Blue & Gold

We made it to our second Blue and Gold dinner for Boy Scouts.

The boys and our little girls enjoyed the program this year. 

The Schlitz Audubon Center brought along a few little friends for the kids to check out.

But I think everyone's favorite was by far the Eagle!

All the pictures in the world just don't do this bird justice.

But seeing this beauty in person sure put it into perspective as to why it was picked as our National Bird

Christmas Day

The kids did pretty good again this year, I don't believe they woke us up til 7:30. Its always fun to lay in bed and listen to them talking in the living room about who's present is who's.

When we say its time the kids waste no time lining up to get their gifts.

Ipods were on the boys list for 2 years in a row, so they were super excited to find that this year they each got one.

And finally we spent the rest of the day in pjs going through all the new things that Santa had brought!

Christmas Eve, better late than never...

We had our annual Christmas eve festivities at my parents house. We attempted to get a family picture, it turned out pretty good, minus 1 child :/

My lovely sister Tricia & Andy

And my beautiful sister Shelley, Bill and her little munchkins

And then I realized I forgot to get one of Jenny & Kingston and Mom & Dad, oops, i'll be sure to get them first next year!

Not even 5 minutes after we had gotten back to my parents house from  the church service,  Mackenzie was telling me she had the shakes and could not stop.  Low and behold 10 minutes later she spiked a temp and spent the rest of the night sleeping away on Grandpas recliner. And this would explain why we were 1 child short in our family picture :(

She did wake up long enough to open 1 present, and then insisted I open her presents for her since she was too sick to do it herself.

And away the rest went, ripping and tearing faster than I could keep up.

And the excitement on their faces after getting new jersey was priceless. Yes, I know they not packer jerseys, but trust me, they got those too.

 Dad put his woodworking abilities to use again this year to finish up the girls kitchen. They now have a sink and stove to go with the washer and fridge.

Its fun to watch as the kids go through different stages. Michael is my BIG sports fan, and he has to be in EVERY conversation that involves sports. So while Kingston and Steve were talking about some game, Michael was right there with them putting his 2 cents in :)

Another wonderful Holiday was had by all. Spent with an amazing group of people that I'd be lost without! 

As always, looking forward to our next family gathering.

So long single digits, hello double digits!

I swear it was just yesterday that I was begging my Doctor to just induce my labor because I was done being pregnant. And then sitting in that hospital room thinking to myself am I really ready for this! I know nothing about being a mother and taking care of a baby.

But before long this little red headed beauty was cuddled tight in my arms and the word Motherhood that I was so afraid of was easily unfolding in front of me.

Such an amazing little man he is turning out to be. Always ready to lend a hand with his siblings when his Mom is hollering for help ;)

Happy 10th Birthday Michael!

Happy 5th Birthday Mackenzie

And then she was 5

     

I explained to Mackenzie that we wouldn't be having big birthday parties this year because of our plans to go to Disney. At first she was fine with that, until 2 day before her birthday then she started questioning who was coming. I again reminded her it would be just us. "That's it", was her reply. So then I started feeling guilty and called my Parents for back up and of course they agreed to come over for dinner and cake.

She dressed herself in her prettiest party dress and waited all day for the little party to start.

She seemed to really enjoy her quiet little party even though it was just us and my parents.

The gift that won the show was by far the bike. She is just itching for the weather to get nicer so she can take that bike for a ride somewhere other than the kitchen floor.

Happy 5th Birthday  my little Mack, I'm looking forward to the fun thing being 5 has to offer!

Derby time

This year we defiantly weren't ahead of schedule by any means. We got our blocks of wood 2 months before the derby races, but instead waited until a week before to get them done.

So over to Grandpa Krocka's house we headed to get the cars cut out and sanded down smooth.

Grandpa even had some spare paint on hand that the boys liked so they quickly got the cars painted the same day!

This year they opted to make simple car designs and they turned out great!

It is always fun to check out all the different design done on the cars.

Both boys raced great this year. The came in the top 4 for all their races, last year I believe they came in 5th or 6th for all their races :/

And to our surprise each car came in first for one of their races, so they were super excited to see their name on the screen!

All competitors get a medal for their hard work in making the cars.

And this year Landon did exceptionally well. He received a plaque for the most realistic car.

And his car came in FIRST amongst all the cars in his grade level. And let me tell you he was so ecstatic about that.

So ecstatic in fact, that he had to set up all his awards when we got home to send Grandpa a text message and picture :)

Even though Michael didn't get a big fancy award, he still had fun and that's all that matters. He reminded me that he got a plaque last year when Landon didn't (and this caused ALOT of tears from Landon) so he was not upset that he didn't get a plaque this year. 

And knowing that he was ok with that made my night!