New Driver!!!

Pasha received his driver's license yesterday morning. He graciously let me take his picture in front of the secretary of state's office after it was over. It was fun going with him. We got there too early, to went out to breakfast and then walked back over ---- he drove us home and then went off to Meijer to take the cans and bottles back as a SOLO driver! Congratulations Pasha!!!

Happy Birthday Nolan!

Sunday, December 13, Nolan celebrated his 12th birthday. We had a pizza party at home with the Wheelers. Pete made his famous white pizza and the kids ordered little Ceasars. Nolan slept most of the afternoon getting ready to have fun with his friends...you can see from these picturesthat he truly enjoyed the whole evening!
Happy Birthday Sweet Boy! I love You!

Candice Graduates!

Last Friday night we celebrated our beloved Candice's graduation from MSU with dinner at our house. Her Mom and Dad and sister, Meg were here along with some of our other sitters and friends. Aidan played the cello some during dinner and then he directed a version of the Nutcracker performed by the others for a few minutes after dinner. It was a fun and wonderful evening.
We are so blessed to have had Candice in our family to help with all that she has done for us...and we are so excited that she will be working in the Lansing area in her new career!
Congratulations,dear one!

Oh, Christmas Tree!

This is how many people it took--plus our photographer, Pete, to pick out two Christmas trees this year! The Wheeler/Kakela-Addison gang spent the day at the East Lansing Chili cook-off (not getting any chili because the line was too long), at the Christmas tree farm (not riding the train or seeing Santa because the train was too full) and finally stopping at Discount Trees and buying trees we can plant in our respective yards after the holidays...what a day!
It's always fun though when we get this many of us together!!!

My little Socialite

Buffy seems to get more birthday party invitations, and invitations in general than I can keep up with. Everyone else is always invited a lot---but she is constantly going somewhere with a 'very close friend'! She loves leaving home and never looks back! What's up with that kind of youngest kid and my baby, at that?

5th Anniversary on December 3rd!!!

On December 3rd we all went to Bravo with our friend, law partner and Buffy's adoption attorney, Mary Conklin, to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the '5 littles' adoption. It was a fabulous evening for everyone with lots of laughter and fun! What a great five years it has been. I love being the Mom to ALL OF YOU! AND I DO LOVE EACH OF YOU THE BEST!

A Midsummer Night's Dream

John is off at a cast and crew party tonight following the close of the ELHS fall play. His friend Burke talked him into working on the crew of a play at the end of their freshman year and he hasn't missed a crew of a play since. The Bio in the program which is written by each cast or crew member for themselves has John's picture in his beloved beret and reads, "John is a senior member of crew." We are very proud of you and how hard you work on the crew, John! Congratulations on another great play!

Alex and Ben's 7th Birthday!

Alex and Ben are turning 7 just about exactly as I post this...but have been celebrating since they passed out the cupcakes to their class on Friday afternoon. Here are just a few of the pictures from their birthday. Yesterday it was great that we had their Kakela/Wheeler party during that dreadful MSU-Penn State game so that there was something fun going on!!!!
Happy Birthday A and B --- we love you to the Moon and back!!! And I love being your Mom!

Visitors Night At Dance Class

This week and next is visitors week at dance classes. I visited Buffy's class without the camera. Pete visited Ben and Alex's and got these pictures. This is their third year of dance. I'm hoping to get pictures of Lilly and Jane next week.

Happy 18th Birthday Pasha!

Last Saturday, November 14th, Pasha turned 18!!! Yikes! He celebrated on Saturday with friends here at home by watching football, playing video games, getting his ears pierced!
Sunday we had our usual Kakela/Wheeler celebration! Lots more cake and food and gifts---no more piercings---what they do when they get "legal"!
Happy Birthday Pasha, we love you!

Junior Spartan Day

Today was Junior Spartan Day at MSU. MSU played Western Michigan (my dear Broncos) and we all went to the tail gate at Munn Arena and then Spartan Stadium. It was a beautiful fall day in mid-Michigan and the weather was perfect! The Spartans played beautifully and it was all and all just fun to take so many kids to a game on such a nice day!

1st Grade Soccer Under the Lights!

In East Lansing, First Graders practice twice a week in the fall but do not play games until spring soccer. Last year was the first annual "play one night under the lights". Jane played in it for about 30 minutes and we all left because it was so cold with rain, wind and sleet.
This year, Alex came home sick in the afternoon so he couldn't play. Ben took Lilly, Pete and me to the big soccer complex to watch him play three games under the lights! It was a wonderful evening. The Scorpions won all three games, had no goals scored against them, and BEN KAKELA scored the most goals of the Scorpions with FOUR!!! He had so much fun and was so tired!

Halloween Festivities

We're finally posting all of the many events and pictures from Halloween. We trying to decide about a new camera so we borrowed one of Doug's to try for part of Halloween. Some of the pictures are of the Thursday morning parade at Pinecrest. Some are of the pizza party at the Laxton's before going out trick or treating---one of the coldest, rainiest, yuckiest nights in years! I'm still looking for the pictures of the East Lansing Punpkin Walk on Thursday night---they may be on Pete's camera. Whatever. Nolan is a transformer. Aidan is a Ninja. Lilly is Hannah Montana. Jane is a movie star. Alex and Ben are some characters from Star Wars. Buffy is the Good Witch Glenda from The Wizzard of Oz....with a different crown because that one continued to fall off! Pasha went to a Halloween party at a friends house. John had friends over for a party.

Why we go away from time to time!

These are pictures from Ashlesy's camera when we were away one week-end. Our kids are always so happy to have Ashley come spend the night and have us leave --- now, I know exactly why! Good job, Ashley! We all love you!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I just left our neighbors, the Laxtons, where we have our annual pizza party / kid send off trick-or-treating Halloween Party.

Pete went off with the kids around the neighborhood with the other Dads and I came home to pass out candy. As I left, I told Julie and Brian and Brian's parents that I didn't think we'd be back for a sleep over tonight!

It was four years ago tonight that our house caught on fire and we spent the night---all 15 of us---with the 7 Laxtons! What great neighbors and what a wonderful family they are! It was fun to see Brain's parents again tonight and laugh about how many hundreds of pancakes Gary made that next morning to feed the 12 kids we had with us and the 3 they had...he and Marie really did make it fun!

On another note, I don't mean to sound like a show off or anything. But, as I'm waiting for trick or treaters, I'm opening the mail AND MY MAMOGRAM CAME BACK NORMAL AND I DON'T HAVE TO GO BACK FOR ANOTHER YEAR!!! Not that I was expecting anything else, but just so you all know.

That means, for any of you that have lost count, that this is the first year in four that I get to wait a year, instead of six months; and more importantly, when I get next years normal results, I will have been 5 years cancer free!!! Now that will be some Halloween celebration!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KATE AND RICK

Okay, so I have totally made a mess of this picture---and duplicated the mess, trying to wish my dear sister and brother in law a wonderful and happy 37th wedding anniversary!!! This is a great picture of Rick, but if I could fix it, it's a wonderful picture of the two to them! Yes, they were married before birth...because they both look to be in their mid to late 30's (to these eyes, anyway).
So, Happy, Happy Anniversary you TWO---and may you have many, many more wonderful and fun years together!
We love you both!
Mary and Pete

THANK YOU, RACHEL!!!

Our dear Rachel sent a wonderful box of South Korean treats and goodies a few weeks ago. We are slow to say Thank-you, but we so enjoyed every, thoughtful thing she sent!
Thank you, Thank you, Rachel! We were all so thrilled and had a great time opening that big box and looking at every interesting and unfamiliar and semi-familiar thing you sent!

Our Soccer Girls

Lilly and Jane's soccer games are coming to an end next Saturday morning. As cold and wet as it is getting...that's pretty okay with me. They have had fun, but it's a good time to end and start up again in Spring.
In the meantime, Ben and Alex are practicing twice a week and don't play games until Spring. However, they do have a scrimmage this Wednesday, under the lights at the BIG Soccer Complex. They are really excited!! Hopefully, I'll remember my camera.

The "Other" Homecoming in East Lansing

This was John and friends going off to the homecoming dance the at East Lansing High School the week before. Pasha and friends decided not to go and stayed home --- something to do with the game and the outcome the night before, I think.

A Very Happy Homecoming

Last week-end we had a great week end with JO-Ellen and friends for MSU Homecoming. As many of you know Jo-Ellen was the co-Grand Marshall in the MSU Homecoming Parade and Pete's football team was honored for it's MSU defensive record of the last 65 years...it was quite a week-end!
The attached pictures are some of the high lights. Needless to say, it was a week-end to remember!

Happy Birthday Aidan!

Happy Birthday to my sweet black haired baby boy, Aidan!!! I can't believe you are 11 today! What a wonderful fun birthday celebration you made for all of us!

Aidan decided to invite his friends to the "Zap Zone" for lazer tag and bumper car rides, pizza and cake. Tonight we had our traditional Wheeler/Addison-Kakela football watching, chili eating, birthday party celebration. At half time we sing Happy Birthday, eat cake and ice cream...then go back to the game!

Our sweet Aidan decided several weeks ago that he would like to celebrate his birthday with his friends, but he would like them to donate food to the local Red Cross food pantry instead of giving him gifts. He is worried about all of the people in our community who in need of food and clothing and homes and jobs.

We are so proud of him and his concern for others that we can't help sharing all of these fun pictures!

You're the best Aidan!!! We love you more than you will ever know!!!