Christmas 2010!!!

This year- Christmas was great!  Not only did we 'score' with these two battery powered cars.  (Our friends' kids didn't use them anymore...so we offered to take them off of thier hands and put them to good use!) We scaled down the 'gifting' and focused more on quality instead of quanitity!!!  We spent a lot of time together as a family having fun and doing things together!  We went sledding, played games, watched movies, went shooting and just had a nice relaxing holiday!!  We were hoping to get some family to come to town... but that didn't work out-- so --we were happy to just have each other!!  The older our kids get... the more I realize how precious and special this time is with our children!  Our oldest son will be gone in less than 5 years!! After that-- it will only go faster!  So, instead of being lonely and wishing for visits from grandparents and relatives... we tried to focus more on having fun and enjoying the family right in our midst!!  We are so blessed to have these wonderful children in our home-- they are so much fun and bring us so much joy!  We really like hanging out with them!!  

The new 'Mustang'!!  It even has a radio that works!!!

 Cutie pie in her pink jeep-- she however, could use some driving lessons-- she is a horrible driver!!!!

 #1 got some really nice binoculars for spotlighting-shooting-critters and a graphing calculator

 #2 got his long wished for 17 HMR rifle-- He LOVES IT!!!

 #3 Got a digital camera!! It's even turquoise!!!

 See the DOG???

 He better hang on.. she is not trustworthy!!!

How cute is that???

 All 'GQ' and everything!! Just chillin in the STANG!!!!

The dog really likes our new RIDES too!!!  He just sat there and let them drive him around!  It was so funny!!!

Snare Traps & Hayrides!!

#2 decided to do "How to make a SNARE" for his HOW TO project at school!  So why not try it out, right???? With the determination and persistence that only #2 has.... he made about 50 homemade snares,  checked them twice or three times a day and after using a whole spool of  wire... and many hours of bending wire....he finally caught something!!!  The poor little critter got snagged around the waist-- it was awful!!  I didn't think he would catch anything!  After he proved us wrong with his catch.... he decided to start digging bunkers for the next big neighborhood airsoft war!!!  It is always some kind of project with him!! HAHAHA!! Boys!!!

On a less disgusting note.... We have started a tradition the past few years of having a hayride on Christmas Eve. We go throughout the neighborhoods singing Christmas carols and looking at Christmas lights.  This year, we seriously underestimated our combined gross weight and bottomed out our trailer... so the adults took turns riding in the suburban while the kids sung and had a great time on the trailer!! Next year... we either need to get a bigger trailer or eat less Christmas goodies!!!   This is 'shortly' before departure....

 Notice the shorts!! Don't let that fool you--- it wasn't that warm-- all of the rest of us had coats on!!!

Happy Christmas Eve!!!

She is THREE!!! (and has been for a whole month!!)

So... we are only a month behind, but our little #5 has turned THREE!!! The whole week before her birthday.. we were telling her that her birthday was coming and that she was going to be three!!  Not knowing if she understood or not... when the day finally came-  she was thrilled that it was her birthday! She was so happy and cute all day long!  Everything we did was, "because its my birthday!" She got to wear what she wanted- a lovely dress-up dress with about four other frilly-puffy skirts underneath it... I made her a tinkerbell cake with yellow and pink just like she asked, she got a baby stroller and some pretty shoes for her birthday and a doctor kit.  Overall, she had a great day.... UNTIL we took her bottle away... because she was three!  We felt like rotten parents to ruin her day.. but we had been waiting and putting it off long enough.. so we told her when she turned three- she wouldn't get to have bottles anymore-- she was great with that until she actually turned three!  She screamed at us for about 45 minutes.. then finally fell asleep-- the next couple days - she would ask where her bottles went... but she got used to it pretty quick!  I don't even think it totally ruined her day... just the end of it!!  She is such a cutie-- she loves to snuggle and hug! She absolutely ADORES her dad and worships the ground he walks on!  She will just sit and rub his face and kiss his cheek!!  She also reminds us all to be nice all day long- not that I ever need reminding--ha --and keeps us all laughing!  She is such a sweetheart! As long as we don't cross her!  When we do....watch out!! She is also a SUNBEAM and POTTY TRAINED!!!  Whoot!!  We have made great progress this last month!!  It actually makes me a little weepy!  She is growing up too fast!!