Our Princess is 5!

Because Alyssa wasn't here for her birthday on November 16 - we decided to have an impromptu party for her on the Friday after Thanksgiving - AFTER we slept!!!

I called my friend, the fabulous baker, Peggy Brown on Thanksgiving night and she was able to deliver with this FABULOUS Princess cake for our little princess!

She managed to get her candle blown out easily!
All the cousins enjoyed EATING the cake!!!
Dad enjoyed the cake too!
Time to open the presents! Check it out - a Unicorn Pillow Pet!
Bryan and HIS little princess - wearing the tiara that was actually on her cake!
Happy 5th birthday, Alyssa Jade - we LOVE you SOOOO MUCH!!!!

No time to sleep!

Last year on Black Friday - or Gray Thursday as I have heard it named - the three Enzwiler kids hit the stores to get some great deals! This year was no different - the only difference was that this year Toys R Us opened a bit earlier - at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving, as opposed to last year at midnight on Black Friday! We were bound and determined to get there for the store opening and we did just that! We left a little bit before 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving night! Notice the clock???
Here is another picture of us - all layered up. I had on a total of 3 layers, but I managed to stay warm while we waited the 1 1/2 hours outside of Toys R Us!
We got into Toys R Us around 11 p.m. and shopped to our hearts content - honestly, that store may only let 25 people in at once, so you have to wait a LONG time to get into the store, but once you're in - it is SMOOTH sailing! While in line at Toys R Us, we met up with one of Dan's nurses, a friend of ours - Karis. We stopped with her to get gas, take a potty break, and Bryan even grabbed a snack before heading to our next destination, Kohl's. When we got there around 1 a.m. there were already people lining up, but we decided it wasn't worth the cold, so we instead stayed in the car chatting! Bryan hung out in the backseat of the swagger wagon (our Toyota Sienna!) and watched The Hangover! Kohl's opened at 3 a.m. and that's when we headed in! That store was a bit more difficult to navigate, but we were out of there by 4 ish and headed to Target! We managed to get in and out of Target fairly easy as well! And we got everything we had wanted - and then some!

We went through McDonalds drive thru for a greasy breakfast and a Diet Coke (I needed one after a night full of shopping!) and were home before the boys even woke up - around 6ish! Jackie and Bryan after a night of shopping!
Me and Bryan looking a little pooped!!!
Thank goodness Nana and Papa picked the kids up around 9:30 a.m., so we could all sleep for a few hours! They all LOVED Tangled and we loved the fact that Nana and Papa kept them until about 4:30! :)

Turkey Time!

Aunt Jackie and Uncle Steve hosted a wonderful Thanksgiving this year! We all headed over there around 10ish and didn't leave until after 7! What a day! Great food, great family and great fun! The little turkeys came out again!
The Morra boys were definitely excited about the day!!!
Aunt Jackie, Papa and me!
Nana and Papa!
We had to have 3 tables and a buffet line to get all the food passed around! We had quite a group this year - how exciting that our family keeps getting bigger and bigger! Ed looks thrilled to be eating!
One neat thing we started this year was to have everyone sign a white tablecloth! What a cool tradition, that I wish we could have been doing YEARS ago when Grandma Trumpet and Uncle Michael were still alive!

After everyone had their food, Dan said a wonderful prayer and then it was time to eat! Henry was LOVING his food!
While Nick was eating turkey like a crazy man! Notice nothing else on his plate???
Time for dessert! Yummy turkey cookies from Peggy Brown!
Papa looks like he is enjoying his variety of pies! We had TONS!
While Steve looks like he put a little more in his Dunkin Donuts coffee besides creamer!
Uncle Bryan and Alyssa made it from Memphis! Smiles were definitely all around as SOME of us had no idea that Alyssa Jade was coming with Bryan - some of us, means me!!!
The twins, Nana and Aunt Joy enjoy some couch time! Notice the background? Uncle Gene looks like he is sleeping and Dan is watching football!
After we were done eating, it was time to search the ads! Here Papa and Gigi peruse the sales!
I bought these cute little popcorn balls to decorate and had them shipped to Henry to share with all his cousins! This project was a bit more labor intensive than I had first thought, but the kids (and Jackie, Gigi and Dan!) all had fun!
Family picture time! We are missing Ed and Casey because they had to head to Casey's for Thanksgiving with her family! We all look well fed and well rested! Good thing too, because Jackie, Bryan and I would be heading out shopping in just a few short hours!!!

Here's hoping that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!

Deaf Like Me...

In July I received a Facebook message from a woman named Maria. She explained that her newborn daughter, Josie, had been diagnosed with a profound hearing impairment. She further wrote of how when she told her Aunt Eva the news, Eva said to contact me! What a small world!!! Eva and my mom have been friends for YEARS! Eva's daughter, Lena, and I grew up together and celebrated many birthdays together as she was just 1 year and 1 day younger than me! Lena has since married and moved to the east coast and Eva has moved north closer to her parents so we don't see much of each other at all anymore - until now!

Maria and I "facebooked" one another often throughout the summer and fall. She would ask questions and I would try to provide insights, not necessarily answers, of our story with Jack and Luke and their journey starting with their diagnosis! We talked on the phone for hours - never having met, but somehow connected by our children. On one such phone conversation, she mentioned that her family would be traveling from Wisconsin down to Illinois over Thanksgiving! I jumped at the idea of meeting her and Josie, but more for them to see how well Jack and Luke were doing. I know I always said that if I just had a crystal ball to see into the future and to see that everything really WOULD be okay, I would have not spent so many days and nights worrying and unfortunately, crying.

We decided that a good meeting point would be Springfield - about halfway between both of us. Maria and Kevin brought along their 3 children and their parents as well as the woman who got us all together, Eva. We loaded the three boys and Nana into the car as well. Unfortunately, the entire drive there and back was a bit wet - well, REALLY wet, but once we got there we had a wonderful time! It really did feel like we had known each other forever!

Here are Maria and her beautiful daughter, Josie! Check out those cute pink earmolds!!!
Maria and me!
Eva and Nana!
Luke LOVED talking to and playing with baby Josie's older sister, Cassidy! She is a doll!
While Jack and Nick enjoyed hanging out with big brother, Wyatt! Dad, Kevin is also in the pic too, holding Josie!
We had some great Mexican food (and beverages!) and some even better conversation! Before we knew it 2 hours had flown by and it was time to head back home!
I can't wait until we get to meet up with them again! I know that Jack and Luke enjoyed seeing another child who, as Luke put is, is "deaf like me!" Good luck to Josie and her family for the many decisions, possible surgery, and appointments to come. Know though that one day, you will look at your daughter and forget these stressful times and see and hear only Josie!

And the Oscar Goes To...

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Nick's 1st Grade class put on a Thanksgiving play. Nick was the star porcupine and since one of the three porcupines was absent that day, Nick had 2 lines!!! He did such a great job!

Here he is in his cute little "spikey" costume!

Dan was going to be driving in for the show to meet me - I got there early and grab some seats for us in the front row. When I was signing in at the office, Papa was there to see Nick's debut! Then, Dan walks in with both Nana and Ms. Kristin! Nick sure did have quite the audience there to support him!

Even though we were in the front row, we had 6 classes of kindergartners sitting on the floor in front of us, so the zoom of my camera was working overtime here - that's why the pic is blurry, but you can definitely get the feel for the scenery and all the kids on the stage! Nick is right there in the middle, looking at the camera!
After the show was over, we were invited back to Nick's classroom. He was super psyched to show us where he spends the majority of the day! It also was a good time for some quick pics! Here is our little star with Papa, Nana and Kristin!
And here he is with Papa, Nana, me and Dan!
The best part of the day though was the fact that I got to take Nick home a little early! He SO wanted to go to Subway for lunch, so we did, but before we left the school he showed me his turkey!
It was such a nice time, hanging out with just Nick! Sometimes I feel like he gets slighted - being the middle child and since he never had any hearing issues (yeah!) we never had to take him, and just him places. Granted the appointments we took Jack and Luke to weren't necessarily fun, but the travel time back and forth was a special bonding time for us. I'm glad I got to share the afternoon with my little actor! Love you, Nicky D!

Are You Smarter Than...

By now, everyone has heard of the game show, Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader, but not many can say that they have played it! We now can say that we have! My great friend, Jennifer runs a FABULOUS trivia night every year in November for her Boys and Girls Town of Missouri. And usually, Dan and I are there! This year we invited family to fill our table!
We were supposed to dress in our school colors! Jackie went very "elementary" and even donned pony tails!
We all bought an "arm's length" of 50/50 tickets - Steve decided to wear his!!!
Nana made all these cute little turkeys as Thanksgiving was just days away...
...we all liked them, especially Papa's identical twin, my Uncle Jim!
My only job was to keep the table smiling!!! Looks like I'm doing a pretty good job at amusing myself here!
Once the trivia started though, we were working and thinking hard!

But, Nana and Papa were pooped...too much brain juice used, I guess! :) Or, just good acting on Papa's part!
And here is the Number One trivia team!!!
Okay, maybe it was more like number 6, but we sure had lots of fun and raised money for a great cause! I can't wait to see what next year's theme is!!!

OH NO 4-0!!!

The day after Laycee's wedding, I had a small get together in celebration of Dan's 40th birthday - November 15th! He knew we were meeting Nana, Papa, Jackie, Steve and Henry at Cutter's but he didn't know the rest of the fam would be there to help him celebrate!

Thanks to Jackie for getting all the decorations and food set for our arrival!!
And thanks to Steve for working the camera for the length of the party! Thankfully he managed to get himself in at least one picture!
The atmosphere was fantastic, the food was great and the boys were phenomenal! The best part though was all of the family and friends who were able to make the surprise lunch!

Cousins! Kelli, Sandy, Nick, Kari, Cindy and Aunt Margie!
Aunt Kathy and Matthew - unfortunately, Uncle Jim had to work - I'm shocked that the Casino Queen couldn't close to celebrate such a momentous occasion!
More cousins - Casey and Ed!
The one, the only GiGi!!!
Kristin and Daniel - who I'm guessing by the look of this pic, had no idea that Dan was behind them and that Steve was taking a picture at that exact moment!
Uncle Gene and my Henry boo!!!
Next, Aunt Joyce and Henry - this little guy is definitely hurting for attention in this family! :)
Nana and the birthday boy!
Papa and me - showing our best toothy grins!!! Honestly, not sure why we look so hokey here...Papa, do you have any ideas???
Daddy and his boys!!!
Aunt Margie was a hoot that day! She and Papa were smack talking the whole time...and loving every minute of it!
With all these friends and fam, we took up a big portion of the bar!
Is he 40 or 4??? The boy who never grew up - and SO much fun to be married to! Happy BELATED birthday, Dan Man!
The party may have been on Sunday, but since Dan's actual birthday was on Monday, I took a 1/2 day and surprised him with lunch out!!! Then, when he got home from work, he got MORE cake and presents!
Who would have thought that he would love his NY GIANTS snuggie so much!!! :)
All in all, a great weekend and birthday celebration! Love you, Dan!