Pictures from Christmas Eve

Awww, I just love this picture.  The kids slept in front of the Christmas tree on the 23rd.  Look at shadow curled up next to Carter.

Christmas Eve mass, one of the kid's favorite.  Ava dressed up as Mary again and the boys were sheep.  

I think dressing the boys up in the same outfit is so adorable and luckily at this point in their life they like doing it!

Poor Ava, she was so exhausted she fell asleep in the car on the way home from church with the elf hat over her eyes.

We capped the night off with dinner and watching The Grinch.

The Eve before the Eve

The kids have been asking to sleep underneath the Christmas tree one night, so we are doing that tonight, the eve before the eve.  This year each of the kids helped make a tie blanket for one or more of their siblings.  So we decided to open them tonight so we could enjoy our new blankets at our family sleepover.

Ava's pink and blue tie blanket features cats and dogs that Carter made for her.

Dawson has a John Deere blanket that Carter and Ava made for him.

Of course, Carter's blanket is camo.  Dawson helped me make this while the older kids were at school (translation: he watched me make the blanket and asked for snacks.)

A cozy Christmas-ey sleepover!

Gingerbread Creations

In years past we have always done a really simplistic version of gingerbread houses: graham crackers frosted onto milk cartons and candy stuck to it.  The kids love it, it's very simple and fun.

Now that they are getting older we decided to take it up a notch and we purchased the kits.

Carter and Dawson chose the Christmas trains.  Carter liked doing the kit, but he was kind of bummed that he wasn't allowed to eat it immediately.    

Ava picked Santa's sleigh.  Ava spent the most time decorating, she liked picking out different candy and creating a beautiful sleigh.

Dawson's Christmas Train

He got tired of decorating, so he dumped a most of the candy into the freight car.  

What sweet memories!

Cuddling Cousins!

This past weekend we visited Grandma, Bo, Uncle Jason, Aunt Tiffany, Andrew and Abigail.  We celebrated Christmas with them.  I didn't take too many pictures because my big camera is broken.  But I did take some pictures of the cousins in their matching outfits that Grandma got them.

Ava snuggled and stroked and loved on Abigail.

Little Twinkies in their matching outfits!!

The Boys in matching camo.  Andrew also has the matching outfit, he just wasn't feeling the picture session.  Very Cute!

Christmas Celebrations

The last week before Christmas break went so fast!  We were busy, and every classroom was having different celebrations.

First Grade had a Polar Express Day and Gingerbread Days.  They wore their pajamas to school, watched polar express and had a cookie exchange.  They also had Gingerbread Days and had different learning activities revolving around the Gingerbread Man and then culminating in cookie decorating.

Kindergarten also wore their pajamas to school for movie day.  They watched a movie and I was able to come to school that day to help the class decorate gingerbread houses.

Dawson didn't want to be left out, so he wore his pajamas all day long too!

Dawson's preschool has a Happy Birthday Jesus party.  Mike took videos for me, and they were very cute to see.  At the end of one song Dawson proclaimed very loudly "I have to pee."  Awesome.

Handsome boy, ready to perform!

I took this picture of Ava cuddling with shadow and I realized WOW! Mike looks exactly like his Dad in this picture!

Heard out and about

As I'm standing in line at the grocery store surrounded by people Dawson chooses this time to loudly burst into a little made up song:

I love you Mommy
I love you Mommy
I love you Mommy

(getting humorous glances our way, but then it takes a turn for the worse)

But Daddy is going to jail going to jail going to jail
My Daddy is going to jail
And my Bo too

I tried to repair the damage by announcing very loudly that no, Daddy is not in fact going to jail.  Thankfully I didn't see anyone that I recognized.


As we were getting into the car today Carter started chatting with Mike about Beats headphones.  He really wants a pair of them because they are the best.
(spoiler alert, not getting $200 headphones for a 7 year old)

Then Dawson yells "BUT I WANT A CAR!!!!"

(spoiler alert, not getting a car for a four year old!)

December Latest and Greatest

What have we been up to lately?  

Well everything!

The Monday after Thanksgiving was a day off for our school district so we went with friends to the zoo.  It was slightly chilly, but so fun because the animals were really active.  Look at the coyotes playing with the kids!  We heard the lions roaring so much!

We went to a local Christmas parade.  Dawson was very excited because this parade featured a John Deere Tractor lit with christmas lights, and Santa arrived on a fire truck.  Two of his biggest loves!

We visited the safety center with cub scouts.  The firemen were so welcoming and wonderful with the boys.  Although he looks a little somber in this picture, Dawson loved it.  They also pulled out their various saws and tools, which was so cool!

This kid may need to go to John Deere rehab.  I just got done sewing on his patch because he refused to wear his coat because it wasn't a John Deere coat.  What can I say?  I guess I'm an enabler.

One morning the kids with their overactive imaginations woke up insisting we had an elf in the house because he breathed on Carter the night before.  So, they wrote a note to the elf and she responded!  Apparently her name is Sparkles, she is a grown up and she has a pet reindeer named Blitzen.  She has done some silly things like line up everyone's stuffed animals in the hallway, use books to spell out HI and other silly things.

Christmas movie cuddles

Mike has two new chicken wing buddies.  Carter is already trying to outdo himself each time.  Last time he ate four wings, so this time he was shooting for five!

While Ava on the other hand enjoys BBQ the best, just like her Daddy!

Then onto driving around looking at Christmas lights with cookies.  Isn't this house amazing!

What a wonderful time of the year with little ones!