One more Birthday and Of Course Christmas!!

This month Coltin turned 8. The celebrations seemed to be spread out all month. I guess that is what happens when your born near Christmas and you see different family members at different times. I believe he enjoyed the special moment each time.

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Laura and her kids came to Colorado before Christmas. So we all got together in Grand Lake for an early Christmas celebration. Guess this one could be our last. :( It was fun having all the kids together. Papa played Santa and handed out gifts. We spent a few hours out sledding and going for snowmobile rides. We also kept with a fairly recent tradition of helping a local rancher feed his cattle via horse drawn sled. It was cold and fun!

I just love the smiles I got for this picture!!

Here we are celebrating our Christmas at home. Since we didn't get a tree this year I put some lights on an artificial tree in the basement so the kids could sleep together under it on Christmas Eve. I think that might be a new tradition. We also decorated a small table top tree to put a few gifts under. It was a fun simple Christmas.

Merry Christmas

School Programs, Santa, and one big OUCH!!!

Coltin's school program combined the 1st and 2nd graders in a "Bear-y Merry Holiday." He had 2 small speaking parts and did pretty good. The songs were fun. Pictures are a bit blurred cause I had to zoom way in.

Everitt's program was just his little kindergarten class.

He said his lines awesome.

We got to see Santa again.

We heard Everitt tell Santa he wanted a dog and a horse!

Alayna wished for a princess book.

WARNING!!

Graphic photos...

:)

Poor baby! He was running around with Coltin and fell onto a cabinet handle. The biggest goose egg I've ever seen. He hurt but wasn't upset for too long. I was! :) This happened 12/13 and here is what he looked like 4 days later.

Still a bit of a bump, but mostly a bruise. It started draining down around his eyes. He looked great for Christmas photos.

This was on the 21st.

Thanksgiving in Missouri

For Thanksgiving this year we celebrated with my side of the family in St. Louis, MO. We did this 4 yrs ago. Alayna was only 6 wks old. So it was fun to do it again. Laura and Ryan were barely moved into their new home, so we all got to break it in for them! Thanks for having us.

This is how you survive a 14 hr drive with a 26 month old! The kids really did great traveling all that way and back. The kids and I rode out with mom and dad. Justin drove down from Chicago. It was great being together, all of us.

We spent Wed. morning at the Zoo.

It has been awhile since we've taken the kids, so it was great for all of us. It was a little cool and poor Alayna was fighting a cold but she was such a trooper. Corbin talked a lot about the hippo and the 'epatent' elephant, I laugh every time he says it. The big boys really liked all the different snakes. I preferred the butterflies. We really need to go more often.

Had to post all these. It was way cool. Mom was just standing there in the butterfly center and this one fluttered onto her forehead and then just rested there. It must have lasted a couple of minutes. I got one on my sweatshirt. It was kinda magical watching them all fly and float about.

The hippos were an enjoyment to watch. Swimming back and forth.

Awesome, another girl to play with!

On Friday we to the St. Louis Science Center

We built a few arches...

#1

Lots of help building #2.

Coltin and Dad built #3. Guess that is just what you do in St. Louis! :)

No, we also built towers.

There was so much hands on fun for the kids. It too was a great time.

Let's not forget the dinosaurs...Not sure if you can see the T-rex behind the kids, but he actually moved.

Coltin was chosen to turn the crank and make electricity (different bulbs use different amounts of energy). The one she is pointing to was the easiest to illuminate. He had fun, got a little work out and maybe learned something too.

Oh boy another dinosaur.