5 going on 15

Here is our 5 year old Grace, after the Christmas Program, on her actual birthday. She's talking on the phone with my mom and the kids who had called to wish her a happy birthday. I was watching her on the phone, and I couldn't help but think of how grown up she's looking and getting to be. (Sniff, sniff!) I love her legs crossed and the bouncing of her little feet!

Let me explain this photo...

Last night (Dec. 17th) was the Sunday School Christmas Program at our church. When we got to church I dropped Grace off at her class and Ryan dropped Micah off at, what we thought was, the nursery (they had child care last year). So, we are all settled in to watch the program which starts out with the 2 year old class, and they're all so cute... and then Ryan says "Oh! Micah's up there!" He's not actually in the 2 year old SS yet since he wasn't 2 at the beginning of the school year. Turns out, there wasn't any child care, and the teacher's weren't quite sure what to do with him, but he lined up with the other kids and walked up on the stage so they figured they'd leave him be! Here he is just sitting on the front step (by the boy in the red vest). Who's kid is that?! Oh sure, we're good parents!

Look at that Cutie!

Our happy girl smiling at her cute self in the bathroom mirror after her bath!

She LOVES her bath time! So much so infact, that this is the first good picture I could snap of her - when she's already out of the tub - she just won't stay still long enough otherwise!

Grace's Castle

Grace had been saving her money to buy this Dora Castle since this last summer. With the money she saved and the addition of her birthday money she was able to buy it the other night, along with a couple of accessories. She is so thrilled to finally be able to play with it! We are so proud of how dilligent she was in saving her money for that long, 7 months is a long time for a 4(now 5) year old. Way to go Honey-Girl!

Grace's Birthday Party

This past weekend (Dec. 9 & 10) we had an exciting weekend. On Saturday evening we hosted our first annual Christmas Caroling Party, which was well attended and a lot of fun. And, then on Sunday afternoon, we had Grace's 5th birthday party, which was also a lot of fun!

Here are some of the birthday party photos:

Four generations - Great Grandma Rose, Grandma Barb, Ryan, and Grace & Anna Anna with Grandma Jeanne
Grandpa Steve decorated Grace with birthday balloons,
and then she decorated him too!
Grace and Grandma Jeanne putting the sprinkles on her birthday cake
and Micah did his part to help with the cake too!

Angel of Mine

Daddy helping our biggest little angel to put the angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Something Fun and New

While we were at my parent's for Thanksgiving, Granty Kathy and Gruncle Jim stopped by for a visit, and they brought a fun little Christmas "toy" for the kids. It is a couple little penguins and a snowman singing Hallmark's version of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" and they dance and wiggle around too. The kids all think it is great and they just love playing it over, and over, and over again! In fact, we already have to replace the batteries in it. They all want to be right close up front to it.

Grace & Grandpa

The morning after Thanksgiving, Grace reading a story with Grandpa Guy.

Sweet Dreams Baby Boy...

This is the way we found Micah one night when we checked on him before we went to bed. He had taken his pajamas off and had fallen asleep on his "Big Book of Trucks" (his favorite!) He was sleeping so sweetly, he didn't even wake up when we took the picture and put him back in his pj's.

A girls' got to do what a girls' got to do!

Anna just couldn't wait for Mommy to sit down to feed her here! I got the bottle ready, went to the kitchen to grab the phone and she just toddled her way over there, tipped it over and started drinking on her own. She looked kind of like a little gerbil! Too cute!

Holidaze Parade

November 18th we took the kids to see Willmar's "Holidaze Parade." We ended up running into some friends of our there with their kids, so we were able to watch the parade with them. The kids had a lot of fun! Here they are, Grace and her friend Douglas... Micah and Phillip
and the babies, Anna and Evan!

A Romantic Escape

We left the kids at Grandpa & Grandma's house after visiting the orchard, and Ryan and I went on a little romantic escape to Duluth. It was so good to get away for a couple of days, just the two of us, and enjoy spending some time together. It was so nice to not have any interruptions (and to eat at restaurants that don't serve chicken nuggets and french fries!) This picture doesn't do it justice, but the view of the sunrise out of our hotel window the morning we left was magnificent!
View from along Lake Superior. We really enjoyed the vivid fall colors.
Here are some pistures I took while we were hiking along this really neat old road called the "Seven Bridges Road". There were actually more than 7 bridges, and each one of them was just beautiful in the surrounding setting.

A Cutie (or three!) A Day...

We have a tradition of visiting an apple orchard in the fall to pick apples and have some family fun during mommy's favorite season :) The kids (and us too!) love it and Grace looks forward to it all year. This year was a little warmer than most on the day we went, but it was a beautiful day in a beautiful setting as you can see. The apples were pretty yummy too!
Little Boy Blue
Anna (Auntie Jessica's in the background) inspecting her first apple.

Hmm. What is this? Everyone else is eating these balls, so...
... maybe I'll give it a try.

The kids feeding the goats that they have in the little kids barnyard,

here's Grace with Uncle David.

Micah (and Daddy)

The little climber!

Anna has been pulling herself up and standing along side of furniture for a few weeks now, but the other night, just 2 days shy of 8 months old, she stepped up onto the bottom stair at home. Daddy watched as she held onto the bars of the baby gate and stepped up. Mom's not so sure she's ready for this! Anna is so determined to be walking though, so I don't think it will be much longer. She just wants to keep up with her older brother and sister, she doesn't want to miss out on anything!Here she is looking a little bit proud of herself!

Fall Fun!

The kids (and us too!) have been having fun with our yard full of leaves this fall. They love for us to rake up big piles for them to jump or be tossed into! It's funny how when you look at things through the eyes of your children that everything, even raking leaves and the changing of the seasons, becomes a wonderous and amazing thing. Praise God for those moments.
Latest Grace-ism: "I absolutely adore autumn!"

Fishing ... sort of

Saturday, a few days after Grace's surgery, we took the kids "fishing" in New London. Grace had been asking to go fishing all summer long and, since Summer was pretty much over, we figured we'd better go! She didn't catch anything, and she decided that she probably needs a boat "to go where the fishes are." But we had fun anyways! And it was nice to get out a bit since we'd been keeping things pretty low-key after the surgery ... Doctor's orders. The way her bandaging was done it kind of pushed her eyebrows down into her eyes a bit, like a scowl. She was cute the 1st night after the surgery, when she told me "this band-aid kinda makes me look a little bit angry, but I'm not really angry and I still love you even though I look angry." Gotta love it!
Micah had no interest in fishing. He just had fun running around and finding things.

Here's a rare shot of him actually sitting down.And, little miss Anna loved inspecting the nature that Micah and Grace brought to her.

OOH! A little flower! (actually what's left of a dandalion)
I wonder how it tastes?

Sep. 13th, Grace after her ear surgery

Grace recovering on the couch a few hours after her ear surgery. She's holding onto one of the balloons that Grandpa, Grandma, and the kids sent her and also has the teddy bear that they gave her at the Surgery Center there as well. She was such a trooper and we are so proud of her!

August 12, we took the kids to Kids Day at the Kandiyohi County Fair. They had a blast! Micah was so cute, he studied each ride and tried to figure out how they all worked. His favorite ride was this car ride. He went on it three times, and he would have stayed on it longer too if we hadn't run out of tickets for him. Next year I think we'll need to get him an "unlimited rides" wrist-band too. Anna, on the other hand, was content just to nap in the stroller the whole time. You can't see it in this picture, but Grace has the "Princess Wave" down!

She waved and acknowledged her subjects every time she passed by on the carousel.
Micah concentrating on catching a fish... he did catch one!My three bigest kids!
Micah, studying how this all works.
Grace's pony ride. She'd been looking forward to this since last year's fair!