Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's been a crazy last few months here at the Zito House and I totally slacked on the annual Christmas card, so this will just have to do. We are headed to Yorktown, VA to spend Christmas with my Dad and Maria. I haven't spent a Christmas with my Dad in 14 years, so it's long overdue. I'm super excited and Maddie can't wait to see Grandpa and Mimi. I'll be sure to take lots of pics and post them as soon as we are back in sunny yet cold TN. Merry Christmas everyone! We love and miss you all. :)

Utah Trip and Home Again...

Alright, so I'm being lazy and not blogging as often as I once did. But this time I have good reason. We took off to Utah 2 weeks ago and it's been a whirlwind ever since. Now that I'm back home I am enjoying the pleasant weather, but missing my family and close friends out West. We had a blast in Utah and it made me homesick all over again. I have to say "Sorry" to those friends that I didn't get time to hang with, but we are planning on coming back out in July, so there is still hope right? I have to say thanks to both sets of parents for letting us crash at their pads. Also, thanks to my step-dad Bruce for letting me drive the Ridgeline all over the Wasatch Front. Unfortunately, now Maddie says, "I hate this truck" because that's all I would say when I was driving it, (usually that statement came out when I was attempting to park the beast). I guess I'm just a small car gal, better tell that to my Pacifica. Enjoy the slideshow. Brandon took some pics of the snow out here in Johnson City, so yes it does snow here, but doesn't stick. I think I like that kind of snow best, you get the effect but not the messy driving conditions. I'm looking forward to Christmas and now counting down to July! I love and miss you all! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Maddie Moo!

Maddie's 3rd Birthday was November 25th. I can't believe my little munchkin is 3. On Monday her preschool had a little party for her. On her birthday we opened presents and ate cake at 8:00 a.m. We then had a Birthday Party at the Fun Expo on Wednesday. So it was party central this week for Maddie Moo and she deserves every minute of it.

Happy Halloween!

This week has been a crazy madness of Halloween nonsense! Maddie isn't even 3 yet and she had Halloween functions almost everyday this week! Luckily for her she had 3, yes 3, costumes to choose from. Originally she was going to be Tinkerbell, then last week she wouldn't stop talking about Supergirl. So, the pushover I am I found her a Supergirl costume and we were on our way. However, she also had a Snow White costume leftover from a Princess Party she went to earlier in the month. Decisions,decisions. So, on Monday she was Supergirl and we went to the Johnson City Public Library Halloween Storytime and Parade. Then on Wednesday she was Tinkerbell for the Ward Trunk or Treat. On Friday she decided to be Snow White for the Munsey Preschool Halloween Parade. Then later that night Brandon took her to the Butler's for dinner and Trick or Treating where she was AGAIN Supergirl! As you can see from the pics she had a great week and I am relieved that it is over, and kinda sad. Now, what to do with all this Halloween candy. Hmmm.....is that my stomach growling? Gotta go.

Down to Dollywood

Yesterday we headed to Dollywood with the Bensons. It was our first visit so we were pretty excited and didn't know what to expect. After a nice 2 hour roadtrip (thanks to Brent's skillful driving) we finally made our destination. Dollywood was great. The atmosphere was very family friendly and everyone was really nice. Since we went with the Bensons Brandon and I were able to enjoy some roller coasters. It's been over 3 years since we were able to go on rides and it was a blast. Maddie's crush Zach kept Maddie entertained and Sienna was just cute as a button the entire time. It was an all day affair and we've already marked the calendar for our next visit. I can't wait.

Jada's Princess Party

Maddie's friend Jada had a "Princess Birthday Party" today. The girls were told to dress as princesses and the boys were to dress as knights. We had a great time hanging out with our new friends and Maddie had a blast running around being crazy. As you can tell from the pics everyone had a great time. Check out the cake that Leah made. She is in a cake making class and I am always so impressed with her skills. Happy 3rd Birthday Jada!

Sharkie 500 and Stickley Farms Fun

This week-end we headed up to the Bristol racetrack to watch the Sharkie 500. You pay $10 for a foam shark that floats down a little creek. The winner gets a boat and the proceeds go to the Children's Hospital. There was quite the turn out, lots of crafts and fun stuff for the kids and it was free to boot! After the race (we are still hoping and waiting to find out which shark finished first) we headed to Stickley Farm Pumpkin Patch to get Maddie a Halloween Pumpkin. This farm was awesome. There was a pumpkin patch, corn maize, lots of playground equipment and a hayride. I'm not sure how many acres the farm sat on, but it was huge. Lots of wide open spaces for everyone to run around and kick back. Plus, the bluegrass music in the background and all the lazy dogs taking their afternoon naps added to the festive atmosphere. Good times.