Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to all! We have had a great time in the UP so far. There is a ton of snow, it has snowed practically every day so far. Santa Claus was very good to the girls! Megan got her Baby Alive that she wanted so badly. The doll is quite a bit of work, having a fourth child may have been less work! She also got a lot of toys that she "had been dreaming about getting." Megan has also been enjoying her new games, like always, she always seems to win! Meredith and Annalyse enjoyed their new dolls and other toys. Our families, young and old, have been having a fun time bowling on the Wii. On Saturday, the weather was perfect for a snowman. We sure did make a big snowman!
We have been having a wonderful time visiting with our family and friends. Enjoy the rest of the holiday season!

On Vacation!!! (in a few days)

Yeah, we are making our annual pilgrimage to the UP for Christmas this weekend (baring weather). We are hoping to leave Saturday and not sure when we will be returning as Alison doesn't have to go back to work until Jan. 5th. Hope to see everybody up there, and hopefully Hancock has enough snow to go sledding as Megan is looking forward to sledding.

Last weekend we didn't do much, but we baked sugar cookies and tried a cookie recipe I have been wanting to make. The cookies turned out alright, I just have to roll them out a little thinner next time, but they taste just like the pepperridge farm Milano cookies. Uncle Bob came over Saturday to help, but really the only reason he came over was Texas Roadhouse. We went out to eat Saturday night there and baked the cookies that night. Megan and I made the dough earlier in the day. Sunday was uneventful, as we just lounged around and finished the "milano" cookies (chocolate middles).

Run, Run, Run, As Fast As You Can, You Can't Catch Me I'm the Gingerbread Man

It was the Gingerbread Man (and Girl) weekend at the Voakes house. On Saturday, we made the dough and rolled the cookies (although I say we, it was actually just Mike and the girls). On Sunday, we decorated the little men and ladies. We also read some gingerbread books along the way. Megan did an AWESOME job, the last few years have been paying off. She rolled and cut out a few of her own cookies. Annalyse and Meredith were assumed with rolling scraps of dough for quite some time. I think everyone had a fun time.
















In other weekend news:
On Friday night, we went up to Port Huron to pick up Megan's flower girl dress for Auntie Saundra's wedding and also to visit Santa Claus. You will see the results of the visit to Santa Claus coming in your mailbox shortly.
On Saturday, the girls and Mike played outside for a little bit in the snow while I was making dinner. The twins aren't too thrilled about moving outside with all of their winter clothes on.

It's Christmas Time in the City

Monday night was the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony in New Baltimore. We went with some of our neighbors and had a great time. The twins weren't too thrilled with 'Ol Saint Nick, but it may have been due to it getting close to bedtime. Uncle Bob even came over for the occasion.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

We decorated our Christmas tree on Sunday. All three of the girls had a lot of fun and really enjoyed it. (That was until Annalyse broke a bulb and Mike wouldn't let the twins hang up any more of the glass bulbs. They were given pine cones to hang up instead. Annalyse was fine with the pine cones, but Meredith (Miss Drama Queen) on the other hand was not okay with it. She was quite upset that Daddy took away her "Christmas Cheer"). The twins actually did a great job hanging up the bulbs (and pine cones). Meredith (as you will see from the picture) had a perfect spot to hang ALL of her ornaments. So perfect in fact, she hung all of her ornaments on two branches.










The twins enjoy laying underneath the tree

Thanksgiving Thankfullness

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. There truly is a lot to be thankful for. I am very thankful for my three wonderful daughters. There are truly the joys of my life and make each day exciting and new. I am thankful for my wonderful husband who is always there for me and helps around the house so much, together we are a GREAT team. Thankful for our families for their love, support, and fun times. I am also very thankful for our wonderful friends who are always willing to help out and be our "lower peninsula" family.
We had the privilege of having Mike's whole entire family stay with us for the Thanksgiving holiday. We had a great time and our house didn't seem as small as I thought it would. Megan had a blast playing with her cousins, especially her bud Piper. We also got to meet Avalon, the newset addition to the Voakes Family. She is a very sweet baby, although I was glad that the baby days are done here when I heard her cry in the middle of the night. We also got to hear some of the wedding plans from Saundra and Vince. The wedding should be beautiful and a lot of fun. They are getting married on April 18th (the twins 2ns birthday). We packed in a lot
of stuff in the few days everyone was here. Friday morning we went to "America's Thanksgiving Parade" in downtown Detroit. It was a good parade but got a little chilly towards the end. We came home and had some snacks as we got the feast going. On Friday, myself, Beth, Sharon, and Steven went shopping in the wee hours of the morning. We made it back before anyone had rolled out of bed. The morning and early afternoon everyone just relaxed and then most of them took off again for Detroit to watch the Red Wing game, do a little gambling, and have the best pizza in the world at Pizza Popolis (can you belive they didn;t bring any leftovers home). While they were at the game, Beth, myself, and Sharon took the girls to have their pictures taken, it was a little interesting - 6 kids ages 5 and under! It went relatively well though. Saturday was relaxing and packing up.
Thank you everyone for coming to visit. We had a great time and spent the rest of the weekend relaxing!
The Parade










Thanksgiving Dinner





Ice Cream Treats from Auntie Saundra and Vince



Opening Presents







Happy Kids When Chex Mix Fell on the Floor (Who Needs Dogs????)



Pooped Out Meredith

Family Pictures