Pieces of our Life

Mommy/Sydney night out at Cold Stone Creamery!
Jackson playing with Cambria. He's such a good cousin!
Licking the spoon!
Aunt Melli and Uncle Pat, I need new Alaska socks! I love these so much that I've worn them out!

New Hobby

Both of the kids started basketball this year. They have had fun learning all the rules. Jackson's games seem to be very entertaining as we watch some of the younger boys wander into the stands, run into the goal padding intentionally before falling down, etc. It's fun. :)

Decorating for Christmas

Here are some pics of decorating our house for Christmas.
Notice Raegan's use of the Christmas stockings!
Here is the tree in the basement.



The kids made themselves so busy in December making gifts for each other and others. It was so fun to see them get excited about this part of the holiday. Here, Jackson is placing his new present under the tree.

Grass!

You know, it is amazing how something as simple as grass can cause such stress in a person's life. But, for about a month, we have been trying to get our lawn in. Due to weather and dirt issues, it has taken an extra month, so we were so excited when Saturday came and we were able to finally have our sod party. We were blessed by about 11 adults, not to mention seven kids, who showed up to help. We made record time and had it done in about one and a half hours! It is so much nicer than the dirt!

(Here's the tree we planted last weekend with the help of a neighbor.)

10:27 a.m. First, the bare yard anticipating all that grass that just showed up on the semi. (With the other tree we planted last week.)10:37 a.m. The first square!
10:52 a.m. The front yard is already being transformed!

11:03 a.m. Front yard finished.


11:10 a.m. Side yards getting close.



11:17 a.m. Flashback to growing up on the farm when we would climb on feed sacks in Grandma and Grandpa's shed. Here, the boys conquered the stacks of sod.

More fun came when the girls got creative with the wheelbarrow. Here is our great crew!
The finished back!
Sprinklers kicking in.


Ahhh, it's nice to have grass again.

Lots of Dirt!

The kids have adapted to our yard of dirt quite well. In fact, they are becoming quite handy with shovels. It has been so fun to see them make their own fun in our barren yard. Here, Jackson is teaching Raegan the intricacies of using a shovel.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

Happy Birthday!

Yes, I am about two weeks late, but things have been busy! We spent November 9 celebrating Chris's birthday. It was a great day. We celebrated with Harley and Kerri, friends from college and went out for Chinese that evening.

I don't want to get too sappy, but I am just blessed to be married to such a great man. Plus, he is so handsome!

Veteran's Day Salute

The third graders at Sydney's school put on a Veteran's Day program. She was privileged to sing a solo. She did great!