In search of the perfect tree...

Every year we trek out in true Clark Griswold (Christmas Vacation) manner to find the perfect tree. After several years of being disappointed in the Detroit area, we have revived an old Tarachas tradition of cutting down the annual tree at Klucks nursery in Saginaw. We didn't have any trouble finding a tree, although Blake did think cutting it down was a little more challenging this year :) Ailey loved the campfire, hot chocolate and Christmas tree cookies! I was happy to get my popcorn ball on the way out, just like when I was a little kid. It is nice to know that some things don't change with time, and that there are a few things that are as good as they were when we were kids :)

Kristiana's baptism

It has been weeks since Kristiana's baptism...and I have yet to post pictures :)

She was perfect! She didn't cry at all and loved being held by her wonderful Nouna Nicole and Nouno Josh. We are so blessed to have them as her godparents! We had a fabulous party with fifty guests at our house. It was crowded, but a very special night!

Happy Birthday Sweet Kristiana!

Kristiana celebrated her first birthday on November 12th! My blogpost is very delayed because we also celebrated her baptism on November 20th. On her real birthday she celebrated with her friends at our house. She loved her party and her first cupcake! She also enjoyed a very fancy dinner at Red Robin with the Karras family. It couldn't have been a better day!

The following week we finally had Kristiana baptized. We welcomed fifty family members and kids to our home to celebrate, it was a great party! We feel so blessed to have Nicole and Josh as Kristiana's Nouna and Nouno. The baptism pictures will be in the next post :)

Most importantly, we celebrated the wonderful person Kristiana is and how she has brought us so much joy in just one year. She is such a blessing and we are enamored with her smile, her silliness and how she already shows compassion towards others. She is truly a treasure and we look forward to celebrating her birthdays as she grows. She is the type of person who is going to make the world a better place, and she has already started with making our home even happier. We love you Kristiana!!!

Happy Halloween!

Strawberry shortcake and the little strawberry!

Daddy carved a special pumpkin for Ailey


Down the street at Ailey's school!

Kristiana the monkey is on the ground, couldn't get a good picture of her :(

Heading downtown for trick or treating!

Fun with Lilly and Michael at Clare's house!

Well, it has been quite a festive Halloween. We had so many events and the girls had a fashion show of costumes. Yia Yia and Nana loved buying costumes and the girls loved wearing them. Despite all of the beautiful costumes, Ailey wanted to be Strawberry Shortcake for trick or treating (which she decided on Halloween). We made our own costume and she wore the same tights that I wore when I was Blueberry Muffin many years ago!

Our first Halloween party was last week at Clare's, our mother's helper, and new favorite person :)

The next day was trick or treating in downtown Royal Oak. Ailey decided they should both be Minnie Mouse :)

On Friday night, we had "Trunk or Treat" at Ailey's school which was SO much fun! Then, we hosted the playgroup Halloween party at our house on Saturday night (sorry no pictures, I was too busy) and the group headed to Zoo Boo.

On Sunday we had a great time Trick or Treating and passing out candy. We passed out over 80 large candy bars and had the popcorn machine and Tiki torches going. Ailey loved getting candy, except for the house that gave out dimes, where Ailey clearly explained "you are suppose to give out candy on Halloween", thanks Ailey!

Kristina loved all the trick or treaters and said "hi" to everyone.

We are tired, but the sugar high from all the candy and treats is keeping us going...until the next celebration!

Fall is fun!!!

We are having so much fun that we haven't had time to do a blog post. We have picked and painted pumpkins, run through straw mazes, been on hay rides and so much more. Ailey is loving the fall and school! Kristiana has been walking for a few weeks now and is so fast! We are enjoying so many fall activities and have already started our Halloween festivities. We can't wait for more fun adventures this week.

First day of school!

Well, it's official, Ailey is a student! Ailey started preschool today and will start going two days a week. The day started off a little rough as she was pulled from my arms crying; however, she pulled it together and had a great day. The school even called to say how great she was doing. We are so fortunate that she has such compassionate teachers!

We are so excited about this new adventure for Ailey. She is such a bright little girl and we can't wait to see how she will learn and grow.

Kristiana will be learning at home. She now says "hi, mama, daddy, A-wee, Yia Yia, Bapou, Nana, Bapa." She also waves "hi", "bye", claps, and raises her arms for "so much." She is standing by herself and getting close to taking her first steps :)

We love summer!

Wow! We had an amazing two months in Northern Michigan. We feel so blessed to have had so much time at the cottage and some time at Kenny condo. Our summer began with a fabulous fourth of July in Harbor Springs, and a great visit from the Hefka family! Then, we were off to the cottage for Ailey's third birthday!

We especially loved our time with the Heppner cousins, the Karras girls and our "Camp Cousins" family reunion weekend with the Tarachas and Vlangos families. It is amazing how one little cottage can bring so much joy to so many people. We are so grateful for the time we had with so many wonderful friends and family. We will cherish our summer memories, until next year :)