Zoey's 5th Birthday Party

On Saturday, December 17, we celebrated Zoey's 5th birthday with a Minnie Mouse party at the Cribbies' neighborhood park.  Her actual birthday is December 28, which always gets a little lost in the Christmas festivities, so Jenni and Dave schedule her parties early in order to give her a special time to be the birthday girl without having to compete with Christmas. 

 Jenni did an amazing job with the handmade goodies.  As I've said for years, my girls should be professional party planners.  Jen made the Minnie Mouse cupcakes from scratch, the chocolate-covered Minnie lollipops, the pinata, and Zoey's Minnie t-shirt and ears headband. 

 The pinata and Minnie headband in the color palette of the day: pink and black.

 Chocolate-covered mouse pops made from Double Stuff Oreos!

 Beautiful--and delicious!--Minnie cupcakes.

 Jenni also made a yummy lunch of homemade baked sandwiches, fresh fruit and veggies, and chips.  It was a beautiful winter day, and the sun soon warmed everyone enough to start shedding jackets. 

 

 Zoey, ever the little mother, helped her little sister Ruby with her lunch.

 After lunch it was pinata time!!  Beginning with the birthday girl, everyone had several turns to bust open the mouse to get to the goodie bags inside.

 For a Tiny Person, Ruby has a pretty good swing!

And Leo has obviously been practicing with his batting tee at home.

After a rousing chorus of "Happy Birthday", Zoey blew out her candle and everyone enjoyed the mouth-watering cupcakes.  She then opened her presents and thanked everyone.  I think she had a great time.  Happy birthday, sweet Zoey!!

It's Christmas Cookie Decorating Time With Grammy!

We had the 3 oldest grandkids over on Friday, December 16, to decorate cut-out Christmas sugar cookies, which I had baked the day before.  It was the first time to do this and I hope it will become an annual event.

My 3 favorite chefs in their monogrammed aprons just before starting the decorating process.

 Leo took his decorating job very seriously.  I think he ate more frosting and sprinkles than he put on the cookies, but he did an excellent job!

 Notice Ruby's mouth.  She liked working with the blue frosting, and she has the moustache to prove it!

 Zoey, the little mother, very quietly and meticulously decorated a beautiful batch of cookies.

 Leo took a little break from the decorating/eating.

 Mrs. Claus and her angels outside while waiting for the frosting to dry.

 A little running around helped burn off some of the sugar high!!

And a good time was had by all as evidenced by Ruby, who conked out on the ride home.

Leo family 2011 Christmas newsletter

December 2011

Warmest Christmas greetings to our precious family and friends!

We hope everyone is healthy and enjoying this most special of seasons. As I sit here reflecting on all that’s happened this past year, I breathe a prayer of thanks for God’s abundance and grace, and for our loved ones everywhere. Even if we’re not in touch often, you are in our hearts, thoughts, and prayers.

Well, what can I say about my first year of retirement other than it was wonderful? Last year I was uneasy about losing my job abruptly and facing a year of uncertainty, but God has certainly blessed us above all measure, and it’s been such a pleasure being home with Tony and being able to lend a hand with the kids. Good thing we enjoy them so much, because our posse of grandchildren jumped from 3 to 5 just after Christmas!!

On January 7th, Etta Mae Wiese arrived, to our great joy. She is the 4th light of our lives, and we’re all totally smitten. As I write this today on Dec. 8, darling Etta is home in bed, recovering from surgery to repair a large supraumbilical hernia this morning. All went well and due to her young age she should remember none of it. Tony and I had the pleasure of keeping Leo (3) overnight and continue to marvel at the fun of having a little boy in the family, a smart little guy whose favorite food happens to be broccoli (!!). I never thought I’d become such a fan of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars!

Just 10 days later on January 17th, Maggie Faye Cribbs joined the family. She is a delight to all of us, but especially to her two older sisters. She’s their very own living, breathing baby doll! Maggie is probably the cuddliest baby we’ve ever known, and she likes nothing better than to snuggle her little face into the neck of the person holding her. Zoey (5 on Dec. 28) and Ruby (2¾) are growing like weeds and are smart, sweet, funny, and loving. We absolutely adore our grandchildren and love spending as much time as possible with them—as if you couldn’t tell!! I’m blessed to be able to spend every other Thursday with each family, and we babysit as much as possible.

Jenni, Dave, Erika, and Josh are all doing great! The girls continue to love being homemakers and mothers, while the guys endeavor to please the Lord in their roles as Christian heads of their respective families. Josh is such a gifted artist, and he keeps amazing us (and others) with his design skills. He is very much appreciated in the art department at Irving Bible Church, and his talent as freelance designer is highly respected. Meanwhile, Dave’s reputation as AP physics teacher/robotics instructor extraordinaire prompted a call from Parish Episcopal School in Dallas, a prestigious private school with very high academic standards. After considering all the ramifications, Jenni and Dave decided it would be a positive step for their family, so Dave accepted the offer. He is already an esteemed member of the faculty.

This has been a quiet year for us, travel-wise, but we plan to make up for it next year with a trip to Jacksonville with Jenni and the girls, followed by a week on Topsail Beach, North Carolina. My dear best friend since 3rd grade, Jan Brown, will join the ranks of the retired after this school year, and she, her husband Bob, Tony, and I will celebrate our combined retirements by relaxing on the beach.

That’s about it for the year. We look forward to hearing about your 2011, and we wish you God’s very best in 2012. He is truly the Light of the world (John 8:12), and we pray He guides you in every step you take, every decision you make.

Merry Christmas, and Happy NEWT Year!!

With love from all of us,

Mona

Email: lucysmamamia@hotmail.com      Facebook: Mona Warski Leo