Friday, December 29, 2017

Friday Favorites (December 29, 2017)



This week....I am keeping it simple...it is not an ordinary week....what is ordinary anyway?

This is our last Friday Favorites of the year and the lovely ladies set us up with a new graphic for the occasion!  Now, we will be using this one in 2018!  Linking up HERE

Glimpses into my favorites this week, through the eyes of my iPhone

Career Change




Little Adult




Break


Buck A Shuck



Truth


Bourrata with LB 



Happy New Year Friends!  I am looking forward to kicking it in 2018!  Have some aggressive goals...what do you have planned?

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

2017- My Year In Review

Looking back on the year is always fun...it can make you laugh and yet sometimes make you cry and it always provides me with a feeling of gratitude.  Sometimes when you are in the throws of stress or challenges...personally..professionally...it is hard to feel grateful.

When I do these posts however, they always show me how full my life really is.  

2017 was no different.  I am so thankful for my family and friends and job....our community..just so much...here is a little look back at another great year...another gift.


January

We celebrated our fourth Wolverines Awards Day!

Mama and Daddy enjoyed a winter night at Joe and Jess's complete with a Pats game in the background!

Rob decided to run for re-election on the Windham School Board so we set up Campaign Headquarters again!


Mama enjoyed a post-holiday gathering with Team Will

and Mama and Daddy enjoyed an overnight in Boston with some Besties


February

We re-painted our cabinets and got window treatments and our kitchen became brand new!


There was more campaigning!




Mama and Daddy enjoyed the Soccer Casino Night with Friends

and Diana enjoyed her 5th season at ECE Cheer!

Mama and Daddy had a fun "Valentine Party" at the Mullens with Friends


and Mama enjoyed the Winter Wine Festival in Manchester with some Besties


Mama and Daddy loved Mint restaurant in Manchester.  It was a fine night out with friends!

and Daddy officially filed for a 2nd School Board run!

We enjoyed a weekend visit from my high school bestie and her fam all the way from New Jersey!


and the campaigning continued!

and for February vacation, we headed into Boston with the Batsons!

and Mama and Daddy enjoyed Mama's first Bruins game- tickets compliments of Cousin Mike!


March 

 The Batsons hosted a campaign party for Daddy!

and Mama and Diana enjoyed a weekend in CT with Lea and Sam for the first ECE Cheer Comp of the season!

While Daddy continued the campaigning at home!

Diana and Alice celebrated their "Friendaversary!"


and Diana gave lacrosse a try this season

We celebrated an election WIN- Rob was re-elected to the school board!


and Daddy and the girls enjoyed the Annual Town Daddy Daughter Dance!

Diana competed in her 5th season at ECE!

We celebrated Mimi's Birthday....

and Papa Bob's Birthday!

Diana and Sam loved seeing Babysitter Mandy in the WHS production of The Spelling Bee

We hosted Mama's office for dinner...

and the girls loved meeting the Easter Bunny :)




Then at the end of the month, Daddy was sworn in for his 2nd term on school board!

 April

Mama and the PTA started planning for the 1st Annual Educator of the Year Ceremony

Diana continued cheering!

We celebrated Red Sox Opening Day at Fenway!

and Mama enjoyed celebrating Lea's Birthday with Virtual Golf, Massages and Lunch!


We hosted our 1st Annual Neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt!

and Mama enjoyed getting back on the golf course

We celebrated Easter in typical Breton Fashion (Controlled Chaos!)

and the Mini Fam enjoyed an April Vaca trip to Niagara Falls :)

Mama enjoyed seeing Melissa Etheridge with Friends

and we celebrated Eva's 3rd Birthday with a Surprise visit from Princess Jasmine!

 May

 Diana was a fierce competitor in her 2nd season of Healthy Kids Running Series!

and this year, Eva joined in on the fun!

Eva LOVED being on the ice and being able to finally take skating lessons!


Mama enjoyed coffee dates with Bestie Jil (and Baby Mags of course!)

We celebrated Kevin and Kiara at their wedding shower!

and Mama enjoyed every minute of the 1st Annual Educator of the Year Ceremony!

 We enjoyed a Red Sox game at Fenway with the Batsons courtesy of the PTA!


and Mama enjoyed decompressing at BA's one Saturday night with Besties

We celebrated Mother's Day with our Favorite Moms!


and Mama enjoyed more Golf!

A beautiful spring day called for a trip to Johnson's Farm with these cuties....

and Mama celebrated some May Besties Birthdays

We celebrated Zach's Graduation from UNH!

and Brooks' First Communion!

Eva lost interest in running as the season went on ;)

and Mama enjoyed a wine event at Cabbonay with some Besties

and we had a blast Memorial Day Weekend with Friends



 June

We LOVED watching the girls dance in the recital at Carlene's!





and we enjoyed the Annual Strawberry Festival...especially when Daddy was in the Dunk Tank!

We had Uncle Matt and Gina over for a fun cookout and game night...

and Diana enjoyed Field Day at school.....

Mama painted a Name Sign with the Neighbors at The Art House in town

and enjoyed a lunch with besties OUTSIDE!

We loved watching Diana dance in the LDA End of Year Show


and we made our first trip to Brown's of the season for "steamahs"

Mama hosted wine club where the ladies enjoyed the wines brought back from Niagara!

and Beth Ann shared the friendship pics she had taken by Rebekah Kay

Eva celebrated her first successful gymnastics season!

and we celebrated our Favorite Dads on Father's Day!



Diana participated in WW Cheer Skills Camp

and we enjoyed our annual Last Day of School Get Together at the Fournier's!


Diana enjoyed Lucy's Bday weekend at her family's beach house...

while Mama and Daddy took Pidge for her first ice cream of the season!

We enjoyed picking Diana up from the beach and spending the day with our hosts/friends

and Mama and Daddy enjoyed the Lobstah Trap Couples Golf Tournament with Tracey and Heath

Mama and Diana enjoyed the Pre-4th Fireworks in town with some Besties


 and Diana hopped on the beautiful bike that the Millers gave her...still a work in progress ;)



 July

Mama's Favorite Month all year!

We celebrated 4th of July Weekend with Family and Friends and had a ball- Mexican, Portland Maine and lots of swimming!





We participated in our 3rd Annual Hot Dog Hoe Down!


We enjoyed Kevin and Kiara's Wedding on 7.7.17

and celebrated Caden's Bday with Besties

There was lots of beach time of course!

and Mama started boot camp at Drive with besties

Mama celebrated Jill's 40th!

and we enjoyed a weekend at the McLain's Lake House

Mama snuck out for a wine tasting

and we celebrated Marshalls' Bday!

We loved watching Daddy play outside at Old School

and loved seeing Diana as Katie in School of Rock!

We headed to NJ to visit Dawn and her fam and thoroughly enjoyed her new home on the lake!



August

Eva enjoyed a day with Mimi and Papa when they went blueberry picking and to Chuck E Cheese after!

and a play date at Griffin Park with Pal Soph


Diana's summer was over when WW Cheer began...

and Eva did great at her first dentist appointment!

Diana had a blast at UCA Camp where she earned All American Cheerleader for the 2nd year in a row






Mama and Daddy enjoyed the Summer Gala at the castle that weekend

and dinner with besties at the Fourniers!

Diana enjoyed "Golf Camp" with Papa Bob!

and she enjoyed choreography at cheer with Sam Smith!


We enjoyed steamers after cheer practice one night with our besties...

and had a ball on our annual trip to Santa's Village and Storyland with the Grahams!

Mama and Daddy enjoyed an anniversary lunch!

and Mama said goodbye to Jimmy the Trainer who moved away....

Mama also enjoyed a boat cruise with Team Will

Diana loved Back To School Shopping when it included a spur of the moment stop to Starbucks!

and checking one more thing off the summer list- sleepover with Alexis and Alana- CHECK

Mama and Daddy had a blast at Tessie and Mark's Wedding with Family

and Mama and Diana LOVED their Annual Mommy Daughter Boogie Boarding Day!

We celebrated Diana's 9th Birthday with friends at Canobie Lake Park!

and then we went back to school!

We celebrated Papa Pete's Birthday!

and Diana enjoyed an End-Of-Summer Pool Party with her cheer team

and Mama and the WW Board hosted a Thank You Night at Old School


September

We lived it up during the end of summer....

Annual Bday Lunch with Janie

Time away at the beach with besties....

Celebrating our birthdays with Mimi and Papa

and squeezing in all the beach time with the Batsons


and the grand finale of steamers...at Markey's because there was a fire at Brown's :(


Diana loved her new 4th grade teacher- Miss Ryan

and Eva continued to love skating..really wanting to pick up a hockey stick though!

Diana started saxophone lessons!


and Eva started her 2nd season of gymnastics!

Mama and PTA Pals had a ball at the Richard Marx and Rick Springfield Concert!


Diana loved continuing to cheer....

and trying out for the Nutcracker!

We enjoyed our 1st Annual Neighborhood Block Party!

 Diana ran for student council

and Mama and Daddy enjoyed participating in Blackout Cancer week with friends

Oktoberfest at the Falsetti's was a blast....

and we got Diana's headshots from TTC Camp!

Mama and Daddy had a wonderful time at the Annual Newport Wine & Food Festival

and we celebrated the ground-breaking for our new school in town!


There was plenty of more cheer practices...and some dinner with these crazies....

and nights in with this fun crew

and more cheer of course...

 October

We celebrated Daddy's Bday with dinner at Ralphie's

and Daddy enjoyed playing more gigs with the band

We had a fun girls' day with the Fourniers- Apple Picking and more fun!

and we hosted Lea's parents and Mimi and Papa for Sunday dinner

There was more cheer....

and more bday celebrations....

1st place was a common theme this past season....

and celebrations ensued...

We hosted our 1st Annual Risotto Night/Competition

and enjoyed Pumpkin Carving at The Batsons

Diana participated in the Annual Cheer Showcase

and her fan club was in attendance!

The potty training continued (because we are the worst potty trainers on this side of the Mississippi)

and Lea and Mama took Diana and Sam to a Methuen High Football Game and they LOVED watching Sam's cheerleaders!

We enjoyed Charmingfare Farm's Harvest of Haunts with the Batsons

and Eva enjoyed more skating...getting closer to hockey with her face mask!


Diana enjoyed her field trip to the State House



and Mama and her PTA pals made a cute Scarecrow for the town's 1st Annual Contest

We enjoyed lots of Halloween Fun including
The Batsons Party


and the Rekart's Oktoberfestoween


 Then we had another bad storm....lots power for days and a tree (which took our swing set)

When it was time to have some more Halloween fun, Mama chaperoned Diana's School Halloween Party

and Mama and Daddy enjoyed the Annual Turf Fundraiser/Halloween Bash at Bill Clinton and Monica

On our Trick Or Treating Saturday, we visited with the grandparents and surprised them in our costumes

and had our best Halloween yet on golf carts in Mitchell Pond

and there was more cheer...and more first place victories


 November

We decorated for Christmas early this year!
 

Bad Moms came out and Mama went to see it twice!



Diana rehearsed for the Nutcracker...

Diana's Cheer team placed 1st at Regionals and that is when Mama's Bestie Jill texted, "So....Breakfast in Cinderella's castle?" Hysterical.....

We enjoyed our annual Thanksgiving Weekend traditions.....

Breakfast

Friendsgiving

Family Christmas Card Pics

Thanksgiving Eve


Turkey Trot!

Dinner with the Fam


Black Friday

and Nutcracker Rehearsals!

We enjoyed Julia's Bat Mitzvah

and then watching Diana in this year's Nutcracker Production

and Mama loved meeting her favorite author, Elin Hilderbrand


 December

We sqeezed in as many of our favorite Christmastime traditions as possible!

Advent calendars from Auntie Janie!

The Return of Relf our Elf

Mama's 3rd Annual Holiday Recipe Exchange

Town Tree Lighting and Santa Visit

Stone Zoo Lights with Mimi and Papa!

and then Mama and Diana had to escape to Orlando FL for the AYC National Cheer Championships

Upon our return, it was right back to the festive fun....

A beautiful dinner courtesy of our friend Greer

Annual Holiday lunch for Mama and Cass

Dinner with Besties

Eva's Family Skate Day!



Our 3rd Annual Jammie Christmas!

A holiday PTA meeting at home...

Christmas Errands

Holiday lunch and gift exchange with besties...

and dinner and more gift exchanges with besties...

Reindeer Pancakes FTW!

More fa la la la'ing

and a gingerbread house FAIL

Warm visits with our loved ones....

and Christmas Eve at Auntie Peggy's!
 

Christmas Morning Coziness at home....

complete with lots of SNOW

and a beautiful Christmas dinner thanks to Mimi and Papa

 What a wonderful year it has been!