Photo book for 2011

After seeing how great all of my friends' photo books are, I decided to conquer the task of doing a year in review.  I have officially done absolutely nothing but run kids around, feed and bath them, and work on this book til 1am for the past 3 nights.......so here we have it!  I am proud to say I made the deadline of midnight to receive my 50% OFF :)  SUCCESS!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8AbsXDFo5YuXPg&cid=SFLYOCWIDGET

Check it out.  Hope you enjoy.  Someday I will surface and have more to write :)  Until then.......

gasping for air!

FA LA LA!

While ringing in this NEW year, I felt obligated to look at the lyrics for Auld Lang Syne after all of those years of playing it at midnight on the piano for my family.  I love all of the words but truly hung on to these:
Let's make a world where people care,
A world that knows no fear,
Where we can open up our hearts
And hold each other dear.

Our children grow, they need to know
The Future's theirs to hold.
If we can teach them how to love
Then the world can carry on.

For auld lang syne, my dear.
For auld lang syne.
We'll take a cup of kindness yet
For auld lang syne.
Wow, and to think for all of those years, I only knew the chorus!  What a beautiful song to reflect and continue marching forward after the passing of a year and a promise of a new beginning.

December was a busy month for the Kave family.  We began December in Vegas where we accompanied Matt on a business trip.  I am so thankful that I chose to go as we got to see all of the neat Vegas sites at Christmas time.  The girls were in awe of all of the decorations and endless Disney characters (umm begging for money, not truly excited to see my girls).  I had to have the "this is no Disneyland" talk with them a few times.  After threatening to make them use their money to pay these guys for talking to them, all of the running to see Buzz came to an abrupt halt!  We had a few moments where we had to divert the kids attention from seeing strippers on poles in the middle of the  mall to entertaining the thought that Vegas was alot like Halloween, just 365 days a year.  WHEW!  We toured most of "Europe" there and Alison really felt like she had been to Paris since the Eiffel tower could be seen from our pool deck!

Good times and lots of fond memories were made on that trip.  Glimpses of Daddy after work was the icing on the cake for us girls!

Well folks, I am embarrased to say that I do not even recall writing this and just found it so...better check out the photo book if you are interested in seeing the rest of it.....WOW!  crazy!

Madeline turns 3!

 We were so fortunate to have the Kave's here for almost 2 weeks.  It truly is never long enough but we made  every second count.  Two days in Lake Tahoe, sightseeing around Fallon, Madi's bday party and lots of great family time.  Can't wait until yall come back :)

 My favorite tree huggers~

 True Madeline fashion!

 Alison was in heaven with her Nina

 At Heavenly enjoying some R&R, kids were somewhere?

 Sweet birthday girl!

 So much fun with her friends in the park celebrating her special day

Yay for Daddy being home this time!  It was magical!

My baby turning 3 was crazy!  It seems like yesterday I was preparing for my c-section and Matt was holding my hand talking about the pretty foliage they must be having in VA!  This is an age that I would love to hold onto forever.  Every day is a new adventure and Madeline just makes a JOY out of everything!  I will cherish each day of this stage as I know it does not last forever!  I am so thankful to be her Mommy!

Alison's 6th bday and Halloween

so proud

we love our lil Daffodil and Minnie

shows Madeline's personality perfectly!

Meet Emily, the newest addition to our family!

It is hard to believe that my lil girl is now 6~  Where does the time go?  Alison has grown to be such a kind and caring little girl.  She is very concerned with how others feel around her and definitely lives to please! (can you say her Mother....this can be good or bad)  I pray that she is never a doormat and always follows her heart!  She has a true passion for life and is really enjoying kindergarten!  Everyday she wishes to make something for her teacher that she loves so much.  I love this stage because we have awesome moments, just chatting or enjoying a common interest.  If she doesn't pursue acting, I will be surprised because she wins the drama queen award wherever she goes.  Singing and acting is her passion and she hopes to someday be a rockstar!  The rockstar part makes her Dad so proud since he was a rockstar in a former life or atleast he likes to dream about it  :)

She was super spoiled this birthday and truly appreciated all of her gifts!  We broke down and bought her the American Doll that she has been wishing for all year long.  Our neighbor, Mr. Mike, wanted Alison to have a BIG girl bike as she has outgrown everything in the past year so he made that happen!  She was so excited to take her first journey on the cruiser and screamed " I love this bike!"  Now if she could just ride it to Mr. Mike's all would be right in her world!

Matt got home just in time to Trick or Treat with us.  We were thankful to have him along with us this year.  Missing Beaufort and our sweet lil neighborhood hayride tradition this year.  It was always so much fun to hang out with good friends, eat good food, and then spend all night riding around Telfair.  This year we put the girls in the wagon and cruised the neighborhoods here in Fallon.  People went all out on Halloween decor so it was fun to watch the kids explore each house.

We are looking forward to November and the opening of all of the ski resort fun we have in Tahoe.  We are sad to not be spending the holidays with the family this year but hope to make awesome memories with our Fallon family here!

Just realized I have not posted Madeline's 3rd bday so I will try to update now....in between dipping into Halloween baskets for a new sugar surprise! :)

Where did summer go?

It has been a busy couple of months for the Kave family!  The girls and I spent most of June back home in Virginia while Matt studied and worked on getting closer to his "murder board" for Top Gun.   We were fortunate enough to attend family weddings and see friends and family that we have so deeply missed.  Being surrounded by cousins and grandparents was such a gift and one that I have been missing since the day our plane left for the West coast again.

We took our first tent camping trip as a family in late July.  It was so much fun to just sit and roast marshmallows and not have a care in the world.  This is what I love about camping!  With no threat of rain here in the "oasis of the high desert", Matt and I were able to gaze at the stars until we fell asleep each night in the tent!  It is truly amazing how beautiful our sky is at night with nothing in sight but the stars and the milky way!  The girls had a blast and we are already looking forward to our next adventure outdoors..which brings me to my next point.....

After many years of wishing, hoping, and wanting, we finally got a boat!  Life in Fallon just got so much sweeter after bringing home OUR boat and taking it out for our maiden voyage.  Sunday was all smiles as we cruised around the Lake with our family and rode tubes and wakeboards!  Summers will be forever changed in the Kave household!  We are not looking forward to this boating year to end!

Fast forward to August.....  Matt is now "murder board" complete and we are so thankful for that chapter of Top Gun to close.  We are looking forward to spending time with Brian and Vickie in September and enjoying some much needed time off with family!  Alison starts full day kindergarten on August 24th and I am not sure how I feel about my baby leaving me 5 days a week!  Madeline will go to preschool twice a week and I will continue to volunteer one day a week at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society!  Time really does fly!

So as summer winds down, I will complete my first triathlon!  Matt has an Olympic Triathlon this weekend in Folsom, CA followed by my Sprint Tri here in Fallon the following weekend.  Here's to hoping I am still alive and can walk after the 20th!  I am really looking forward to crossing that finish line but my nerves are currently getting the best of me!  I will try to post an update after all of it is said and done!

Hope you all enjoy the pics and update of our last few months.  Miss all of Y'ALL!

Time flies when you are having fun!

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life! I was so blessed to have found you at 13 and held onto you forever. We are soul-mates and I cherish you for all that you have shown me! 10 years ago TODAY  I married my best friend!  I love that we can share in this adventure with our sweet girls!  I look forward to watching our wedding video tonight with them!

Just one week after Matt graduating from the Naval Academy, and 3 weeks after my graduation from Virginia Tech, we tied the knot for eternity. June 2, 2001 was my fairytale and I am so grateful to have shared our love with so many of our family and friends. Thank you all for your continued love and support! Here's to many more 10 year anniversary's!

God has worked in our relationship in too many ways to count. It has been HIS plan all along and we are enjoying the ride!   I dedicate this post in memory of a great childhood friend who introduced Matt and I over 18 years ago at the bus stop at Rockbridge County High School. John Camden, tonight we "cheers" to you! You were always our biggest fan! I am so thankful for you and that you were able to witness our wedding day! I wish you could still be with us today but you are always in our hearts. John passed away in a car accident in January 2008.

This passage is my foundation, my rock on which I stand!

Trip down memory lane........

Two love birds enjoying their first dance as Mr. and Mrs. Kave

Saying our vows

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I love you Matthew Brian Kave!  Happy 10 year Anniversary!  Thanks to our parents for showing us how to "love" and what it takes to have a long lasting marriage.  You all make us so proud and we are "us" because of you!  CHEERS!