SURPRISE !!!!

Guess what?!? I am blogging before Christmas again!

The last 4-5 days have been a whirlwind of activity.

But it has been such fun activity that I HAD to blog about it!

Enjoy the following NEW posts.

(But again, I can't promise anything more until 2009!)

(Oh - and BTW - no Christmas cards being mailed out from us this year. We love you all, but we'll be doing good to get presents and cards out to our immediate-immediate family! So this blog will just have to suffice for updates.... maybe next year I'll get a letter made up in time....)

Kaylin's Preschool Christmas Program

OKay. The first few pics are not of Kaylin's Christmas Sing, but just a few cute misc. pics to include!

The kids still enjoy sliding down the stairs.

The Advent Calendars from Gpa and Gma Collingwood arrived.

Now for the Christmas Program Pictures.
What does the following pic have to do with Kaylin's Program?!?
Well: we had just picked up a new dress for her that day. It had red sparklies. She has red sparkly shoes - or what USED to be sparkly. They are SO scuffed in the toes they looked shabby. So Mom put red glitter glue on them to "fix" them.
They were still not dry at "T-minus-20 minutes" to leave.
Ethan is being a wonderful big brother and blow drying the shoes so that they will be ready in time. (Mom was getting Kaylin and herself ready and Dad was busy getting Krytin dressed - who had to wear a pretty dress, too, since Kaylin was) :)



Pretty Little Girl......
in (now) pretty little shoes ;)

(Christina - notice the necklace she is wearing? She was so excited. This is the first time she wore a "real" necklace. And the cross/heart reminded her of Jesus-us luv" :)


My 3 favorite kids in the whole world :)

Kaylin's Preschool Class just prior to the Program.

Couples Christmas Party

On Friday evening, Dec 12th,

Dan and I threw our annual Couples Christmas Party.

Here the kids eat their snacky supper before the guests arrived.
The kids like the party, too, because they get to stay up really late and have lots of goodies.

This year Papa helped keep an eye on them upstairs - so that was extra special.

"Mrs. Kropf" was one of the first to arrive. The kids were excited to see her!

Testing out the "game bell"

We played the "snort" game. One has to keep his/her teeth hidden while turning to their neighbor and "snorting". If you show your teeth (ie: laugh) you are out.

These were the final 4 :)

And of course we had the Popcorn Toss.

Poor Matt and Kim. (neighbor friends) They came in 2nd last year..... and this year too :(

Jenny and Linn

Neighbors Allen and Bridget

Good "gaming" friends from church -

Marci and Bill

Popcorn Toss in action

The "Cranium" playing group

The card "golf" group.

(Matt and Britt not pictured)

Going up to get the kids just before midnight.

(on their second viewing of "Wall-E"

Candy Houses

Saturday, December 13, 2008
I think this is the 3rd year my friend Jenny and I have gotten the kids together for "gingerbread houses". Really, they are made out of graham crackers... so I have decided to start calling them "candy houses". After all - that is what it is all about. Platefulls of candy... and our kids get to eat candy while working :)

This year our friend Kim and her 2 kids joined us.

I was trying to avoid a wall collapse disaster!

Ethan's favorite candy this year were old, stale marshmallows.

Even the Moms got in on the action :)

And the reason you don't see this little girl in the pics is because she was sick :(

Here she is opening up her gift from Ethan, Kaylin, and Krystin.

SNOW !!!

Sunday, December 14th, we got our first snow of the season!

Kaylin was SO excited!

Of course we went out and played in it.

Enjoy the pics - they speak for themselves.

1st Tracks

I really need to invest in some snowpants for me! :)

November 08 - MISC

Okay.

So with this posting, I believe I am all caught up!

Next posting might not be until January when I post Christmas pics.

(So be forwarned - and any postings I do now will be a surprise bonus) ;)

With Daylight Savings done (or is it here? I can't remember - but with the time change....)

ANYWAY..... Now that it gets dark earlier we have resumed a favorite Family Fun Night activity: "Animal Hunt"

This game started when Kaylin was a baby and I would hide a few plastic animals in the tiny Laundry Room for Ethan to find with his flashlight.

It has since evolved to the kids waiting in the Bonus Room with buckets and flashlights in hand while Dan and I hide 10-15 plastic animals in the Living Room. Then we turn off all the lights and go get the kids and chant "We're goin' on an Animal Hunt, an Animal Hunt, an Animal Hunt"

They come running out and see how many animals they can find with their flashlights. One of the coveted animals is the pteridactal (I am sure I butchered that spelling) - Dad always hides it somewhere up really high!

Dan and I have been enjoying the Playstation Game "Rock Band" lately.

(FYI: Usually he plays lead guitar and I play bass. Sometimes one of us will sing. --- I can NOT do the drums because you have to play a beat ahead of the beat and as a drummer that drives me crazy!)

The kids like to watch us sometimes (although we have to be careful which songs we play then) and so one day I got out their instruments and let them pretend to play along with me. They got to take turns "playing" the guitar.

Rainy Day

The kids were so excited when it was rainy enough one day to warrant umbrellas to pick Ethan up from school.

Only to get home and want to play in the rain :)

This picture is just priceless :)
(Pro coffee pot watcher with his protege)

Last night in the Toddler Bed :(
Because......

The girls got Bunk Beds!!!

Why is Ethan in their room sleeping on his new Lightning McQueen airbed?!?!

-- AND --

Who drew stencils for 2 hours straight with these precious children one morning?

Who bought them each slippers so their feet were warm in the morning?

(sorry no pic of slippers at this point....)


Who spoiled them with fudge from "Cabelas"?

Who is teaching Ethan to play Chess??

Sorry folks. I am not at liberty to officially post info on this person - so you will just have to guess who it is ;)

But let's just say we are all very excited this person has come for a visit!

(I even got a new coffee pot out of it ;)

(but it wasn't his fault - the real story is that our coffee pot was getting old and it just quit working)

Thanks Grandpa and Grandma Collingwood for the Thanksgiving cards, stickers, and books!

You'll be happy to know, Sherry, that even your son enjoyed the books! ;)