To Many Cooks in the Kitchen

Yes, Tyler is "cleaning up" the drips of butter on the bowl.

We made some yummy muffins that were about gone by the end of the day!

Finally thawing out

So, we've barely gotten above freezing for the last week (I really do love the snow but I have to say I've become a winter wimp!). It's finally starting to rain and warm up a little. Just 2 days off from school during this last batch of snow. :P The boys keep asking when they can get out their moster trucks....soon, I hope, very soon!

Personality

So, these new little rides have been quite a hit (of course) and we have had to get out on them in between rain storms. The first day was a lot of bumper cars until they got it figured out and the ground rules were set. They have also showed everyones true colors in a big way!

Lucas has gotten the hang of it right away and just goes! He has a little look on his face like he has it all under control. He is getting sick of the driveway and has looked in new directions to head.

Tyler is a little more cautious but has gotten the hang of it and it usually content to just circle around the driveway.

Joey would rather just yell for my help when he gets stuck. He refuses to turn the wheel (the steering is a little tough), he just leaves it in one possition and stops when he's in a predicament.

Holly is a typical backseat driver. She is doing a good job letting her brothers do the driving but she is gripping the dashboard half the time and talking on the cell phone the other half. I'm a little scared to think 13 years down the road and the cars are a little bigger!

Happy Birthday, Round #2

We finally got around to celebrating the boys birthday with the VH gang.

Lots of fun and LOTS of noise!
Thanks for the great cake, Cheryl. It was delicious (and cute..it even came with a manure spreader)!

Even though Uncle Dave celebrated in CA with us,

he had a HUGE surprise for the boys at home!

He told me when the boys were born that he wasn't going to buy them any gifts for birthday or Christmas and when they turned 3 he was going to get them each a Hummer. I honestly can say I didn't believe it was going to happen....but it has, and they were a HUGE hit! Thanks, Uncle Dave...I think...let the fun begin!

Happy Birthday Uncle Dave!

Happy New Year!

After returning home from our fun trip to CA we decided to ring in the New Year by having a few friends over. The girls made it to the New Year but the boys did not (they weren't really give a choice!) :) We want to wish you all a great 2007 as we anticipate whats in store!

Christmas Day Fun!

What a great day we had! A sunny 80 degree day was just about as good as a white Christmas. The kids had so much fun together. The zip line was definitely the favorite activity, but jumping on the trampoline, juicing fresh picked oranges and playing new games were close 2nds!

Happy Birthday, Tyler, Joey and Lucas!

We enjoyed celebrating Lucas, Tyler and Joey's 3rd birthday in sunny CA. They kids played outside all day and came in long enough for some cake and gifts. What a great beginning to a fun week ahead!

You've come a long way, Babies!

I can't believe it has almost been 3 years ago these little guys made their arrival! It was 3 years ago that I was laying in a hospital bed almost begging the Dr's to get it over with! But they kept pumping me with a variety of drugs to prolong it a little more! What I wouldn't give for a few weeks of bed rest right about now! :) God is so good...these crazy little monkeys are proof of that!

Christmas Party #2

Tonight we had our family Christmas. This year Eric made the girls new bedroom furniture and Grandpa made the boys new beds as their gifts. The girls loved the surprise but Lucas wasn't to sure that his bed was a very good "present", he couldn't unwrap it.

Christmas Party #1

Since we won't all be able to get together on Christmas Day we celebrated Christmas with the VH gang this weekend. Lots of fun was had by all! Grandma made each of the grandkids a scrapbook of highlights from 2006...they were a huge hit!

School Christmas Prorams

Last week was the week for Christmas programs. Mia had a Christmas Chapel on Friday and they all wore the traditional white cape with red bow. (Eric even wore the same attire years ago!) Holly had a pre-school program in the evening called "The Shepherds Christmas." They both did a great job!

Dancin' to the beat of his own drummer!

This past Sunday evening was our church Christmas program. Once the boys got on stage they were not sure they wanted to stay up there. I was sitting in the front and bribed them, saying Grandpa would give them candy as soon as they were done. Needless to say Joey headed back up and gave it his all! (Thanks, Beth, for the video!)

If you take a dog to school...

...you'll hope he does some tricks. And that just what he did. Today, being the first day back to school in a while, Holly finally got to be the "special" birthday girl. One of the things the birthday girl gets to do is a magic trick. Holly decided she didn't know any tricks but knew someone who did so we asked the teacher if Uncle Dave's dog, Butch could come do her trick for her. Well, he came and did an outstanding job! He even accompanied her class on a couple songs...The "ABC" song as well as "Old McDonald Had a Farm". Thanks again, Butch!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

We had a fun weekend heading up into the mountains to cut down our Christmas tree and then watching

the Lighted Christmas Parade at night. It felt even more "Christmasy" with all the snow.

Time to go back to school!

The kids had the whole last week off of school because of the weather (lots of snow and record low temps). So they have been home almost 2 whole weeks and everyone is ready to go back!

Happy Birthday, Holly!

We had a great day celebrating Holly's 5th birthday, Build-A-Bear style! The snowy day was an extra bonus!

Family Band

We've moved on from pots & pans to metal buckets and pencils. It was a little noisy but everyone was quite entertained for a few minutes!

Watch out American Idol

Joey's usually a reserved kinda guy but every once in a while he cuts loose!

Welcome, Lily!

Baby Lily is the latest addition to our family and this was the boys first time seeing her. I have not seen them so still and so quiet in a very long time! They just stood and looked at her. Welcome to the family, Lily and congratulations Jason, Mandy and Emma!

Some days are like this!

It has been pouring lately, today is no exception.
To say the natives are restless is an understatement!
We're just trying to survive until naptime!

Trick-Or-Treat

Our 5 crazy cowboys & cowgirls.

A couple of our favorite stops along the way!