Elfie, Prince Eric

Our elf returned again this year the night our nativity scene was complete. This seems to be the first stop Elfie makes at our house each year. The kids were all thrilled to see his return. The big girls immediately began their list of questions for him. PJ was trying to remember all of the spots Elfie was last year. Brie simply asked why I put Elfie there? I explained she probably did not remember but Elfie has "magic" and he chooses where he is going to be. Brie is one out of all of them to ask the most questions about the reality of this elf and Santa situation! come on Brie you are only 3.

decorating for Christmas

 We spent the Sunday after Thanksgiving decorating for Christmas. Again Brie certainly has the most holiday spirit. She is on a constant sugar high it seems just do to the season. She is so excited about each part. I think she remembers last year a little but this year is one she will not forget! They were all very cute putting ornaments on and telling a story about each one. I think it took well over an hour just to put the ornaments on the tree.

We have a few Christmas toys and books that only come out at this time of year. They become the new favorites for the first few nights. Our home looks lovely and ready to celebrate Jesus birthday!

Thanksgiving

 Thanksgiving with Pete's family was a little different this year. Pete's grandmother has moved from her home into his parents home. We stayed with Pete's sister this time and the kids had a great time! It was very fun for them to stay with their cousins and play with all of their toys. I think they managed to touch every town in their Auntie's house. A good time was had by all. Thank you Leigh Ann and Dave for being such great hosts!

We had Thanksgiving dinner at Pete's folks and the kids met their great grandmother and were thrilled to have the chance to spend some time with her. She is a dear sweet lady and very entertaining! It is very nice to have her here and be a part of our family gatherings. We are all looking forward to spending more time with her at Christmas.

 Like I said the kids were everywhere in the house and outside! The weather was quite nice so the kids even raked leaves.

 We had to bring relish for my family and again had an idea and my hubby brought the idea to life! I am so lucky to have such a clever man in my life! Anywho here is the "turkey" relish tray! love it!

 

My family got a little wild this year. Wigs were tried this year and here is a sample of those participating. It is surprising how a person's look can change so much!

The youngest and eldest exchanging smiles and stories about the day! My mom with her great grandson, so sweet. 

This was a family gathering filled with new relationships. Brie found a few new buddies and PJ and another realized they were only 5 months apart in age and they love the same things! It was neat to see everyone finding new cousins to play with .
Talk about beautiful weather though! We even had the doors open for most of the afternoon and it was so nice.

We took in the local Christmas lights with mom at the drive thru light park. We all enjoyed the lights but little Miss Brie is soo into Christmas this year! She could hardly stay in her seat, she was so excited about every new light!

pinecone turkey

Friends of ours collected pine cones from a trip to California and over time have no longer known what to do with them. I asked to use them, after hearing the story about how they got the pine cones I wanted to return it to them. I had this idea but my artistic hubby made it reality for me! He is so talented and I am very lucky! This is how this extremely large pine cone turned out. I forgot to mention the pine cone weighed about a pound with large spiky things and was just huge. I have never seen such a large pine cone before.

old friends

This is our little cancer family kiddos that we helped out earlier in 2013. I am very happy to report that dad returned to work December 2nd cancer free! We had a great evening with them and the kids were so thrilled to play together. Brie did ask what happened to baby Tarron as this baby is so much bigger than when she last saw him. It was a cute moment.  We will always hold a special place in our hearts for this sweet little family and we are overjoyed at the success they have accomplished as a family this year.

Go Hawkeyes!

We love our Hawkeyes and try to watch them play football each weekend. Rarely do I take pictures with me in them and thought this might be as good as time as any. We look forward to putting our Hawkeye gear back on to watch them in their bowl game!

mom the babysitter

Pete and I had a lot going on the week of November 11th and my mom was so kind to come into town and be a permanent babysitter  for about 5 days! I decided we were not going to do our normal routine while she was in town which usually includes laundry and a long to do list. This time we went to the zoo. I think it has been many many years since she has been to the zoo. I believe she had a fantastic time! The littles had a great time showing her around to all the parts of the zoo they enjoy so much.

Unfortunately the above picture did not turn out. We went into the butterfly house and for the first time ever we were asked to release the new butterflies that hatched the night before. My kids were amazed and knew exactly how to handle them.  It was cold outside and the house was very warm and so the camera steamed over and none of the pictures turned out! I was totally bummed because these are once in a lifetime pictures. oh well look thru the blur and you will see them holding butterflies.
Another thing is we took grandma to the movie at the zoo. A train movie was playing and it happens to be a similar area where mom and dad went on vacation once. It was neat to see and I think she enjoyed it.

Like I said Pete and I had a few things we needed to attend so the first time in a long time we both got dressed up and headed out. It was fun to put on make up and hang out with my hubby.