A Look back at a wonderful 2011!!

***I want to cry I had a wonderful post filled with pictures of the year that I have been working on for a month and the push of a button it was gone!!  I have quickly added pictures from throughout the year but did not put all the captions so it is mostly a photo review***

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

This year was filled with many wonderful things and memories.  We became a family of four and welcomed the sweetest baby boy, William Allen!  He has been an amazing baby and I look forward to what the next year will bring with him and Emma!  We also had lots of family time and playtime with cousins and friends.  Uncle Craig, Aunt Haley and Ava came from California this summer and it was wonderful to spend time with Ava (and Craig and Haley!).  Grandma came or a visit this fall and although the kids were both sick I know they had a WONDERFUL time with her just playing and getting some grandma cuddles.  There are so many great things from this year to mention them all!

This year was also filled with some heartache.  On April 14th Emma and Liam lost their Great Grandma Emma.  I am saddened that they will not get to know her better and Liam never got to meet her in person but know that she is watching over them each day.  I feel blessed that she was able to know that there was a sweet baby girl named after her.  Grandma Emma has given Emma some things that will always be cherished knowing that it is from her.  Emma will not get these until she is old enough to know the value and the meaning of them but when that day comes I hope that she appreciates it all (I know she will!).  I used to send Grandma Emma photos just about every 4-6 weeks of Emma and then Liam.  She kept them in photo Albums and when we came home from, PA Emma slept with one of the photo albums and her "cat blanket" from Grandma Emma for weeks.  The Cat blanket is used every night still!  We will miss seeing Grandma Emma when we are in PA but am happy that she was able to come to our wedding, meet her first grandaughter/great grandaughter, know that she had a sweet baby named after her and see many pictures of Liam when he was born.  

The BEST part of the year is when we welcomed this chunk of love!

He is here and has working lungs:)

It has added changes and challenges to our daily life but it has mostly added a great deal of joy, happiness and more love!  I am blessed to have Liam in our lives and that he is a healthy almost 1 year old!!  He makes us happy and sure makes us laugh a lot!!

Mema and Papa were there waiting to meet their new grandson!

Aunt Kim broke free from her little ones to meet her favorite nephew:)

 LIFE CHANGING EVENT!!!

Checking out her new Scout book from her baby brother!

She is looking at him like "this is MY family picture!  Why are you in it!!"

 It didn't take long for the cousins to fall in love with him!

There has been LOTS of cousin time since then and will continue to be over the years!

What a great Big cousin!  He already watches everything Aidan does and am sure he will be a grea role model for Liam in the future!

We had a record of a winter... lots and Lots and LOts and LOTs and LOTS of snow!!!  Did you get that??? We had A LOT of snow.  This is a winter that Jeff will probably never forget!  It is a bit different from the SC winters!!  When we got the first snowfall in December which was a couple feet we suddenly realized we had nobody set up to plow, no snowblower... not even a shovel!  Oh Let it snow Let it snow Let it snow:)

 Change of scenery for the snow and headed to Aunt Kim's to play with Aidan, Delaney and Hadley!

is it spring yet?????

This was around March 25th and look at that pile next to a 6foot fence (which was put in during the snowstorm!!!)

The spring was a wet one... I think it was record breaking just like the winter... notice a trend???  So when we didn't get outside we spent a lot of time just bouncing our sillies out...  Liam spent a lot of time watching his silly sister and slept a lot... What else to newborns do???

This little guys spent lots of time watching Emma BOUNCE... Maybe that is why he started at 10 months!!!

When we weren't bouncing at home we enjoyed the library and open gym time!

 Other days we stayed in jammies and did arts and crafts!

or snuggled with eachother

Emma had her 2nd Birthday and she got a new Kitchen set.  She loved showing it off to her cousins!

Liam got A LOT of Mema snuggles that day!

Emma's new bike from Grandma for her Birthday

 
Grandma is on her way!! (fist pump!!)  

 We got a special visit for Liam's baptism.  He was very excited!!

Lots of Grandma snuggles

Finally getting to play/sit outside!

A glimpse into the teenage years and the attitude!

 EASTER

This one cracks me up... SOO Emma!

The Boys

Nothing better then cousin time!  We have Lots of it:)

 

Liam getting ALL the attention

I think it is safe to say that these two girls are in LOVE!

He sure does LOVE his cousins!!

Love it!

She LOVES Aidan!

Thanksgiving with Matthew and Claire from VA all with their new Christmas Pj's and waiting for the 1st gift of Christmas!

Following the trend of records and weather... We had the HOTTEST summer!  So... we spent a lot of time around water!

A trip to Erie and Mercyhurst

a trip to calamari's... a different type of bottle this time around!

Mercyhurst!

Taking on Noah in a basketball game

Liam enjoying some extended time in the go-pod... was still a little too small for it

Off to the Erie Zoo with Grandma!

Daddy took us to White Turkey again this year... YUMMY

Someone has to show these two how to play!

Fun fall!

1st Candy Apple...  DELICIOUS!

Apple picking for the 1st time!

He was enjoying the apples too!

1st pony ride!

Helping Grandma

Our cute turkey day outfits from Grandma!

1st time that we really went trick or treating

We will end in the fall because December was just posted and there are already a million pictures on here so just scroll down a little to see the recent December and Christmas photos!!

We hope you all have a very happy ad healthy New Year! 
We are looking forward to the wonderful New Year ahead and all the new adventures and challenges that will happen:)

Stayed tuned into 2012:)....