Thanksgiving and Christmas 2010

Last time I blogged, we were just finishing up the science fair...right after that we celebrated Thanksgiving...it is by far my favorite holiday of the year...and one I never take for granted...I have so much to be thankful for! This year Kate wrote the prayer that is said before our meal and delivered it beautifully...she is so grown up. The boys had their annual football game joined by one of my dearest friends from elementary school, Kenneth. He spent the whole day with us which was such a treat, and hopefully the beginning of a long standing tradition! There was a lot of football watching done by all, delicious food on the table thanks to Pat and Bob...and so many other memories made. We had 21 sitting for dinner and 24 by dessert time...and we were all so happy to be together for the day.

The kids and I hopped in the car the next morning headed to Rehoboth for our annual "after Thanksgiving trip" with my sister, little Francis, and my parents. We did some Christmas shopping, some relaxing, and we made our annual trip to see the lights in Ocean City. It is a weekend I always look forward to! Unfortunately, Bob did not come with us...he is very busy looking for a job...he was unexpectedly laid off in the middle of November...so he stayed home to edit and revise his resume as well as get some things done around the house!

We met Bob on the way home from the beach at Gaver Tree Farm where we found two beauties and cut them down. We love this tradition and topped it off with hot chocolate, lots of marshmallows, and yummy cookies!

We spent the next week getting the house ready as I had my annual ornament exchange with the ladies AND...and more importantly...we were preparing for the arrival of ROBERT and KIM!!

The rest of the next week gets a little dicey...

-LATE Thursday night (12/2) - Robert and Kim arrived

- Friday morning - I FOUND OUT I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!! This was extremely exciting news...Robert and Kim waited until they got to see us in person to tell us...Kim is three months pregnant already and due in June!

-Friday at noon - Bob took Connor (who had been sick for a week) back to the doctor only to be sent to the ER and admitted...worried about his breathing due to the asthma brought on by the virus

-Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - we all tried to go about our weekend and enjoy each other while taking turns staying with Connor and/or hanging out in the hospital together (it was crazy)

-Monday night - Connor was released from the hospital

-Tuesday - "the Wills Family shut in"...all kids and I took off school to hang out with Robert and Kim - that evening, all family came over to hang with them before they left

-Wednesday - Robert and Kim went back to Tennessee

All in all...it was a wonderful time...luckily, although Connor was kept for three nights, we knew he would be ok...not every parent in the Pediatric Ward has that sense of comfort...we knew it was a matter of time before his numbers stablilized and we could take him home...and while he was there, we made the best of it...lots of take out food and meals for 7 in the hospital room!! The biggest bummer is...I was so crazy those few days, I never took pictures. ;-(

And since then....we have partied our way to Christmas...we had the Anastasi Christmas Party first...FIVE generations of Anastasis in one room...eating, singing, visiting with Santa...and organized by "you know who"...I didn't come by it by accident! My Mom and Dad are a big part of the organization of the party and they love to show off their grandkids!

This event was followed by Kate's dance recital (no big deal...she just played CLARA in the Nutcracker for her studio), we saw A Christmas Carol at the Weinberg the next weekend, baked Christmas cookies for two days straight...and no surprise here... a few basketball games were thrown in the mix!

I love this time of the year...and it has proven to be full of excitement...I wish each and every one of you three readers a joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy new year!

Love,

Karen aka "Nonna" (that's grandma in Italian)

To see a video of our December happenings, click on the words "Christmas 2010" below. Enjoy!

Christmas 2010

We are Scientists!

Kate and Jake participated in the UES Science Fair this past Thursday!

Jake's class was required to do a project and he chose a topic on his own that he enjoyed very much...his question was, "Does the diameter of a coin affect the amount of time it will spin?" He had fun and learned quite a bit about diameter, weight, and rotation. He found that none of the factors that he considered affected the amount of time the coin would spin. He concluded that his grip on the coin and the force were definite variables in the experiment!

Kate was not required to participate, but, as you can imagine, she wanted to! She also chose her topic, inspired by our neighbor's project last year...Kate's question was, "Do people like chocolate chip cookies with a sugar substitute as much as they like them with sugar?" She and Bob had fun in the kitchen preparing for that one! Turns out the cookie with the applesauce substituted for white sugar beat out white sugar and Splenda...big time...you should try it!

Both kids worked very hard and were very proud of themselves yesterday as they posed in front of their project boards!

Other fun Halloween pictures!!

"Fall Festival" at school!

A quick trip to the pumpkin patch...

Carving pumpkins...without Jake...he was at a sleepover!

Daddy made a special pumpkin just for Jake...can you find it?

The gang ready for trick-or-treating!

A motley crew...on their own for the evening...


Are they gorgeous or what?!

Hope everyone had a happy Halloween!! We sure did!

Kate's 7th Birthday Party

Kate celebrated her 7th birthday a week early with a Halloween birthday party on HALLOWEEN!
Click on the words "Kate's 7th Birthday Party" to enjoy the fun memories from the day!
Enjoy!

Kate's 7th Birthday Party

SORRY its been so long...

I have so much to share...and pictures, too...but they will have to wait until I'm home and can download them...I'm at school right now...here is a brief synopsis of our past three weeks!


Me...crazy busy, but so blessed. I know I did it to myself, but each of my kids is participating in two activities (three while we're transitioning out of baseball) right now...so evenings at our house consist of homework, a very rushed dinner, and then getting everyone ready for where they are headed...coming home, having a snack and showering, some downtime, and then bed...it's a whirlwind...but they wouldn't have it any other way! I love my job and only wish I had more time to devote to it...but I know once I do have more time, I'll be sad about how quickly my kids grew up! I don't have much "me" time...but I did get away to the beach last weekend with Lisa, Gwen, Jill and Jenn...it was a lot of shopping, eating, and sleeping...and it was really wonderful!


Bob...crazy busy, but so blessed. He is the head coach of Connor's fall baseball team...they are U14 and they have had a wonderful season! He is always home to take Connor and Jake to their basketball practices and when he's not doing either of those things, he is usually working late due to having to travel to different stores. We are getting ready to go into his REALLY busy time with the holidays approaching...but he still manages to do all of the laundry and cook lots of dinners...he's sort of my hero.


Connor...crazy busy, but so blessed. What a great Fall season he has had athletically...his baseball team is doing well...last weekend they beat a team they had played before...one win, one loss...the score was 17-0 and Connor pitched another shut out! He has also been part of a basketball team with lots of his friends...5th-8th graders...their team name is The Average Joes, but there is nothing average about them. They are presently undefeated and they have an amazing coach...Rachel is so positive, and works their tails off...it has been a great experience...one that prepared him for middle school basketball tryouts..and I'm pleased to announce Connor earned a spot on that team!! It's going to be a fun winter! Connor continues to do well in school...his teachers have nothing but great things to say about him...which is always music to a parent's ears!


Jake...crazy busy, but so blessed. Jake is also having a wonderful Fall season athletically...he has been playing soccer this Fall...he plays goalie for 1/2 the game...he's so gifted as a goalie...has a lot to do with that "no fear" thing that Jake has always possessed...he puts stopping the ball before even thinking about his body, so not a lot gets passed him!!The other 1/2 of the game he is usually a forward and he has a mean left foot...he can put balls in the upper corners before the other goalies not what's coming...he is a lot of fun to watch! He is playing with a great group of kids and they are going to play winter indoor soccer together, so that should be a lot of fun. He, too, has been playing on The Average Joes team. This past summer and now this fall, Jake and Connor have been on the same team, which has been such a treat...this league takes 5th-8th graders and it's the only time that it will happen that they get to play together...it has been a lot of fun for both of them. Jake has grown a lot on this team and is headed into winter basketball with Bob as his head coach. This, too, is a treat because Bob has been Connor's head basketball coach for many years, so Jake and Bob are both excited! Jake doesn't LOVE school, but he likes it more than he'll admit, and when that boy puts his mind to it, his head is like a steel trap and his memory is unbelievable...but he needs lots of nudging!! I love working with Jake one on one...we don't get a lot of time to do that, but when we do, I'm always amazed at his brain!

Kate...crazy busy, but so blessed...and exhausting! That girl is a mile a minute...in her verbal communication especially, but in everything else, too. She wants to play with friends CONSTANTLY, she wants to write books, tell stories, eat small meals often, she just never stops! She has played soccer this Fall, too. She enjoys goalie and has quite a bit of Jake in her! She dives for balls like the big kids cause she's been watching them forever! She is pretty aggressive in making her way down the field, and is fun to watch! She has also been very busy with dance. Her competition team meets twice a week, but Kate also has extra practices for her debut as Clara in the Nutcracker this Christmas. She is very excited to have extra dance practices/rehearsals...she'd be at the studio every day if I'd let her! And Kate is also doing well in school. She is reading UP A STORM! Every once in awhile she complains that "magnet" is too hard, but that's just Kate finding something to complain about...she is doing very well and would just rather it all be easy! (wouldn't we all!!)

So...as you can see...no great excuse for my tardiness of this post...but plenty of good excuses. (Thanks, Mandy for the nudge. We miss you guys tons. Wish you were going to be here when Robert and Kim are...would be fun to be all together, but we'll have to hope that happens another time...definitely in August 2011!!)

I should have lots of pictures after this weekend...Connor and Jake's championship tourney, Kate's Halloween birthday party, and Halloween itself...look for those in the week to come. And thanks to whomever is stopping by to check on us....'til next time...

A seven inning SHUT OUT!?!??! Tying goal with minutes to spare?!!? The LEAD in the Nutcracker?!?!?

Yup...that's right..."proud mama" coming at ya....

Connor Edward Wills, my very grown up teenager, pitched a seven inning shut-out last weekend!! He is playing 13U this fall and their games are seven innings. He had 87 pitches for the entire game...truly, he's my hero.

Jake Carey Wills, my very grown up TEN year old, is a force to be reckoned with on the soccer field. He spends one half of the game in goal...I'm sure that comes as no surprise...goalies need to be FEARLESS! Last weekend, he played goalie the first half of the game. It was tied 1-1 at halftime. With only a few minutes to spare, Jake scored the tying goal, saving us from one in the L column!! He has an amazing left foot and definitely gives the goalie a workout!

Last, but never least, Kate Anastasi Wills, my very grown up baby tried out for the Nutcraker at her dance studio. She had to choreograph a number and perform it in front of the three dance teachers at her studio. She, Payton and one of Payton's friends made up a dance the day of the auditions...Kate got a letter in the mail a few days later stating that she had won the part of Clara...the part she wanted!! We are so excited for Kate and her upcoming December performance!

Other big news in the Wills' household?

Robert and Kim are coming in December!!!

We cannot wait to have them here, love on them, and spend time together!!

Speaking of family we love...last weekend one of the McGee cousins got married, so we spent time with extended family...Aunt Cora and George were in town for a week from Texas and we always love hanging out with them...because they stay with my parents, we got to see them quite a bit...what a treat!! And then on Saturday, all five of us were invited to the wedding and it was such a fun time...my cousin John and his wife, Barb, also traveled in from out of town...if only we all lived closer...we have such a good time every time we're together! Because my mom is one of six, I have fifteen first cousins and there are LOTS of cousins in Connor, Jake and Kate's generation, so we all had a great time! Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the evening...

...oh yeah...one more thing...forgot to mention the newest member of our family...

Bernie got his first bath...Wills' style...this past weekend...

'til next time...

WHAT a weekend!!

Wanna take a guess what I'm doing in this picture?!?!

Read on and you'll find out!

I truly do not know where to begin...I guess I will just take you through it in order. We started off Saturday morning at Kate's first soccer game of the season...she had a great game! She scored a goal and was very aggressive! In the last quarter she played goalie...and I can truly say that having three brothers prepared her pretty darn well for this job...she wasn't planning on letting any soccer ball get past her....I will upload the video as soon as I get it from my sister...thank you, Lisa for filming!

Then we left there and went to Jake and Connor's basketball game. They are playing for BCWB in downtown Frederick. This league is the same league they played in this summer. And 5th-8th graders play on the same team...these are the only two seasons Jake and Connor will play together EVER...and we are all enjoying it. Their team, "The Average Joes" won 50 something to 12...they have a great team.

From there, Connor and Bob headed to the baseball field where Connor began his first of a double header, while Jake, Kate and I headed downtown to the "In the Streets" festival...where Kate and I participated in a "flash mob"...I have attended a few practices since this summer and I taught Kate the dance just this past week. About 60 people broke into dance unexpectedly in the middle of the streets of Frederick...take a look...

I am a HUGE "Glee" fan, so I LOVE the music...it was just SO much fun! I am hoping we do it again somewhere soon...now that a lot of people have seen it, they want to participate, too. The video is courtesy of Jake from his special perch...

Unfortunately I do not have good footage of Kate doing the dance because she was in the back of the crowd...but I have some other cute ones of her and her buddy, Emma!

Once that was over, Kate, Jake, Francis, Emma, and I headed to the end of the first baseball game. We stayed for both games. Connor's team played the same team twice and beat them both times...Connor pitched extremely well and had a line drive out to left field. It was a single, and then Logan hit a triple to bring Connor home. It was a very fun game!

Now, keep in mind, we left the house at 8:30 am and did not return until 7 pm...and we now own a DOG!!! However...we also have AWESOME neighbors who let him out a couple times Saturday and then we gave him tons of love upon our return!

So that's a day in the life...I know I'm blessed...but Lord, am I tired.

It's all worth it and...

it's all good...

'til next time...

Meet Bernie...

That's right...we are now dog owners...Lord, help me!

Bernie is 5 and 1/2 years old...he's part German Shepherd and part Chow and part Lab and part Akita...otherwise known as a mutt! He is very well trained and great with our kids. He was previously owned by one of the guys I teach with, and Bernie needed a new home. We've been "dog sitting" for a week and we all LOVE Bernie...so he's going to become the newest member of the Wills family. I was informed tonight by Kate that he needs to be in our Christmas picture...that girl is always planning...wonder where she gets that?!

First Day of School 2010

First of all...my apologies to my three readers...its been way too long. I have so much to post, but there is no way I can do it tonight...you see, it was the kids first day...and mine, too...so we are all wiped out. Check back after the weekend and I will hopefully have posted pictures of Bob and the kids' visit to the cottage this summer, as well as Camp Granny and Pop adventures!!

But for today...enjoy my kids growing faster than I'd like...I am proud of my smart, funny, beautiful bunch.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

2010

Can you believe it's Connor's last year of middle school...holy stromboli!

And to make matters worse...it's Jake's last year of elementary school!!

When this one is done school, I'm pretty sure I'll be using a walker! ;-)

How stinkin' cute is she?

And I'm pleased to report that everyone had a great first day!

Beach 2010...Part Two

Read the previous post, then click on Beach 2010...Part Two below and enjoy!!

Beach 2010...Part Two

Beach 2010...Part One

As many of you know...we went to the beach for TWELVE days...and we had such an amazing time! I have put together two videos using the pictures from our trip...way too many to download on blogger, so videos are the way to go! My whole family...Bob, me, and the kids spent the first week and had the Lacy's and Jessie with us for part of that week...we also got to spend time with the Haggertys during that first week. At the end of the first week, Pop, Granny, Lisa, Francis and Preston joined us for Part Two...unfortunately, Bob had to go home to work, so he left Monday...it was a wonderful twelve days of making memories...click on Beach 2010...Part One below to enjoy!

Beach 2010...Part One

While we were on vacation, SOMEBODY turned 10!!!

Recognize this guy?

How about this kid? Seen him somewhere before?

How about that guy on the left hammin' it up?

Jake Carey Wills turned TEN years old on July 28th...where does time go?

He is by far one of the most witty, energetic, beautiful, smart children I know...

and he's mine.

His heart is huge, his determination is unmatched, and his smile is contagious.

Happy Birthday, Jake Wills.

I love you 10 x more than you can ever love me.