Christmas 2011

 I didn't take many pictures as the kids unwrapped presents...I was too involved in watching them!  Christmas at our house was great!  All the kids were pleasantly surprised with Ipods (except Sidney).  We ate Good food and played the games we got and just laid around and had fun.

All Sidney asked for in the months before Christmas was "Hungry Hungry Hippos"...so she got it!

Rachel and Sidney (Sid is playing MY ipod...this happens a lot!)

Jenny

Coming to live at our house

 Our dryer died and our washer was making it's way to that same place and for two weeks I
 had to wash the laundry for a family of seven at the laundromat. 

Not fun.

So, it was time for two new things to come live at our house. 

Meet Washer and Dryer....

old ones all moved out

...thinks she's helping.....haha

Mr. Fix It

Woot Woot!!  Mommy is so happy now!  I can wash 17 pairs of jeans in ONE LOAD! 

Meghan's 13?!

OH Birthdays are so much fun!  Meghan wisely chose Dragon Hill for her birthday dinner and the family was super pleased!

Yay! Clothes!!

Happy Birthday Sweetcakes!  We love you!!

It's tradition

 ...in our community that Santa always rides a firetruck around the neighborhoods and throws out candy in December.  We LOVE this tradition!!  It's so fun for the kids!  This year we got outside early enough that we could hear the sirens for a long time and we watched and waited until he turned to come down our street.

...and he threw TONS of candy!  Oh thank heavens for Santa!!

Thanksgiving with the Cole Family

the "teenager table"...they are too cool for the rest of us

Love these 3 beauties!!  They all have their birthdays within a couple months of each other and are the same age.  They are becoming quite the gorgeous young ladies and so fun to be around too.

somebody loves HAM!

2nd grade Thanksgiving feast

 Being a mom and regularly volunteering in my children's classrooms is a joy.  Today I found myself helping in the Thanksiving Feast that they had.  All the kids were dressed as either Pilgrims or Indians.  No PC labeling here, just plain ole whatever the heck you want to call it labeling.  Anyway, it was a blast and I got to sit there and take pictures and basically make Jonathan regret that he had ever thought it was cool to have his mom help in the classroom.  :) 

That's what I am here for Son! 

Rachel's Reflections

Rachel submitted a poem this year to the Reflections contest and received an Award of Merit.  She got a snazzy looking medal and we are so proud of her!  Go Rachel!

Freaks and Geeks...

at our house we seem to have BOTH!

Karate

This little boy started karate in September.  We have been trying to get him involved in something for a long time and he just didn't want to do any of the things I suggested...no T-ball, no soccer, and no basketball.  Finally he said "Hey, what about karate?" 

So we found a place and he goes twice a week and LOVES it!  Seriously, besides Legos and Wii games, I don't know what else this kid loves more besides karate.

He has only been going for 2 months and is already a yellow belt.  And this week he tests to get his first red stripe on his belt. 

Go Jonathan!!

Halloween part 2

Halloween 2011

annual Halloween picture with our friends, the Bankheads...only this year it was just Porter!

Darth Vader

Smartie pants

The Wall

..and a Cheerleader

Halloween part 1

 As the kids get older, Mike and I find it a little easier to do fun activities as a family because we don't have to do everything anymore...we can actually just supervise.  This year, we went to our city's Pumpkin Walk and oooed and awed over all the awesome pumpkin carvings and kept saying "We could do THAT".  So we tried it.  Mike grew some Giant Pumpkin plants in our garden this year, but most of them just turned out average size and that ended up being okay.  Hence, we had perfect sized pumpkins for carving and one for everybody.  So we got to work!

We ended up with a Mickey Mouse, a witch in a moon, 2 Angry Birds, a skeleton head with flames, a vampire smurf, and some regular jack-o-lantern faces. 

it makes me grateful

 ...everyday that I have a 12 year old brave enough to climb a tall ladder to pick the apples for me.  She's a keeper!

 It also makes me grateful to see the bounteous harvest for that one tree and how blessed we will be to eat apples from it clear into January, plus applesauce for months to come. 

Cub Scouting again...

 I love Cub Scouts!  If I could serve anywhere in the church besides Young Women, I would choose Cub Scouts hands down.  Love what it's about and how it teaches young boys the skills they need to be great young men and then later, men.  When I served in Cub Scouts 5 or so years ago, all my kids loved going to the Pack meetings and doing the activities.  The closer Jonathan got to his birthday, the more excited he got for scouts and the fact that it was HIS turn to do it for real now.  His first Pack meeting was a mere 3 days after his birthday.  He hadn't even been to a den meeting yet!  It was a Bike Derby, as you can see by the picture below.  He had so much fun!!

ready for the Bike Derby

 The second Pack meeting was last month and it was Space Derby.  That's a lot of derbys, I know.  But the boys have thoroughly enjoyed them!  Jonathan had to make a space rocket thing and it would propel itself across a wire after it was wound up tight and that's how they raced.  Jonathan came in 2nd in both rounds that he raced.  Good solid performance!!

 Jonathan also earned his Bobcat and was awarded with that at this Pack meeting.  In our Pack, the Den leaders paint their faces as the Cubmaster talks for their Bobcat award.  It's always a highlight and Jonathan thought it was cool to get his face painted.

(I don't know why he does Bug Eyes, except he must think it's funny...)