Our neighbors Angie and Tyler. To the right are Linn and Jenny. Dan works with Linn and they are our "Babysitter Trade-off" couple. Once a month I watch their 3 cute little kids and once a month Jenny watches our 3 cute little kids! Our kids also get along great which makes it fun for Jenny and I to get together. Hopefully soon (I've been having computer issues- and NOT "I.D.10.T" ones, either!) I will post some pics of their and our kids doing holiday activities together......

The pocorn toss. This has become a tradition at our party. Pictured are Angie and Tyler (our neighbors) and Dawn and Kevin (from church). Dawn and Kevin won by successfully tossing 37 kernals of (popped) popcorn into each others' mouths within the 2 allotted minutes. We were impressed!

Aaron and Rachel in action. (by the way, in the background is our new hide-a-bed couch - just waiting to be used by visiting family and friends. Who will be the lucky ones to try it out first? It could be YOU. Book your reservations now!)

Kaylin and Ethan enjoying their Christmas party. We let them stay up and play in their room until 9:45ish instead of forcing them to go to sleep at their usual 7:30 time. It worked out well for everyone. When we DID put them to bed, they were both dead to the world within 10 minutes! :)

The spread. For drinks we had egg nog, (and rum to spike it with if so desired), warm apple cider, coffee, beer, and various pops. The food (pictured L to R): crackers, Hickory Farms summer sausage (and why is it that Christmas is traditionaly the time to eat SUMMER sausage?!) anyway, I digress...various cheeses were served with the sausage, veggie platter with my mother-in-laws delicious dip, olives, pickle wraps, M&Ms, ghardettos (sp?), my grandma's delecious Danish Puff (one of Dan's new favorites), and the candy tower featuring chocolate covered cherries, chocolate peppermint sticks, and various cookies (store bought). If the people pictures didn't convince you it was a fun party, this photo should. :)

Front Yard Autumn 2006

Isn't our tree pretty this year? This photo was taken on Wednesday, November 8. (Bonus question: Who can spy Kaylin in this photo?)


But by Thurdsay the 16th all those pretty leaves had fallen. It was also the first nice day in a week, so the kids and I (mostly I) went outside to rake. Ethan took this action shot. Did a nice job.


Of course, Ethan also took THIS shot. But it actually is pretty neat. I wondered why he kept pointing the camera a little lower than I thought he should and saying, "Mom, I see me" :)


3 cute kids in a pile of leaves


Another "3 cute kids in a pile of leaves" shot :)


Sleeping cuties


As you can see, Krystin preferred playing on the bench to sitting in a pile of leaves


Of course, Krystin also found the tree interesting.


A typical Krystin expression. (only eyebrows are usually even more furrowed) I prefer to think she is just deep in thought and not really so scowly as she seems.


A sweeter expression from the sweetheart :)


Krystin kept insisting the bench was just a stepstool to climb up the side of the house! If you look closely, you will see her right leg is over the top already. Caught her just in time.


Ethan leaping in. For the longest while they were happy just sitting in the leaves even though I suggested jumping. It took the neighbors coming over to make jumping in the leaves sound like a good idea!


Kaylin taking the plunge


Two neighborhood kids came over to join in the fun. Bree and her brother Zach.


A blur of leaves. So much for my nice neat raked pile :) (Although it must be noted that Bree helped me re-rake the pile when we were all done)


Dan mowed the last time of the year on Saturday, Nov 18. This is the backyard on the east side of our house. No, Dan didn't set the mower too low. "Come next spring" we are going to put in rock and paver stones and add a shed and sand box. (So in preparation - in part due to bugs that ate the grass roots - we pulled up the grass)


How the front yard looks now after raking and mowing.
So sorry, but this is the last picture in the exciting “transformation of the front yard” post. :) If you want to see our front yard anymore, you will just have to come visit!