2007 Year in Review

OK, so I did a little research looking up some of the events that happened in our country this year... these are a few I found interesting or memorable (out of thousands of course!)

Jan - Apple introduces iPhone, Sept - sharply cuts price
Anna Nicole Smith custody, Britney Spears drama
April - Don Imus fired by CBS for comments re rutgers basketball team
April 16 - Virginia Tech gunman kills 32 people then himself
June- Tony Blair steps down ater 10 yrs as prime minister of Britain
Gas prices reach highest yet - $3 + per gallon
July - Boeing launches new Boeing 787
July 21 - Harry Potter last book release
Aug 1 - Minnesota bridge collapses and kills 13 people
Aug 7 - Barry bonds breaks Hank Aaron's home run record (762 homers)
Aug 27 - airport restroom, foot tapping & hand signals by Sen. Larry Craig
August - Mattel recalls millions of toys made in china - high levels of chemicals and toxins
Sept - OJ Simpson involved in armed confrontation in Las Vegas hotel room
Oct - 2 dozen wildfires across South Calif, million people left their homes, 14 dead, 2 arson and 2 suspicious
Oct 12 - Gore awarded 2007 nobel peace prize for work raising awareness of global warming and 2 oscars for 'An Inconvenient Truth'
Oct 15 - Drew Carey hosts Price Is Right
Nov 4 - Daylight Savings Time ends one week later due to Energy Policy Act of 2005
Nov 5 - Writers Guild of America goes on strike
Nov - Oil prices surged to $98 a barrel
Nov - Spikes in foreclosure rates, bad real estate market

Births/Pregnant:
Britney Spears pg, Jamie Lynn Spears pg, Chistina Aguilera pg, Halle Berry pg, j.lo pg, Nicole Richie pg, Jessica Alba pg, Julia Roberts boy, Angelina and Brad adopted another boy from Vietnam, Tori Spelling boy, Jenna Elfman boy, Naomi Watts boy, Ryan and Trista Sutter boy, Sheryl Crow adopted son

Deaths:
Evel Knievel Motorcycle daredevil = Oct. 17, 1938 - Nov. 30, 2007
Anna Nicole Smith Model TV personality =Nov. 28, 1967 - Feb. 8, 2007
Joel Siegel Film critic =July 7, 1943 - June 29, 2007
Merv Griffin TV host and Hollywood mogul =July 6, 1925 - Aug. 12, 2007
Liz Claiborne Fashion designer =March 31, 1929 - June 26, 2007
Bob Evans Restauranteur and businessman =May 30, 1918 - June 21, 2007
Luciano Pavarotti Operatic tenor =Oct. 12, 1935 - Sept. 6, 2007

Holiday Update #1

I will write some holiday updates just touching on the highlights of the season...and I'll try to get it all into just a few posts! ;)

Friday, December 14 was Kaitlyn's school holiday concert and it was a lot of fun! The triplets were like her little 'fan club' - clapping and cheering the whole time. Kaitlyn felt like a celebrity, it was so cute! After the concert, everyone met in the gymnasium for a brief visit then it was back to school!
Here are some pics from that morning:
Kaitlyn is in the top row, far left (being one of the tallest in the class!)

The proud sisters!

Kaitlyn and Anna:

Friday, December 21, the triplets had their holiday party at a Ceramics place where you choose a clay piece to paint. Then they had snacks and got to visit with their friends. We didnt even know that place was there (5 minutes from our house), so that was exciting!
Here are all 3 taking a break from painting to get their picture taken ;)

Megan busy painting:

Madison eating a yummy chocolate doughnut:

Morgan with her mouth full!

The finished product, Morgan painted a palm tree, Madison a star and Megan a heart:

Kaitlyn before school that morning:

Ending with a happy group shot!

Gas prices by zip code

Click on the link below, enter your zip code and it will list the gas stations in your area - sorted by price. Hey, every penny counts, right?!

href="http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=&src=Netx">

Who's Visiting?

Hello Everyone!
I have a tracking system on my blog that shows me how many people visit my site per day, where they are from, etc. Well during the last week, visitors have come from far and wide! I am hoping that you guys would be willing to sign up for an account so you can leave me a message in the comment section? Or feel free to email me at kimanders@aol.com. I would love to hear from you!
There are visitors from Georgia, Michigan, London and as far away as Australia! Who knew? heehee
Hope everyone is resting well after the busy Christmas holiday and gearing up for New Years!!

Holiday Cheer!

It was a long, busy, tiresome and FUN Christmas Day! I will post with an update soon, but wanted to send out some Christmas cheer to everyone!

School Pictures

The girls were all sick when these pics were taken, so keep that in mind ;)

Kaitlyn (re-takes):

Megan:

Morgan:


Madison:

Pics from today...

Well the triplets totally had a blast at their Polar Express PJ Party today! Thankfully Megan and Morgan's teacher took pics, unfortunately, Madison's teacher did not (boohoo)...


Plus some pictures of Kaitlyn I took this morning before she went to school, all dressed up for her Christmas party!



Once again, it was another fun day! And Kaitlyn had her first real 'play date' today after school with a friend from her class. It was spontaneous and worked out very well...they had a lot of fun together. And an added benefit is that I really like her mom too! We are just now beginning to meet some really nice people here, it is a slow process, but we're getting there!

Christmas Preparations!

"Like snowflakes, my Christmas memories gather and dance - each beautiful, unique and too soon gone."
Deborah Whipp

This is such an exciting time of year! The girls are having so much fun and can hardly contain their excitement!

Everything is so magical through the eyes of children!

We took the girls to The Disney Store in the mall last week to have them buy gifts for each other as a surprise. We are hoping this helps them get just as excited about giving as they get about receiving. It was a huge hit! So today, they each wrapped a gift for each of their sisters. What a fun thing to watch! I used the scissors, but watching them manipulate the paper, the gift, the tape, deciding which hand to use for what...we had a great time.

Also, yesterday I took them to get special cards and gifts to give to each of their friends in their classes. Each girl wrote out their own cards (signed their name, traced their friend's names). Plus attached candy canes, stickers, straws, pencils, all these fun goodies!

Tomorrow is Kaitlyn's school Christmas party in the afternoon. And the triplets are having Pajama Day at school as part of their Polar Express theme. They are going to school in their PJs and slippers and taking a 'ride' on the Polar Express around the school and drinking hot cocoa...it sounds really cozy. Then Friday the triplet's classes are meeting at a place called 'The Clay Station' for their Christmas party. And Kaitlyn has early dismissal, then the holiday vacation beings! It's a fun week... busy, but so much fun!

I hope you are enjoying your holiday preparations...and try to slow down and enjoy the fun!

Holiday Fun!

Last Friday night, Tim and I took the girls to the library (2 blocks away) for the annual Linwood Christmas Tree Lighting. Also, Santa arrived on a firetruck and all the kids got to sit on his lap.
Santa arrives (such excitement!):

Sitting on Santa's lap:

The girls are so excited for Christmas this year and that adds a special magical touch for Tim and I as well. I love this time of year with the girls!
We also got two new Christmas trees...in PA we had a 12-foot tall tree because of the 2-story Family Room. Of course, we gave that away before moving and now had to get a smaller, more practical-size tree. So we got a 7.5 ft ready-lit tree and it fits great in the Living Room, right in front of the big window. The girls had a blast decorating it and setting up the train. However, we agreed that we would miss having a tree in the Family Room where we spend most of our time. So we got a small 4 ft tree with multi-colored lights and put it on top of the video cabinet.
Our 'Big tree':

Trying out my new Star filter:

Our 'little' tree:

Our balcony, which Tim refurbished before we moved in:

Love Warms the Heart:

Card to troops

Something cool that Xerox is doing...

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.

Fun in the leaves!

Wanted to post some pictures from last week (before we got the snow...:), the girls were playing in the leaves. Tim and I would rake them into a pile and the girls would run...and jump...and wow a leaf explosion!!



Then we put up the outside Christmas decorations...

Peace

Definition (paraphrased from Merriam-Webster)~
Peace:
1: a state of tranquility or quiet
2: freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
3: harmony in personal relations
Related words: accord, amity, concord, calm, serenity, order, stability



At church on Sunday, the message was about 'Peace'. I have been thinking a lot about the sermon all week because it really touched me. Especially around the holiday season, I agree that it is so important to be at peace. With other people, with your life situations, with yourself.

Overall, I feel at peace with most things in my life. But there are a select few places where peace is lacking. People who I wish I could make peace with. My question is, does it take both people to make peace? Must you come to peace within yourself first regarding that person?

I plan to begin studying the Tao Te Ching during the upcoming new year. I feel this will add a dynamic of peace and personal growth to my life.

The Dalai Lama:
When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.
Jimi Hendrix:
When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.
Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.

Family visits

With all the sickness surrounding Thanksgiving, I was unable to post about our holiday at the time. So I thought I would give a quick belated tidbit about it now...

Brian came down from WCU on Wednesday and stayed until Saturday evening. And thankfully, Tim was in town for Thanksgiving day, which was a surprise! So, we had a nice, big turkey, stuffing, and all the fixins. My mom flew in to AC Airport on Friday around noon, so Brian and I went to pick her up and surprised the girls when we got home! We were able to do a bit of shopping for Black Friday later in the afternoon. Then on Saturday, Tim left on a trip and Sean and Holly came down to visit. We were able to have some nice family time together and go out for dinner, like 'old times'! Brian, Sean and Holly all went home Saturday night and my mom stayed until Tuesday. We were able to get some nice pictures on Saturday with everyone, so I'll post them now... We all had a great time and I am so thankful for Family!!

Christmas pictures

There is so much to post about, but it's late so I will update more again tomorrow. But we got our family portraits taken tonight and the girls sat on Santa's lap, so I wanted to post these pictures before heading up to bed.

The experience with Sears here in NJ was AWFUL, but it's done and I think we got a few good shots (this was all we could scrape together out of over 25 pictures taken...and none were the girls' fault...) And these are just the proofs, so hopefully they come through well enough for you to see! Enjoy!!

Oh and the triplets got their ears pierced on Sunday...you may not notice in the pictures, but they are soooo excited and proud. And there was not one single tear, whew!

So sick...

Well the sickness has reached me in every possible way...this is awful.

Unfortunately my mom also got sick on her last few days here with us. She was able to safely fly home to Florida yesterday and now Poppop is able to 'nurse' her back to health.

So it has been just me and the girls these last 2 days and when I wasnt in the bathroom (sorry if too much detail) then I was in bed. In fact I had to keep the girls home from school because I was too sick to get them there. I really truly hope and pray that the sickness gets out of this house...SOON!! Three of the four girls are on antibiotics, on wheezy machine (nebulizer), ear drops, motrin, etc. I feel like a pharmacist, a nurse, a mom, and one sick girl.

Enough of my complaining for now...

One big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out
to one of my favorite Ecuadorian Princesses...
Isabel... I love you baby!

Sickness abounds :(

Well, all four kids are officially sick. It is so hard. It started about 2 weeks ago with colds - runny noses, coughing, the usual. Then Tuesday night (two nights before Thanksgiving), I put them all to bed and 30 minutes later, Madison starts SCREAMING and continued screaming for close to three hours! She complained that her ear hurt and she couldnt lay down, it was constant pain. I called the pediatrician and the nurse helped put my mind at ease.
Wednesday AM I took them all to the doctor (our new, awesome pediatrician!) Turns out Madison had an ear infection and bronchitis, Morgan had a sinus infection and bronchitis - close to pneumonia, Kaitlyn had bronchitis. Megan was the best with just a mild cough. Then we were off to the pharmacy and $200 later, I got all the meds, antibiotics, and medicine for the nebulizer.
The triplets are feeling much better after a long weekend full of nebulizer treatments and antibiotics. Unfortunately, last night Kaitlyn got worse and started screaming that her ear hurt. She slept all day today and is running a fever. So tomorrow, we will be back to the doctors office.
We had a nice Thanksgiving and much to be thankful for. Tim was home and Brian came to visit for a few days. My mom flew in on Friday and is here until Tuesday. Sean and Holly came down Saturday for the day. I will catch up on all that later, but for now I'm off to snuggle my 'baby'.

Happy Thanksgiving!

“In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
Albert Schweitzer

"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Melody Beattie

Funny Elves!

Check these out! They made the girls laugh till they cried!!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9553339053

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9556716505

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9556752542

Please vote!!

My cousin Karen is a beautiful singer! When we were young, she spent hours singing songs from 'The Little Mermaid' and her dream was to be on broadway. Well, now she is very happily married and has 2 adorable children and a busy life at home. However, she has found a way to live her dream just a bit ... Karen has entered a singing contest in which the winner gets to spend a few days in NYC in a fancy hotel and being a part of the recording of 'The Little Mermaid' on broadway. This would truly be a dream come true for her - honestly, it is something I know she would treasure. So, I would like to help her make this happen. And YOU can help!!

Please visit this website:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/mermaid.cfm#entries

You can find her under the name Karen O. from Southeastern PA. The voting started today and continues through December 3rd. So please, check it out and vote, vote, VOTE!
Thank you!!

Fun in Cape May!

My cousin Tommy was visiting us for the weekend and Tim was able to sneak home too! (even though he's on-call) - so we had a nice weekend together.
Friday night was spent relaxing at home and for movie night, the girls chose 'High School Musical 2' once again!
Saturday, we spent the day in Cape May and it was so nice! We went to the lighthouse and climbed all the way to the top - girls and all! Luckily, we were able to get some nice pictures while all the way up there, the girls were amazed by the view!




We enjoyed the nature museum and ate dinner at the Pilot House (www.pilothousecapemay.com) with seats around the fireplace. Then we walked through the shops, which remind me of a quaint New England town. It was very pretty.
And guess who we saw standing on the corner...SANTA! The girls were so excited, it was quite a surprise!

Then we went into town to the Emlen Physick Estate where they were having the Annual Tree Lighting ceremony. We had hot chocolate and cookies, listened to Christmas Carols and saw the place light up as the large tree was lit. Although by that point the girls (and ourselves) were exhausted, it was beautiful!

Unfortunately, all four girls have little early-season colds - runny noses and coughs. So the cold, windy weather probably didnt help, but we bundled up and snuggled together as best we could!
The holiday season has begun...with Thanksgiving only days away!
Have a great Monday!