New Year's Eve

Our tradition is to spend the evening with Jeff's best friend's family.  We don't see much of the kids since we don't get together too often so they disappear giving us time to talk and catch up.

Of course we have to end the day with birthday cake for Brenden.  (It's the only time I take cake into their house.  Jeff's best friend has an egg allergy.)

After cake we toast in the New Year.  This year we all said one thing that we wanted to work on in the next twelve months.

Then we put the three youngest to bed and let all the older ones stay up as long as they stayed upstairs.

We had plenty of fun and were tied this year in our euker (sp?) games that are also part of our tradition.

Tabitha really fought going to sleep and it was late when I finally lulled her to sleep in the van.   We also left earlier (sooner) than usual because we had 9am church in the morning. 

Brenden's Ten!

 Brenden is the only one who gets his birthday presents put under the Christmas tree.  The piano (typically where we place presents) is too full this time of year.

 Grandma & Grandpa were able to come for the late morning festivities.  Grandma ended up playing beauty parlor with the girls.  Brenden was good natured about it.

 We ate lunch and then it was time for presents.

 Athletic outfit.

 A good read.

 And a transformer all from Grandma & Grandpa.

 I love this picture of Kristiana and her Grandpa.

 He wanted a simple chocolate cake with chocolate icing.  He also really wanted the number ten on his cake so he traded candy decorations for them.

 Jeremy came home from camping with the scouts around 3pm.  Grandma and Grandpa were gone, but the festivities were continuing.  Once Jeremy came home we did the rest of the presents.

 One present was for all of them so we had them all open it.  My sister Tami sent one gift to cover all their birthdays.

 Just Dance 3!!!

 The kids got Brenden some Pharoh's Quest Legos. 

 What is this?  Mom got this for Christmas!  What would I do with one of these?

 Oh!  It's not a battery!  It's a camera!

 Say Cheese!!!

Brenden's tenth birthday was a success! 

 Happy Birthday My Ten Year Old Boy!

Christmas at the Zoo

Jeff had to work and I wanted to do something fun with the kids. So Friday morning I bundled all the kids up, ignored their protests (they wanted to stay home, but I knew that would lead to computer and tv and I was tired of them doing those. I wanted them to be active!) and drove to the zoo.  Only to be greeted with a sign telling me they were closed.  It was 11am in the morning!!!!  Why was it closed?  They were opening late because they were staying open late for Lights at the Zoo.

I took the kids to the library instead.  No running allowed.  Jeff and I had talked and decided our December was full and we weren't going to do the lights at the zoo this year.  But I had told Tabitha we were going to see animals and she wanted animals!  (The fish at the library held her off for a bit, but she wanted the bears!)  So I decided to go back after dark and see the lights...without Jeff who was working.

It was the perfect night for walking around the zoo.  it was actually warm for this time of year.  The snow from earlier in the week was all gone and with coats, hats, and gloves were quite warm.  I did wish I had grabbed a blanket for Tabitha's legs, but thankfully they were fine too.

This year they even had fire pits set up around various parts of the zoo. 

We walked the whole zoo (except Oceans & Plains (it was closed)).  I was glad that we did it even though Jeff wasn't able to come.  I was doubly glad they were still doing it even though it was five days after Christmas. 

Sledding

 So Eric bought my 4 older children saucers for Christmas.  To his relief it was not a white Christmas.  Then on his last day here it snowed.  There was no way the kids were going to let him leave without going sledding with him.  Luckily, my friend Jessica lets us use the hill in her backyard.  (We might need to go over in the Spring and help her reseed.  This one was muddy.)

 Eric geared up in Jeff's snow gear to stay warm.  Natalie is sporting her new knit hat her friend Tobey made for her and gave to her for Christmas.

 Tabitha's one ride down the hill.  She does not like snow this year any better than she did last year.  As soon as we pulled out her snow pants she began crying.  However, she doesn't look too upset on her ride down.

 She started crying within seconds of this picture.  She spent the rest of the time in my friend's house.  Have I said thank you enough Jessica?

 There were plenty of these and after about the twentieth one I banned double riding because elbows were connecting with faces and it was getting rough.

 As the track got muddier the ride got slower so Eric started a snowball fight.

 Then they began trying to redirect the snow so they could sled again.

 All the children got in on it.

 He tried to go down standing up.  He didn't even make it halfway.  Those boards are for sitting.

 Jessica's son and his aunt made this snowman.  I like his hat.

We came home, threw all muddy clothes in the wash and Eric packed for the airport.  Once we were all in dry clothes and fed we took Eric to the airport and snet him off.  It was fun to have him with us for the holidays.

Christmas Afternoon

Christmas church was in the afternoon so after it was over we went down to Jeff's parents house.

The tree there.

Shooting the breeze waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to call the gift opening to order.

They were all attention when it was time.

Natalie's reaction to seeing that she received the same pajamas that she wore the night before.  It was priceless.

Tabitha was really getting into the opening gift thing.  She's got it down now.

Modeling the necklace that she made with beads Grandma and Grandpa gave her.

I felt crafty this year and made the centerpiece for the Christmas table.  I think it came out great.

The best of the two sets.  Merry Christmas!