Just a Little Creepy

So I went into check on Ballerina and G last night, and this is what I saw...
A Ballerina and a head! These pictures do not do my sight justice! In the dark this head was CREEPY! :)

Rain, Rain Come Again!

So, when it is cold and rainy at the lake, we find some good family fun...bowling!

G loving on his daddy and uncle.Ballerina and Aunt CarlaI am pleading...Avery and K-DanBallerina and Avery...So may babies!Ballerina is not grumpy! Yea!Who knew bowling took an entire team!Justin and Lauren

We truly had a great time bowling! It is awesome when you can take what could have been a gloomy afternoon and turn it into an awesome time for all!

Building "The Fort"

Each of the children had their personalized Christmas wishes; however, there was one wish they all had...a "fort" for the backyard!

Now, Santa could never not bring them something that ALL of them wanted! Yet, there was one small thing Santa did not do...BUILD IT!

So most of Christmas day and few hours in the days that followed, Daddy, Papa Randy and Uncle Brad put "the fort" together, and K-Dan, Uncle Kason, Uncle Justin and even the boys also lent a hand! It was truly a team effort!I am glad to report "the fort" is now finished and ready for play!And play they have done! For hours they have played...To all of Santa's helpers that assisted in the building of "the fort" THANK YOU!

Christmas Timeline in Pictures

I have decided to chronicle our Christmas with my favorite captured images...

After Christmas Eve church each year we head to the grandparent's house for dinner and to exchange gifts with them! All three boys and their Papa Randy! Get them a Wii, and this is what happens!

On Christmas eve we open our first set of gifts.

This was Ballerina's favorite...a doll head! She creepily walked around with it until she went to bed that night!G simply could not understand why all he was unable to open everyone's gifts. Here he is pleading why he should be able to open Grandma Becky's presents too!What Cannon made...a perfect gift!In case you have never notices, Ballerina is so grumpy! All of the time! Gigi is trying to make her laugh, and Ballerina is tying her hardest not to! Gigi eventually won!After church, dinner and our first round of gifts it is time to make cookies. While each of the kids make a special cookie for Santa and others to share on Christmas Day, Ballerina spent the most time on hers. Interesting, however, was the fact that she kept eating the dough!I do not think it would be possible to have Christmas without one of Eric's baking adventures. This year's...a gingerbread house from scratch! Funny thing...Today Ballerina threw the ENTIRE thing in the trash when I told her to clean the table! Ha!After church, dinner, our first round of presents and cookie baking, we open our Christmas pajamas. To know G is to know that he is OBSESSED with changing clothes...particularly pajamas. Thus, nothing thrills him more than to get new fancy ones!
After church, dinner, our first round of presents, cookie baking and opening our pajamas we then must spread food for the reindeer! Then after we go to church, eat dinner, open our first round of gifts, decorate cookies, open our pajamas, and spread the reindeer food we read together "The Night Before Christmas."
However, there is always one little creature that remains stirring after the bedtime story...And, she has the best time dancing and "playing" with her uncles!

Finally all are asleep, so Gigi and I head to late church. It is there that I find peace ...


We head home and to sleep ourselves...Christmas morning!

Oh, so many toys!They always find amusement in something I never would have guessed!
After Santa, we have breakfast and then begin our second round of gifts...Ballerina only unwraps one gift!
Each year the 4 siblings draw the name of one other sibling for which they have to buy a gift. The doll was from her sibling!

However, she was fascinated by the Cinderella snow globe. She just starred at it!K-Dan and his present wrapped in holiday finest! :)G was super thankful for his gift from his brother.

Watching our uncles open their stockings! He! They were stocked frull of really silly stuff!

Everyone was laughing...

And after we played for most of the day, we remembered the reason we came together to celebrate...Each year we have a birthday party for Jesus. It is always the last thing we do on Christmas day...We begin and end each Christmas with Him...On the cake we light candles not for the His age, but rather for the number of things for which He has blessed us with the most this year. On this cake there is a candle for each child in our lives...Zach, Adam, Avery, Ballerina, G, Gunnar and Cannon.
We sing Happy Birthday to Jesus, and we blow out the candles on the cake with the same wish each year...that we will come to know Him more as He blesses us in the year to come!

Merry Christmas All!