Our four day-long Christmas celebration!

I'm feeling old....

I got a phone call from my niece Tiffany this week, with the news she is engaged! How can that be, wasn't it just a couple years ago that she was a 2 year old in our wedding??? Wow, how time flies when you're having fun!

I want to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to Tiff and Nate, and looking forward to their wedding this summer. Thought I would post a picture of her and I at my wedding, and one of her and Nate the night they got engaged. She's changed a bit, but tell me I haven't aged at all....right?

Making Memories...

My favorite time of year has arrived, so I put our early Christmas gift to ourselves to good use and snapped a lot of photos and video while we were out getting our Christmas tree. This is the first year that Jaelyn has got anywhere near Santa without crying, so that made for good video:) The girls delivered their handwritten letter to Santa, which was filled with creative spelling. Here's what they asked for, along with the interpretations (every line began with Santa I want....):
~ a keD....a kitty
~a b geb....a Barbie Jeep
~a dog....no explanation needed
~and a picture on the back of the Barbie Glamour Camper




Santa with his letter....

Having fun....

Who's the Scrooge in this picture...

We want this one...

Josh showing his skills....

That's better....

Timber....

Cheap labor and a beautiful view of the harbor...

Great family fun....

Our Veteran's....

Spent our Veteran's Day thanking our own veteran in our house. Thanks Mike for your years of service! Josh called my grandpa to interview him for a class assignment, as my grandpa served in the Army during WWII. He was thrilled that Josh wanted to know about it, and shared some stories from the time he was stationed in India. I love hearing my grandpa's stories from when he was younger, and I hope my children cherish those stories as much as I do.

In honor of the day, Josh had his Pass and Review this week. He was selected to be the Guide-On for his platoon, which is an honor, and means he gets to carry the flag.

Orphan Sunday!

Today is Orphan Sunday. What are you going to do to help the millions of orphans in the world?

Orphan Sunday from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Seasons end....

So today was the girls' final soccer game, which I missed, because it was my volleyball team's sub-district day. We ended up playing three matches, and lost the last one 2-3, with the final game score being 13-15. Couldn't have gotten much closer than that! It was heartbreaking, but the girls played tough. The upside now is seeing Mike for two weeks before wrestling begins, and just being able to spend more time with my family. Wouldn't coach if I didn't enjoy it though, and I really did have a great group of kids and parents.

Check out this cute video Mike took at the game today. Kaia scores, but that's not the highlight:) Was a soggy field following a solid week of rain, but that makes it more fun, right? The girls were anxious to be back on the field after having to miss last week's game with the flu.




The girls spent the evening at our church's Trunk-or-Treat and trick-or-treating the neighborhood. Jaelyn was a kitty fairy, while Kaia was an angel. Mike said Kaia didn't want to keep the halo on because it was uncomfortable. Hmmm, could it be her little horns were getting in the way???

Homecoming....

Josh is at Homecoming even as I'm posting. He has had a busy couple of days, and thankfully he is the only one in the family who has stayed healthy! Kellen is recovering from bronchitis, the girls are going on four days of fevers, Mike is recovering from his cough/fever, and I am beginning to feel as if I may be losing the battle!

Josh was voted homecoming prince for the freshman class, so that involved a photo session, assembly, alumni tea, and football game (in the first big windstorm of the season) yesterday.


Tonight he, his date, and a large group of kids went out for Japanese food, then now, at the dance. Can't believe he's already old enough to be on a date!