December Photos - Christmas 2010

Happy New Year everyone! We hope that 2010 treated all of our family and friends well. We had a wonderful holiday season and we hope you did too!

Our December started off with of coarse getting the house ready for Christmas. The girls loved decorating and picking out a Christmas Tree this year. They also enjoyed baking this December! They made cookies with Gram, Gingerbread Houses with Mommy, and tried out their new Easy Bake Oven with Daddy!

We had fun doing a lot of festive things including: The Nutcracker which the girls LOVED! Kate refers to herself now as Clara at all times. We also enjoyed seeing Santa again like we always do. Kate was so pumped up to STAND next to Mr. Clause, but....things didn't go as planned...she FREAKED when she saw him up close...so yet again we have a picture of Emma smiling away and Kate crying....oh well, maybe next year!

We also enjoyed Stone Mountain Christmas for the first time! We went with the Barratt Clan down and enjoyed seeing the Christmas Parade, watching Polar Express in 4D, and riding a train to the top of the mountian. It was cold, but we didn't mind!

The best part of the month of coarse was celebrating Christmas with our entire family! We feel so blessed everyone was here! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve, topped off with our very first WHITE ELEPHANT exchange that was a big hit! We had 11 adults in our family room Christmas morning at 7am to watch the girls run down stairs to see what Santa left....it was so special - and we felt so happy to have everyone together. We finished the evening off with Christmas dinner at Mom and Greg's new home...and enjoyed the first snow Atlanta has seen in over 100 years on Christmas Day. It truly was the best. Christmas. ever!

We continue to stay busy and can't believe half of the school year has flown by. Mike has five months of his MBA left and we will be celebrating big in MAY!!!! We are mastering Just Dance 2 and Wii Fit which has been fun in our house!!! Come Visit anytime!!!

Lots of Love,
Mike, Amy, Emma and Kate Barratt

Happy Thanksgiving

We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We have so many things to be thankful for!

We had a GREAT month! The girls and I were busy at school and Mike was busy with work and school....he's so close to graduating! We are proud of him and ready to celebrate him being done!

The highlight of our month was going to Center Valley, PA to be with the entire Barratt fam for our annual Thanksmas celebration! We enjoyed hanging out, visiting the PLEASE TOUCH musuem in Philly and playing with cousin Owen was a treat! We are now excited for the holidays and to have everyone in Atlanta with us!

Charlie the Elf on the Shelf has made his appearance...so let the 'good behavior' begin! Kate is a bit scared of him so she is Always on her best behavior! We are excited to see Santa in a few weeks, and Kate has informed us she will stand NEXT to him this year!!! We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Lots of Love,

Mike, Amy and the girls

October

It's been a very busy October! We've enjoyed all the fall festivities that have gone along with the month! Of coarse, Halloween was a blast and the girls enjoyed Trick or Treating this year as Ariel (Emma) and Sleeping Beauty (Kate!).

Mike went to China for his MBA program this month. We missed him so much but he had a fantastic trip, learned a lot, and even tried some of that Chinese cuisine!!! We were VERY excited to have him back though!

Emma enjoyed her school field trip to a pumpkin farm, and I was so lucky to get to go with her! Kate enjoyed TRUNK or TREAT at school with all of her friends, as did Emma. Daddy surprised the girls by showing up with his TRUNK decorated and full of TREATS!

We had a great time at our annual trip to the pumpkin patch - where the girls rode ponies, went on a hayride, had their face painted, and of coarse picked out GIANT pumpkins!

Emma finished up soccer....and was PROUD of her trophy! Kate is counting down the days until she is 3 so she can get in there in play....

Hard to believe that it's November! We are SO excited to have GRAM and PAPA now southerners with us! They move this week!

Enjoy the pics and videos this month! We hope your families are all doing well and you are all enjoying fall!

Lots of Love,

The Barratt Family

A Busy September

We have had a busy September but have had the BEST time! The girls are enjoying school and the cooler fall weather! Emma is playing soccer again and enjoying being on the TIGERS with her best buddy Laine! Kate is counting down the day until she too can play soccer...when she is three! She is trying to convince Daddy to coach her too! I continue to enjoying my time teaching preschool and LOVE being with the girls!

We had a great time on our annual trip to the Apple Farm. The girls loved picking apples, sliding down the HUGE slide, and going to the petting zoo. Kate really took to the baby chicks and kittens. Emma loved the baby goats that were eating her shoe laces!

We were also really fortunate to get the chance to go hang out with wonderful friends at the beach in Santa Rosa, Florida! We had the BEST time and the weather was perfect. We were the only people at the pool and not many were at the beach either. Emma even gave body surfing a try - and loved it of coarse! Kate enjoyed her new pals and loved being buried all the way up to her head in the sand!

We also enjoyed our annual trip with Gram, Papa, Aunt Kath, Uncle Mark, and Nicholas...Aunt Mel and Uncle Marky too. We went to Helen, Georgia and enjoyed Oktoberfest for the fourth year in a row! We took a horse and carriage ride, watched a lot of football, and had our annual corn hole tournement also. Again - Gram and Papa win!

Mike goes to China in a few days....we are going to miss him so much but we are excited for him to have this wonderful opportunity! And Thank Goodness for Skype!!!

We are also counting down the days until Gram and Papa officially move to Atlanta! One month to go! We can't wait!

We hope fall is treating you well and you too are enjoying the cooler weather.

Lots of love,

Amy, Mike and the girls!

Enjoy the videos of our girls being "hams" as usual!

August 2010

Well,we have had a GREAT August! The girls started school and both LOVE their class rooms! It's hard to believe that Emma is in Pre K and she LOVES it! Kate is in the '3s' class now...and loves her teacher and is enjoying 'reading'! I also am loving my new job at the girls' school. It's so fun seeing them in the hallway and on the playground! The three of us are VERY happy being together! Mike is busy with school and work - and we are ALL excited he is over half way done with his MBA! He's gearing up and getting everything ready to go to China next month....we will miss him but what an awesome opportunity! We have had fun this month still swimming since it's been so hot out, we've also visted the Cabbage Patch Baby Land, and Emma has started Soccer! Kate is enjoying FUN BUS - which is a gymnastics program that is run through school. She loves tumbling! We hope all of you are doing well! Happy Fall!
Love,
The Barratt Family

Emma is FOUR!

Happy Birthday to our sweet Emma Jane who turned FOUR July 31st! It's hard to imagine where the time has gone....but she is the sweetest most enthusiastic little girl and we love her so much!

We've had a great month of July! Of course we started the month with Canada Day in Toronto with the Barratt clan and then enjoyed the Fourth of July in Columbus with the Duche clan. The girls loved swimming, fireworks, parades, and playing with cousins this month!

We also enjoyed a trip to St. Pete Beach and spent time with cousin Nicholas and Aunt Kathryn and Uncle Mark. The girls stayed at the beach from sun up to sun down. They even played at the ocean in the rain one day...but loved every minute of it!

We had some fun days at the aquarium, library, pool days, and park days! We even saw a wonderful play Alladin Jr put on by kids!

But of coarse, we've talked all about Emma's big birthday and she enjoyed her special day with family and friends celebrating at her favorite summer place...the pool with an Ariel Birthday Cake!

Now it's back to school....how quickly time flies!! Emma will be in Pre K, next door to mommy's classroom and Kate will be down the hall! Looking forward to the new adventure!

Lots of Love to you all,

Amy, Mike, and the girls

June!!!

We had a great and very busy month of June! We had campouts, visited the Butterfly Gardens for Father's Day.....we also continued and enjoyed swim lessons (the girls are pros now!). The highlight of our month was traveling to Toronto to see the whole Barratt Family. The girls met their cousins for the first time and played in their pond catching frogs for hours! We had a fabulous stay and enjoyed Canada Day with the whole clan!!! We hope to get back again soon! We also enjoyed our time in Columbus for July Fourth. The parade was an Ohio State theme this year (imagine that), and the fireworks were amazing!!!

Mike continues being VERY busy with work and school but balances everything like a pro! And he is so excited that he is HALF WAY done with his MBA program. I continue to get my new pre k room set up at the girls' school...and I am really looking forward to that new adventure!!!

Enjoy some photos and videos from our adventures this month! Hope summer is treatinig you all well!

Lots of Love,

The Barratt Family

Summer

Well, summer is officially here! We had a great month of May! The most exciting part of it was finishing up the school year! The girls are excited that mommy will be teaching PRE K in the fall at their school! Mommy is happy to be teaching at such a great place and happy to be with the girls all the time!

Daddy continues to enjoy his job and is working very hard at school too! He's half way done! Woo Hoo! He's also starting to prepare for his trip to China for work/school in October! What a cool trip that'll be! Wish we could all go!

The girls enjoyed a fun month of ballet, a trip to the lake with friends, gymnastics, and visits from family! They enjoyed a long weekend with Gramma and Grampa Bee - fun trips to the strawberry patch, the pool, the park, and Chick Filet of coarse!

Gram, Papa, Uncle Mark, Aunt Kathryn, and Nicholas came to watch Emma's very first ballet recital too this month! That was a special time for all of us! Emma was adorable and we were all so proud of her!

June is here and that too will be a fun month...swim lessons have started and the girls are already swimming around like fish!

We hope you all have a wonderful summer and hope to see you soon!

Love,

The Barratt Family

We are ready for summer!

April just FLEW by this month and now the countdown is on 'till summer! I have taken a new job which will start this summer and carry over into the next school year. I will be teaching Pre K at the girls' school. I couldn't be happier to be close to them and start a new adventure in teaching!

Mike is working hard as usual and is getting the recognition he deserves at work and at school! At school they are beginning to prepare for his big China trip too which will be this October. He ran a 5k also this past weekend to help raise money for ALS (Lou Gerhig's Disease).

The girls are always keeping us busy and enjoying the nice weather and being outside! They are ready for some pool time and LOVE splashing around in the water!

Hope all is well with everyone !

Lots of Love,

Amy, Mike, and the girls

Spring and Disney World!

What a great way to start off the Spring! We have had a great March! The girls continue to do gymnastics and ballet and love it, and mommy is counting down the days until Summer Vacation! We have enjoyed some beautiful weather and the girls LOVE being outside without jackets! Daddy continues to work hard at school and work, but always finds time to hang out with us...AND watch some BUTLER BASKETBALL TOO! Definitly proud to be Butler Alum!

Aunt Mel's wedding was really special and so much fun that it was on the beach! The best part of Spring though has definitly been going to Disney World! What a surprise mommy and daddy had for us! We had no idea, and we just rolled into the Magic Kingdom one day! We rode teacups, and Dumbo...met ALLL of the princesses, watched the parades, and enjoyed our special dinner in Cinderella's Castle at the Royal Table! Here are just a few of our favorite videos and pictures! Hope everyone had a great Easter....and hope your Spring is off to a good start too!

Love, Emma and Kate

Where did February Go?

Hi to family and friends! We've had a GREAT month but a busy one! It went so fast! The girls are well underway with gymnastics and ballet. They both love it! Emma is all signed up for her June Recital (June 5th) for those who want to come and watch!!! She just loves learning new things and is up every Saturday at 7am - dressed on her own - ready to go! Kate enjoys her gymnastics class too! Especially walking the balance beam! Kate also moved to a new class at school! She enjoys her new teachers and is already busy learning how to use the potty! She does it much more at school for her teachers than at home with us! Of coarse, the girls also really enjoyed the snow this month! Atlanta actually got a FEW inches! They enjoyed making a HUGE snowman with daddy and neighbors, and went sledding too! Emma of coarse enjoyed EATING the snow! I was out of town, and sad to miss it - but enjoyed the videos and photos! (See below!)

We have also enjoyed watching the Olympics this month! Daddy has enjoyed it too! We have been cheering for our NORTHERN ROOTS and wearing our Canada Gear! Hockey and Snowboarding have been our family favorites!

We now are ready for Spring! We are headed to Florida the first week of April for Aunt Melissa's wedding and then a trip to Disney! The girls don't know about Disney yet...in fact, they won't know until we pull up to the Magic Kingdom! Mommy and Daddy are SO excited for that!

Hope everyone is staying warm! Lots of love,

Amy, Mike, and the girls

January 2010

January has come and gone! We are ready for spring! We had a great month! It is hard to believe that Kate is 2 years old! She had a great birthday celebrating at one of her favorite places: the Merry Go Round! She also had a very exciting birthday because it SNOWED on her 2nd birthday and everyone was off work that day! The girls enjoyed making snow angels on the driveway and playing in (what was very little actually) snow! Only in the south!! The girls were also very excited to start gymnastics and ballet this month! Kate is in a mommy and me class and enjoyes doing summersaults and walking the balance beam! Emma is in a private ballet class with three other little girls, where she is practicing her ballet moves, and then she comes in to do some gymnastics. She too enjoys the balance beam and swinging on the rings! We will see if this sport is what the girls really get into! It's fun to see them smile while they are learning new things! We hope to stay well this spring after a rough few months of sickness. We took Kate to a specialist, where they definitly say she is an asthmatic. She is on some inhalers and Singulair to help fight off common colds, so we hope it does the trick! The girls both still enjoy school and their teachers and classmates! They continue to be VERY busy, VERY energetic, and LOVE each other very much!
Mike continues to work hard balancing school and work and us girls at home! We are very proud of him and all he's doing! He's got CHINA marked on the calendar for next October, which is very exciting!
Teaching keeps me busy and I'm counting down the days until Spring Break and then Summer!
We hope you all are doing well! Enjoy the photos and the videos below!
Lots of love,
Amy, Mike, Emma, and Kate