Christmas Festivities

Advent Calendar.  Each day the kids take an envelope and in the envelope has an activity to do as a family that day as well as a picture of Christ to put on our Advent calendar.  Today's activity was making a fireplace to hang our stockings on! 

Each night during scripture and prayer we light the candle and watch the candle melt.  We put red and green dots on the candle (24 dots) and so each day we read and watch until one of the dots drops.  Mark's family did this when he was a kid.  Zach and Cooper loved it, but Grace kept saying she was scared of the fire.

Putting up the Christmas tree

First snow fall.  The kids loved playing outside in the snow despite the FREEZING temperature.

Halloween

Tooth

 Zach lost his tooth last night.  I don't know why but this seems kind of monumental for me.  Maybe because it just means he is that much older.  I'm not sure I am ready for my babies to grow up.

South Bend

 Mark and a couple of guys from our ward spent the weekend in South Bend.  They went to the BYU vs Notre Dame game and walked around campus.  Mark said it was "AMAZING!"  He loves the architecture there and he said that all of the Notre Dame fans were so welcoming and nice.  He said it was well worth the drive for the short time they had there.  (It was about a 9 hour drive one way)   

Our Trip

We stopped at Wall, SD on our drive out to let the kids get out for an hour or so.

We camped overnight on our 2 day drive.  The kids LOVED it!  Grace and Cooper had a hard time going to sleep but other than that it was fine.  It was pretty cold so I didn't sleep very good worrying about Cooper who kept crawling out of his sleeping bag. 

Swimming at Grandma and Grandpa Valentine's house

Grace and Cooper play so well together.  I caught them downstairs together reading books and singing together.

This pictures is taken at Kelsey and Matts wedding dinner.  I'm not sure what Mark and I are laughing at but I really like our faces!  (These last pictures are taken by my sister Jami.  Hope you don't mind I post some Jami.)

Zach and my brother Luke wrestling at the Temple

My Sister Kelsey and her husband, Matt, and my family (excluding Joe who is on a mission)

Wild

Here is  a funny story about Zach.  The other afternoon all the kids were being extremely wild.  You can imagine 3 kids running, pushing, jumping, climbing, laughing, yelling, ... you get the picture.  We got in the car and were going somewhere and the shouting (happy but very loud shouts) and laughing continued.  Out of the blue Zach started saying a prayer and said "... help us to be MORE wild."  I immediately said my own prayer to "Please disregard that prayer."

chequamegon 40

 Mark had 40 mile off road bike race on Saturday.   

Playing at the playground while waiting for Mark to finish

At the end of the race they had a helicopter.  The kids were fascinated!  Cooper especially loved the helicopter.

I had to get a picture of Marks dirt covered face.

School Starts

First Day of Kindergarten!!  Is Zach really old enough? Am I really really that old???

 

What the kids have been up to

Painting rocks

washing the van

Here is a cute little conversation I had with Grace today.

Grace:  Mom do you love my shoes?
Me: Yes, I love you shoes.
Grace:  Okay, than you can have them when you get little like me....(and then with a very excited voice) and then we can be BEST FRIENDS FOREVER!


Very sweet, since usually she tells me that she just likes her dad, she even once told me that she has a problem with me when I'm home with her.  She is definitely a Dad's girl so I cherish any words of love from her.