Thanksgiving Eve

We started our day with a little cooking to get ready for the big day since we were hosting Thanksgiving for the very first time. It was time for a break though so we decided to go sledding in the 13 degree weather. We weren't the only ones with the same idea but we had a good time. It is just too bad that my batteries died after only one picture. Grif didn't want to walk up the hill so he talked anyone he could into pulling him up the hill. Good thing he is cute.

Later we decided that we really needed to keep up our tradition of going to the zoo on Thanksgiving Eve. This was our 3rd or maybe our 4th year in a row. I can't remember. Oh, well it was awesome!

The animals were so alert and playful. We got to see the gorillas and orangutans up close. We even got to have our picture taken with a turkey.

We enjoyed seeing the tigers stretching and waking up from their naps and then we moved on to the giraffes. Jaxon made a new friend that really enjoyed licking his boot. After about 45 minutes of watching their 18 long tongues lick everything around we headed back to see our Tiger friends.













The Tigers were up and ready to play. They were wrestling like all brothers do to get their favorite toys. But then the tigers decided the kids looked like dinner and started stalking them. They would watch them and the crouch down behind a rock and the Spring forward when one would run by. It was a little alarming at first and we were hoping their enclosure was really secure. It was actually quite interesting to see them acting on instinct even though they have been in captivity since birth. Yes, it was still 13 degrees but we had an amazing trip to the zoo. We learned a lot and we even stayed pretty warm with the heaters and indoor exhibits.

Jaxon and Casey loved seeing that the snakes had shed their skins recently in the reptile house. The kids were all so good and once again, when the boys are happy I am happy.

Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful for my darling family and the joy they are and I am also very grateful for a husband who works hard for our family so I can stay home with the boys. We are truly blessed!

Movie Night

The pictures say it all. We had lots of fun Dragon treats to go with our Movie Night. I am still not sure how Jaron can get so incredibly messy with a sucker.

Gretchen's Hospital stay

Saddly our little niece Gretchen ended up in the hospital because her appendix had burst. The long story short is that she was a very sick little girl and the Dr's had a hard time diagnosing her since her symptoms were a little strange. Finally, they did surgery and she started to heal slowly. It was a long 2 weeks for the whole family. SO we had the other kids over to play.

I think they all needed a little play therapy. There were Dr's, nurses and patients a plenty. They were hillarious! Everyone had to have their appendix out. We also had multiple stitches, a broken face, broken arms and legs, etc. All of the things that have happened to the kids lately were their diagnosis.





We also got to go to My Sweet Tooth Fairy with Aunt Debbi for some delicious treats. Katie made lots of the cupcakes that the kids ordered. Jaron was a lucky little man and got a yummy sucker for his treat. Now we will just have to go back with Gretchen again. Maybe on a day when it is not nearly so windy though.

Surprise

Daddy Surprised us with Disney on Ice tickets again. We love the shows and it is fun to spend time with dad when he is working so much during the season. We usually get to go at the same time as dad's co-workers and their girls so it is extra fun.


Two extra Goofy Characters





This show was so great because we were just Tinker Bell, Peter Pan, Pirate, and the Skunk Lost Boy for Halloween. We were excited when we saw the Skunk, although Grif was much cuter. Jar and I wish we could really fly too.

The Aquarium

We love going to see all of our friends at the Aquarium. All the animals were so active. Even the poison dart frogs were awake. Jaron got to see his favorite eel - The Pickle Fish. It was a great day at the Aquarium.

Fall leaves

We always have a good time raking the leaves and then jumping into them. Sometimes we are raking the leaves in January when they have finally decided to fall.

Hidden Park and the Sand Dunes

We had an awesome day playing at the park and then the sand dunes, oh and we went swimming too. Lynleah's neice Maddie came to hang out with us too. It was perfect because she and Jaxon had a great time and got along really well. They had fun playing Battle Ship and the rest of our fun crazy day.

The kids had a blast playing races at the park it almost didn't matter that there was an awesome playground there. I love seeing our boys happy!





Now let's talk about how to have fun. Take 3 little boys and give the a giant pile of sand and that equals giant fun. Throw in a lot of good friends and dig some holes and it is now enormous fun.

Work is play, or is it play is work. The kids worked so hard having fun. Their ideas were endless. It's is just too bad that the day is not longer. The kids pockets mere full of sand, okay mine were too. I am still finding red sand everywhere. Since they were so dirty we decided a nice swim at our friends the Horne's hotel pool would be a grand idea.

Sorry no pictures of swimming but let me just say that Jaxon, Maddie, Casey, Jamie, Jaron, Grifin and Evan had a good time and were all completely exhausted by the time that we finally dragged their pruney little bodies out of the pool.

When Maddie's parents came to pick her up she just cried from exhaustion because she didn't want the fun to end. I guess we will just have to do it again.