Lexi is SIX!

 

Our big girl is SIX already!!!  Time is just flying by for this family.  Her actual birthday was on Thanksgiving day this year, so we celebrated with family during our Turkey day gatherings.  Her friend party, however was pushed back to this past Friday evening.  She and 13 friends (including Jill) celebrated at Amazone!  She decided on six special school friends and then we threw in some family friends as well.  A mommy couldn't have asked for nicer, more well-behaved friends for her daughter!  A huge thanks to Addison, Anna, Emma, Reece, Jayce, Dominic, Logan, Kaela, Emily, Elijah, Ava, and Sophia (and of course Jill and Alli) for coming and for all the wonderful gifts you gave Lexi.  She said it was her best birthday yet!  Oh, and parents... Amazone is the way to go!  All we did was show up and bring the cupcakes - which of course had Star Wars logos on them!

Where has the time gone?

Wow! I guess I am slacking on the posts! It has been busy, to say the least. Lexi will complete her 1st session of swim lessons (every Tue. and Thurs. evening) at Copley High School Natatorium tomorrow. She has come a long way in the last 6 weeks! She now can 'bob' her head completely under water and even stay under water for a few seconds! She is learning to float and she LOVES her lessons! I think we will keep her enrolled for another session (beginning in January). Jill still loves her gymnastics classes. She goes every Wednesday and she also is progressing! Coach Joi (Joey) has all the girls in her class (there are 6 of them!) doing flips over the bar and also doing forward and backward rolls with no assistance! Jill has also mastered the jump-bounce-jump move on the trampoline (where you jump on you feet, bounce on your butt, then jump immediately back to your feet). She is one of the few in her class that can do this move! As for Alli, she now has EIGHT teeth and wants so badly to walk... just put her in her walker and she is all over the house! I fear this one will be into everything! It is a good thing that she is a go-with-the-flow kind'a girl. If only she would master the sippy cup?! This too shall come! Well, Lexi's 6th birthday party is Friday, so I will try to update with pictures. Check back soon!

Our Fall Family Pictures!

I finally got around to getting these up on the the blog... we only had them done the last weekend in September!  Again, I just want to send out a HUGE 'Thanks' to Kim and her amazing talent.  She got some good ones and it will be difficult to choose which ones to print out.  In these pictues, Lexi is almost 6, Jill is 3½ and Alli is 9 months old!  Enjoy!!!

October Fun!

We usually manage to get one weekend in the Fall and spend it with Brittany and her family.  Well, this was that weekend!  The Gurtz's came in on Friday evening.  After putting the 3 older girls to bed on the floor in Lexi's room in their sleeping bags and putting Kyle in Jill's bed (ah, a room to himself!), we finally got some sleep.  Saturday morning we were up bright and early for Lexi's LAST - freezing cold - soccer game of the season!  They pulled out another win against the Bulls making their record 8 - 1.  Lexi even got to be goalie one last time and after the game received her 'trophy' from coach Mike.












The weather warmed up, so we made the drive to Smithville where we went to Ramseyer's Farm.  There is so much to do there!  I think they add something new every year we go!  The kids loved it - even Alli!  We had to get fresh cut fries and of course Lerch's Donuts before leaving.  The older 2 girls were able to go on the "big" slide and the middle 2 kiddos enjoyed the playground slides.  All liked the wagon ride and the animals.  I think we wore them out, because they all went right to sleep Sat. night!  Up for church on Sunday and then the Gurtz's left for home. 


Then we costumed up the 3 girls and headed to the Akron Zoo to enjoy Boo! at the Zoo.  So cute!  We managed to get our visit in before the rain hit.  It was windy, but a warm 70 degrees.  I don't know about Brittany, but I am exhausted!  Love our get-togethers and am so glad our kids play (fairly) well together!  All in all a great weekend!  Enjoy the pictures.

Photo Session Preview!

This past weekend, we traveled back to Haviland for my dear friend Kim Troth to take our family (and Alli's 9 month)pictures.  It was a gorgeous day and we got some great shots.  Thanks Kim for taking time out of your busy Saturday to photo our family!  Can't wait til you get all the pics edited!  Click on this link to see just a quick preview of what we did on Saturday and check back in a week or 2 to see the whole shoot!

Cincinnatti Weekend!

The whole Ginter clan (except for Matt) ventured to Cincinnatti this past weekend.  Benny's company (GE) buys out King's Island for 1 day each September and GE employees and their families get discounted tickets and also get the park to themselves for the day!  Well, we took advantage of that this year.  We left Friday after school and drove the 3½ hour drive to the hotel.  I asked my friend Michele to go with us because Matt had to work all weekend.  She was my "hubby" for the weekend!  The older 2 girls (along with uncle Benny and Kyle and aunt Brittany) enjoyed the pool yet Friday night.  Then we got up on Saturday and made our way to the Zoo.  We were there for several hours and enjoyed a packed lunch while we were there.  The kiddos even got to feed the giraffes!!!  After the zoo, we went back to the hotel for another swim.  This time Alli also got in and LOVED the water!  Papa Gary and Gra-Nola bought KFC for dinner and we were ALL in bed by 10pm!  Finally on Sunday we got to King's Island before the rides started up at 10.  The kids were all pretty good.  We decided to leave Alli and Gra-Nola at uncle Benny's house - great idea!  The kiddos rode lots of rides and we had pizza for lunch.  Then by 3pm, the kids were tired and we packed it up and left.  After picking up Alli, we made our way home and dropped into bed to start another week.  Lots of fun, but not much relaxing!  Huge thanks to Michele for joining in on the chaos that is our family!!!  Enjoy the pictures!

Jill starts Pre-school!

Well, Lexi's first day came and went without a hitch... and so did Jill's!  Jill began her Preschool career on Wednesday with her wonderful teachers Ms. Sharon and Ms. Co-Wefa!  She was so excited and could hardly wait to go to school.  Mommy and Alli had a wonderful morning of grocery shopping and chillin' together until it was time to pick Jill up from school.  I think it is going to be a GREAT year!

Everitt Rd. Covered Bridge and Chagrin "Falls"

Last weekend, we actually didn't go out of town for the holiday!  We just stayed home and found things to do "in our own backyard"!!  Lexi and Jill went with me to the Everitt Rd. Covered Bridge in Penninsula.  We met up with Lexi's friend Logan and his family when we got there.  The kids LOVED going in under the bridge and exploring the rocks and fossils & wading in the water.  Lexi even 'learned' how to skip flat rocks from Logan's dad!  She still needs a lot of practice!  After the kids were done playing, we jumped in the car and headed to Jeni's Ice Cream Place in Chagrin Falls.  They had some very interesting flavors... both the girls ended up getting a lemon flavored ice cream.  Never thought that would happen!  Anyway, we had a great Saturday with the Rathbun's and can't wait til our next adventure together!

Our Soccer Player!

Despite a few tears at first, we now have a soccer player!  Lexi's first practice came and went and she was smiling at the end!  There are 10 Kindergarten children on her team - The Timbers - and her coach (Coach Mike Foster) is actually the Copley HS Band Director!  I think she is going to like soccer.  We shall see in a few weeks when she actually has a game!

Lexi goes to Kindergarten!

Well, the time has come!  Lexi got on the bus this morning for the first time!  No tears, but we will see how her day goes.  Hopefully we make it through the morning and back home with no tears!  She is growing up!!!  Good luck Lexi and Mrs. School and hopefully it will be a wonderful year!

Clear Lake '12

Last weekend, the Saris family traveled to Fremont, Indiana to spend the weekend with the Culler clan!  We love our yearly trips to Clear Lake and the girls look forward to swimming, riding on the boat, and playing with the Culler boys for a whole year!  This was Alli's first trip and she did extremely well!  Erin got in her cuddle time and Alli took her first boat ride.  It was a little chilly for tons of swimming and the girls didn't so much like the tubing this year (they liked it last year).  However, we still managed to have a great time with some great friends.  Can't wait for you to come our way this winter!

Maely's Baby Shower

Last weekend, the girls and I traveled to Haviland for 2 nights to attend Maely's baby shower.  There was a great turn-out - close to 50 people!  All the decor was so cute... animal theme.  Marty and Shannon even constructed an Ark complete with rainbow to house all the books and cards that were brought by shower-goers for the new mommy and baby Nick.  We had lots of good food (and lots left over).  I especially liked the table set up to decorate onesies for Nick.  There were some REALLY cute ideas put onto the onesies.  Nick will be a stylin' dude!  Thanks to everyone for coming out and congrats to Maely (and of course Garrett, too).  We can't wait to meet baby Nick!

Alli's 6 month photo shoot

Well, they are growing up fast! We took the girls to Portrait Innovations this morning for Alli's 6 month pictures. They did very well (except that Alli got quite tired of photos towards the end). I am pleased with how they turned out for having a 6 month old, a 3 year old, and a 5½ year old! As I was putting them on my computer, I couldn't help but look back and compare their "tub" shots and how they all look alike/different. Enjoy the comparison between all 3 girls at 6 months old and then also all the pre-edited pics from today!

Lexi - age 6 months

Jill - age 6 months

Alli - age 6 months

Chicago!

Matt and I celebrated our anniversary just a few weeks early this year.   We had decided way back in August to plan a trip to Chicago with another couple who are great friends of ours.  So, we were on the road by 8:30 am Friday morning headed to Montpelier, Ohio to drop off the kiddos.  Gra-Nola and Papa Gary met us at Kay and Jim Fackler's house (Nola's cousin) just around 11:30.  We were only there for about 20 minutes and then were back on the road toward Clear Lake, Indiana (where Ben and Erin Culler live).  By 12:45 pm, we were on our way to Chicago with Ben at the wheel.  Just a few hours later, we arrived at the Inn of Chicago - just off the Magnificent Mile - for our 2-night stay.  We grabbed a drink and some appetizers at Timothy O'Toole's Pub (best guacamole - EVER!) and walked down Michigan Avenue until we were ready to eat dinner.  We found ourselves at Gino's East to enjoy some Chicago-style deep dish pizza.  It was excellent!  Then we had some extra time until the Comedy show, so we ventured to the Hancock Building where we rode the elevator to the top and enjoyed a drink at the Signature Room.  By 10 pm we were at the Up! Comedy Club to enjoy comic Rob Riggle.  Late night for us since we were still on Ohio time!
On Saturday, we first enjoyed breakfast and coffee at The Corner Bakery and then hit the shops!  I found a great pair of shoes and we of course had to go to the Disney store and get T-shirts and stuffed animals for the girls.  Lexi scored a Perry the Platapus and Jill ended up with Scully (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates).  Alli came up empty-handed... I don't think she will mind too much this time.  All that shopping worked up an appetite, so we made our way to the Grand Lux Cafe.  So yummy!  Matt and I just couldn't stop ourselves from moving on to The Cheesecake Factory for a slice each 'to go'.  Next came a much needed nap in our rooms.  After we were well rested, we got changed for our dinner at Mastros - surf-n-turf!  Matt ordered swordfish and I got the petit filet.  We stuffed ourselves and then ended the night at the Redhead Piano Bar. 
Great times were had by all and we can't wait to plan our next adventure with the Cullers.  We left Sunday morning with a quick bite and coffee from Dunkin Donuts and made our way back to Perrysburg to meet up with the kiddos.  Huge thanks to Nola and Gary for keeping the girls for 2 nights.  Hope they weren't too bad!
I'm ready to go back, but my pocketbook says we need to keep it to once or twice a year! HAHAHA! Enjoy a few pics!

Graduation, Baptism, and Memorial Day!

Well, I know it has been awhile since I last posted, but we have been BUSY!  We now have a Pre-School Graduate, a baby that is baptized, and a (getting there) soon to be potty-trained 3-year-old!  Lexi graduated from Montrose Zion Christian Preschool on Sunday May 20 with 14 of her friends.  Each child received their own Story Bible and the preschool received a wonderful gift from the parents to celebrate their 5th year in business.  Then on Wednesday, the whole preschool went bowling for their last day together.  The grads were recognized and each received a 'diploma' and sang a few songs for the parents.  What a great 2 years it has been for Lexi.  She has made a LOT of new little friends and I just hope we can keep in touch with some of them.

On Saturday afternoon, we ventured to the Diller farm in Columbus Grove, Ohio.  The Dillers attend St. John's Church where Papa Gary preaches and had been telling Gra'Nola to "Bring the kids over next time they are home", so that is just what we did!  The farm houses 2 miniature horses, about a dozen lambs, 2 dogs, and a BUNCH of new little kittens!  The horses and the kittens were the biggest hits!  Kaitlyn was fearless and loved on the lambs and by the time we made it to the garage with the kittens, Lexi was also in love!  It was so precious watching the girls hold the kittens (Kyle however tried to pick one up by the tail)!  Thanks to the Diller family for letting us come and have fun with your animals.  We will have to come back in the fall when it isn't so hot!

Then, just this past Sunday May 27, Alli was baptized.  Papa Gary once again did the honors at Columbus Grove UM Church.  We were very fortunate to have MANY family members able to attend.  I really want to thank each and every one of them for coming and taking the time to celebrate the baptism of Allison.  We were especially glad to have Godparents Ben Ginter and Maely Alexander stand up with us during the service and promise to lead Alli in the way of the Lord.  After the service, we enjoyed an awesome buffet at the Red Pig in Ottawa.  YUMMMMM!

After our busy weekend, we celebrated Memorial Day at home (well, at least the girls and I did... Matt had to work).  My friend Michele came over and we took all 3 girls to the pool.  It was Alli's first pool trip and Jill's first time without a swim diaper!  We were there for 2½ hours and they didn't want to leave!  We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed a very warm sunny Memorial Day.  The girls will surely sleep well tonight!

One Gone, Many More to Come!

Well, Lexi now has one less tooth in her mouth! Yep - she lost her first tooth at Grandma Chris and Papa Chuck's house on Tuesday this week. Lexi and Jill were up playing in the 'kid' bedroom with the bunk beds and then Grandma came home from school and they went outside to play. During supper, daddy thought Lexi had some food in her teeth. Come to find out, there was actually a gap... no food in the teeth! He questioned her about loosing the tooth and she said it had come out when she bumped her mouth on the wall?!?! How one could do such a thing I am not exactly sure, but she had not cried when it happened and there was no blood, so it must have been time to lose the tooth anyway. Everybody looked and looked for the missing tooth, but alas it could not be found. We instead will write a note to the Tooth Fairy explaining the missing tooth and hopefully she will still bring the loot! One tooth down, only about 90 or so more to go (between the 3 girls)!!

Alli's 2 months old!

Wow! Can't believe my baby is already 2 months old - and Jill is 3?!?! Well, we of course had to get pictures taken to fall in line with what we did with the other 2 girls. Our schedule is 2 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year and then twice yearly after that! We went back to Portrait Innovations in Medina. They always to such a good job and take WAY too many pictures - so hard to choose from. Hoping to get a family pictue in sometime later this year. Anyway, the girls were AWESOME! No tears and great cooperation! I posted my favorite of all 3 girls at the top. Love it! Enjoy the pre-edited pictures we earned from the CD!!!

The BIG # 2

Kyle (my 1st nephew) turned the Big TWO this month. Brittany and Matt decided to have one big party for both sides of the family. It is always an adventure to get all the kiddos together. I can't believe he is two already. He is getting so big. We had beef and chicken enchiladas to eat and of course cake. He is so into the Cars movies... it is very cute! I picked my favorite pic to put in front. He is saying "cheese" to the camera - ADORABLE! While in Perrysburg, Matt, Alli and I bopped over to meet the newest member of the Zimmerman family. Pete and Amy welcomed Zoey Marie on Feb. 2 (just one month after Alli was born). We also look forward to many play-dates with them in the future. Enjoy!

Bidlack Blankets

Alli's Blanket!!!

Every time we add a child to the family, we also add a wonderful blanket/wall hanging. My mom's AMAZING cousins have made each of our 3 girls a beautiful cross-stitched wall-hanging. I love them all and each girl will be able to have that blanket with them forever. I am so thankful we have stayed so close to my grandpa Bud's Bidlack side of the family. And a very special thank you to Kay Fackler (who mailed Alli's blanket to me just today). I know how much time it takes to make a blanket like this and I really hope you know how appreciated you are! Can't wait for you all to meet baby Alli!!! I took several pictures of Alli's new blanket and then at the end I also included a picture of Jill's Teddy Bear blanket and Lexi's Care Bear blanket. Enjoy!

Meet Allison Jalene!

She finally made her appearance! Allison Jalene Saris was born on Monday January 2, 2012 at 4:44 am. She weighed in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces and was 20 ½ inches long. Mommy and daddy were only at the hospital a mere 1 hour before she made her big debut. The OB doctor was only in the room for about 4 minutes before she decided to come out! Dr. Ellis made it just in time and we had our beautiful - but slightly blue - baby girl. She was 'blue' in the face because of bruising (she was born very quickly with only one push)!!! Things went so well that we were released from the hospital on Tuesday afternoon after only 36 hours! Mommy was glad to be home and sleep in her own bed and big sisters Jill and Lexi were VERY happy to have mommy and baby Alli home. Here are some pictures from Allison's first 3 days. Enjoy!