Grandma Turns 90!

The whole Jaggi clan ventured up to St. Louis last weekend to share in the excitement of Grandma's 90th birthday.  It was a very special occasion and it was so much fun to see all of the extended family and to share in her very special day.  I think everyone had just as much fun as I did, evidenced by the beaming smiles all the way around!  Happy birthday, Grandma!  We love you!

 

RELAXIN'

We went to the lake last weekend which was the first time I've been in months.  It was great to be back and the weather turned out really nice for some outdoor play on the new 4wheelers.  I love the lake in the summer with all the fishing, boating, and swimming, but winter visits definitely have their perks too.  It's nice to have time to just sit and read a book in front of the fire or take quiet walks and watch for deer and whatever other wildlife we may stumble upon.  It definitely has the best of both worlds.

I was so relaxed that I didn't take a whole lot of pictures but here are a few:

He looks so mad/sad here, but he was really just messing with me.  He likes to give me

several looks to choose from, see.  He's really considerate like that. 

This is not the best picture in the world but it was taken through a window at dusk.  The guys

put up a new deer feeder just off the back deck and the deer have been loving it.  They didn't

even stop while we were outside cooking on the grill.

Feeding his incessant nail-biting habit.  Drives us CRAZY! 

And the Grammy Goes to....

Nicholas was singing up a storm yesterday afternoon and even agreed to let me take a video of him performing Itsy Bitsy Spider.  You know how kids usually get bashful when you ask them to perform for you instead of just catching them on the fly?  Well, suprisingly he was all for it!  I'm in love with this video and I'm sure that many, many years from now I will look back at it with biting nostalgia and my heart will ache for these days.  Why oh why can't I freeze time??

Christmas Revival

Lucky for us, Christmas popped in to say "hi" just one more time this weekend so we could celebrate with Ryan, Cindy, and Jillian.  The kids had absolutely no problem remembering how it's done and commenced the present-opening like little professionals.  Nicholas got some more of his very favorite things - GUNS, and Jillian's favorite was the box of princess dress-up clothes Mimi and Papa got for her.  Girl can accessorize, let me tell ya!  But just when they thought it was all over with, out came the grand finale.......a mini 4 wheeler just for them, complete with pink and blue helmets for each!  I was a little nervous about it at first, but I have to admit that it doesn't go too fast and Nicholas did a really good job at maneuvering around all the obstacles.  It's going to the lake where I'm sure both he and Jillian will spend hours riding it here, there, and everywhere!  Great weekend and I'm finally content to say "See ya next year, Christmas".

I couldn't show this picture on my last post because it would have given away

Ryan's present too. They both got WWII German Luger pistols. Pretty awesome gift!

The princess and the soldier.  Should be a movie.

"What are these for, Papa?"

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........."

Nicholas had to give everyone a lesson before their first ride.  Such a helper.
(I love Mimi's tiara too!)

And Daddy took him for a little ride on the big one too.  So exciting!

And I have to include a new instagram collage for those of you who don't

 have the app. I love having these on-the-go glimpses of our everyday stuff.

Soaking Up Some Family Time

As I mentioned in my last post, we were excitedly anticipating a visit from my grandfather and my brother's family last week.  Well, the week is behind us now and it was definitely one of the best family visits I can remember.  It meant so much to me to have them close, being able to do those simple things that we always miss out on being so far apart.  As we were relaxing at my parents' house on New Year's Eve, I just sat back and smiled at all the noise of kids playing and boisterous laughter going on around me.  It seems crazy that someone could miss all that commotion, but the quiet can be defeaning sometimes, if you know what I mean.  Nicholas is categorically crazy about his cousins, Alli, Jake, & Kami, and he spent the week playing hard to maximize every second he had with them.  The week included a belated Christmas celebration with presents and a wonderful meal prepared by my mom, some family bowling, a trip to the zoo, and a first attempt at ice skating (Nicholas.  Not me).  The fun was definitely in full supply around here!  And as if that wasn't enough, Aunt Julie came to visit for the weekend too which topped off a perfect week!  Everyone's gone home now but we have the pictures to prove that we did it up right!

 This one cracks me up!

 The kids got iPod Touches from Grammy & Papa.  They were over the moon...

It isn't very often that I'm able to surprise my mom.  Needless to say,

I was very excited when I saw her reaction to her new Kitchenaid mixer.

 Our little bowling crew.  I adore this picture!

This was Nicholas' first few seconds wearing his ice skates and I was amazed at how well he adapted.  One second he was wobbling around and the next he was practically running all over the place.  Aunt April was so sweet for taking him out on the ice and helping him skate around the rink.  He had an absolute blast and I loved watching him...safely from the sidelines.  HA!!!

He had a little fall at the very beginning but he was all smiles after that.

And last but not least, a little snuggle time with Aunt Julie.  What a precious pair.

Happy New Year to you all!! We hope you are blessed in more ways than you can count in 2012!