Annie is 8!!!

According to Annie, "8 is GREAT" - she really had a fun birthday week and is appreciating for the first time how fun it is to have a St. Patrick's Day birthday!!

Check out her "Club Penguin" cake made by friends and incredible cake designers here in Celebration Terri and Melissa - [the image I sent to them that Annie designed and the final product] isn't it amazing?  Annie did not want to cut it and even when we did it was little by little and after 10 days I told her we HAD to finally part with it!!

She had a great time with some of her closest friends at a pool party at the Artisan Park pool and summer kitchen at the end of our street.

Time sure flies - she is growing into such an incredible girl and we are so proud of her each and every day.  Sniff, sniff!!

10 OUTSTANDING Years!!!!

Happy, Happy 10th Anniversary to the best husband and father I could ever ask for!!! It seems like just yesterday we stood in front of our cherished family, friends and industry colleagues and exchanged wedding vows on that perfect February afternoon. What an incredible and dare I say, 'outstanding' ten years we have had together!!

As we watched our 'wedding movie' tonight with Annie and Gracie, it was bittersweet to see and hear all of those very special people who were there with us that day but are no longer here: Grandma Rose Grinnals, my Grandpa Harry Emerick [who did not make it down to Florida to the actual wedding but was there with us in spirit that day], Aunt Rita Hunter, Cele Lalli and Nate Weil. How lucky we are that we have their memory preserved forever in film and on video. What a gift.

The top photo still tells the tale of the way I feel when I look at Patrick - he is the one who makes me smile, who supports me in every single thing I do and who loves his family with every fiber of his being. And oh yeah, who makes me giggle like a schoolgirl!

I love you sweetie - thank you for the best 10 years of my life! To many, many, many more!! R.

Valentine's Wishes!

Hi from Annie!! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!!

Littlest Soccer Star!

The newest Grinnals soccer star has entered the game! Gracie is loving her first soccer experience and she thinks her coach is the best ever! Coach Patrick [aka "Daddy"] is having a ball with the 4-5 year olds this season - Go team TIGERS!!!!

p.s. Exciting week last week - Gracie scored her first GOAL!

Out of the Mouths...

From Gracie the other night at bedtime:

"Mommy - How did God paint me??"

Highlights from our '07 Christmas Card Shoot!

*Special Thanks to Stacey Kane for capturing these special moments!

ADORE...

How amazing is this!?! I am so thrilled that I had Stacey Kane shoot my Mom and Dad with the girls during their session last month! It was a very impromptu thing and I am just so tickled to have these images. I only wish that Gramma Patty had been with us - but all the more reason for more sessions with Stacey the next time she is here in the spring!!!

We are all so blessed to live so close to each other and the bond that Annie and Gracie have with Gramma Bee and Papi Don ['Big Don' as Annie calls him!] is priceless. This quick collage [you can click on the image to enlarge] she designed says it all: ADORE: cherish, shower with hugs + kisses, love and respect deeply. I couldn't say it any better myself! We adore you Mom and Dad and are deeply grateful for all that you do for our family each and every moment of each and every day!

Aunt Kathleen On Her Way Here!!!

We are SO excited! Patrick's sister Kathleen [aka "Aunt Kate"] is arriving in the morning to spend the holidays with us straight from the island of Pulau [near Micronesia] where she has just wrapped filming the 10th season of Survivor! [her 3rd one on the series]. She is a producer with Mark Burnett Productions. We all cannot wait to hear all of her tales of her amazing travels and life experiences gained over the past year since we saw her last! She has been in Dominica [filming the series "Pirate Master"] and then was in China and most recently Pulau. We will only get her for a few quick days before she is off again to destinations unknown for the next 2 seasons!! Check out the pics of her in Pulau diving and swimming with the dolfin's in the wild!

She is just the coolest, most laid back and super fun Aunt/sister/sister-in-law and we are just totally psyched to hang with her for the next few days!! Updates and more pics to follow for sure!

Uncle Doug, Jimmy Buffet, The New Orleans Saints and a Racehorse!

[New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on left, Jimmy Buffet in red and Doug to immediate right of Jimmy aboard his boat "Last Mango II" in Miami last February during the Superbowl!]

[The official 'Doug Miller' executive headshot from the New Orleans Saints website [which he is totally in charge of! Click on his photo to read his latest bio!]

Ok - quiz time: what do Uncle Doug [my little brother!], Jimmy Buffet, The New Orleans Saints and a Racehorse have in common?

Turns out - quite a bit!! Doug is a part owner of a racehorse named 'Pulaski County' along with Jimmy Buffet and a number of notable New Orleans Saints including head coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees, General Manager Mickey Loomis and his boss Greg Bensel, Vice-President of Communications! Racing under the "Last Mango Racing Stable" the horse had its second 3rd place "show"today [the first race was on Thanksgiving day].

So. Much. Fun!

Barb and Don were there today for the race - they said it was great and really exciting! You can visit the official website for the whole back story - but in a nutshell - when Doug and the others were in Miami last February for the Superbowl [which the Saints came heartbreakingly close to playing in!] they spent some time with Jimmy Buffet [a HUGE Saints fan!!] and after many Landshark beers they cooked up this idea - and less than one year later here they are!

This is a fun article from the Times-Picayune about the endeavor! Leave it to Doug - never a dull moment!!!

Visit with Santa '07!

One of the highlights of the Christmas season is the visit to Santa in Downtown Celebration!! We took the girls earlier tonight - this was the first year that Gracie has been bold enough to actually talk with Santa and sit on his lap. She was just beside herself with anticipation all day and so excited - I wish I could bottle it up! She wanted to wear her Santa sweater [at least 2 sizes too small!] and matching hat and besides a few anxious moments and tears at the last minute - she did warm up enough for a sit on the big guy's lap!!

Annie took a break in between her two Celebrate Gymnastics team performances downtown to pop over and visit with him - which explains the outfit! She made us very proud and is really loving being part of the team. She was also excited to debut her new 'do' - a shoulder length bob!! Santa loved it!

So far - there are more 'nice' moments than 'naughty' ones so heading into this final week odds are good that Santa will deliver on their lists...but we will keep you posted!

Our Soccer Girl!

Here is Annie's official soccer portrait from this Fall season. This is her 3rd season playing Celebration soccer and besides having her friends on her team - the best part about soccer is her coach...Daddy! Coach Patrick is enjoying coaching and soon needs to decide whether he will take on double-coaching duties when Gracie enters the league - starting this winter!!

Annie is growing up so fast and this past week has added Musical Theatre and Jazz to her already busy line-up of activities which include soccer, piano lessons, the gymnastics team. So much for my vow to not overschedule my kids!!! We will take stock over the holidays and decide what we want to do in the new year - but judging by her enjoyment of everything - she will choose to keep them all!!

The Elf on the Shelf!

The Elf on the Shelf arrived today to our house!! The girls are SO excited! They have named our Elf - "Nip" and he has been assigned to our family by Santa to watch over us and report back to the North Pole each night on who is naughty and who is nice...then, each morning until Christmas, "Nip" will reappear on a new shelf in our house and the girls have to find him! We will let you know how it all goes - so far, so good! "Nip" will go home with Santa and the reindeer on Christmas Eve and then return to our house next Thanksgiving night!!

Update From Annie: International Festival

Hi again i havent bloged for a MONTH!!! se these pic's these first ones i am doing gymnastics i can do a bridge from a stand!!! and the ones below are from me and my friends dancing for the international festival for my school!!!!!!!!!!!! Love Annie

Annie+Gracie in Cayman - Spring '07

[Special thanks to the awesome Rebecca Davidson for shooting these priceless images of the girls! Also - to hear the music for this slideshow - disable the sound from the Xmas post and click on the sound icon on this one!]

Happy Birthday to Gracie!

Happy, Happy 4th Birthday to our dear, sweet Gracie!!!! This special little girl has brought such pure *joy* to our lives for these last 4 years. Her happy, smiley, goofy personality is infectious and she just lights up a room when she walks into it! And those freckles --- oh those freckles!!! We just cannot get enough of this kid!!!

She is beloved by all of us and, as Patrick says, "She is all that's good..."

We had a great time at the Montessori School International Festival where both Gracie and Annie performed with their classmates and then as a big surprise everyone [a few hundred people!] sang Happy Birthday to her while she was on stage and she handled it like a pro!!

Happy birthday sweet girl - may you continue to be such a magical thinker and to spread your happiness to all whom you meet. We love you right up to the moon and back!!!

Mommy, Daddy, Annie and your adoring Grammas + Papi Don too!

Halloween in Celebration!

Check out our little Spanish Dancer and Ladybug!!! They had a blast and are of course enjoying the candy coma that comes with it [as are Mommy and Daddy...]!!

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch!

One of my favorite evenings of the year - the visit to the Celebration Pumpkin Patch held at our Church - Community Presbyterian Church of Celebration. The girls loved picking out their favorites {and posing for pictures as you can see}...they seem SO big to me all of a sudden! There were some parents there with infants and they were propping them up among the pumkins for pics - and I was very nostalgic to think that it was not too long ago we were doing the same...time really flies - just trying to hold onto every precious moment!!!

Stacey Kane coming to Celebration!

I am SO excited because the AMAZINGLY talented photographer Stacey Kane is coming to Celebration next weekend. I have been working with Stacey for over a year now in the wedding-side of life. She came down from Maine last Spring and shot Kathryn and my new headshots for the EC website and is coming back to shoot our girls for holiday cards!

If anyone is interested in this special opportunity to have one of the BEST and most respected family/children/wedding photojournalists in the country [her work has appeared in Martha Stewart Weddings, In Style, People, US and a number of books to name just a few!] get in touch with Stacey to set up a time to meet up with her in Celebration or over at BoardWalk [great background locations there!] where she is staying. Sessions are $150 with all photos posted online afterwards. Her email address is: stacey@staceykane.com or phone is 207.653.2356 - she will be here Oct. 19-22nd. Check out her blog for some of her latest work!

Cleaning and Crossword Puzzles

Crack us up - Check out Gracie in action doing the dishes and working on her crossword puzzles...hmmm, perhaps a reflection of spending so much time with 'the Grandma's?' :)

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

Last week brought much needed cool(er) breezes so PG and the girls broke out the kite and had some fun in the park in front of our house!