the family von-nerd

remember the von trapp family? well we're the family von nerd. at least in the bottom picture.

ryan and a couple of co-workers had their kids come to work today to check things out. because of safety restrictions, we aren't able to just "pop" into ryan's offices whenever the mood strikes.

so, we donned our safety glasses and took a tour of a few labs and offices. ryan showed us part of an experiment where they test flame speed. we also got to hold our hands under a test tube and watch the liquid boil from the heat in our hands. cool!
i should have used this photo for our christmas cards!

getting ready for christmas

"if i woke up with my head sewn to the carpet, i wouldn't be more surprised than i am right now."

tonite we worked on a gingerbread house (a real beauty, don't you think?) and listened to the griswold family prepare for their "fun, old-fashioned, family christmas".

a fun and messy night!

Ooh laa laa

for my birthday ryan and the girls gave me these two wonderful items. an iphone and warm slippers. i love them!
i also got to eat at a favorite place...pfchang's china bistro. yum!

i also had a bazillion lovely happy birthday wishes and cards and phone calls and fun presents from friends and family. i'm a lucky girl!

but guess what else? my mom and dad came to buffalo just for my birthday! we are having fun.

oh and one more thing...the doctor says we can get on with the radiation already. hooray for a clear mammogram!

bowling extravaganza

i do realize it has been a couple of weeks since ella's actual birthday, but we like to make birthdays last as long as possible around here.

so, we did a little bowling with a lot of little girls, ate a little pizza and a cupcake or two, opened a lot of fun presents and even played some arcade games.

it was a fun evening! ella was very excited and this is what she wore. there was no talking her out it. i tried. and tried. and tried.
happy 5th birthday to our ella girl!