Happy New Year!!

New Years Eve is looking a lot different these days....

No more late nights out for this girl.  We're happy if we make it until 11:00PM to celebrate
with New York (which we did this year, in case you were wondering).

But just because we aren't night owls doesn't mean we don't know how to party...

My mom is the most fun, creative and loving woman I know.  After watching that video, how
can you not love her??  She always keeps the boys entertained and knows how to make
them smile.  And not just the boys.  Her rendition of "We Wish You a Happy New Year"
had Ryan laughing every time we sang it.  Thanks for the fun and the laughs Mom.
WE LOVE YOU!!  

Toasted Marshmallows

One of the benefits of a wood burning fireplace...

toasting marshmallows with Grandma in the middle of winter.

Happy 1st Birthday Adalyn!!

One of the perks of staying in Wausau for this entire week is we got to celebrate

Addie's first birthday with her.

Hannah had a cute Winter ONEderland themed party for her.

The older boys kept busy playing with Aiden while Miles smiled his way around the party.

 Happy Birthday Addie!!

We are so happy we were able to be there with you to help you celebrate.

Snowshoe Buddies

One thing I love being able to do when we're in Wausau is going for a walk with my dad.

It's great to get out and exercise and I love being able to have that time to talk to him without

anyone else (especially two toddlers) around.  He gets distracted easily when there's a lot

going on, so our walking conversations are always more meaningful.

And when the colder weather brings snow, it doesn't deter us.

We just slap on some snowshoes and walk through the woods behind his house.

It truly is one of my favorite things to do with him.

Christmas with Grandpa Jim

Our last Christmas celebration of the year is with my dad and Sharon.  We have dinner,

relax, open gifts, and as always, take our family pics in front of the tree.

It was a great end to what has been a fun-filled holiday season.  We are so fortunate to

have such an amazing family to celebrate with.  We love you all!!

Time to Play

There is nothing that sounds better on the day after Christmas
than spending it almost entirely in our pjs, 

checking out our new toys,

 

relaxing,

 

wrestling,

 

and most importantly, hanging out together.

 

Christmas at Grandma's

I packed us up as quickly as I could after we opened gifts at our house and we were on the road by around 10:30AM.  We made it to Grandma and Grandpa's safe and sound and were so happy to be able to celebrate with more of our family.

It's no surprise that Grandma loves giving gifts,

 so you can imagine what her living room looks like with 9 kids and 10 adults at Christmas.

This is only the kids portion!

Owen nearly got lost reaching into his bag to get his gifts out.

 

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for another fun and memorable Christmas.

We love you!!