Hello All: Just a note to tell you all to go to my sis-in-laws site on my link list....Matti K Designs and check out one of her new products that she is doing. Very cute monogrammable drink containers (coffee mugs, thermoses, and the best of all......sippy cups) If you would like to order, her info is in the side bar on her page!!

Busy, busy, busy season.....we've been baking Christmas goodies, making a gingerbread house, preparing for Christmas parties and trying to make sure that our boys will grasp the true meaning of Christmas. Not Santa's visit but Jesus' birth!! I'm posting a few pictures of what we've been doing lately. One of my favorite things during the Christmas season is to bake in the kitchen with the boys. We've done a few things so far but my favorite.....Christmas cut out cookies and decorations will probably be next week while Keagan is out for his Christmas break.

Baking with the family. Jason was actually here to help too....how fun!!

Matti(our niece) thinking of telling Santa(AKA Kason) what she wants for Christmas

My boys

I love, love, love doing this with Keagan each year. I normally let Kason join in but this day Kason was napping so I took advantage of some sweet alone time with my favorite 5 year old in the whole world. I like the picture below where you can see Keagan sneaking another lick of the icing:)

Looks like Keagan and Santa were having a serious talke:) What if we don't want to get Keagan what he told Santa he wanted?? Will he really realize it if it's not under the tree. The kid will rack up on toys since he has 3 sets of grandparents and several aunts and uncles who buy for them both. I'm not sure what to do. I think he'll like what we got him but like I said....it's not what he told Santa he wanted.....any of you have some advice for me?? I know though...it's not about getting what we want but grasping what Christmas really is!!

watching the parade with Aunt Lori and Uncle D
Each year we go the the "village" and watch the Christmas parade with Jason's family. The boys love it and always have a fun time!

Keeping warm while watching the parade

Look at this traveling snow hill that came through a town near us. I just had to let Keagan go slide down. Those guys were making a killing at $2 a slide. Keagan really thought it was a lot of fun.

Living in the area we are in we have really become aware of what our soldiers and their families go through. Please keep our soldiers in your prayers this holiday season. We have several friends and members of our church family whose husbands have just recently deployed and will be spending the holidays away from those they love the most. Some of them for the 2nd or 3rd year in a row. It's not only the soldiers who make a sacrifice but also their families who support them and their decision to serve and defend our country for us!! I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to each one serving or has a loved one serving our country!!

Keagan's Christmas choir program. They were so cute!!

Whoa!! Seriously am I dreaming or is it really December already?? What a whirlwind the past couple of weeks have been. We've been to Keagan's school twice, once for a parent Thanksgiving breakfast his class had and another time because Keagan's class led chapel. I am so sad that we did not have the camera either time. Actually we might have had it for the breakfast but I didn't get to go because I had class that morning. Jason was the designated parent so I'll blame him for no pictures that morning:) Kason and I made a trip up the road to an awesome children's museum with a friend of mine and her little guy who is Kason's age, we did get pictures so maybe I'll post some of those. Then the Friday before Thanksgiving the boys, Gram, and I went to see Disney on Ice. It was a lot of fun but I definitely think that Kason enjoyed it more than Keagan. Let's see....Keagan was out of school the entire week of Thanksgiving. Grandma called and wanted to spend some time with he and Kason so I met her and D-dad halfway and the boys spent a few days with them before Jason and I headed up their way. Jason's uncle unexpectedly passed away 1 week ago today so needless to say our week was definitely busy!! The good thing though is that at one point or the other we were able to spend time with three sets of parents and family which normally doesn't happen on Thanksgiving. I hope in the business of this time of year you all will make time to stop and think of the things we have to be thankful for. Even though sometimes it seems as though we have it bad, all in all, I believe God has truly blessed each of us in immeasurable ways. Don't forget to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ our Saviour in the rush to mark things off of your lists!!



Kason, Gram, and Keagan


Kason and Luke at the children's museum


Kason, Matti, and Keagan we are missing Brooklyn from this pict, she didn't feel like getting her pict taken at the moment.:(



Keagan took some picts with my camera while and G-ma and D-dad's, Heidi I think Abigail is definitely a better photographer than Keagan!!;)

This is mainly for the one that keeps asking me to send pics of the boys in the costumes...here you go:) Halloween night I took the boys to the Fall Festival at our church. There they played games and got tons of candy. Jason was able to get off of work a little early and went trick or treating with us after the festival. Good friends of ours the Gallaways live out in the sticks;) so they decided to come to our neighborhood to trick or treat with us and also another friend of ours husband was out of town and didn't want to take her boys trick or treating alone so Tiffany joined us as well. We were so glad they all came by because the boys ( yes we all have 2 boys each~ no girls here!) had a great time and Jason and I enjoyed hanging out with our friends too!!











This is a picture of Keagan's last soccer game, thanks for coming so far Uncle Kevin to see him play!!! Gram and Pop were there too but they didn't have as long of a drive:) I thought this was a cool picture you can see Keagan has just finished turning the ball around to go toward his team's goal and you can also see the air he got on that ball. He thought that was pretty cool. Over and out have a great day!!

Well normally on Wednesdays Kason and I go to a playgroup with mom's from our Sunday School class and their kids. This week I decided to have playgroup at our house with a Halloween theme. All the kids came dressed in their costumes. We had pumpkin painting and lots of playing in the backyard and playroom. I am so glad that everybody was able to come even if we did have over 20 kids in my house at one time. I'm posting a few pictures of the party. I didn't get to take as many as I wanted but I believe I did get some cute ones. I actually really wanted a picture of all of the kids in a group shot but I knew that with20+ kids ages 4 and under it was probably near impossible so I didn't even try. Kason and I enjoyed all of the company though and hope that our friends will come back and play again!!!! We are truly blessed with some great friends!!

Concentrating!

Parlee Cott (Carlee Scott)

Owen playing with the big boys or the big boys trying to keep Owen in line:)

Joshua being a stinker and not looking at the camera. Some of Kason's buds.

Kason and Georgie (not sure what he's doing with his face)

What a cute picture of Jacob the giraffe

Our friend Luke, I love, love, love this boys hair!!!

No better place for a pirate to be than playing with his ship!

Asa wondering what I'm doing

Haley painting her pumpkin

Just running a few weeks behind. I'm posting some pictures from our trip we took to Dallas a few weeks ago. The best part about the trip is the fact that me and the boys were able to see Jason for 3 straight days!!! It's been a little over a year ago I believe since we've had him to ourselves for that long. It was so much fun getting to visit family but the highlight for the 3 of us was having Jason all day each day!!! He's such a hard worker, a great husband, and terrific father and we appreciate everything he does for us, we just miss our time with him since his work requires such long days. While in Dallas we stayed in a hotel for 2 nights. (one of Keagan's favorite things to do) We celebrated Uncle Brice's birthday with my family and spent a night with Uncle Matt, Aunt Amelia, and most importantly "baby Matti." We attended one of Uncle Matt's football games that he coaches and went to the Dallas Arboretum with my family to the pumpkin patch. It all was so much fun!!!

Grandma and Kason



Matt, Aaron, and Jason (Jason's good friend from high school, Aaron, and his brother Matt started coaching together this year) So it was two treats in one for Jason that night getting to see them both!!

Ok...I was just thumbing through a sale flyer from a local department store, when I got to the women's section I turned the page and my mind went flashing back in time. Much to my surprise there was a model with...get this....STIRRUP PANTS!!! Oh my gosh are you kidding me, are they really trying to bring those awful things back!!?? I was ok with them in jr. high because I didn't know any better but seriously I would hate to see my big hiney in those skin tight things now!! Please somebody tell me this isn't happening!!!!!

Just look at what Kason and I stumbled upon one morning last week when we were outside playing. Thank goodness he was dying when we found him but we took it upon ourselves to torture it with a stick until he quit moving totally. A friend of mine actually informed me that these guys jump. Thankfully it didn't do that because I might not be here to post these pictures and tell this story if that sucker had jumped on my hand....ICKY!!!!! Anyway, I'm almost positive that it's a tarantula. He had hairy legs and fangs under his body. I looked at pictures on the internet and they were just about identical but my sweet husband will not believe me that it was indeed a tarantula, never the less it is UGLY!!!! Pardon the pict of Kason holding "the bag" shirtless. I tell you my kids hate keeping clothes on and normally don't have on much when we are around the house. Hopefully that phase will pass soon!!:)
We have been up to so much since my last post but I don't have time to post all the picts and update you but hopefully that will come soon. Good night every one. I pray the rest of the week treats you well!!!
Also wanted to say CONGRATS to our friends the Jones on the birth of their third child and second son Peyton!! What an adorable little guy he is!!!