~Polar Express Party 2011~

 

This was the 5th year in a row that we had our annual Polar Express Night at the Clark’s house. We have a great group of friends at work and between us, there are about 20 kids under the age of 8! They all love playing with each other and they all get along so well! We pick names and buy a gift for that child. The kids wear their PJs, enjoy a yummy dinner, usually do a craft, decorate cup-cakes, watch the movie, and just enjoy being together to play. It has always been a favorite for my kids and myself! We had a blast and the memories will last forever! Thanks Sherie for another wonderful party! xo

~2011 Christmas Letter~

Dear Family and Friends~

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

We couldn’t be more thankful for the Lord’s blessings and provisions that He provides for us daily. Jesus really is the reason for the season!

Looking back at 2011, we really had a great year. Despite all the snow that we had last winter, or should I say feet of snow. We had a nice spring, and our summer was amazing! My parents and my brother and his family came during July and we had a blast with all of them! Trips to the beach, lake, min-golf, fishing, eating out, BBQs, and just enjoying being together! Then the four of us went to Cape Cod in early August. We had an awesome time swimming at different beaches, taking a boat ride, and just being together as a family. Our fall was nice and warm too except for our freak snowstorm at the end of October that knocked out power for 5 days, and school was closed for 4 days. I also broke my finger pretty badly too during that time, but it has healed nicely.

I am looking forward to my parents returning for Christmas. We have kept it a secret from the girls, even though we have almost spoiled it a few times. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces when Nana and Papa ring the door bell. Priceless!

Darryl continues to work at ALPCO Diagnostics and he is going on 10 years now. He takes care of all the shipping and receiving for their medical testing kits. He works with wonderful people and the company has been very good to him. He spends some of his free time playing drums in our church worship band a few times a month. He works hard around the house and always has a project underway. Our new bathroom turned out amazing! He enjoys playing Wii and games with the girls.

I am still teaching 3^rd grade at Bicentennial Elementary. I have a wonderful class this year and they make going to work each day such a joy. I just finished my very last graduate class, and I couldn’t be happier! I will finally graduate on May 12^th with my Masters of Education in Reading. Eventually, I’d love to switch roles into being a Reading Specialist. I am ready to come out of the classroom and work with small groups from kinder-5^th grade. I love our girl’s ages now as they enjoy helping around the house, baking, and going shopping at Target (our fave).

Lindsey is 7 ½ and in second grade. She loves her teacher and going to school. She is doing quite well! She will read to anyone or anything who will listen. She plays school all the time, and poor Hayleigh is always the student. She joined Brownies this year, and enjoys her bi-weekly meetings with wonderful friends while earning patches for her vest. She is taking a hip-hop dance class weekly, and really loves it! The recital in June should be real interesting. Lindsey loves one-on-one attention and we take her hugs and kisses when we can get them.

Hayleigh turned 5 this fall, and is in her second year of preschool. We are glad we didn’t push her into kindergarten, even though academically she would have been fine. She missed the cut-off by 6 days! She spends her days enjoying life, giving compliments, being a “helper” to the little kids at school, and making projects. She is taking gymnastics and really doing quite well! She has always been our little monkey so gymnastics fits her perfectly! She is very tall and she and Lindsey already share clothes! Really?! She loves to cuddle and always makes us laugh.

Have a very Merry Christmas and wonderful New Year in 2012!

Feel free to follow us on our family blog at: http://hanginwiththehicks.blogspot.com

With Love~ Nancy, Darryl, Lindsey, & Hayleigh

Let the Christmas Season Begin!

I can finally get in the Christmas spirit! I just finished my very last research paper…done! All I have left is my internship next semester and then I will be a Rivier College graduate…Masters of Education in Reading! A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and now I can finally enjoy the weeks leading up to Christmas!

Oh Deer….

Our 11 year old nephew got his first deer (a buck) today! We love you and we are so very proud! You are defiantly your Dad’s son.

PS…I wonder if my Dad will get one this year…

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This is my father’s deer from last year…

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~December 2010~

an awesome verse!

"God Himself has said, 'I will not in any way fail you, nor give you up, nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless, nor forsake, nor let you down, nor relax My hold on you. Assuredly not!'"

~Hebrews 13:5~ Wuest Translation

December 1st, really?!

I can’t believe it is already December 1st. I never even had a chance to blog about our wonderful Thanksgiving or my Grandma’s 93rd Birthday…I guess I will have to get on that.

But first…I MUST FINISH MY (horrible) RESEARCH paper that is due on Tuesday. Then I am FINISHED with my last graduate class, YEAH! Let the Christmas season officially begin for me!

Christmas Card (early!)

After church today, I made the girls throw on their Christmas shirts and a pair of black pants. I took the girls outside on this gorgeous day to take some photos to use for the Christmas card. I was actually surprised, they turned out pretty good! I told them that they are old enough to smile and the quicker they smiled the faster they could change and play. They smiled and actually had fun posing for me. I downloaded them and chose a few that I liked. So I uploaded them to shutterfly and even ordered my cards! I have never gotten them done this early, yeah me!! It is a good feeling though. Now I can cross that off my never-ending list! Here is a preview of what’s to come in the mail…

These are not 2 I chose…nice brush in the back of Lindsey…thanks to the freak snowstorm a few weeks back!

2 Years!

I can’t believe it has been 2 years ago today since we closed on our house! We have done SO much to it since then. Thank you Hunny (Darryl) for making our house a HOME! I love you!

Broken Finger

Last week on Tuesday night I broke my finger, pretty badly. We were staying at my in-laws because our power was out. I ran up the stairs to tell my girls it was time to quiet down for bed (they were sharing a bed). I missed the last step and landed on my left hand. My ring-finger bent the wrong way and now I have a fractured and very painful finger. I immediately pulled my rings off, because I envisioned my finger swelling up so much, they would have had to cut them off. I am glad I pulled them off, as the DR said he would have cut them. He told me that my knuckle might not ever return to the original size. I was bummed out, but the more I thought about it…..a nice new ring upgrade would be awesome! I am not sure how Darryl feels about that. But my little one wanted to take care of me. She is so caring and compassionate.

Thanks Hayleigh for making me feel all better. xoxo

Roller-Skating

Last week Lindsey’s school went roller-skating. The girls had never gone before. They did very well for their first time. I was alone with them, and my arms were killing me afterwards from holding them up! I’d love to take them again, but Darryl is coming too!

waiting patiently!

Lindsey and her BFF Cortney!

Happy Halloween!

My Pirate and Super Girl

cousins

Trying to keep warm during the power outage…

5 stressful days…

Saturday night (10/29) around 8:15, the power went out. We were in the midst of a freak snow-storm on October 29th. Darryl and I had just enjoyed a nice dinner out without the girls (they were spending the night at my in-laws). Little did we know that the power was going to be off…until Wednesday night!

We stayed in the house for the first 2 nights, but it was just way too cold to continue living like we were back on the prairie. Thank goodness my in-laws live only 25 minutes away, and they had power. For the next 3 days, Darryl would go to work, and the girls and I would go home to check on things. We’d run errands, hang out with friends, re-pack for the next day, and try to pass the time. Meanwhile hoping and praying the power would come back on at any minute and we could stay home.

I was at my wits end by Wednesday afternoon. I was really starting to feel frustrated and anxious and all I wanted was to be in  my own house. The house had now reached 47 degrees, brrrrr! I had taken a very bad fall (up the stairs!) Tuesday night and ended up breaking my finger….so very painful! UGH!  Perfect timing, huh?! And the thought of packing us all up (again) and going to my in-laws for another sleepover, wasn’t my ideal plan. But we went. Then at 7pm, my neighbor called to let us know the power was on. I cried, again for the third time that day! Tears of joy this time. We ate dinner and headed home to our 68 degree house, and our own cozy beds!

I am SO very thankful though for my in-laws taking us in and feeding us. So thankful for my friend Tanya for letting us hang out at her house for a day to play and keep warm. And for our neighbors who chopped apart ALL the tree branches that were all over our yard, and made a debris pile near the street….a HUGE help! We are so thankful too that we did not have damage to our home, like some others did.

4 missed school days and it is November 3rd. What kind of winter are we in store for? Not sure, but today it was 60 degrees! Tomorrow, back to our normal routine…then the weekend. Thank you Lord for keeping us safe during the power-outage.

Pumpkin Day

On Sunday, we were invited to go to Darryl’s cousins’ house for their annual Pumpkin Day. We had a BLAST! We got there around 10am for homemade donuts, yum! Jay and Joanne made Memere Chauvette’s famous donuts. We then headed out to a nearby farm for a hayride into the pumpkin patch, feeding farm animals, and enjoying the beautiful sunny weather. We went back to their house for an awesome lunch, and bouncing in the bounce house. Then the pumpkin carving began. I had never carved a pumpkin quite like we did. Lindsey picked out this cute design that Darryl carved…3 ghosts and “Boo”.

And Hayleigh picked out Mickey Mouse and I took a “stab” at it. Not too shabby for my first time.

Aunt Penny had prizes and treats for all the kids. She was like Mrs. Pumpkin, way too cute!

The pumpkins were voted on, and prizes were given to the top 4 carvers. Darryl and I didn’t “win”. But seeing the girls faces and hearing, “Today was an awesome day Mama and Daddy”; was priceless!

Thank you so very much Jason, Joanne, Aunt Penny, and Uncle Ray for a  fabulous day! We had a great time!

Happy Fall Everyone!

Hayleigh’s 5!!

What an awesome weekend! Hayleigh turned 5, our little monkey is so grown up! We had a wonderful weekend celebrating with family! We love you Hayleigh Ann!

Shutterfly Gallery Birthday Photos~check them out here!

Big Waffles

In our house, we love homemade Belgium Waffles. We tend to have them for supper instead of breakfast. About 2 weeks ago, the girls asked if we could have them, and I was all for it…super easy. Lindsey asked me if we could “go thru a line and make our own instead of having everything on the table”. I thought that was a cute idea. She had the genius idea to use the buffet side table where we have the phone and some decorative items. We cleaned it off, and the girls set up the buffet table with all the fixin’s for our waffles, sausages, and fruit salad. We had so much fun going thru the buffet line! Who knew, supper could be so much fun!

 

 

 

I guess I should clean the front of my fridge…you can see fingerprints, oops!

Apple Picking

Yesterday we went apple picking at Parlee Farms. We have gone there ever since Lindsey was little. The kids love it! They have small farm animals you can feed and pet (goats, bunnies, and sheep), hay bales to play on, a tractor ride into the orchard, pumpkins to pick, and the best homemade warm apple crisp topped with vanilla ice-cream. We were there for a few hours, and can’t wait to go back and pick out our pumpkins! It’s beginning to feel like fall and I love it! Now I have to make a few apple pies, yummy!

 

 

 

NALA returns!

One of my former students, Kaitlyn Connor-Alexis who I had 3 years ago, surprised me today! I was SO excited to see her! She just moved back home from Las Vegas, where she had the awesome opportunity to play Nala in Disney’s The Lion King musical for the past two years. She is as beautiful as ever and I am so very proud of her! I know this is just the beginning of a wonderful life and career ahead for her!

I love you Katilyn and will never forget you! xo

 

First Day of School!

I can’t believe I have a second grader and a second year preschooler! How did they get so big? They both had a wonderful day and can’t wait to go back tomorrow! I/we couldn’t be more happy!

 

All three of us on our first day of school!

 

Lindsey~ 2nd Grade    Hayleigh~ preschool

 

They really do love each other!

* Daddy wasn’t able to see the girls off today, so that is why we don’t have any pictures of him with us.