Happy New Year!

Ringing in the New Year with style!!

We enjoyed food and fun with our family playing Minute-to-Win-it games, Tenzi, Wits and Wagers, Left Right Center (cash prize over $50), and finished the evening with a couple games of Mafia.

Happy New Year!

Can't wait to see what's in store for 2018!!

Santa is Coming!

We made our traditional sugar cookies for Santa.

Santa is going to love eating those!!

My favorite newer tradition is our family gift exchange where the kids draw a name and buy a gift for each other. We open those on Christmas eve and it's always a good memory!

Goodies out for Santa and the reindeer!

Our Christmas tree looks so pretty when all those presents finally get put under the tree!

Merry Christmas!!

Santa Pics

Austin decided he would skip seeing Santa this year to hang out with a friend.

Mikayla finally got to ask Santa in person for that hamster cage and food hoping perhaps we would give in and get that hamster.

Brooklyn was soooo excited to see Santa.

She asked for an "Ameri-doll" as she calls it (aka American girl doll).

Katelyn was too scared to sit on Santa's lap but eventually gave him a high-five and a hug.

Dear Santa

Mikayla wrote lots of notes to Santa and put them in her stocking for our elf Molly to deliver to him.

Here are some of my favorites:


Dear Santa: have I been good? yes or no
Dear Santa: Just saying Katelyn loves you and Brooklyn because you give them toys.
Dear Santa: I hope you enjoy Christmas and do you really give coal out?
Dear Santa: I hope you have a great Christmas. Give the reindeers carrots and thanks for the        presents!
Dear Santa: Tell Molly the elf that I really like her and she is the best elf ever.
Dear Santa: I sorry to ask you but how old are you?
Dear Santa: Please eat all of the cookies unless you are full.
Dear Santa: I know Brooklyn wants some American girl doll clothes and more things but she wants
                    an American girl doll the most!
Dear Santa: Do you get sleep?
Dear Santa: I know my mom wants Ticket to Ride and its a game. I think she needs good presents.
Dear Santa: Is it hard to make all those presents?
Dear Santa: I know you do so much work and Christmas is all about celebrating Jesus birth.
Dear Santa: I needed to remind you that I really need a hamster cage and hamster food but enjoy a joyful Christmas.

Love Mikayla

11 years old

Birthday celebration for Austin included pizza, bowling, indoor soccer in our game room, and a sleepover although I'm not sure what time those boys will finally went to sleep!

Austin's favorite passion is soccer. He loves to go to practice and games and plays every chance he gets. He also loves playing disc golf, basketball in his room, and Roblox on the computer. He is a great friend and gets along well with others. He can be quiet and reserved, but get him in his comfort zone and he will talk your ear off. He wears the mantle of being the oldest kid in our family very well and sets a good example for his younger sisters. He is smart, funny, and a great kid!

Happy Birthday Austin!

More December Fun

It's always a fun time at activity days!

Brooklyn did a fantastic beam routine, Mikayla did a flawless vault jump, and having gymnastics with your cousin makes it even that much more fun!

Katelyn's Christmas wish come true! She loves Minnie Mouse!

Rudolph was an added bonus!

Spectators at Austin's indoor soccer game.

Ice-skating fun with these two! 

Funny how when I get out with them alone I realize they are actually pretty cool kids!

Girl time at the Pioneer Woman Lodge and Mercantile

For the last 4 months Katelyn has been going to a class called Movin' Monkey's and absolutely loves it! She has the most fun and creative instructor. There is movement, and music, and storytelling, and an obstacle course which is her favorite! I love getting to spend this time solely focused on having fun with her with no other distractions. It is the highlight of her week!

I love it when I'm picking up around the house and come across something like this.

Colorhouse fun

Just because she's beautiful!!

I have two very handsome men in my life.

Christmas Activities

Breaking in the Christmas season with gingerbread houses. Austin finished the fastest, Mikayla put on as much candy as she could, and Brooklyn got more candy in her mouth then on the house.

Activity Days Christmas Party

Mikayla makes a very cute present indeed.

We made it out to Woolaroc to see the Christmas lights, have hot cocoa, and visit Santa.

I finally caved to the pleadings of Mikayla to make "Gingerbread men that run away".....and run away they did until we decorated and ate them. She's a believer of all things magical!

Enjoyed some 1:1 time with this cute girl at her Pre-K Christmas Ornament Party!

First time to go see the lights at Rhema Bible College and they were fantastic!!

We will definitely have to come back to see these lights again next year!!

Light the World

To help keep Christ in our thoughts this Christmas season, we participated in our church's Light the World initiative: trying to do something everyday to serve whether big or small.

A few pictures of some of those things:

Sang in our church choir for the Nativity Christmas Program.

Also sang The First Noel with my sister-in-laws for the Nativity Christmas Program.

We volunteered with the kids to take a shift filling up the cookie plates for the Nativity Refreshment Room. They did a great job and had a fun time doing it!

We all bought a drink for someone one day: the kids bought chocolate milk for a friend at school, Craig bought a drink for a co-worker, and I took a friend some peppermint hot chocolate--her fav!

To our neighbor: thank you for being a great neighbor and letting us get the toys that have gone over the fence. Hope you have a Merry Christmas!
Love: Austin, Mikayla, and Brooklyn

Blessing bags to go in each car for when we come across someone in need.

Christmas Caroling as a family to some of Vicki's neighbors--a yearly tradition.