Z.'s #1 wish for Christmas that mom wouldnt give her

Until after Christmas. And well, its not exactly true. Her # 1 wish was for a new pet but that just isnt going to happen, at all, probably ever again.

Before.Her hair was so long and so Blonde and so Pretty!! I want it for myself.

She was super tired of the tangles and of the hanfuls of conditioner and me always telling her to go brush it.

She absolutely loves it short and especially loves it combed out straight.

Straight is tough to keep up though and she looks adorable with her natural curls.

Im surprised she wanted it so short but i am glad, now that I see it on her every day.

After.

Such a cutie.      

The sledding hill

The kids beg to be taken to the Jr. High by grandmas house every time it snows. It is a huge area with several fun hills to sled. We finally broke down and braved the 20*weather  for a day of sledding. T. thinks he is somekind of pro snowboarder. If he keeps it up he will be!

S. is brave but freezes easily. She doesnt quite grasp the idea that the hat that is irritating her will actually keep her ears and head warm and she shouldnt keep taking it off. That and the gloves! She braved the big hill the kids were going down and barely living through and got hurt. That was the end of her freezing sledding adventure. 

N. can think of 100 ways to hurt himself and then say it didnt hurt. He had a blast and somehow didnt get any frostbite while doing it.
Z. was off with her cousin finding jumps and finding friends so I dont have any pictures of her. She also had fun and lived through it. Its so cool to live so close to so much outdoor adventure. Year round!

Happy New Year 2013!

Although marshmallows are tasty over a fire and although fires do warm you up this mallow roast over the firepit is just too cold for me. I'd prefer to start a new year with a temperature above freezing.

Fire reflected in your glasses for a new year. Is that a sign of something?

T. and Uncle Todd find a way to pass the hours of New Years Eve. Football , in the hall.

Z. and cousinT. spent hours and hours setting up an entire town in Grandmas den. 

At 12 O'clock though they were outside , freezing, screaming and drumming in the new year.

N. knows how to get that Creeper puzzle done. Ask the guy who made it to help out. Nothing better to do after a New Year dawns.

Tomeez Teezers

The kids each got 1st edition handmade wood puzzles from Grandpa Tom. They are Awesome! N. got a Minecraft Creeper. How cool!

Z. got a beautiful butterfly, in her favorite colors. I love that they are Art as much as they are a Toy.

T. got a T Rex in his favorite colors too. He likes to think the "T" in T Rex is his "T". In that case it would have to be T Wrecks:)

S. loves her icecream cone but wants a cherry on top next time. The smooth wood and shiny paint really do look good enough to eat!

Later that night trying to see how fast she can put it together. Its much more difficult than it looks. Each piece is a different shape and seperate color. Tricky Grandpa!

After a long sleep deprived week N. is finding the Creeper next to impossible to figure out, even with the template. Grandpa is the master of puzzles thats for sure!

Christmas is finally here!!

For the kids seeing Tom and Rene's dogs are celebration enough. Who needs gifts when there are dogs to play with?!

All the kids in one spot waiting patiently for permission to open the gifts.

Uncle Scott, Uncle Tom and Aunt Rene chillin waiting for their own gifts.

Cousin S. and Aunt Roo and Uncle Todd chillin waiting for theirs too!

Aunt Andrea waiting to announce baby #3 is to be expected in August. Woo Hoo!

Great Grandma A. braved the cold storm and the stairs and spent the day with us. So glad she can still hang out and share the joy. Grandpa Tom trying to keep M. from running out of the picture. Not as easy as it looks.

Grandma Kathy, the present lady. Making sure everyone is well taken care of. Thank You!! Her favorite gift this year is having all of her kids and grandkids together. Lucky !

Is it almost Christmas yet?!

Christmas Sunday. The kids dont think they can make it a few more days to Christmas. They are dying of anticipation of things to come(they've heard Daddy out in the garage!) . They might be going crazy but they still are cute!

N. got a chance to use his new early Christmas present Pass and spent some time up at Sundance. He loves the snow and more specifically Snowboarding, just like his Daddy!

Christmas Eve. Finally came. Harley perches in her favorite spot and looks out for Santa?

We had a fun Eve at Merrills with some of the extended family. We played a Left/Right passing game with White Elephant gifts. The heavy one was so funny to see passed back and forth. All time favorite though when they were all unwrapped was the Mc D.'s hamburger. Still a little warm. Gross!

Once again the camera was hijacked by kiddos and the rest of the nights photos are random and include a 12 year old boys hand. 

Finger foods!

Can you tell what was most important to him?!

Sitting around the livingroom chatting and swapping stories. Always a good time and always hard to leave. The couch is just so comfy and the company so comfy too. 

The kids almost forgot there was a reason to get home and get in bed they had so much fun.

Tracking Santa on the iPad and with the iPhone app.

T. doesn't even need presents, he is good just with moms new bowls. 

December also is....

...finding ways to stay occupied while mom wraps gifts and checks lists.

Harley and S. are snuggling buddies. The doggy got too tired to finish an episode of Jake and the pirates though and fell asleep. I love that they are holding hands. It took 2 entire years for Hog to settle down enough for anything like hand/paw holding. Finally she isnt a puppy!

Normal children play with playdoh on a table or on carpet somewhere it will make a big mess and leave crusty residue for a few months. Not these kids. They seem to think your face is a good spot for it. My favorite? The one coming out of her nose!! Gross. I know she didnt come up with that on her own.

Family Cookie Exchange. Fun and delicious. I didnt take any picts but Z. was there and she went around taking random picts afterward. It is so very nice to live so close to the Grandparents, Great Grandparents and even some of the Aunts Uncles and Cousins. 

Great Grandma and Grandpas house has always been a comfortable place for me. Bright, Clean, and full of Love and Laughing.

December is a time for putting off the procrastination and finishing up the last minute projects. Daddy made each of the kids an awesome Robot. He is a pro and got them all finished up the week before Christmas.The stiff neck(understatement!) he got from so many hours banging around in the cold garage was tolerable due to the fantastic finished product. The kids love them!

S. helps mom with a project for her cousin. She was so happy to be included in part of the creating. WAtch out world. Has she got some creative ideas!

Jingle Bell gloves. Fun for a little Caroling night. 

Z. seems to think Caroling is a tradition of ours, so now it is. We bundled up our bad attitudes and drove out in the slushy rain for a quick singing session. We dont know many songs and didnt go to many doors but the feeling we got filled our hearts and somehow the kids didnt want to stop or even take cover to get warm. Strange and Wonderful. 

Is it December without Sugarcookies? Such a messy undertaking but so tasty. We got more plates of treats this year from neighbors than ever. They probably recieved these from us with the same thought we had recieving "We love treats. Thanks. What should we do with all these cookies?!". Come January and February we wish we had a plate or 6 still!Theres not a treat to be found.