Welcome Henry Patrick!

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

We have another new baby to add to our crazy clan! And, baby makes TEN!!! Ten cousins in this family...6 boys, and 4 girls!  He was born on September 8, 2018 at 8:11 a.m. and weighed in at 8 and 1.8 ounces and 21 inches!

He's got lots of dark hair, the cutest nose, a good cry, and is just so precious. It's been four years since we had a baby in our family so we were overdue for some baby snuggles! Here's some photos of the newest addition...


 We've got one very proud godfather on our hands here.....

But, lots of crazy cousin love, too!




Saylor Turns Seven!

Saylor's birthday always sneaks up on me....school is starting, summer is over, Labor Day is upon us, football season has started....and then BAM, one more party to put on! So, because my brother was coming into town, we moved her party to Labor Day weekend. And, because I was a poor planner, we didn't have a "big party" with friends....Saylor just had a couple friends over after school one day! And, then of course, we had her actual birthday with just us. It literally seemed like the birthday that would never end. : ) But, she loved every minute of everything!

Here are a few photos from the family party, where Lettie was the real star!




Her favorite gifts included: apron, American Girl Cookbook, LOL surprise doll things, new clothes, playdoh, art stuff! The best part was when she cried when she got her cookbook! Hahah! She'd been wanting a kids cookbook all summer and I refused to buy her one! She was SOOOO happy!!! So, now I have to choose a recipe. And, she had outgrown her apron so she's thrilled to get an apron her size!

For Saylor's friend gathering, I booked a little time at a bakery and Miss Nini helped them make cupcakes in a jar. I had found aprons in the dollar aisle and the girls put those on and made cupcakes. It was set up really cute. Girls are so different in the car....they did not stop talking!! And, at the bakery, they giggled the majority of the time! The girls were pretty sweet and easy to accommodate! When we got home, they played, and we then put together cookies in a jar for them to take home!





She got some cute gifts: a chocolate pen, a unicorn bath set, and some hair bows/ties! She's a lucky little girl!

And, lastly....the actual day of her birthday! We had a little breakfast celebration and gave her our gifts! We got her two new puppets, another cookbook, and some Girl Scout oven baking mixes! She was thrilled with everything!

Finally...she's offically seven, the celebrations are over, and we have some new stuff to play with around here! Happy Birthday to our sweet Saylor!

First Day of School!

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

After a very busy summer, we were ready for haircuts, routine, football, and school! I think I was more ready than any of the kids! But, ready or not, here they come....





Joey and Maddox both got new backpacks for birthdays this year. And, as I pulled Saylors old backpack out, she looked at it like "That old thing?" She then said "You mean I don't get a new backpack every year???" Hahahaha. No, no you do not!

Everyone had a really great first day! The boys were definitely more quiet than usual....school has definitely lost its flair. But, Maddox had ten new kids in his class and seemed to really connect with a couple of the new kids, which was nice. And, Joey really liked the teachers. And, Saylor sat close with Ryder, played with her kindergarten friend Brooklyn at recess, and kept busy. She came home and started playing school immediately! She really needs school the most out of all of them....she's a different kid when she's more fully engaged....




Here's to a GREAT school year!!!

Showering Baby Coppola

Sunday, August 19, 2018

On the weekend of Kelly and Tony's visit, Maddox's birthday, and the start of football....we decided to throw in a shower for baby Coppola! Ali, Kelly and I put it together and Bobbi provided the main course! We had a lot of fun decorating and providing small touches here and there.....Here are a few photos!




We had a cute Mimosa stand for the girls! This was really the cutest part of the shower....the girls loved putting sugar on the glasses, pouring the juices, putting ice in the cups, adding the straw, taking orders! It was adorable!

Emily got a lot of great gifts....I think she officially has everything ready for baby Henry to come into this world! We are all very ready for it!



Happy 11th Birthday Maddox!

We had a family party for Maddox's 11th birthday....the usual of cake, swimming, family and fun! Kelly and Tony were in town so it was nice to have them!

I think we knocked Maddox's gift from us out of the park because he got teary eyed when he got it...a new bat! He was one happy boy and that melted my heart!





We had a couple of extra visitors, too- Grandma Phyllis and cousin Sophie! That was really fun too! Maddox got some great gifts....new backpacks, Chic-fil-a gift card, money, a Michigan helmet logo set, and a wireless remote control for the Xbox.

All and all, a great day with a really great family!

Our last day in Seattle.....

Monday, August 13, 2018

On our last day, we decided to spend a little more time at Pike's Place....we never got a chance to really browse the markets and walk slowly. So, I wanted to do that again. We hit up another famous breakfast place (apparently Seattle loves breakfast) called Daily Dozen and the Seattle Bagel Bakery. Then, we spent a lot of time walking and shopping....but we never really bought anything so that was kind of a bummer!




The kids probably liked the market the least out of everything. I could have spent even more time there. It was really disappointing that I didn't have a house to go home to cook all the stuff....they literally had everything you would need to make an amazing meal...pasta, seafood, meat, veggies, fruit, flowers, wine, coffee.....I was a little disappointed in the artsy stuff- most of it was not my taste. But, I still enjoyed looking.





We finished with chowder and seafood at Ivar's Fish Bar, a walk along the pier again....but mostly, we were all just really tired...so we went back and rested in the hotel room. And, then topped off our night at Bambino's Pizza....which may go down as my most favorite pizza in the world. It had smoked mozzarella on it, and it was AMAZING. So amazing that I left a google review....which I never do!





 Saylor literally fell asleep eating pizza at the restaurant....

What we loved about Seattle....the food, the views, the cityscape, the "touristy" stuff, the boats, the water, the mountains....
What we did not love about Seattle....homeless, homeless and homeless. It was really unreal the amount of homeless people they have. They are rated in the top 3 cities for homeless....they were everywhere, by every tourist spot, on every corner, every street.  That made all of us feel very sad, and also made us a little tentative and scared. We just are not used to it. We did take a meal to one gentleman and I went up to him and said "Sir, are you hungry?" and his reply was "Always" and I handed him his hamburger and fries. And, I don't think I'll ever forget how he said "always". It broke my heart.  It's a beautiful city, but it has its problems.  The traffic was also truly awful, and the prices were outrageous. It's no wonder they have a homeless problem.

What I would have done different....I would have loved to have taken a day cruise and spent all day on the boat, and maybe a night over in Canada or somewhere else. I also wanted to go to Bainbridge Island too....but Joe and the kids weren't interested, which was fine. But, if I were to make a suggestion to other people, I would suggest that!

Seattle was good to us....but we went home to Iowa thankful for rolling hills, no big commutes, a low homeless population, a low unemployment rate, good friendly people, and a slower pace. We may not have oceans or mountains or big cityscape...but we have lots of other attributes! Goodbye Seattle, Hello Iowa !