Merrrrrry Christmas

Wow! What a great Christmas Holiday. The Sanker family has been very busy over the last few weeks. Christmas has already come and gone. Our Christmas was great. The kids were spoiled rotten. We were surrounded by the ones we love the most.
Ellie had the most beautiful Baptism on Sunday with her Aunt Adrienne, Uncle Danny and cousin Lincoln at her side. The "Other Sankers" were home for the holidays and were able to be apart of Ellie's special day. They are headed home and we miss them already.
Soon we will be celebrating the New Year and I hope the new year is as good to everyone I love as this year has been to me. I am blessed to be surrounded by my family and friends.
Merry Christmas 2007.....

We Got the Giggle

Finally! Ellie is laughing out loud! We are so excited. This is the quickest blog I have ever done. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as Mike and I did.

Yummy Yummy

Well as I promised here is Ellie Jane and her first food experience. I was surprised that she didn't make a terrible face. Today was my second day back at work and I was pleasantly surprised at how much better it was then the first. Ellie did great with Nana. She had some cereal and took a two hour nap. I was able to work for 5 hours with only taking one break to nurse her. I couldn't do this without my mommy. I am so fortunate to have her. I wouldn't know what to do without my supportive families. We are very blessed.

Emma's Class

Jingle Bell Rock

The Sanker Girls had a wonderful Christmas concert. This was Emma's first year in the band. All the performances were good and I recorded a few of them. Enjoy.

Hungry?

Is Ellie Hungry? That is the question. I think she pulled a Lincoln. She misses her cousin and wants to be just like him so she decided not to gain any weight during her third month. Ellie had her 4 month check up today and it did not go great. She gained 1 ounce. Then she got two needles and has been very upset since. Her doctor gave her the go ahead for rice cereal and we are hoping this will help with her calorie intake. I think my mom will also have an easier time with her while I am at work being able to give her cereal. I will report back how she does. The Holidays are here so she should have no problem packing on the weight like the rest of us.

It's a Girl

We are sooooooooo excited to find out today that my sister Karen is having a girl. She is due the first week in may. We can't wait to meet her. Congratulations Karen and Craig!

Busy Days

I have really wanted to blog more the last few weeks but life has been soooo busy. Annies Birthday was great. She had a Birthday party with lots of friends and family. She of course got too many gifts. This week has been really tough for me. I started back to work on Monday. I'm filled with sadness and guilt about it. I don't mind working part time but I don't feel ready to leave my baby just yet. I have been spending a lot of time searching for a stay at home job. That would just be perfect. I can't say that Shoprite has not treated me well. They have been really flexible for me. Well I just have to wait it out and see what happens. Everything happens for a reason right?

Happy Birthday Annie

Annie is now 7. My baby Is 7. Happy Birthday.

Playoff Weekend

The Sanker Family had an action packed weekend. Emma's team did great in the playoffs. They played two games yesterday and one today. The Calico Kicks won two of three games. We don't know the results of the round robin yet but I think they are in second place. What a great season. Mike and I enjoyed watching every soccer game and are looking forward to spring soccer. This weekend we decided to move the girls into separate rooms again. Annie is now sharing her old room with her little sister and Emma is all alone to enjoy her room......for now. Annie will for the most part have her room to herself because Ellie sleeps in our room and doesn't nap much. We are looking forward to this week and preparing for Annie's Birthday celebration this Saturday.

Happy Birthday Aunt Adrienne!!!!!!

We Love You. Heres Ellie singing for you.

Mitch and Drew

What a nice visit from the twins. We were really looking forward to meeting and spending time with Mitch and Drew and our time finally arrived. What delightful little angels. Lewis and Alexis are blessed with beautiful children. Time went fast as always and we hope to see them again soon. Unfortunately California is so far away. Well we sure did enjoy seeing them and wish them a safe trip home.

Friday Night

We had a fun Friday Night. Mike and I usually have very quiet weekends but this weekend is shaping up to be different. Last night we had a great visit from Aunt Amanda, Kieth and Uncle Bill. We spent a lot of time talking about the old days and the new. We pulled out the old picture albums which is always interesting. We really enjoyed having company. Ellie and I still made it to bed at a reasonable hour and her cold seems to be a tad better today. Today we are so excited because we are finally meeting Mitch and Andrew. They are the beautiful twins of Uncle Lewis and Alexis. They are a little over a year old and we can't wait to see them.

Back Tracking

I have to note that my computer issues have been plentiful these last few weeks which is why my blogs have been absent. I have to back track to mention a few things. Emma's regular soccer is over and playoffs are the first weekend in December. We are excited and will be rooting her on. Annie spent a night alone with her Nana and had a play date with Rebecca who Annie doesn't get to see very often. She went to a craft fair and got her face painted. I thought it was really cool so I took a picture. You would think the hat and scarf were bought at the craft fair too but it is an Aunt Megan original. Way Cool! Annie has a parade to do tomorrow night for girl scouts. The Sankers are now getting geared up for Annie's Birthday and Christmas.

Ellie's First Cold

Thanksgiving did not come and go without at least one sad thing. My sweet baby woke up with her first cold. Now it is a day later and we are getting worse. Ellie has been sneezing, coughing and dripping. Poor thing. We are doing everything we can to nurse her back to health. She is all bundled up with the hat her Aunt Megan made just for her. We hope she feels better soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wow! What a great day. We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. Nana, Pop Pop, Aunt Megan, Aunt Karen, Uncle Craig, Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Jenny all gathered at the Sanker household for dinner. Grandma not only brought the turkey, stuffing and gravy she also baked three pies. Nana made the carrot salad, sweet potatoes, rolls and also my favorite pecan pie. I made the mashed potatoes, green bean and broccoli cassaroles, corn and cranberry sauce. Everything was delicious. My moms really made it easy for me by making almost all of the food. After our food fest we were able to talk to Uncle Danny and Aunt Adrienne and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving. We miss them and can't wait to see them at Christmas. Uncle Kevin and Val were not able to have dinner with us but did come over afterwards for a nice visit. Thanksgiving always goes so fast and this year was no different. Our heads hit the pillows last night with full bellies and happy hearts.

A Present for the other Sankers

Emma's team has won again! We have another game this weekend. A make up game from the other week. My poor baby Annie is not feeling well. She went to Nana's last night and first thing this morning I went to get her. She had a fever and threw up in the car on the way home. We are all hoping she gets better fast. Yesterday Emma and I were out and about and came across this stroller being thrown out so we snatched it up. I hope the other Sankers like it. It seems to be a really nice double stroller. It rides very smooth. We can't wait to see if it works for Lincoln and our new cousin.

Thankyou Aunt Karen

We had a fun week. The girls had very little school this week. We enjoyed going to the Apple Farm and the Amish Market with Aunt Karen and Nana. This is a trip we look forward to every year. Aunt Karen brought a bunch of toys over for Ellie to use until her cousin arrives and is ready for them. This video is dedicated to her and baby. Thankyou we will take care of them for you.

Up and Running

Finally my computer is back. I must say I really missed being connected. I was not finished bragging about our run when the computer blew up. So here goes...... Out of 2034 finishing runners here is how the Sankers rate.
Aunt Jenny-725 place overall 31st of 93 in her age group with a chip time of 52:07
Daddy-711 place overall,66th of 134 in his age group with a chip time of 52:00
Mommy-726 place overall,27th of 148 in my age group with a chip time of 52:08

We did great. Next planned run is in the spring. The Broad St run is 10 miles. We are looking forward to that run and are considering training for the New York marathon next year. We will see.

We are the Champions

And the Winners are .........Aunt Jenny, Daddy and Mommy had a great run. We finished the Ben Franklin Bridge Challenge in under 52 minutes. We had chips on are sneakers so I won't know for a couple days our exact running times. We did extremely good for a 10k run. The girls and Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us at the finish line which was inside Cambell's Field in Camden. The run was beautiful and the weather was perfect. We Rock.

The End of a Season

Well it was a good first year of soccer for Annie. Her team did great and she really enjoyed playing with everyone. Pitman had a nice soccer party after the game .The kids had soccer cake and juice. Emma's team had a great game. They won and I think that puts them in first place.

Get Ready

Another Soccer Saturday has arrived. The Chili and Clam Chowder are in the crock pots and we are ready for another great Saturday. As you can see in this video Ellie is ready too.

I Feel Sick

November

There is nothing like waking up the day after Halloween with a sugar hangover. The night was a little rough but we all survived. November 1 st is all about treadmills and vegetables. The candy is going away for a long time. The biggest joke is on Emma and Annie because they both have see the dentist today. I guess you could call me mean. I think today is a good day to see the dentist. I'm hoping Ellie doesn't have a bad reaction to all the candy I consumed last night. So far so good. I hope everyone had as much fun this Halloween as the Sanker Family.

Trick or Treat

Emma, Annie, Ellie and Mommy went trick or treating all over Pitman. We had a great time. We stopped to visit the Riddell's house. Trick or treating was so much fun the girls went out again with Daddy while Mommy and Ellie handed out candy. Halloween is so much fun.

Spooktacular

The Halloween Parade at school was great. All the kids were dressed up in their Halloween finest. Emma and Annie looked great and had a great time.

Happy Halloween

Mommy's favorite day. We are getting ready for a fun day. Halloween parade at 2:15 for Emma and Annie. Hope everyone has a great day. Happy Happy Halloween.

Almost Halloween

After the fantastic lunch we took Adam and Jenny on a Hayride. The girls were very excited to pick their own pumpkins. Later that night we carved the pumpkins and made yummy Halloween cookies for Sunday school. Emma and Annie did a really great job decorating.

Super Soccer Saturday

Wow what a great day. One of the best soccer days yet. The only thing missing from soccer Saturday was the soccer. Both games were cancelled because of the rain but we still had lunch planned with the Sanker's and the Duble's. We had a great day. Aunt Jenny and Adam drove all the way from school to see Emma and Annie's games but instead spent the whole day with us. Everyone held Ellie who was delighted to see everyone. We had a nice lunch of Roast Beef and Pork Spare Ribs. I really hope everyone enjoyed being together as much as we did.

Pink Eyes

Annie joined us today at Ellie"s appointment because she woke up with pink eye. One of my favorites. Annie has not been feeling so great. She has had a cold and now it has moved to her eye balls.

Ouch

Today was Ellie's doctor's appointment. We did not escape needles today. Ouch. Ellie held her own. Mommy had a rougher time than Ellie. Mom and Dad decided to stagger her Vaccine's so she only had 2 instead of 5. I really felt that was too much for one day. Apparently a lot of parents request this so I didn't fell that bad. My little pork chop now weighs in at 10 lbs 6 oz's. So big and strong. Her doctor was really impressed.

15 Movies Later

I haven't been a good blogger. I will try harder. I have just about wasted the entire day trying to get Ellie to talk in a movie. We pretty much failed. The movie I picked at least has her making a few sounds. I will keep trying. Well the Sanker family is doing great. Ellie is getting bigger everyday. She escaped getting needles last week but will be getting them this Friday. I did however put Ellie on the scale only to be shocked to see she weighed 10 lbs 4 oz. This is a very unofficial weight because she was fully dressed with a wet diaper. I still can't believe it. Last week I finally got her to giggle. She sounded so sweet but now is being stubborn and won't do it again. All in good time. Emma and Annie both had a great soccer weekend. Annie scored the winning goal at her game on Saturday. Mom and Dad are soooooo proud. Emma's team beat the second place team three to zip so I think they are now in first or second place. They haven't lost a game yet. The whole family is getting ready for Halloween. I can't wait to see everyone all dressed up.

Lots of Fun

Our visit to Lockport was really nice. We had a lot of fun. The car ride up and back was long but really easy for three kids. Emma and Annie really enjoyed Lincoln. The first day the girls and Daddy climbed a rock wall at the local highschool. Danny was there to run it for the army so they were able to give it a try. They all made it to the top. Even Daddy. Saturday we went to the falls and rode on the "Maid if the Mist". What a great experience. Emma and Annie loved the boat ride. After the falls we went into Buffalo to the Anchor Bar to get wings. Yum. We have now been to the original home of the buffalo wing twice and I look forward to going again. Sunday we went to a farm where they had lots of activities for adults and kids. Emma and Annie went on pony rides, hayrides and a haunted "area 51". Mike and I did a little wine tasting and bought some apples. After the farm we went to dinner at a fantastic Mexican restaurant. I almost finished all three plates of food they set in front of me. Monday was a sad day because we were leaving. The trip home was long but at least we had the memories of the great Sanker Family Weekend to make us smile.

Wonderful Weekend

We made it! What a great trip. Thankyou so much other Sankers for a great weekend. The whole family had so much fun being with you. Lincoln is such a love. We really miss you guys already and are looking forward to a visit in November.

Ellie let Mommy cook dinner

Pop Pop and Ellie

Happy Birthday Daddy

The Sankers had a good weekend. Soccer Saturday was good with Annie's team losing to a very tough Black team and Emma's team winning against Lower Alloway. Sunday we had the Dish installed. This was an all day event but were happy to have it. Now we have all the channels we want and its less then Comcast. Monday was Daddy's birthday and we hope he had a great day. Mike got lots of fun stuff for his birthday. Now we are preparing for a road trip. Tomorrow we head for Lockport to see Lincoln. We can't wait. The girls are very excited.

Friday is here

The weather is finally breaking and it is going to be beautiful this weekend. Perfect weather for soccer. Annie has a game tomorrow at 11 and Emma's game is at 1. The Sanker's 5 had a very busy week. Annie started Brownies on Wednesday and is very excited. Emma has decided to play in the band so we are renting her a clarinet. She will be performing at this years Christmas concert. Ellie is doing better after a rough start to the week. My poor baby seems to suffer with belly issues. After talking with other moms and researching online I found something that really seems to work. I never heard of Gripe water before Monday and I wish I had. This homeopathic medicine really seems to help. The ingredients are for relieving gas, upset stomach, reflux and the dreaded Colic. So far so good but I need more time before I'm sure that its my miracle. The entire family is keeping their fingers crossed.

We are looking forward to next week. Monday is Daddy's birthday andThursday we leave for Lockport NY. Watch out other Sankers were a coming.

Ellie is so big

Mom is also very proud of little Ellie. Grandma and Grandpa watched the girls on Saturday night and Ellie was pretty well behaved. She is getting bigger every day. I am already putting clothes away because she is too long. I really wish they would stay little forever.

Soccer Saturday

Another Soccer day has come and gone. Annie's team did fantastic winning against the Green Team 3-1. Go Blue team! Emma's game was also action packed ending in a tie to a very good Paulsboro team. Go Calico Cats!

Pep

I am a very proud mom. My Emma has been picked to be in the Walls school enrichment program this year. Only a small percent (3-5%) of students are picked out of the third, forth and fifth grades. The school picks the students from teacher nominations, classroom performance and standerdized testing. I am so excited. We always new Emma was brillant. We recieved the letter from the school on Friday and the program starts in October. This is a great opportunity for Emma and I hope she gets a lot from the experience.