Summer fun... in the winter!

Over Christmas break we needed a little get away so we packed up the kids and went to the indoor water park in Dubuque.  They had a blast and were able to be so independent.  It was a fun and relaxing time for all! 

Christmas 2009

Christmas is a week long event in our family! So many places to go and people to see. It all began the weekend before at Grandma Karen's. This year we had a new cousin to join in the fun. He had a great time crawling all over the presents and was happy to play with wrapping paper, he didn't try to steal the boys' toys... can't say the same for Sutton trying to steal Tristan's toys though. Grandma Karen got the boys big snow plows among other things, and we all know how much those are needed this winter. The boys couldn't wait to go outside and try them out. (Sutton is hidden in this pic behind his snow plow box).

Then it was onto Kathy's (Smiling Tots Preschool) where they did a Xmas program and sang songs. Santa came to visit and brought each of them a gift.
Next up was Xmas Eve with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Patty. This year along with Ryan, Michelle, and Tristan we were also joined by Emily and her "serious" boyfriend Brian (as Patty would say, ha ha). The boys had a blast and were thrilled to recieve official gear to begin their training as future teammates on the Iowa Hawkeye football squad. We anticipate Mason (running back), Easton (receiver), and Sutton (kicker) to be All Americans with all this early practice they are getting. Nothing would make Grandpa Bob more proud than to cheer on his own Hawk grandsons!

Christmas morning the boys woke up in their matching jammies to come find out what Santa brought for them in their stockings. Then later in the day Jesse, Joc, Lana and Papa all came up for some more present opening.

This is what they do when I tell them to "look at me and be cute." Trained much?

Mason may never listen to us again.

Easton was so thrilled to get a skid loader.

Opening presents is serious work.

The greatest toy EVER... according to Mason.

One of the big allures of going to Grandma Lana and Papa John's has been the fact they have a lot of space and toys to ride on. When Mason was barely old enough to walk Papa drug home a John Deere Gator, when Easton was barely old enough to walk Papa decided they shouldn't have to share so he brought home a battery powered four wheeler and Easton inherited the Gator. Well you see where this is going. Now that Mason is "big" Papa decided it was time for a real toy... so he drags home a four wheeler, not a nice slow, battery powered one but a real one that uses gas and goes way faster than his mother would prefer. (although it's fun for mom to go that fast!). Mason is obsessed with it and begins planning his next trip back as soon as we pull out of Papa and Grandma's driveway.

Sometimes daddy joins in the fun too and races Mason with the go-cart.

Here they all are on their fun riding toys

And a video showing why mom isn't the biggest "fan" of Mason's new "toy."

Mason's birthday party

So this was the year when I figured we would do a kid only party; however we have apparently set a precedent and people look forward to coming to our birthday parties (what can I say we like to party, ha ha). In the weeks leading up to the party I got asked by several people to make sure they let me know when the party was. So what started as a potential 8 kid party ended up being a bowling party for 32!!! We had a blast. 4 lanes of fun had by all. Somehow there ended up being 2 lanes of adults bowling, and then me and some other really helpful moms organizing the other 2lanes of 14 bowling kids between the ages of 2 and 7! It was most definitely chaotic and I wouldn't do it again, but everyone had a blast. So here are a few pics of the action. Hard to get group shots when it's sort of an individual sport :)

Happy 6th Birthday Mason!

6 years ago tonight, Mason decided he was ready to meet us all. 18.5 hours later we had a big 8lb 8oz baby boy! The past 6 years have gone so fast. Happy Birthday to our biggest boy.

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Halloween

Halloween in our house is really more about me imposing my idea of what I want the kids to dress up as more so than their "choice" of what they want to be. I like themes, I like themes that revolve around 3. And up to this point I have been very successful at convincing Mason how cool my ideas are and subsequently he convinces the other 2 how cool they are too. Past years we've been: 3 little pigs, and 3 blind mice. So this year we were the 3 musketeers.

Now many of you who know me, know that I can come up with some creative ideas. And if creativity only involved coming up with ideas and not having to make them become real I would be golden. Creativity lives in my head, but not in my skills. I decided to make the costumes since I couldn't find 3 small enough and exactly like what I wanted. Let's just say that it's good that you can't see details in pictures because from afar they look great! :) OH and it's good that trick or treat is during darkness.

I am also including pics of the kids at the pumpkin patch. We put this off so late this year that Daddy took them solo on the very last weekend before Halloween. I had a meeting but thankfully the all boys trip yielded their annual pics in front of the "how tall this fall sign". And of course they picked out their pumpkins and went in the corn maze and saw all the animals.

Trick or treat was a blast in our neighborhood. Kids got tons of candy while the adults trick or treated with and for beer. In the end it was one big bunch of us wandering around from house to house... picking up more people as we went. Here is a bunch of the cute neighborhood kids. Next year I am feeling Alving and Chipmunks coming.... stay tuned.

Mason birthday invite

Although I am sure some of you are convinced I forgot how to blog... I do plan to "catch up" at some point :) Here is Mason's invite and one of these days I am gonna just do nothing but back blog.