Merry Christmas From The Hamilton Family...

You can definitely tell another year has gone by as our kids are growing up ever so quickly! This past year has been full of lots of fun, laughter and memories. If this is your first time to our blog, please look back on our past year and stay tuned for more fun adventures! We are nearing the kids’ 5th and 3rd birthdays in January. They are at such fun ages right now and are truly enjoying the Christmas happenings. Kids truly bring out the Christmas spirit!

Jared continues to work as an IT Security Consultant. His passion for Purdue sports continues. We just finished our 7th season of having season football tickets! We started the basketball season tickets this year. We are loyal fans, through thick and thin. Bryce has taken a liking to watching and playing sports with Jared as well! Jared had a milestone birthday this year, 30! We were fortunate that the two of us road tripped down to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina for a long weekend to celebrate!

Ashley has stepped back into a permanent nursing role and is working 2 nights (7p-7a) a week in the Neonatal ICU. She has kept her passion for babies over the past 7 years and is happy to be back in this role. The hours give her the time to be home with the kids more, participate in preschool carpool, and get the kids to their activities and play dates! Ashley also took part in the Indianapolis Mini Marathon this past year. What an experience that was! Her and Jared are signed up to run it this coming year and are beginning their training for it…wish us luck!

Bryce is in his last year of preschool. He attends school Monday-Thursday from 9-1. He is learning so much and we are amazed each and every day by him. He is a math whiz and our star athlete! He tried his hand at soccer in the spring, but wasn’t too fond of it as “he always got knocked down.” We let him choose his next sport and he chose gymnastics. He really enjoys gymnastics and has some natural talent! After 10 weeks, they asked him into an Invitation Only class! For those of you that know Bryce, you know he LOVES basketball! Well, he is in his first organized league and LOVES it!

Sadie attends school 1 day a week from 9-1. She is such a bubbly and joyous little girl. She is so full of energy and lights up a room with her smile! She is our little ballerina. Anytime Sadie hears music, she is dancing away. She has been enrolled in ballet/tap for the past year and would love to dance everyday if we let her! Sadie is definitely into all things girlie…jewelry, dress-up, princesses, dolls, tea party, etc.
We have so much to be thankful for and pray that God has bestowed these blessings upon all of you, our dear friends and family!

A Business Trip with Daddy

Jared had a conference in Orlando (specifically, right across the street from Downtown Disney). He thought it wouldn't be fair to go there and not have his family enjoy the scenery! So, Sadie and I ventured with him. You may be thinking we left Bryce out, but #1 He has been to this same area two times and #2 He is going on his special birthday trip in January, with just Jared and I.

We spent the first day we got there at Sea World. Sadie LOVED the rides. She even went on her first roller coaster...this girl is fearless!!! She really enjoyed the whale and dolphin shows, but by far she enjoyed the sea lion show the most.

We took her to a character dinner where she got to meet Rafiki and Timone from The Lion King. She fell in love with them and had to be sure to give them a hug before we left the restaurant.

Disney is such a magical place. We stayed at Downtown Disney and Sadie thought the statues of the characters were the greatest!

She keeps asking when we are going to work with Daddy again?!?!?

Lions, Tigers AND a CHICAGO BEAR, oh my!!!!

The Hamilton Family had a great time Trick-or Treating! The Lion and Tiger costumes, were mine and my brother's old costumes! Nana whipped up a Dorothy costume for me and we all followed the candy brick road!


My little tiger!


My cutie lion!

The kids had costume parties at school, so they chose different outfits for those...

Sadie with her Dance friends!


Bryce with his best friend, Connor!


Mommy and Sadie at her preschool party.


Bryce with his teacher, who LOVES Buzz Lightyear!

Fall Break...Rocky Top Tennessee!!!

We had the opportunity to get away to the Smoky Mountains with our friends, Andy and Sara. We rented a cabin down in Gatlinburg and explored the sights there as well as Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. We had a great time hiking, ziplining, hot tubing, going out to dinners, playing cards, shopping, and catching up with great friends!

The colors and scenery were beautiful!

Celebrating Jared's 30th Birthday....Hilton Head Island

For Jared's 30th we got a group of 14 people together and celebrated his big day downtown at Harry and Izzy's! It was such a fun night!










The celebration weekend continued with a home Purdue Football game the next day...













The following weekend, Jared and I road tripped it to Hilton Head Island (South Carolina)! It was very relaxing and beautiful. We enjoyed lounging on the beach, exploring the island, shopping, eating great food and watching gorgeous sunsets! We had never been there and will DEFINITELY go back!

BOILER UP!!!!

Football season is upon us and with that comes our dedication to Purdue Football. This is our 7th season as season ticket holders! Tailgating is such a huge part of our tradition. We have 4 parking spaces between us and the Ho family which makes for a great site! We have it all, tents, chairs, cornhole, satellite TV, grills, food,adult drinks and lots of good times with family and friends!

My parents were out of town for the first game, so we had Jared's parents come down to the game. My brother, Eric, was home from California so he joined along as well. Our friends Chris and Cathleen are in their second season of having tickets with us.

My friend Candice has been a blessing to us. She comes along to tailgate with us and then watches the kids for us during the game. It is great to have her to experience the fun with us and allows us to let the kids partake in the festivities!

Here are pics from the first home game of the season...

Fall Has Arrived...

Fall is such a great time of year. The weather changes, the leaves change and I believe our hearts change as well. Fall gives you that time, to settle into a routine and to cherish the family time you have, making it quality time.

My children’s lives seem to be flashing before my eyes. On the kids’ first day of school, I called up my Creative Memories Consultant and ordered new scrapbooking supplies so I can dedicate time to doing the kids scrapbooks. I am so far behind, I haven’t even started. However, I do have these blogs that have helped to document all the important happenings. As the warmer days draw to a close, I will have an activity to keep me occupied when we are trapped inside our house!

Fall makes me reflect back on my life as a child. I remember going to the apple orchard, making apple crisp with my mom, drinking cider, starting the school year, making new friends, cheerleading, and attending soccer and football games in which my brothers played. It was a great time of year to bond with my family as well as friends.

I have tried to start these same traditions with my kiddos. I have been trying really hard to make mental notes of all the things I do with the kids. I have really wanted to get a new camera to help me capture these moments. Well, Jared listened to my pleas for wanting a camera and got me a Canon Rebel XSi! The best feature is the telescopic lens. I can sit far away from the kids and capture moments when they don’t even know I am taking pictures.

We were up in NW Indiana and made a trip to County Line Orchard to go apple picking with the kids. Well, the number one reason I was going was for the Apple Cider Doughnuts! This was the same orchard my mom took us to as kids, boy has it grown! The kids had a blast on the tractor ride and finding the best Honey Crisp apples! We made an apple crisp and had lots of apples for snacking on. The kids devoured the apples!

I am looking forward to so many more things this fall with the kids!

Enjoy our pictures from the apple orchard....

The 2010-2011 School Year Has Begun

It is hard to believe another school year has rolled around. Bryce has started his final year at Carmel United Methodist Preschool (this is his 4th year). He is in the 4 1/2 year old class (aka PreK) and is going 4 days a week from 9-1. They started last week, so it was quite an adjustment but he did great!

Sadie is in her 2nd year at CUMC. She is a Duck this year, and just like last year...LOVES SCHOOL! She is going 1 day a week from 9-1. This gives mommy 4 hours a week of "free time"...haha!

With this being Bryce's final year of preschool, Jared and I thought it be best that I maximize my time home with the kids. We did a lot of soul searching and found it best for me to leave my 2 day a week position at the pediatric office, where I worked Wednesdays and Fridays from 8-5. I am now working 2, 12-hour night shifts a week at the hospital from 7a-7p. This has given me a lot more flexibility in my schedule and LOTS more time with the kids!

Enjoy the pictures form their first day of school!

A SWEET visit to the Windy City!!!!

This past week, the kids and I tagged along to Chicago with Jared. Jared was there to work for 4 days and the kids and I were there to HAVE FUN!!!! Have fun? Indeed we did, we had LOTS. We spent the entire day outside from 7am-5pm!

I could not have asked for a better trip with the kids. We had beautiful weather, well rested kids, lots of snacks, lots of smiles, lots of giggles which lead to a TON OF FUN.

We spent our days at the Lincoln Park Zoo, Millenium Park, Farmers Market, playgrounds, bus rides, Navy Pier, meeting up with friends, and LOTS of good food!!!

For the kids being so good, I rewarded them with one special item each. Bryce choose to get some Legos from the Lego Store and Sadie chose to make a Bear at Build-A-Bear (which she named Ballerina)!

Jared and I actually got 2 date nights. One was impromptu as the kids fell asleep on the way to a kid friendly restaurant, so we ate Wildfire while they slept in the booth! Our friend, Anna, watched the kids one night and we enjoyed dinner right on the Chicago River.

This was such an enjoyable week for all of us. We really love going back to the city and visiting, but still wouldn't trade our Indy life for downtown Chicago living.

Enjoy the pictures from our trip...

Our Trip to Tampa

Mid June we packed our bags and flew to Tampa, FL. My dad’s family was having a family reunion at my Granddad’s house in Lakeland, FL. Jared had a fishing trip planned to Minnesota for the same time, so he was unable to join us.

My parents flew down with me and the kids which was a HUGE help for me!!! My brother, Eric, flew in from San Francisco. My oldest brother, Aaron, and his fiancé, Ashley flew in from Appleton, WI. The last time we were all together was in December with our trip to Wisconsin Dells! I am so fortunate to have such good relationships with my brothers despite the distances we live from each other.

It was nice to visit with my cousins and their kids at the reunion. Things were a little bittersweet as my Granddad was packing up to leave his home to live permanently in Owensboro, KY with his wife, Ruth. My dad was going to drive him to Kentucky, so we bid goodbye to everyone. Lots of good memories and laughter were shared by all.

As the reunion drew to a close, we packed our bags again and headed over to Tampa. We went to the Florida Aquarium. We all had a GREAT time. They even had a splash pad/water park that the kids LOVED and was nice for all of us to cool down with the 95 degree temperature!!

Aaron and Ashley had to head back to Wisconsin, but the rest of us did some relaxing by the hotel pool and then a day at Busch Gardens! Boy was it a HOT day, but the rain that came cooled us down, thankfully!

This was such a fun trip for all of us. As the years go by, I am thankful to know that I have such a great bond with my family. We enjoy the quality time we have together, even if it is a short amount of time. Until the next family trip…

Summer is Upon Us....

Well, summer is officially in full swing. I have been having to find entertainment each and everyday for the kiddos (except for the average of 2 days a week I work, but the kids have a BLAST at the sitters!).

Bryce completed his first season of soccer with Carmel Dad's Club. Bryce was a much better cheerleader than he was player. He was aggressive at the beginning, but got knocked down a few times and lost interest. I was the assistant coach this year and had fun. We have decided to take a season off until Bryce is a bit more interested!









My friend Kati was in town with her two kids and we had a nice afternoon catching up and letting the kids play. I wish she lived closer!!!!





Sadie is finished dancing for the summer. She REALLY enjoys dance class and we cannot wait until it starts back up in the fall! In the first picture she is showing you her "tippy toes"!!!


















Aunt Ashley came to visit and we were off to one of our favorite places...The Children's Museum!!!







More fun adventures to come soon!!!

Bryce's 3 Year Old Preschool Graduation

Bryce had is 3 year old graduation at school today. The parents were invited to come in and partake in open play and then music time. Bryce wanted me to build a tower with him, so we did! We then played in the sensory table, which was filled with water and tadpoles (fake ones). They were going to be talking about how tadpoles turned into frogs.



Bryce REALLY enjoyed music time. He was going right along with the super silly songs Miss Brenda was singing. He was so proud to receive an "award" for doing so well this year in class and graduating the 4 1/2 year old classroom next year!



We have been trying to prepare Bryce that he will be going to school 4 days next year (9-1). He keeps questioning why not 3 days (I went 1 day for one year, 2 days this year, so next year is 3 days). Smart boy, 3 does come after 2!

I am looking forward to spending the summer with the kids and not have the hustle and bustle of school every week!



Here is a picture of Bryce's friends (He is ALWAYS talking about them!)

Ashley does the unthinkable....

About a week and a half ago I went out on an impromptu girl's night with a few friends. We were having a "pre-party" for our friend to beat cancer (Hairy Cell Leukemia) as she was preparing for her 24 hours a day, week long, chemotherapy session to begin.

My friend Tanya had mentioned that she was going to do the Indy Mini-Marathon and wished she had someone to do it with her. I said, "If I can get an entry, I would do it with her." She happened to have an extra one as her daughter had recently moved to Texas.

So, here we are a week and a half away from the race. Most people trained for an average of 14 weeks. I went out there cold turkey and walk/jogged 13.1 miles!


Now, if you really know me, you will know that I HATE to run! I did cross country in 6th grade and cried every minute of it! I had so much motivation behind me. With my friend, Paula, being the first. Here she is facing a diagnosis and treatment without preparation. I thought to myself how she will have to keep digging for strength when she thinks she has no more. I was running for my kids. I want them to look at their mommy and know she pushes through things, even in the toughest of times. I also did it for my health. And of course to have fun and experience an Indianapolis tradition!



The race was so much fun! Tanya and I teamed up with another one of our co-workers, Zorina, and her sister, Leah. Both of them had trained, so it was great to have someone to keep the pace for us. The course went all through Indy and even a lap around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway track. There were bands and crowds of people lining the streets cheering you on.





What an exhilirating feeling it was to cross the finish line! I did it, I actually did a mini-marathon.



The best feeling of all is...I can't wait for my next race!

Hoppy....I mean, Happy Easter!!!!

What a special day today as we celebrate Christ and his resurrection! He is risen, he is risen indeed.

We started our Easter festivities off yesterday with Easter Egg Hunts. The first one was at our church. They had activities and games set up for the kids as well as an Easter Egg Hunt! There was a such a good turn out and the kids had a blast. It was raining a bit, but the kids didn't seem to mind.

The next Easter Egg Hunt was for my Aunt's Kiwanis Club. The rain was coming down super hard, so they decided to have a drive-thru Hunt. The kids wanted to hug the Easter Bunny. I know the Easter Bunny really enjoyed those hugs as it really was Aunt Gayle!

The kids enjoyed getting dressed up in their Sunday best. They especially liked all the things the Easter Bunny brought them (their were multiple Easter bunnies this year, thanks to all the grandparents!).

We went out to lunch and sat out in the beautiful sunshine. We hope you all have enjoyed your day and had a Happy Easter!

Bathroom Complete!!!!!

We have been homeowners of our current home for almost 4 1/2 years. We bought this specific home thinking there wouldn't be many things that needed fixing before we decided to move onto another home. Here is what our bathroom looked like when we moved in...





A little over a year ago, we noticed our master shower was leaking. Our plan was to rip out our current 36x36 stand-up shower, repair the damage and put in a replacement drop-in shower. Great plan, however a standard stand-up would not fit through the door frames!

Jared has become quite handy and decided to demo the shower, knock out a "dummy wall" and frame out an expanded shower. This was no easy task. He had to move the drain and expand the electrical components of the lights so I could have the dual light effect!






This upgrade turned into a 46x56 shower complete with dual shower heads and body jets. We also added recessed boxes, shelves and a bench.









To spruce things up, we added a fresh coat of paint, new towels and a new vanity light.



I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new bathroom!!! Jared truly has amazed me with all the handy work he has accomplished in this home!

Home and Doing Well

9:00am
Surgery went well. The doctor said we definitely made the right call to do everything we did. He said her ears were really bad (currently infected). Her tonsils were touching they were so inflammed and her adenoids were large as well. With her history of chronic sinus and ear infections that then lead to an asthma exacerbation, he is hoping she will be healthier overall and if she does get sick is more comfortable and gets over it faster!

9:15am
I got to hold her in recovery. She was crying, "Mommy, mommy," when I walked in and when she was placed in my arms she immediately stopped. She dozed on and off in my arms and when she perked up said, "Mommy, I love you!" Melted my heart. The nurses loved her and called her a "doll baby". She is such a sweetheart.

10:00am
We got into a peds room and she did very well. Began drinking fluids, eating applesauce, talking and was up watching tv. She was a bit groggy from the pain meds, but doing great for a 2 yr old!

12:00-4:45
We hung out in her room all day and must have watched the TinkerBell movie 5 times! She drank and grazed all day (applesauce, goldfish, mac-n-cheese, grilled cheese, pears, and cookies)! She hardly napped. The doctor came in at 3pm and said if I felt comfortable we could go home, or we could stay. I made the decision to go home because she was doing so well eating, drinking, voiding, and pain under control. She finally took a nap the last hour and a half and refreshed her so we went home.

Our experience at St. Vincent and the Payton Manning Children's Hospital was wonderful! That is huge of me to say as I work for the competitor (Riley/Clarian)!

We got home and settled in about 6:30 last night. Sadie was VERY happy to be home. Jared and I enjoyed our time alone with her. It has been a struggle to give her all her meds...ear drops 2 times a day, breathing treatments 2 times a day, and her pain med every 4 hours. We literally have to wrestle her to do them, but we get it done! She went to bed without and complaints last night at 7:45pm. I woke her up twice in the middle of the night for pain meds, but she slept like a ROCK through the night! I know we made the best decision to come home because I doubt she would have slept that well in the hospital.

Bryce did well at Aunt Gayle's last night, cried a little bit, but after having 2 songs sung to him he slept like a rock. He didn't want to leave her house to go to preschool! We will pick him up at 1. I can't wait to see him, haven't seen him since Tuesday night! He has missed Sadie and made a card for her (reported from our sitter and Aunt Gayle). He even talked to Sadie on the phone last night and asked if she was feeling better?!?!? It was too cute!

Sadie and I are just hanging around the house today. She continues to eat and drink well. She has been a bit clingy to me, but I am enjoying the snuggle time! I did get her down for a morning nap, again with no complaints.

Thank you all for your prayers and concerns. Having all of you care about her so much has been wonderful! I truly am blessed and could not ask for a better support system from all of my friends and family (far and near)!

Love to all,
Ashley

Sadie's Surgery-Today

Here is the low down on Sadie's Surgery...

We are to check-in at St.Vincent's Hospital (about 25 min from our
house) at 6:30 am this morning.

Surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am and will last about 45min- 1hour. She is having new ear tubes put in and her tonsils and adenoids taken out.

They will keep her 8 hours after surgery to be sure she is staying hydrated and there is no bleeding. If she's doing well they will send us home, if not we will stay over night.

The biggest concern they have for a 2 year old is their refusal to drink due to the pain. I pray that Sadie is not a stubborn 2 year old and cooperates!

My Aunt Gayle is keeping Bryce overnight tomorrow so we can concentrate on Sadie.

Thank you for all the concerns and prayers! I will keep you all updated on her progress!

No "Turning" Back Now.

Well, we have entered into a world of no turning back. Sadie had her first dance class this week. She LOVED it! You could hardly tell it was her first day. She followed right along with all the other girls. It was adorable and brought the BIGGEST smile to my face to see her SO happy.

She sat, patiently, waiting her turn just BEAMING with delight. What a special moment for me to see her in that light!












On a side note, Bryce was such a good listener during dance class and sat in his chair the entire time! Bryce will begin soccer in the spring...he is super excited!

Birthdays, Snow Days, Sick Days….

Well the full swing of winter is upon us. In the Hamilton household we know it’s winter for a few reasons…


Reason #1 BIRTHDAYS!!!! (And an Anniversary)
Sadie turned 2 on January 14th. Bryce and I made a cake for her on her actual birthday and the kids had a hay-day decorating it with all the sprinkles!

Jared and I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary on January 24th (also Bryce's birthday). It's amazing to look back and see how much we have done together.

We had both the kid’s parties on the same day. Bryce was super excited as this was the first year he was able to invite friends. He had his party at Monkey Joe’s, it’s a place full of inflatable jumpers and slides (the parents are even allowed to go on them)! Bryce was super excited to share his “Incredible” themed birthday with his friends. He truly enjoys being 4!




We had Sadie’s party back at our house with all of our family. She had a Hi-5 themed birthday. Hi-5 is a kids’ show on Discovery Kids that has lots of singing, dancing and skits. Sadie is OBSESSED with it…it plays non-stop on one of our DVD players! She loves to say she is “2” and is living up to it, complete with imagination, energy and of course tantrums!






Reason #2 SNOW!!!!
Snow has been falling, falling, and falling. Bryce LOVED the snow!!!! He crawled in it and “rolled down the hill”. Jared bought a snow-blower this year and has definitely got his use out of it this season. These snow days have lead to some school delays and cancellations for preschool this week and I have enjoyed spending the extra time with my kiddos.









Reason #3 SICKNESS!!!!
Sadie was diagnosed with asthma last year and we were lucky to escape the entire summer and fall without any flare-ups or use of the nebulizer. Well, that has all changed. All the yucky germs are lurking about and caught Sadie! She had a double ear infection, sinus infection and flare-up all at once, so the nebulizer is back in full use! We also found out that Sadie’s ear tubes are no longer functional so she will have a new pair put in. With her history, her ENT feels it’s best to also remove her tonsils and adenoids at the same time. She is scheduled for surgery on February 24th. Sadie did great with her last surgery, but this one has a bit more recovery to overcome and I pray God’s blessing for a speedy recovery!

Bryce has usually been my “healthy” kids, but these yucky germs got the best of him as well. He has had an ear infection, a sinus infection, and the stomach virus…yuck!

We are on the mend to good health. I just hope Spring gets her QUICK!!!

So, that’s the update in the Hamilton household for the Winter of 2010!

Last Week to be 1 years old!!!!

It is hard to believe that my baby will be 2 years old in ONE WEEK! She has been such a fun addition to our family. This past month she is growing leeps and bounds, getting ready for her transition to be a 2 year old!

She is in a big girl bed now (a toddler bed). She does a pretty good job of staying in her bed. Things have been a little challenging, mainly at night, as she is pretty much potty trained so when she wakes up (no matter what time, 1am, 3 am, 6am) I jump out of bed to take her potty...and she goes!





I went to check on her at nap time today and found it quite comical that Sadie was wearing tap shoes, while asleep! I think she is asking to be put in dance class, which we plan to do when she turns 2!!!