Easter Weekend

Last weekend, for Easter, most of our family travelled to NY to be with the Virkler family. My sister and I drove my car up on Friday. On the way, we stopped to get lots of candy and eggs so we could do an egg hunt with some of my little cousins that we were staying with. 

We bought a lot, and I think Josh & Kate's kids were thrilled!! 

Saturday morning, we woke up to snow. I shouldn't have been surprised; after all, we were in NY.  

Happened to capture this picture and thought Timon's smile was perfect! 

I always forget to take pictures when we're with family! 

Easter 1998.

Since its Throwback Thursday, here is me and my siblings. Easter 1998. 

Zechariah 9:9

Palm Sunday.

Valentine's Day

Every year, my grandfather buys my mom and her 3 sister's flowers for Valentine's Day. My dad was impressed, so he started the tradition numerous years ago with me and my sister! And every year, he buys me red roses because those are my favorite. This year, however, no red roses were being displayed like these roses, so he chose these instead. Although he apologized for no red roses, I still love him and think they are very pretty :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend, my uncle and aunt came down to visit from New York. 

Saturday, we went on a day trip down to the shore. Our first stop was Mystic Aquarium. 

Here's mom and dad on the Titanic:

Hanging with the penguins:

Next we went over to the U.S. Naval Submarine Base where we got to tour the USS Nautilus. If you live in the area, I would totally recommend this!

Then we went over to Harkness to enjoy the shore a little bit. 

And here we all are at dinner Sunday night:

Strawberries & the 4th of July

A couple weeks ago, I made dad go strawberry picking with me. We had fun, even though it was hot outside. 

All ready for the freezer!

Have you ever had applesauce blended with frozen strawberries? You should try it. 

For the 4th of July, we went to my uncle and aunt's house for a picnic and a little farewell party. My cousin, Brian, who's 11 years old, leaves tomorrow for Alaska for a couple weeks. 

Here's my patriotic pretzels:

And my patriotic cake pops, which were a HUGE hit! 

And here's Brian with his Alaska bound/4th of July cake!

Early Father's Day Surprise!

How cute is this little girl??

I surprised my dad a few days ago with a Siamese kitten for Father's Day. Here's the background: We have always had cats and kittens at our house, for as long as I can remember. Dad is always talking about how he grew up with Siamese, and he is always saying that someday he is going to get one. A couple years ago, I asked mom if I could get him one for his birthday. She said absolutely not. So a few months ago, I decided that I was just going to get him one for Father's Day, and I wasn't going to tell mom. It took a lot of effort and planning the past few weeks, but it was worth it! 

Here's the video of the surprise! 

She has the cutest little cry!

Still waiting for dad to name this baby girl! 

:)

Mother's Day

For Mother's Day, we went to my Uncle Lenny and Aunt Deb's house. Everyone was there except for my Aunt Cathy. A fun time was had by all. 

Unfortunately the only picture I got is one of me and my sister. I have been slacking lately with getting my camera out.

Valentine's Day/Gramp's Birthday

My Valentine's Day flowers from dad. This yearly tradition is pretty special! 

 Valentine's Day also happened to be my grandpa's birthday. That weekend, we surprised him with the whole family out to eat at the Somer's Inn. It was fun, but I didn't take a lot of pictures.

Here's the video that my sister took when they walked in the door:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving a day late! I spent yesterday with the Stomberg clan. My parents and siblings went to New York so I'm enjoying the peace and quiet to get my schoolwork done!

Labor Day Weekend

This past weekend, our young group invited a bunch of other young group's to come to CT for the weekend. We had 150 visitors, for a group total of 200 people! It was a fun weekend though. 

If you follow me on Instagram (svirkler), then you've probably already seen these photos. But feel free to look at them again :)

On Saturday morning, I made Blueberry French Toast for breakfast. It was delicious, if I must say so myself!

 My cousin, Elisabeth, and me. I'm so thankful she finally made it to CT after not coming for 7+ years! 

My 4th

For the 4th of July, we went up to East Longmeadow to watch the parade. See last year's parade here. After that, we went back to Uncle John's for a picnic since we had family here from New York. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures there. I didn't stay too late since I was flying out very early the next morning. 

 Isn't he just so cute??

Aaliyah was sitting on my mom's lap and this clown came over and told her to come here. He reached for her hand and she went right away! It was adorable!

:)

Happy 4th!