She did it!

Back at the beginning of December, Lily Grace, along with a lot of other 8th graders took the Merit Exam at Bishop Dwenger for a chance at one of 8 Merit Scholarships they award incoming freshman each year.  These scholarships are awarded solely on academic achievement.  The scholarship goes towards your Freshman tuition.  With only eight scholarships being given and so many taking the test, Matt told Gracie he'd give her a $100 if she placed.  
Yesterday, we received a letter from Bishop Dwenger letting us know that Lily Grace had won one of the scholarships.  You can't imagine the excitement around here yesterday afternoon!  
Matt and I were beyond happy for Gracie and so very proud.  She works so hard and never complains.  With a lot of after school activities, clubs and advanced classes, she still holds high honors each and every nine weeks.  She's held on to those straight A's since starting school. 
I can't tell you the joy it brings Matt and I to see her earn this special recognition for her hard work.
Congratulations Gracie!  We are sooooo proud of you and love you even more!

Reading the letter that brought the good news.

Pure joy and excitement all over her face.  And yes, a $100 in hand from daddy as promised.

20 Happy New Year 20

We rang in the new year with a sleepover.  Lily Grace had a couple of friends over and threw a party.  
2019 left us with lots of memories and we look forward to all that 2020 will bring.  Happy New Year!

We helped Gracie decorate the basement for her party, complete with a balloon drop.  Matt blew up over 75 balloons and thankfully, he owns an air compressor.  

Of course there was a photo backdrop with lots of props.  

Matt and I got in on the fun before we got kicked out. ha!

Oh yes!  She even bought some strobe lights for karaoke and dancing. 

As promised, a taco dinner and sundae bar

These girls had so much fun and went nonstop.  

The balloon drop was so much fun!  Matt and I couldn't believe how well it worked.  And the bigger shock is that Matt and I made it until midnight.

We even toasted in the New Year with sparkling grape juice thanks to one of the girls. 

We did it!!!  Happy New Year!  For the record, this picture was taken at about 12:05.  We sent the girls upstairs to their bedrooms.  They ended up giggling and playing games in one of the guest rooms until 1:30 in the morning before going to their own rooms and going to bed.

I made waffles for the girls the next morning before taking them home.

Happy New Year!

Christmas Memories

We've had a wonderful Christmas break.  We didn't waste a moment from the time Lily Grace got out of school and Matt left the office.  
We've had so much fun and enjoyed a lot of family time.  It truly has been a special Christmas this year. 

Gracie roped Matt into being her sous chef for macaron making.  I have to say, he wasn't half bad.  He is such a good dad.  Making macarons is quite time consuming.

We enjoyed a yummy brunch downtown on Christmas Eve.

Before Christmas Eve mass, Lily Grace and I worked on a chocolate cottage.  We had to melt chocolate, mold, build and decorate.  We actually liked it better than a regular gingerbread house. 

Even if we weren't the best at it...

With LG getting older, we actually slept in until about 9:00 this year before we heard her coming downstairs.  She was most excited to find the Apple AirPod Pro set she has been asking for as well as a personal bluetooth printer. Even I agree that the printer is so cute and cool.  

Before all the paper ripping got started

Lily Grace and Matt filled my stocking and I had to declare her the best stocking filler.  

I was responsible for her and Matt and I packed her full of Oreo's. All I ever hear is her making fun of me giving "healthy" snacks so this year I buried all the good stuff at the bottom of her stocking beneath all the individual Oreo packs.  

Matt got an updated set of Apple Air pods himself.  

With a new bear, she was set for the day and busy so we could open gifts. 

This beautiful crystal snowflake came on a pair of Tieks I had asked for.  Gracie wore it as a headband.  Too funny!

Lily Grace also got the Harry Potter Funkoverse game.  People, this game should come with a warning.  It can cause families to tear each other apart.  I thought I was going to have to put this game up as these two went at it while figuring it out.  It has turned in to quite the joke around here.  They've played several times since and actually really enjoy his game.  I'm happy to report, it's a lot more civil. ha! ha!

The Rise of Skywalker

We were among the excited fans last night who braved the cold and the crowds to see the premier of The Rise of Skywalker.  
The theater was filled with excitement and characters from the movie.  
We loved the movie and how it all came to an end.
What a fun start to the holiday season!  

Posing with Emperor Palpatine and the dark side...

...and Legendary Jedi Master Obi Wan Kenobi.

Happy Turkey Day!

We flew south for Thanksgiving this year.  Our first stop was in AL to visit my side of the family and then on to FL to visit Matt's side.  We stayed on the beach in Pensacola and soaked in the warm weather which is a far cry from November here in the midwest.  
Thanks so much to everyone for hosting us.  

Lily Grace couldn't wait to get to AL to visit cousins Wilder and Henry.  She adores these two boys.  

Henry was more about the chase and less about the picture.  

Gracie and I got in some corn hole out on the deck at the hotel our first night.   Corn Hole for the record, is more fun when you can hear the ocean crashing beside you. 

We spent the mornings on the beach walking and looking for sea shells for a couple of hours.  This was one of our favorite memories from our Thanksgiving this year. 

Gracie was a good sport and joined her younger FL cousins in Pie Face.

She also helped Owen and Emma decorate a gingerbread house.  She had so much fun doting on them.

These two proved they have skills.  I took this picture to remind them of that. Ha!

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I'm celebrating my 48th birthday!  We started celebrating last night with dinner out. This morning we all woke bright and early and headed to Indy.  Lily Grace and I have been really trying to get into this croissant class at Sur La Table and today was our day.  We had so much fun learning to make French Croissants.  What a great way to spend your birthday.  Matt tagged along and acted as our chauffeur.  
Thank you to everyone for all the calls, texts and gifts.  You truly added to my day.  Thank you Matt and Gracie!  As always, you make me feel extra special on my birthday!

Making fresh homemade croissants is very labor intensive.  The amount of rolling is insane but oh so worth it.

Gracie experienced a flour explosion.  It was hilarious and gave us all a good laugh.  In her defense, we had a faulty mixer.  So much fun!

We had so much fun and learned so much.  Gracie taking all these classes together is a gift each and every time.  

We made chocolate filled croissants as well as ham and Swiss filled.  We also learned to make traditional crescent shaped croissants.  Look at all those layers of flaky goodness.