DECEMBER

Even though this is the 1st post you'll read, this will be the last of the bunch. This month was filled with lots of craziness preparing for the holidays. The kids made out like bandits. The most popular gift (in my opinion) was Devyn's 2 ft. high gumball machine stocked with almost 400 Jumbo gumballs. We had to hide it in the basement because the boys figured out how to turn the knob the 1st day we had it. We didn't realize it until the boys kept coming out with a rainbow assortment of teeth & lips. The whole time we were looking for the markers that we thought they had gotten into. Those little boogers!

Devyn & Molly each had a Christmas program, but unfortunately I only got a few photos of Devyn's. I was trying to use my new Handycam and I looked like a tourist carrying around a video camera & a digital camera. In Devyn's photo, you'll probably see a familiar face (her friend Ally). They do a lot together, and her mom is just like me, WE LOVE TO TAKE PICTURES! You will also see the closest thing I could get to a family "Christmas" photo of the kids. Alayna was her usual uncooperative self since she was not thrilled to be dragged to her sister's school function. If you'd like to keep a copy for yourself, just right click on the photo and go from there.

Devyn, Alayna, Dominick, Molly, & Anthony

Molly was our hero. She wrangled in Dominick during the program so that we could watch Devyn. He was a wild maniac and wouldn't sit still.


Devyn & Ally with their friend from class.

Since the boys are just about done with naptime, I should end here. I hope that everyone is all caught up to speed and looking forward to many other pictures I still need to post. Hoping everyone had a great holiday season and is enjoying the New Year.

NOVEMBER

We did a couple of exciting things this month. For Veteran's Day, Molly's Brownie troop participated in a parade downtown and a dedication ceremony. They threw carnations into the river in memory of the veterans and met the state senator, Brad Burzinski. I have included a few photos.

Molly & her friend Jessica posed in front of Senator Burzinski with Girl Scout & Brownie troops.

Molly in the Veteran's Day parade.

Next came Thanksgiving. We spent the holiday at Jon's sister's house as we do every year. It was very nice since Jon's other sister that lives in Kansas came to visit with her family. The kids usually do their drawing for Christmas grab bag at Thanksgiving, but this year, we actually celebrated Christmas a little early. It was nice for all of the cousins to open their grab bag presents together as opposed to on the phone. We ate a lot as usual and had so much fun. The fun didn't end there...

The day after Thanksgiving, a group of us went to the zoo. I think I laughed more that day than I have in a long time. The cousins were at their prime and weren't afraid to show it. Please note, there were no animals harmed in the making of these photos! :)

The Bilich girls with 4 out of 7 cousins at entrance of the zoo.

My nieces Tara (L) & Mary (R).
Tara rescues Mary from the hand eating wolf.

The girls & the GIANT loon.


My nephew Luke and his new friend the crocodile. Or is it an alligator?

The trip to the zoo was a success and we had a great time seeing our family from Kansas. Glad they did the drive and not me! I'm afraid that I would've left a child behind (on purpose).


Moving on...On November 27th, Devyn had a field trip to a local tree farm and it happened to be the coldest day ever. I am not exaggerating! It was windy and FREEZING! We sucked it up and enjoyed watching the people at the farm make a wreath (I had never seen that before) and then had a chance to see a few "rare" animals. For anyone who ever wanted to know, yes, reindeers DO exist. We also had a chance to see a white snow fox. I guess it was perfect weather for them.

Ally & Devyn hanging out as usual.

Well, that about sums it up for November. Look for some misc. pictures throughout the blog to bring you up to speed.

OCTOBER

I'm not sure if I can remember back that far, so I am counting on the pictures to refresh my memory. The kids had a great Halloween this year. The weather wasn't too bad, a little cool, but bearable. We kept the boys in the wagon while we went Trick or Treating. They didn't seem to mind as long as they could "sample" some of their candy. By the time we got back, they each polished off a bag of goldfish, a sucker, a couple pieces of candy, & a juice box. Devyn was kind enough to help collect candy for the boys since I couldn't keep up with the kids running from door to door pulling a wagon.


We did something a little different this year. We split up. As a tradition for the past 5 years, we have gone into a different neighborhood to our friend's house, eat dinner, then go out. Alayna & Molly decided that they wanted to go with their friends this year as opposed to hanging out with their family!

The kid's costumes are as follows:

Alayna & Molly as "LOLA" (Hannah Montana's sidekick)
Their 2 friends were Hannah Montana.

(L to R) Dominick, Devyn, & Anthony
The boys were ghosts.


This is Ally (Devyn's BFF) & Devyn in their 50's poodle skirt ensemble.

All in all, we had a TON of candy and a really good time. They are already planning their costumes for next year.
P.S. The candy is all gone! Jon wasn't too happy this year...not many Snickers in the loot.