Baby Shower

Kara Kisby is one of my favorite people. She has the most darling family of boys and had her very first baby girl, Alina. Her sister, Kelsey, and I planned an "all girl" baby shower for her. I wanted to make a diaper cake for the centerpiece of my table but was a little intimidated. Did you know you can "You Tube" How to make a diaper cake? and get a whole slew of videos showing you a variety of options? Well I got the stuff and set out to create a masterpiece. My kids were super excited to help out and I couldn't have done it without them.

The final product....

Kara's baby is beautiful and it was such a fun morning. Thanks for letting me be a part.

Toboggan Run

Nathan took the day off work and we drove to Angola. Where is Angola? You may ask. About 2 hours north of Fishers. We drove there to experience the Pokagon State Park Toboggan Run. What a blast! A refrigerated, quarter-mile slide that reaches speeds between 35-40 miles an hour. The only bad part...the sleds are super heavy and you have to carry them back up that quarter mile hike. TIRING! We were all pretty wiped out after our adventure. On the way home we stopped at Starbucks to use some gift cards and all enjoyed a Carmel Apple Spice. I think my kids may have a new favorite drink. I love days off of school and work!

Ice skating

We spent some time on the ice last night. Dayton and I tired out first. I have weak ankles and after almost falling with Dayton a few times we decided to watch from the bleachers. Nathan is a natural on the ice and Mackenzie and Alexa took off as well. Alexa has no inhibitions when it comes to being social. She can make friends with just about anybody. She skated around with some friends from school and kept going and going. It was a fun night.

Blog Book

I don't think I can put into words how excited I was to get this in the mail.

I used to fret over scrap booking and now....I don't.

I keep track of our family happenings by posting on my blog and then at the beginning of the year I slurp it up and presto. An entire year of of Page Stages. Yeah!

The best part....I didn't have to cut, paste, or embellish anything.

Published

Mackenzie came home from school quite excited a couple of days ago. She is going to have one of her poems published in a book. Her teacher, Mrs. Strnat, told her she would be getting a letter in the mail giving all the details along with an order form. Mackenzie has been checking the mail constantly for the past few days. We got the letter today! Mackenzie needed to edit her poem to make and then sign her name to have it published. We ordered the a copy of the book and can't wait to get it. The poem...

The Wind

by Mackenzie Page

The wind's soft voice whispers,

In the still.

Its embrace brings a burst of joy,

To my life,

Never ending, filled with surprises

Like the blue sky.

The wind whistles through the grass,

Tousling my hair with its breeze,

Ruffling my clothes,

With its blowing force.

She's quite a creative kid. Published in an actual book, who wouldn't be excited about that.

Photo Shoot Part 2

Doug asked us to look at each other and I couldn't stop laughing.

So my nose is squished against Nathan's shoulder.

I love that it shows how silly we can be sometimes.

Once again we are amazed at the pictures Doug took of our family. We LOVE them!! Although it was freezing and super snowy and we were all soaked by the end it was filled with memories to last a lifetime.

Back to School

I must admit...I hate the day the kids go back to school after Christmas break. Really, I HATE it. I think part of it is the feeling I had as a kid and dreading going back to school. I loved being with my crazy family. Getting to spend all day with my mom was the best. Tonight after family home evening Dayton was very sad. He really doesn't want to go back to school. I know buddy. We've had such a great break. I think I needed at least another 2 weeks. Relaxing and just hanging out together. Man, I'm going to be lonely tomorrow. Ahhh...now back to the craziness of school schedules and homework and projects. I can't wait until spring break.

New Year's Eve

After climbing we all headed back to our house for Chinese food (from Sam's) and homemade won tons. YUMMY!! Then we played games. Beatles Rock Band, Just Dance (this is a super fun game and if you ever get the chance to play it with Ben Norton, jump) Hearts, Life, and Are you Smarter than a 5th grader. We weren't sure if the Nortons were going to stay until midnight but they did. Yeah! The kids got out the pots and pans, hats and confetti and anxiously awaited the countdown. Yep, it is noisy but it's worth it for the memory. Ben said "do you do this every year?" "Yep, we do." With big eyes and a sense of envy..."This is the first year we've ever done this." It made me feel good to be "cool" for one night in the eyes of an almost 10 year old. Thanks for coming Norton family.

Happy New Year!