Nursing Home

A few days before Christmas we went to the nursing home with my MOPS table and their kids. The kids were busy making cards that they brought and handed out to the residents.

After we handed out our cards we sang some Christmas songs to the residents.

The kids did an amazing job and we brought so many smiles to others!I was so proud of my kids. Avi and Anderson went around by themselves handing out cards and by the end Ellie warmed up and wanted to hand out cards. One woman asked Anderson for a kiss on the cheek and Anderson wasn't scared and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

I think this might become a tradition each year! :)

Our Elf on the Shelf

This year we participated in The Elf On The Shelf. Ryan had a lot of fun hiding it each night. I took a few pics of where we found him each morning. In the above picture, you can see he found a friend during the night!
In the wreath.

Hanging from the snowflake.

Then one night he got into flour and wrote this special note! :)

It was a fun little thing to do leading up to Christmas. Sad that our elf named "Chippy" will be going back to the North Pole tonight.

Annual Friends Christmas Gathering

The table and house were ready for our dear friends that we have been friends with almost as long as we have been married, 11 years! This group includes four couples: McMahon's, Domier's, Lyman's, and Chevrier's. We were friends long before all the kids came! Every Friday night you would find us four couples together doing something wild. No we weren't at bars! We were probably out to eat for dinner and then playing some kind of card game. HA!

Things have changed with the kiddos and where we are all located. Unfortunatley, we aren't able to all get together as often as before, so we try to get together at a little Christmas gathering. Our kids call each other auntie and uncle as these group of people have become like family.
Anderson and Ellie in great anticipation for their friends!

Kids Table

Adult Table!

Look at these sweet shirts and adorable bows! Barclay made all of these Christmas tree shirts and a cute tie shirt for Anderson.

We had all the kids come to our bedroom and take pictures. Of coarse they had a blast and were quite silly!

Avielle and Stephie!

Brynn, Bella, and Anderson

Cutie Ellie! Look at those adorable bows and her cheaks!

Then we had a wardrobe change into their fancy Christmas outfits.

Yes, we really couldn't get the perfect shoot, but this does capture their spirits.

Then we got them into their pajamas for a Christmas movie.

Look at the sea of PINK!

Auntie Kelli snuggling with the girls.

Then it was time for Uncle Jake to read, "The Night Before Christmas."

Jake is amazing at telling stories!

Christmas Concert

We had the kids preschool concert last week. Avielle and Anderson were the drummer boys. I love that their teacher had them do this together! It worked out nicely for pictures, because they were standing right next to each other! HA!

During the concert, Anderson kept yawning! I think the music made him sleepy! :)

Anderson and his buddy Kyle! Doesn't Anderson look so old in this picture? He looks like he is already in college? After the concert they had refreshments and my parents were able to join us.

New Haircut!

Ellie got a haircut! She got this cute little "bob." I took all three kids to get their haircut the other day and I was only planning on getting a trim for Ellie. It had been about a year since her last haircut.
The hairdresser asked me why the sides of her hair were shorter than the back. It then dawned on me she had another haircut in July from her brother! So, we decided to make her hair even and now she has this short cut.

Her hair looks healthier and it is a fun new look. I love putting big bows in it. She looks like a southern bell! I know that she wants really long hair like her sissy, but the poor girl has my thin hair.

Small Group Christmas Party

We had our small group over for a Christmas party. We had all the kiddos dress up in their Christmas outfits.
Brooke and Avielle. Avi just loves the babies!

Here is the whole group. Logan is the one hidden.

We did a gift exchange for the kids. We picked names and the limit for the gift was $1.00. The kids had so much fun picking things out for each other and opening their gifts.

Brooke got a Santa hat from Abby.

We ate dinner together and Diedra brought these yummy treats!!!!

The girls colored ornaments.

Here is our small group, except Zach is not pictured.

Right to left: Ryan, Vince, Sean, Charlie, Somer, Barclay, Jill, Diedra, and Katie!

Differences from Girls and Boys

Okay, in the above picture, one picture was colored by a boy and the other by a girl. Can you guess who colored who? Yes, I would believe you would have guessed that my daughter colored the Barbie picture. She used realistic colors for her hair and a nice shade of purple for the jacket. Now move on to my son, who colored the little boy's face BLUE! I don't know of a blue person, but he was feeling that blue would be a splash of color! HA!

It is amazing how different boys are from girls. It is so evident from birth. I love their uniqueness!

Thanksgiving in Michigan

Mom and the kids made these fun Oreo turkeys with the kids. The kids just loved making them and then eating them!
Here is the kids table.

Auntie Rachelle with her new puppy, Nala! Anderson just loved her! Avi not so much of a fan????

Auntie Renee doing the dishes.

Thanksgiving Day Ryan had a temperature and slept for most of the day. :( The rest of us went out and played a little football after our Thanksgiving feast.

Mr. Matt and Auntie Rachelle

During football, Avielle, Nana, and Ellie went and made nature nests. They went and picked up leaves and dry flowers and made a little nest in the yard. Ellie kept saying she was making a "mess" instead of a nest. HA!

Ellie and Nana

While we were in Michigan we went to Cantaberry Village.

After seeing millions of ornaments the kids got some hot chocolate and hot apple cider. During our stay, Mom and Dad watched the kiddos and we went on a double date with Renee and Nate. It was fun to have a kid free dinner and be able to go see a movie.