christmas fun 2018

 The Christmas season always begins with our annual Black Friday weekend trip out to the Christmas tree farm to select and cut down our perfect tree.  This year our tree was named Patricia and she was lovely.

 Everly desperately wanted this pink tree, and I think one year we might just have to make that happen!

 The magic continued as we all worked together to dress her up in lights and sparkly ornaments.

 I love listening to my kids as they unbox each ornament and talk about the memories they have of each and every one.  It makes them each one seem special.

 I decided I need to document more of my Christmas decorations.  They seem special to me and I want to remember how I decorated each year.

 I made this Christmas sign this year.  I figured it was okay to have one decoration that was a little sarcastic.

 We each made our own seat wreaths this year.  Sadly, with everyone walking past them everyday, most of them didn't make it to Christmas day before they were broken.

 We love getting so many Christmas cards from friends and family. This photo holder was completely stuffed by the end of the year.  It reminds me how lucky we are to have had so many people in our lives over the years.

 Everly would not sit on Santa's lap this year, and she would only get this close if Krew was there too.  She did remember to ask Santa for a toy broom, a robot dog, and some My Little Ponies.

 I love this picture of Krew!  He was so excited to ask Santa for a parakeet playground for Pico, a drone, and a real rhea egg.  

 Pictures of my kids with Santa every year never get old, even if the kids do!

 It wouldn't be Christmas time without spending some time together in the kitchen baking cookies.  Maybe Santa needs to bring Everly an apron that has her name on it.

 Krew loved that he could spend the month singing, "All I Want For Christmas is My Two Front Teeth"

 Making gingerbread houses!

 The cutest Joseph and (pregnant) Mary I have ever seen! 

 Acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve will always be one of my favorite traditions!

2018 family christmas card

We have had a wonderful 2018! 

— In February, we went to California where we stayed on the beach, played with some dear friends, spent the week with Ashli’s parents, hung out with Mickey Mouse, put our toes in the ocean every day, and dreamed of what it would be like to stay there and never have to shovel snow again.

—In May, Bart and Ashli celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary by spending a few days in Chicago. The highlight of the trip was definitely seeing Hamilton.  It absolutely lived up to the hype!

— In August, we went to Utah to visit Ashli’s family. We went swimming, shopping, ate yummy food, played with cousins, rode rollercoasters, went hiking, and made tons of awesome memories.

— In October, we went to St. Louis to explore.  We celebrated Bart’s and Krew’s birthdays, ate amazing BBQ, explored museums and zoos, and crawled through tunnels and slid down slides at the City Museum.  We ended our trip high in the sky, inside the Gateway Arch!

Kade: (12) played on a baseball team this spring, was finally allowed to play tackle football and played on the middle school team. He went deer hunting for the first time this fall. He went skiing several times and loved it!  He said the highlight of this year for him was skiing. When he grows up, he wants to be a chemical engineer.

Ky: (12) played on a soccer team this spring, and is currently playing basketball on the middle school team.  He also went hunting and skiing, and says his favorite thing we did this year was our trip to Utah.  He wants to be an animator when he grows up.

Krew: (7) played in two different flag football leagues this year, went skiing once (and is looking forward to trying it again this winter), loves to read. His favorite thing that happened this year was that he got a pet parakeet that he named Pico!  He wants to work at a pet store when he grows up.

Everly: (4) learned how to ride a bike with no training wheels in about 5 minutes this summer.  She had her first dance recital this spring and loved everything about it. She spent the year singing and dancing to The Greatest Showman soundtrack and spending as much time with Krew as possible.  When she grows up, she wants to be a police with a motorcycle.  

Ashli:  loved all the trips we took and the memories we made as a family. She was convinced to do some photo shoots for some friends, and ended up doing more photography in October than she has the last 7 years combined!  

Bart: realized that taking a few trips and vacations actually makes him happier and more productive. He continues to enjoy family practice and had his most productive year yet in the clinic. He played less golf this year than he would’ve liked, but made up for it doing fun activities with his growing boys. 

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

pico

Krew's favorite birthday present was a birdcage, and the chance to get a pet bird!  He has loved birds his whole life, and recently had been studying in books and YouTube videos all about having a parakeet.  He learned everything from how to pick one out, how to feed it, how to train it, and so much more.  After all that hard work, we just couldn't say no to this cute little ornithologist.  Back in November, we went to the pet store where Krew picked out the cutest turquoise and yellow budgie.  Meet Pico:

 It has been so fun watching Krew with Pico.  Right away he took such responsibility for feeding him and cleaning up after him, and telling us all the right way to interact with him.  It's been much more fun than I thought it would be, considering that I am not a pet person.

krew's birthday party

Krew got to have his first real friend birthday party and I think he really loved it!  He had such a hard time deciding on a theme, but eventually he settled on a sports theme, which fits him so perfectly.

I was excited to throw him a birthday party for a couple of reasons.  First, I love planning all the details of little parties, but most of all, I was excited that Krew wanted to have a party.  For the past several years, I have offered to throw him a birthday party, but he was just too shy.  He has made lots of friends over the past year and a half, and I was so happy that he wanted to have all these friends over for a party!

The only problem with having a sports themed birthday party in November is planning sports related games that can be played by ten 7 year old boys inside.

One game was a silly basketball game where they had to shoot hoops in a silly way like backwards, or laying down, or blindfolded.

Each of the boys designed their own jersey.  Krew's is the bottom middle with the #28.

I loved celebrating Krew with all his little friends!