Days with the Dorans

  We left in the 4s, as in 4:00 in the morning to drive to Kalamazoo for Band Day! We took Victor and there were a handful of other Knights there. Dumb me didn't realize that it was for ALL HS kids- We should have taken Zach... Next year! When we got there it was still early so we went to the library thinking we could get some work done. No luck! The library was even closed. So we went to Maggie's and had some yummy breakfast while Joe and the band played on! Jeff and I did a bit of tailgating and driving more down memory lane! We went and got Big Apple Bagels (the ONLY place that seems to have my beloved tomato basil and cheddar herb bagels) even though we were stuffed- and we also drove by Chime Elementary where I did my student teaching. It is still there but no longer Chime or a part of KPS which made me sad. After our walk (or drive) down memory lane we headed back to campus and ran into the kids for a bit. We did make it to the library and worked for an hour or so until g...

Here we are!!!  The end of 2014 already!  I seriously felt like it flew by!  In keeping with tradition, we had my old roomie (Dr. Jason) and his wife (Miss Courtney) over with their ladies and this year I was also really excited because Auntie Jodi and Uncle Randy joined us too (and their little pickle in her belly of course). Jeff made some A-MAZING food again!  He was recalling menus of year's past so I figured I should document it here.  He GRILLED (even though it was super cold outside) Persian chicken kabobs, asparagus and veggies and made his yummy red-skin and feta potatoes (with a special batch for Jodi since she can't eat feta).  It was soooo yummy and I think I'm still full as I write this.  Jodi brought over lots of desserts (I didn't take a picture early enough- but since it was ALL gone before the end of the night, this isn't too bad).  She is an amazing baker so we were all spoiled! We ate, drank and talked and, of course...

I was so excited that our friends, the Stewarts, were able to come to town to ring in the new year with us!  For some reason (I think illness and then work) we have missed out on this tradition the last two years.  We hadn't even met Ivy (the newest Stewart) who is ABSOLUTELY adorable!  I seriously wanted to eat her up she was so cute and I'm bummed I didn't have more picture of her (they were all a blur as she was often on the move with those bouncy curls of hers, laughing at the dogs).  Zoe too had fun and had grown so much since I saw her last! Jeff made his yummy chicken nachos and we had (too many) munchies and some beverages.  Of course we also played some games.  We like the game Left, Right, Center.  We actually had two rounds of games where no one won so it was a pretty big pot (meaning a few bucks).  Then Courtney won one game and I won another.  Ali was pretty funny and came pretty close both times to winning.  Goosie ...

What better way to ring in a new year than with old friends! We were excited that our friends Dr. Jason (my old college roommate), Mrs. Courtney and Zoe could come over for a sleepover. When they arrived, Ali Jane didn't waste any time recruiting people to play games. She's getting better at checkers and we also played some 'Trouble' before another old roommate , Aaron, came over with his (expecting) wife. Jason, Aaron and I lived in a house together our Junior year of college (with 5 or 6 others depending on the time of year...) and though I have kept in good touch with Jason, it had been at least 8 years since I had seen Aaron. Sean fell asleep in my arms right before Aaron and his wife, Jessica, arrived. It was a little after 9:30 and he was the first of the Dorans to lose the battle with sleep. Zoe stayed up a bit later but not much and then it was just the six grown-ups and the three Bigs . We had a great time just having some drinks and munchies and laughs! ...

It was great to see my old roomie and his beautiful family last weekend! They were in town for a wedding and were able to come play at the lake last Sunday. Jason and Courtney's little girl, Zoe, was born a couple months after Sean. We joke often- wondering which Doran beau she will choose to wed... If that does happen, the big question will be... hair or no hair?? Zoe was born with a beautiful full head of hair and my babies... well... none until about age two! It is fun seeing my two friends as parents. They are doing a wonderful job! One thing that they hadn't tried yet though, is any 'finger' food with sweet Zoe. She loves her mommy and daddy but I think it is clear from this pic that she was starting to wonder if they'd been keeping something from her... And that 'something' looked wonderful, so Zoe tried to get Sean's attention but us girls know it can sometimes be hard to get a boy's attention at first... You must stick with it th...