playing catch up --- nov 09-jan 10

-----november 2009 kicked off a very hustling and bustling holiday season! we started with our traditional annual trip to the lake for thanksgiving dinner then back to the acres for dessert. i say every year and will continue to say it...i have so much to be thankful for! my boys mean the world to me. and i have no clue what i'd do without my mom and dad and in-laws. i appreciate them more and more every day. there are many times i forget to say it but i am so thankful to have all of them in my life! i hope they all know that!!!!

the turkey bakers

ollie on the porch

papa and na-na turkey baker

muzzy crab and boppa turkey

sam participated in his first road race with brockman. he was so precious! they did a warm up and got fruit crackers and water at the finish---so official. ;-)

sam's first road race

sam so proud of his certificate

-----december 09 was a very fun month filled with friends family and parties. christmas was so much fun with little ollie this year. he loved unwrapping presents and all the beautiful lights. sam and fu had several parties and exciting events to attend and thoroughly enjoyed themselves also. shannon and i---well, we just took it all in and felt blessed to be able to provide yet another amazing christmas for our boys.

me with my sweet snugglie boys

shan and fu

ollie...the best present under the tree! just precious on his 1st christmas!

sleepy and excited sam

sleep and excited fu

wow!

cookies and milk for santa. the best part...he left a note saying that alex the elf could stay but his powers wouldn't return until the feast of st. nick next year.

ollie and uncle nic

a very gangsta christmas

aunt judy throws one out to her peeps

mom and aunt laynie get in on it too

shan and netta enjoying some holiday cheer together

a bunco party with good friends

a few elfings from alex the elf:

alex made the rest of the biscotti dough and shaped it into their initials

game night with friends

roasting marshmallows in front of the tv

(great grandfather, joe tronco) papa and oliver

the troncos

the bakers

my awesome committee for pj's with santa at holiday market

oliver meets santa for the first time at pj's with santa...not so cool.

my best gifts ever!!!

-----january 2010 we rang in a very happy new year with friends and family. a low country boil at mom's and cocktails and fireworks with the mccarleys and co.

izzie and ollie

the scotts

maccarleys and griers

dj stevie p and the fresh claud

anna hawkie sam and eliza

ans and patsy

darbs and me

in january i also squeezed in a super fun girls weekend at wild dunes with some of my fave jlc girlfriends

bebe misty katie

marge me caroline ann

we also celebrated ollie's 1st birthday on january 15th. we have been sooooo blessed to have this sweet little guy join our family. he is so much fun to be around. he just brightens our days and sam and fu adore him. poor guy got jipped on a big shin dig to celebrate his big day. but we plan to do a 1/2 birthday party for him when it's warmer.

ollie in his homemade get-up (my first attempt at a john-john). where do you take a 1 yr old for his birthday?
san jose of course!

a homemade mini-cake cupcakes and hat

waiting so patiently

i think he liked it!

ollie poseing with his g-parents uncle and big bros who were there to celebrate with him

happy birthday ollie----we love you sweet baby boy!!!!

A very busy October

october is a wonderful month. the sky is more beautiful in october than any other month. there is a crispness in the air. the leaves' colors are remarkable. and God's gifts to us seem more apparent than ever in the month ofoctober.

october gives us several reasons to rejoice every year. this year we had some little extras that just made the month extra special.

sambo turned SEVEN---yes, 7! on october 15th

he celebrated with several of his buddies with a football pizza party and sleep-over. i took some precious pics but my good camera was stolen at the fair. (i now have to resort to my ghetto camera and cell phone) any who...we had a blast and i think he felt very big celebrating big-boy style.

i turned "25" on october 20th. i celebrated with my parents and all my sweet boys. happy to be blessed with another year!

the fair is here! the fair is here!

we always looooove the fair. regardless of the extremely high degree of filth and disgust that lies inside the gates of the sc state fairgrounds, we are all there with one thing in common--- good bad-for-you food, rides, games, and family fun! (only this year we left a little sad b/c of the whole camera thing.)

Any way you look at it...the baker boys make halloween look good!

halloween is by far my favorite holiday. the boys spend the entire month picking & choosing their costumes. i spend hours buying &/or creating them. it's too much fun!

the boys dressed as the cast of star-wars for the pine island annual carnival

and we saved the best for halloween night. igor, mad scientist, and bloody zombie.

and of course, shannon and i had to join in on the fun as frankenstein and his bride.

we also got to enjoy a fantastic family trip to ATL with shannon. we visited the coke museum and the atlanta aquarium. i highly recommend the trip! we had a blast and can't wait to go back.

have a coke and a smile

future american idols

the tasting room