Christmas 2014.

We had a really wonderful Christmas this year full of family, friends, and celebration. Noah had a great 6th birthday and we enjoyed being together and tried our best to take the time to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for. We had a little health scare with my Dad the week before Christmas and did not get any clarification till Christmas Eve, so we were all a little on edge to say the least. We were all relieved to hear that all was good and that it was nothing to worry about. When something like this happens, it really puts things into perspective and you realize what's really important and that is FAMILY. Being there for one another and making sure you give of yourself fully to the ones you love. We are so blessed to have one another and of course we all have our health to be thankful for.

For the last couple of years Orlin has talked about how when he was a kid his grandparents would come over first thing in the morning and watch them open all their gifts. He said how special it was for him to have them there and of course the grandparents loved it as well. This year I kind of gave in and said why not? So at 6:30 a.m. both sets of grandparents and Uncle Ty showed up and were able to witness the thrill of Christmas morning at our house. We took some video since it was a big year with a gas powered quad for Noah and Drew got his remote control car monster car that he was dying to have. I would share the all the video but they are quite lengthy, so here are a few pics from the morning and the boys opening their stocking stuff. Later that afternoon we headed over to my parents for Christmas dinner.

 

the boys are headed down to see what Santa has left them.

Noah got his gas powered quad that he was wanting and took it on a test drive first thing, or as soon as it was light out anyway.

 

Drew testing our his new monster car.

looking pretty cool on his new ride.

later that afternoon we headed over to my parents for more celebration, a yummy Christmas dinner and of course more presents.

cuzies.

Noah's turns 6!

Is it possible that I could have a 6 year old? Well, apparently I do and what a special 6 year old he is! Noah Martin, Bo bo's, Bo, he's our big boy and we could not be more proud of him. He has such a sweet and caring heart and has always been our little rule follower, (when it comes to the really important stuff that is). I am so thankful that he is the older brother, because he is very responsible and sets a good example for little Drewby. He is quite the busy body and loves to be outside. As much as I try to get him into crafts, puzzles, or even Legos, it's just not his gig. He has to be doing something active and preferably outside. Unfortunately this time of year can get a little tricky, but we are doing ok. He is doing so well in school and has taken it upon himself to start practicing his writing and reading a little more at home, so he can get "really good" at it. In Noah's class they have a little beanie baby that is a bee, so naturally he became "super bee" and is given to kids who have super "beehavior". Noah has received it a couple of times and this last time he got it, it was because "Noah knows what to do at school and he does it". I am in Noah's class at least one or twice a week and it's fun to observe the kids in the class and I always notice every morning that Noah is the first to put his stuff away and is the first one seated on the rug to start their morning routine. No messing around with this kid. He saves that craziness for when he gets home. ;) He's my little hard worker and loves working with Dad out in the shop and in the yard. He's already mastered his new gas quad and knows how to take care of it. Daddy taught him how to change the oil and how to fill his gas tank. All supervised of course. Drew and him could not be more different, but at the same time are starting to become really good pals. They can fight like cats and dogs, but also can play so well together and it's so fun to see. We are so blessed to have a happy healthy boy and love being parents to this sweet boy of ours. Happy 6th Birthday buddy, we love you!

Good morning birthday boy!



it's tough to have a Christmas Eve birthday. Had to rewrap a few presents in Happy Birthday paper since I decided to wrap everything super early this year. Lesson learned. 

opening birthday presents.

Annie can't handle the anticipation.

He was very excited about the truck and trailer he got.

a few more presents and a cool new fire truck calendar from little bro.

we headed over to Nana and Grandpa's later that day for more Christmas/birthday celebration.

love this sweet birthday boy of mine.

Aunt Jaclyn with her doggies Baily and Lexi.

they are looking quite festive.

Daddy and Noah snuggling baby Ronan.

present time! We exchanged Christmas gifts with the Sorensen family that morning before Noah's birthday party since we wouldn't see them all the next day.

The boys got a cool cornhole/tailgate toss game from Uncle Justin and Auntie Anne.

later that day we were getting ready for the main event...Noah's birthday celebration!

Eva loves her some trains and was in heaven with the boys train toys.

a little out of order, but birthday boy blowing out his candles.

somehow we managed to fit 14 people in our house for a cozy birthday dinner. My sister and her family were not able to make it for dinner, which was kind of a blessing since we wouldn't have had room at the table. They came for cake and ice cream and presents. I was worried about it being too crowded, but it was actually fine and everyone had a great time.



picture before we lit the candles. Happy Birthday buddy!

December festivities.

December is always a crazy busy month with all the holiday activities and of course Noah's birthday, so as you can imagine, I have just a wee bit to get caught up on. It's daunting really, so instead of procrastinating even more, I'm going to try and do one big dump of Christmas stuff and document the best I can. I think I'll start with the holiday fun stuff and then move on to Noah's birthday. Here goes...

went to get our tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving and arrived bright and early to beat the crowds.

on the hunt with some hot apple cider.

got a cute pic in this same gator last year, so we had to do it again.

found a keeper.

getting warm by the fire.

there she is in all her glory. I loved our tree this year. Perfect size and it smelled amazing.

Annie in a time out for taking off and gorging on compost at the neighbors. Unfortunately she never learns her lesson.

clearly she's got it all figured out.

making our gingerbread house.

turned out pretty darn cute.

Snowflake Lane with Uncle Ty and Aunt Jaclyn.

cool statue in Bellevue with the fake snow falling down.

Noah brought his bear "Frizz" to enjoy the show.

it was freezing!

Buddy is up to his old tricks and hiding in as many creative places as he can find in our small little house.

celebrating his last day of preschool before Christmas break.

roller skating family night with Noah and some classmates.

getting desperate.

fun day in Redmond Towne Center with Drew to ride the holiday train.

snow day in December right before break. I let Noah skip school, since we were 2 hours late and it was not going to stick around for long. Went to Nana and Grandpa's house to sled on their big hill.

we will NEVER again wait till the last minute to see Santa. I think we waited at least an hour and a half in line. Thank god we brought some friends along so we could take breaks with the boys.

I miss the magic of Christmas in this house...



family Christmas party with my Mom's side of the family. Lots of cousins and second cousins to play with. My cousin Clay and his wife Maria hosted this year and they have the perfect set up to host a group of 30 + people. They have a huge open floor plan on the main level and an unfinished basement with lots of fun stuff for the kiddos to do.

my cousin Ryan, Drew, and Tanner trying out some yummy cookies.

me and sissy.

Jayme, Nicole, and my Aunt Nancy.

present time for the kids. We do a gift exchange between all the kids.

my cousin Rachelle, (Ryan's twin) and her daughter Vivian.

the whole crew. My cousin's wife Cindy was running back to the picture and is a total blur.