Christmas 2016!

Merry Christmas! A King is born! We had an exciting Christmas. We all have been battling some kind sickness but we powered through these last few days.

Christmas Eve: Family photos (group one was used with a timer) after Mass. The one on the bottom left is right before we opened gifts from family and each other. The girls loved every minutes of it. The photo on the bottom right is of the girls casting out the reindeer food for Rudolph and the crew before heading to bed.

Christmas morning! The girls loved their new toys. The big girls asked for new iTouch 6s and Christina wanted a Barbie jeep. They also got new S'Well bottles, dance outsides, candy, sketch books, jewelry among of things. 

Crusin' the 'hood Christmas morning. It was warm with temperatures and the 50s!

We ended Christmas day with a Thunder Game and victory! The girls love these games, especially when they get to meet the Thunder Girls and get autographs. The seats are pretty sweet, too. 

I will close my last post of 2016 with lyrics from one of my favorites Christmas songs, O Holy Night. Our country is divided and our world is full of pain, injustice and hate. Each time I listened to this song this season my heart swelled with hope. The last verse, which is rarely included in renditions of this song, is my favorite. Here are the lyrics:

Truly He taught us to love one another;
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother;
And in His name all oppressions shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
Let all within us praise His holy name.

Merry Christmas and please, love one another!

The Nutcracker Ballet

This year was our fourth year in a row for the girls and I to attend The Nutcracker Ballet together. This was Christina's first time and we all truly enjoyed it. It's a beautiful performance as always and puts us in the Christmas spirit. This is a photo of us waiting for the performance to begin. 

Remembering Grandma Connie

Yesterday evening, my grandmother, Connie Mangino, passed away. May she Rest In Peace eternally. We will miss her so much and I am grateful for many wonderful memories -- when she would paint my nails and let me put on her perfume when I was little, our conversations about politics and current events and her countless stories that always made me laugh. My favorite memory will be from my wedding reception when we danced the Tarantella together in front of all the guests. I am so fortunate this special memory was captured with photos. Grandma, we love you and miss you!

More Christmas fun

We're definitely in the holiday spirit with our busy schedules. It's all fun which is good but we're busy!

David and I attended a Christmas party this past weekend. Hooray for adult parties!  

My three lovely ladies and I enjoyed our second Mother-Daughter tea. So much fun to sit around a table with them and chat while we enjoyed delicious tea and yummy food.

After the tea I was able to get a picture of all of us. Special memories for sure. 

Opening up their letters from Santa. They were so surprised! 

Making Christmas cookies. 

Creating a gingerbread house.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

We started this Christmas season with several parties including the children's party at the Club. Here, the girls had their first of two visits with Santa this weekend. They had a great time getting their faces painted, decorating cookies and dancing. 

They love visiting with Santa. Christina wants a Barbie jeep and the big girls said they want new iPods. 

Mrs. Claus gave them each a stuffed teddy bear after their visit with Santa. 

Our family in front of the big beautiful Christmas tree. 

The girls' second visit with Santa after Mass on Sunday.  Their requests did not change in two days time. Whew!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a very relaxing weekend. We did not travel nor did we host any family. We relished this time to be a family of 5 and spent time together by eating a great meal, decorating for Christmas and going to the see the movie Trolls. We definitely missed being around extended family but we also had some special family bonding time. 

Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in the morning. 

Just before we dove into our delicious Thanksgiving meal. 

After we decorated the house for Christmas we had a family movie night.  

We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for and we thank God for those many blessings.

Ice Skating

We spent the afternoon in downtown OKC when Aunt Megan and her boyfriend, Dom, visited us this past weekend. We enjoyed ice skating in the mild temperatures. By the end of it,  the]]]]=] Gabby and Adriana were ice skating on their own and Christina enjoyed being held and guided the entire time. :)

Smiling girl.

Christina getting a lot of help.

Daddy's turn to help Christina.

Gabby is always up for a good time. She challenged herself a lot and was determined to skate on her own and she did very well.

I don't get in many photos but glad I got this one with sweet Adri.

Halloween Fun!

Happy Halloween! It was a really fun holiday this year for all of us. The girls picked great costumes -- Gabby was a Roman goddess, Adriana was Cleopatra and Christina was Annie. So adorable! They attended several parties and celebrations the last few weeks and below is a snippet of those great times.

Love them!

Enjoying s'mores at Storybook Forest in Edmond with friends. 

At the annual CK Trunk or Treat. Great weather and fun time had by all!

Dancing the night away at the Club's Children's Halloween party. Walk like an Egyptian, Adriana! :)

Outside of our house on Halloween evening. It was a great night! I love these girls!

And this was on point... Annie with her Daddy Warbucks! So adorable! Christina loved that they got to play this role all night.

Flashback...

Down the road when I think back to Halloween, I am pretty sure these costumes will be the ones I remember. They are my favorites. Gabby as a flower fairy (20 months), Adriana as Strawberry Shortcake (3 years)n and Christina as Annie (3 years, 9 months). Don't blink because it goes by so fast.

My Birthday!

Birthdays don't get all that exciting as the years pass, but I'm thankful for my family and for 35 years on Earth. David and the girls did a great job spoiling me the last few days. Cheers to year 36!

Visit to Kentucky

Last weekend, over Fall Break, we went to Lexington to visit family and to cheer on the UK Wildcats! We had fun and quick visit. The cousins love to play together and we had beautiful weather. And the best part was cheering on the Cats to victory against Vanderbilt. Go Unc and BBN!

Happy 7th Birthday, Adriana!

Happy Birthday to our smart, funny and lovable Adriana. You are an important part of this family -- the middle and its heart. We love you so very much! 

We started the weekend long celebration with a dance party with friends on Friday night. It was so much fun, especially with DJ Daddy (David) in the house!

Disco ball cookie cake of course!

VIP Passes for all the guests. 

With our birthday girl before the party.

Get it girl!

They danced non-stop for 2 hours. Short breaks to eat.

Photo booth fun!

Today (her actual birthday)...

She is seven! Wow!

Opening gifts.  

Our beautiful butterfly at the Club's Fall Festival. 

We love you so very much, Adriana! You are a blessing to all of us. Cheers to another great year!

September Fun

Now that the school year is underway, we've been settling into a routine of sorts. All 3 girls are busy with school and activities and football season is in full swing. Here are a few highlights from this month...

These two cheered during half-time of the McGuinness football game last Friday night. They did a great job! They truly love to dance and perform.

We've been cheering on Unc and the Kentucky Wildcats football team each week. Go BBN! 

Christina began her first official ballet and tap class. She was so excited -- finally her turn! 

First Day of 2016-17 School Year!

It's hard to believe another school year is underway today! The girls were all so excited to go back to see their friends and talk about their summer, but I know they also were sad to see the (sometimes) lazy days of summer go away. 

This year we have a 4th grader, 1st grader and pre-schooler in our house. Pretty amazing!

Gabriella is in 4th grade. I cannot believe it! This picture says it all -- she is growing up a little more everyday and coming into her own. She is full of love, laughter and confidence.

Our marvelous middle, Adriana, is now in 1st grade. It's so obvious she is a grade schooler. She is mature, smart and witty beyond her years. This girl knows what she wants. Her boldness is rather impressive and will only serve her well as she grows up.

Our baby is an official pre-schooler. Christina is in the PreK-3 class which means she will have one more year of preschool after this year before Kindergarten. I cannot think about that fact too much without getting a huge lump in my throat. She is so mature for her age. She loves to tell stories and jokes, snuggle and wants to be just like her big sisters, which is a very good thing!

Our most prized gifts from God and our greatest accomplishments. When we look at this picture we can't help but feel proud. Love them to pieces!

We hope and pray the 2016-17 school year is filled with learning, laughter, good health and happiness!