Christmas Eve 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve at home this year. It was so nice to not have to go anywhere and just spend time together as a family. Especially since Dan had to work the nights during the Christmas holiday - we had a limited amount of time to see him and were glad for every minute that we had with him!

So here is what we did on Christmas Eve - I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Hangin' out at home

Making Puppy Chow (thanks Karin!)

Tyler doing his usual fun things

Then it was party time with the Bischoffs!

Enjoying our yummy fondue dinner

(don't ask me why Nathan & Tyler decided to get into costume)

And now for opening the gifts...

Oh the excitement!!!

Every year Grandma Carla and Grandpa Richard give the kids new PJ's on Christmas Eve, but this year they went above and beyond with new pillow cases for the kids that Carla made. Each one was personalized with the kids' names by Great Grandma Betty and absolutely amazing! The kids love their new pillow cases so much - thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

(sorry no pic of Tyler's but it's Buzz Lightyear - cute!!)

The adults had fun opening gifts too :)

At some point Tyler decided that being Buzz was a bit hot so he went naked after that - be glad he's got on the diaper! And he quickly commandeered the marshmallow shooter and went to work having Grandpa reload it for him. Fun times! And just so you know exactly how redneck a family we are, not only did Tyler not wear his clothes the rest of the night but he also ate the marshmallows off the floor. That is the ones that he could get to before Hank ate them. :)

And the best gift of all was the handmade puppet show that Carla gave to the kids with the most precious hand puppets. What a thoughtful gift! We are so lucky to have such a talented Grandma!! Natalie put on a puppet show right away with the puppets playing "I spy." Absolutely adorable!!


It was such a fun and memorable evening and we were so happy to be able to spend it with Dan's parents. Dan had to leave for work so it ended a little earlier than usual, which was good for me since I had to get the kids to bed and start getting everything ready for the next day. The kids were the most eager to go to sleep because they knew who was coming that night....

Santa Claus was coming to town!

Family Birthday Party

We had Nathan's family birthday dinner the following Sunday after church - that's why everyone looks so festive!

It was our first dinner to host in the new house. Did I mention we moved the first week of December? That's another post for another time.
Birthday Cupcakes, Yummy!!

Enjoyed by all :)

Nathan was so happy to finally get some Lego's - he's been wanting them for a long time!


What fun - we partied til we (Tyler) dropped!

Goodnight!

Nathan is FIVE!

My little man is 5 years old! Nathan was so excited for his birthday to come this year - we were counting down a few weeks in advance! And he was so happy to turn five because he knows that's when you are officially school-aged. I love Nathan so much at 5 - he is such a funny and cute kid! But I will miss him being 4 and telling everyone that he's a CTR 4 when they asked how old he was. Just cute!!



To kick off Nathan's b-day we had him open his present from Grandma Karen & Grandaddy at breakfast. Dan worked the night before and brought home "birthday donuts" for a special breakfast. Can you tell how excited Nathan is?!!

The pic in the middle is Nathan saying "Whoa!" when he saw what he got - the Batman Cave!

And the day got even better when we got to go with Natalie's class to the Elgin Christmas Tree Farm for a field trip. We had been there last year when it was a pumpkin patch but had never gone when they set up the Christmas Tree activities. It was a bit cold out but we had so much fun - we will definitely return next year!

There's an assortment of farm animals - can you tell Nathan didn't like the smell? haha!

And you see those 2 geese looking so innocent right where the boys are watching them?

Well they decided it was bath time!

Yep, Tyler and Nathan got splashed by the geese! Definitely a highlight of the field trip :)

The kids got to go on a hayride out to where all the Christmas trees are growing. The class even got to pick out a tree and cut it down to take back to their classroom! There was also a playground for them to play at with picnic tables. It is the most kid-friendly place!

Natalie & Nathan loved playing tether ball together. They crack me up!


Don't forget about all the hay!
They loved running through the hay bale maze. Can't say it enough, We loved this place!!!


And the celebrating wasn't over yet...
we still had to go to Nathan's favorite place for dinner and games-
Chuck E. Cheese!!!!


Tyler was all about the "rides" - check out those funny faces!
Love Tyler's bedhead (he fell asleep in the car on the drive back from Elgin)

And Nathan was all about the games...

Pizza, tokens, games, tickets, prizes, & candy - just a few of Nathan's favorite things!

Me and the birthday boy :)

Natalie is getting really good at the games - she won the most tickets of all!

Dan had to leave for work from Chuck E. Cheese and we forgot to bring the birthday cake

so we waited until the next day to eat it

Spider Man Cake!

(thanks to Sam's for rigging this one up for us last minute!)

Happy Birthday Nathan!!!!

Now a letter to Nathan from me:

Nathan,

I know lots of your favorite things (you tell me frequently), and you are one of my favorite things so I want to tell you some of my favorite things about you:

1. I love how you always start every sentence with, "Mom, I need to tell you something..."

2. I love that you love to play with your brother and sister. You let Natalie boss you around and swing you around! And you are always willing to hunt for "bad guys" with Tyler.

3. I love that you are still so sweet. Maybe it's from all the candy that you love to eat but I think you are really just a sweet little guy.

4. I love how you are almost obsessed with counting and numbers, especially when it comes to your money! Maybe you'll grow up to be an accountant (that sure would make your grandaddy proud!)

5. I love that you are still interested in hanging out with me and helping me. I haven't lost the "cool" factor yet and I plan to cherish as much time as I get with you while you still like to snuggle.

I love you, Nathan!!! You will always be my sweet, sweet boy.

Love,

Mom

Thanksgiving 2010

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. It was so great being able to spend it with all our family! Since everyone contributed to the big meal it wasn't overwhelming and we actually had time to relax and just enjoy spending time together.

Little Goose and her Dad
You don't have to wonder where she gets her silliness from!

Tyler was happy to color while we cooked...

The feast!

Anna, Carla, & Karen

I didn't take many pictures as I wasn't feeling so great after the meal and tended to just stay on the couch. Hopefully Carla got some good ones and will post them soon! (hint hint) Regardless, it was so good seeing family and hanging out. This Thanksgiving came at a perfect time for our family - reminding us to be thankful for what we have. It also helped me to try and be thankful for our trials and know that they are for our learning and growth. I am especially thankful at this time for the gospel and eternal families, I love my family so much and I am so grateful for the blessing they are in my life.

Happy Thanksgiving!