Now I know my ABC's...

Clara has been treating us to her ABC performances over the past several weeks. She knows all of her letters and the sounds that each of them make. Enjoy the show!

Happy Birthday, Kyle!

Kyle turned six today! He is becoming such a big boy. We are very proud of him. Below is a poster he brought home from kindergarten yesterday. It appears that this is what his classmates and teacher had to say about him.

First-Timer Tips for Sending a Treat to School

Tonight Kyle and I made cupcakes for his kindergarten class. Simple, right? Not necessarily . . . . . at least, not when you are sending it to your child's school for the very first time. If any of you fall into that category, here are my unsolicited first-timer tips:

1. Determine what day your child's class will be celebrating his/her birthday. Fortunately, Kyle's teacher sent a note home indicating that Kyle's class would be celebrating his birthday tomorrow. I'd like to point out that this note was addressed to Mrs. James-Heer and not Mr. James-Heer. :)

2. Determine how many kids are in your child's class. Again, we were lucky that this information was included in the teacher's note. Kyle's class has 21 students in it. However, don't forget to send at least one extra treat for the teacher.

3. Determine if homemade treats are allowed. I had to email Kyle's teacher (Mrs. M) last week to determine this. For some reason I was thinking homemade treats were not allowed, but Mrs. M said they were fine because there are no allergies in Kyle's class.

4. Decide what to make. Obvious, right? For me, cupcakes seemed to be the best option, especially since I would be making them on a week night. If any of you can think of other ideas/suggestions, please let me know.

5. If you decide to make cupcakes, it's helpful to have two cupcake pans so you can make 24 cupcakes at once . . . . . . a huge time saver for me. Fortunately, I thought of this last week and bought a second cupcake pan because I only owned one.

6. Involve your child in the cupcake making process. Why not? Besides, I need all the help I can get in the kitchen! Ha, ha! :)

7. Sprinkles are a good thing . . . . . always, always, always. Not only do they add color, fun and excitment, they also help hide mistakes.

8. Last, and certainly not least . . . . . . have a plan for how you (or your child) will transport the treat to school. Let me say this one again because it may be my most important tip of all. Have a plan for how you (or your child) will transport the treat to school. I say this because once Kyle saw all of the cupcakes frosted and ready to go, he said, "Mommy, how am I going to fit these into my backpack?" Like I said . . . . . . . have a plan. :)

And that my friends, are my 'first-timer tips for sending a treat to school.' If any of you have other thoughts or suggestions on this topic, please leave a comment and fill me in. Thanks.

Tracey :)

GFS Annual Meeting

Ths past weekend was the Gordon Food Service Annual Meeting. This year, it happened to fall on our monthly 'date night,' which worked out perfectly for us. Anyway, the annual meeting is essentially the big holiday party for GFS employees. It is also the event where the company recognizes folks for their service, outstanding contributions, and well . . . . . . down right pampers them with an evening of food, fun and entertainment.

Craig and I look forward to the annual meeting every year. It is a big night out for us and for everyone else who attends, too. This year, Craig was recognized for his 10 years of service at GFS. I am very proud of him for reaching this milestone in his career. Hopefully, he will have 10+ more years at GFS if everything continues to go well.

Craig and I agreed that this year's annual meeting was one of our favorites! The meeting portion went well, the food was great (as always), and the entertainment was terrific! The entertainment portion of the evening was kicked off by comedian Brian Regan, who has appeared on all the major late-night television shows. I have never seen Craig laugh so hard! At one point, I turned and asked him if he was alright . . . . . . seriously!

After Brian Regan perfomed, entertainment guides were distributed which outlined the other featured perfomers for the evening. I just about died when Craig said, "Tracey, Naturally 7 is here." For those of you who have never heard of Naturally 7 before, please take my word for it that they are awesome! I saw them perform this past year at the Michael Buble concert in Grand Rapids, and was blown away! They are an award-winning gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz and soul septet from New York City, and they perform all of their music a cappella. This is a group you have to see to believe - no tricks, no instruments. Before they even finished announcing who the remaining performers were, we were on our way to their show. In fact, we were first in line at the door and ended up with third row, center stage seats. We were so close, I felt like I could reach out and touch them. Anyhow, their performance literally gave me chills and I was so happy Craig could see them for himself (he's heard my talk about them many times). It was one of the best peformances I have ever seen!

After the Naturally 7 show, we got our picture taken, had some more food (yes, more food), listened to a local indie-pop band from Grand Rapids (The Icicles), picked up our Gordon Bucks, chatted with some friends, and then listened to a couple of songs by Pangea, a steeldrum band.

All in all, it was a terrific and memorable evening for us. We left out house that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. and didn't get home until 11:45 p.m., which is late for us.

What a great way to kick off the holiday season. :) Oh, and below are a couple pictures of us all gussied up for the big night out.

P.S. - If anyone is interested in knowing what all my fuss is about regarding Naturally 7, please check out their Wall of Sound. I promise you won't be disappointment . . . . . their talent will amaze you!

Birthday Outing

This past weekend, we celebrated Kyle's birthday a little early by having a birthday 'outing.' Instead of having a traditional birthday party this year (which can be very challenging to coordinate this close to the holidays), we decided to try something different. We told Kyle he could pick one friend and we would take them to see a movie and out to dinner. He chose his best friend Noah, and we took them to see Madagascar II and then to Red Robin. It was a lot of fun! I think Craig and I enjoyed the movie as much as the boys did, and it was entertaining to watch them interact together. Okay, more like hilarious . . . . . . five year old boys say the most interesting things. :)

Overall, a great time was had by all. I highly recommend the birthday 'outing' to other parents out there who might be trying to decide what to do for their child's birthday. The kids had a blast, it was easy to plan, and I didn't even have to clean my house. :)

Maybe next year we will try a sleepover. Maybe.

Atlanta Friends

Last week we were fortunate to have our friends Len and Cristy, and their two boys, Colin and Spencer, visit us while there were here in Michigan. Len and Cristy live in Atlanta, Georgia, so we don't get to see them very often. Len and I have been friends for 15 years (can you believe that, Len?). We met during my freshman year of college and served on Student Senate together at GVSU.

Len and Cristy - We had a great time visiting with you guys! Your boys are adorable, and we wish you lived closer to us.

Here are some photos from our visit, many of which were taken by Len (thank you!).

All Set for Christmas

It took a lot of work, but we are all set for Christams - hooray!

-The presents are bought and wrapped.
-The tree is up and decorated.
-The Christmas card is ordered.
-The outside lights are hung and working . . . . . thank goodness. Kyle told me that Craig got shocked while doing this!!!!
-The Christmas music is playing in the house. :)

We are ready and can't wait to see everyone in a few weeks. I am also looking forward to baking lots of Christmas cookies and peanut butter fudge with the kids.

What types of things do you do or look forward to around the holiday time?