Christmas 2012

Thanks to a very generous monetary gift from my parents, we had a super exciting Christmas! Everyone got what they wanted, and it was a lot of fun! Here is a picture of our kids playing with one of their favorite gifts:

Sam's 5th Birthday!

Sam just couldn't wait to blow out his candles on the birthday cake that his sister made for him! Happy 5th birthday, Sam!!

Happy Birthday to Becca!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Becca...lovely like a rose & twice as sweet!

Snow!

Finally...we have snow! What a beautiful and peaceful sunrise in my backyard this morning! Thankfully, we are getting more snow tonight and tomorrow, so the kids will be able to use all of their new sleds! Happy kids = Happy mom!

The Reptile Zoo

Sam's birthday is only 6 days after Becca's, so we took them to see some exotic critters at the Reptile & Amphibian Zoo! We all had a blast! And, since the Zoo is only about 20 minutes south of our house, we decided to buy a membership! It is great to find places that welcome our large family, and let us experience hands-on educational activities! :-)

American Girl Dolls

My girls have been asking for American Girl dolls for a couple of years now. So, we all saved up some money, and decided to buy them as birthday/early Christmas gifts for this year. Becca decided to buy Rebecca Rubin, and Christy bought Josefina. They love their new dolls, and it has been a blessing to watch them read about the history of the dolls' characters, and to see them playing with the dolls so sweetly.

Little Boy Troy

My youngest, Troy, decided to help clean up the "baby books" after reading time. However, all the books ended up falling back onto the floor. I thought he would be frustrated, but he thought it was funny! He has such a sweet and easy-going disposition!

Snow-covered Trees

I love my big trees...covered in a blanket of snow!

Creative Cooking

My girls' latest baking creation!