this year, it seems like Spring Break will NEVER get here. Luckily, March has passed quickly, getting us nearer and nearer to a few days off from school.

Madeline participated in her middle school play this past week. She was an enthusiastic Glinda in their production of The Magical Land of Oz. Madeline worked hard at her role and her mom worked hard on her costume and both actress and outfit were fantastic on stage!


And, of course, what would a post be without the obligatory photo of the cutest little red head we know! She is such a light and a blessing and she adores her older siblings. The great part is they adore her right back!

Whoops!

I am more than a little embarrassed that the entire holiday season passed without any blogging. We were pretty busy- if I remember correctly. Is it even worth backtracking and putting up pictures? If I don't get around to it you can always go to our picture sites...
Most importantly we are trying to figure out how to prepare Emma to not be the center of the universe once her little brother arrives! We have about 2 months to get her ready. I think she started to get the other night when she sat on my lap and the baby kicked her in the back-- she had no idea what hit her!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Everyone pitched in to make this family holiday wonderful. Tommy brought home a great turkey centerpiece for the table. Madeline was in charge of the AMAZING orange rolls! Clara kept Emma busy while all the cooking was going on.

While waiting for the big meal the kids had some down time to relax and watch a movie or two...

Emma, however, chose to use this waiting time to get geared up for Black Friday shopping :)

Once everything was ready we were all able to enjoy a great meal!

Election Day

On Tuesday, November 4th, it was about 75 degrees here in Appleton, Wisconsin. Not sure how THAT happened, especially since the following weekend (today) we had snow! Emma had a great time in the leaves in a short sleeved shirt with no coat. Any time that child can be outside she is one happy camper- oh and THANKS Helaina, for teaching Emma to go down slides FACE FIRST!

Happy Halloween!

We really wanted to dress Emma as a lion because her attempt at a roar is a hoot! But all the fluffy lion costumes were about 50 bucks! Not Happening! So we settled for a ladybug. No roaring, but still pretty darn cute!

Fall on the Farm

One beautiful October Sunday we met up with the Sanofsky family at Mulberry Lane Farm. We spent 3 hours petting pigs, goats, sheep, rabbits, chicks, and more! The kids all had pony rides- NOT a treat for Emma! They all got to milk a cow and we enjoyed a hay ride. We also learned that the Tom is the least intelligent creature on the farm. Interesting....



The kids all picked a pumpkin from the field to take home to remember the busy day. We all had a ball I and would HIGHLY recommend a visit to Mulberry! From 18 months to 13 years old, all the kids had a ball. We parents got a kick out of it too!