Our little girl turns 12!

Here is a picture of the birthday girl

with her "twin," Titus Williams, on the morning

of the Baja team's departure.

You see, Shannon's birthday started with her brothers

getting all packed up and out the door

for a week of ministry in Baja, California.

Yes, Shannon's biggest gift this year

was to be an only child for nine days,

a gift that she really enjoyed.

The twins were born on the same day 12 years ago,

and we've tried to get a picture of the two of them

together each year since.

Take a look at how much they've grown in just one year!

We took Shannon and her friend Jessica Cunningham

out for dinner at Mimi's Cafe.

Here is a picture of the girls posing

in their beautiful Easter dresses.

One of the reasons Shannon likes Mimi's

is because of the mud cup desserts.

Jessica couldn't remember having one before,

so Shannon had to keep encouraging her

through each of the gross but yummy layers.

Chocolate pudding, oreo cookie crumbs,

and gummy worms--a kid's delight.

The next day, we visited Grandma Nancy,

and Shannon got to open more presents.

She was delighted with the warm microfiber blanket.

She had a great time shopping with me that week

and using the Target gift card

that Grandma & Grandpa Erwin had sent her.

Later in the month, Grandma Jodie came to visit

and gave her a precious painting

that has been hanging in the kids' bedroom

in her Morro Bay house for several years.

Birthdays are such a special time,

and Shannon is truly a special young lady.

We love you, sweetheart!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day for our family

stretched over several days this year.

It started on Thursday evening

when I made 80 cupcakes.

I had a virtual cupcake factory going in my kitchen,

given that I only have enough tins

to bake 18 at a time!

Mix up and pour the batter,

in the oven for 18 minutes,

cool for 10,

pour the next batch,

and on it went.

As the cupcakes cooled,

I loaded them into a box with

three cardboard tiers

so I could transport them on Friday.

Chocolate, strawberry, and yellow cake--

we had a variety.

After I mixed up two huge batches of buttercream frosting,

we spent Friday morning over at

the Cunninghams' house

for two of our writing classes.

When Shannon wasn't in her class,

she was busy with the other girls decorating

her Valentine's box and making signs for our

carnival booths.

At noon we headed over to the Valentine's Carnival

with Home Schooler's Loving God.

The FitzGeralds had two different stations.

Shannon, Abigail Cunningham, and I

ran the Cupcake Decorating Booth.

Here are Abigail and I adding

the vanilla and strawberry buttercream frosting

to the cupcakes.

Our visitors were thrilled with all the sprinkles and

colored sugars they used to decorate their cupcakes.

Many of them really took their time to get the little cakes

to look just the way they wanted!

Meanwhile, Joshua and John ran a booth

with a Wham-O game called "Pop-Bang."

The kids were lined up to play

for the duration of the entire carnival!

The boys did a terrific job running their booth

and helping all the kids play the game.

Here's a picture of the little cake

that I made for David on Sunday

as a Valentine's gift.

(This is what it looked like

before the cat found the cake on the table!

BAD Kitty!)

I had also arranged to have some beautifully

decorated sugar cookies made for the kids

by my friend Eliana who operates Desserts Divine.

Love . . . it's definitely a family affair!

New Year's Eve 2009

We typically spend our New Year's Eve quietly at home, watching a movie or visiting with family, and blowing on conch shells or noisy tubes at the turning of the year. This year we decided to try something different and joined a group at a New Year's Eve dance. The Quick Step Social Dance Club consists of a group of home school kids who have an interest in ballroom dance, and who share their talents with others. What a terrific time we had!

Our evening started with a one-hour dance lesson taught by Kirby Gowen and his lovely assistant and sister, Zoe Gowen. In a large circle around the gym, we learned the basic waltz, two-step, swing, cha cha cha, and polka steps with a few spins and twirls to boot. For many this was but a review while for the rest of us this was either new (Joshua and Shannon) or return to long-lost memories from high school or college (David and Liz). Kirby was an amazing dance teacher.

Each time we learned a new dance step, the girls would rotate to the next male partner in the circle.

Once the lesson was completed, the dance floor was opened up, and everyone got to practice what we had just learned.

John chose to spend the majority of his evening reading...

...and bending over backwards, it would seem, to stay away from the dance floor.

As 2010 approached, the bottles of Martinelli's Apple Cider were opened, glasses filled, and the countdown started.

Welcome 2010!

Here's a short video we made of the evening. Be sure to pause the Playlist at the very bottom of this page before starting the video.

Christmas Day 2009

We spent a quiet morning at home and then headed to Grandma Nancy's house in Berkeley. After a turkey dinner, we finished the opening gifts. Shannon was thrilled with the Webkinz each of her brothers gave her.

Grandma was delighted with the pumpkin spice candle that Joshua bought and carved for her.

Liz had crocheted a doll blanket for Elizabeth, Shannon's American Girl doll, to match the afghan for Shannon's bed that she finally finished a few nights ago.

Grandma has been busy painting the doll house and purchasing new furnishings and decorations. Shannon thoroughly enjoyed rearranging the furniture and laying down new carpeting in different rooms. They plan to get together to put up wallpaper and other special touches on the house in the near future.

Having just completed a couple crochet projects, Liz started a new afghan for Nancy using more homespun yarn which is so incredibly soft and colorful!

Christmas Program

The children joined the Fairhaven Junior Choir this year and sang "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" from Handel's Messiah at the Christmas Concert on December 20.

Thanksgiving 2009

This year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with our dear friends, the Cunningham family. Liz and the kids prepared several dishes before joining our friends at their house. Here is Shannon learning how to make mashed potatoes using real potatoes--what else?

Shannon also helped saute the vegetables for the stuffing. Since she doesn't care for the stinging eyes that often comes from cut up onions, she donned the boys science goggles to protect herself.
Later that evening, toasts began in earnest as we thanked the Lord for His bountiful provisions for the year.

After dinner, the kids played Apples to Apples. John cracked up at several jokes that Joshua C. made while playing the game.

We also spent the evening worshiping the Lord with music. David and Joshua played the guitar together on several songs.

Zach did a great job adding percussion to the music!