Baby girl

Sweet girl. Everyday her hair grows crazier. I am not sure what we are going to do to tame the mane and the girl.

Happy Birthday, Ben!!

It is hard to believe but our baby boy is 6. Ben had a blast with his friends on the bouncy houses. It is so bittersweet. He is so ready to grow up, and I just want him to stay 5.

Christmas at the Ranch

Santa Claus is great but he has a tough time competing with Nana Claus. We visited Nana and Opa at the ranch and it was eventful. Yes, that is batman on his tractor. Mady loves her wheels too. She was already trying to do tricks like her brothers and uncle. She is one crazy girl.

Christmas

The kids had a wonderful Christmas. Brian's brother and sisters joined the festivities this year. We may never see Ben again. He is obsessed with Legos. After his Christmas haul, he just wants to sit in his room and build. He does come out to eat. Mady is now baking in her new pink kitchen and Eli is into every super hero.

Yep, more Disneyland!!

More Disneyland......We had so many magical Disney moments.  Eli walking around the park in cowboy boots, so he was tall enough to ride the coasters.  Tinkerbell telling us funny jokes.  Dale randomly playing with Mady in the park.  Stormtroopers stopping Eli and hassling him about his Jedi Training Diploma.  Ben talking to Crush the Turtle during a show.  Eli in a full Buzz Lightyear costume and Buzz stopping in a parade line to salute him...Eli saluting back...ha!  Yep, we are definitely still drinking the kool-aid.  This is our third Disney trip and I assure you there will be more visits.  Thanks Disney for giving us a place to spend tons of money and still feel great about it!!

More Disneyland

Some major highlights....Aunt Caroline, Jedi Training, & BRAVE!!!

Brian's sister met us at the park since she lives in LA.  The kids loved seeing their Aunt Caroline.  Jedi Training Camp - The boys are completely obsessed with Star Wars, so it pretty much rocked their world when they were chosen to participate in the Jedi Training Camp.  Eli was the highlight of the show and he was the first student to fight Darth Vader.  Ben was amazing when he battled Darth Maul.  BRAVE - Mady says very few words, but one word she has mastered is BRAVE!!  She loves Brave.  I thought the movie was a bit scary, but this little girl adores it.  She was speechless when she met Merida or "Brave".  She did not want to let go of her, and she wanted to wear her Brave dress for the rest of the trip.  It is amazing what a 20 month old will obsess about.

Disneyland!!!

We took the kids to Disneyland before Christmas and it was amazing.  We wanted to take the boys to the new Carsland that opened in June.  We were not sure if Mady was going to make the trip, but we ended up biting the bullet and bringing her.  In the end, it was worth it because she loved the characters and all of the rides.  The boys were amazing.  They rode every rollercoaster they were tall enough to ride...Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Radiator Springs Racers.  Eli would giggle during every ride. It was adorable.

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

After 200 downward glances, 300 pictures and 1000 ninjas moves from Eli, we finally captured a single shot worthy of this year's Christmas card.  I have no idea how people used film.  It explains all of the terrible pictures we have of our childhood.  I can't imagine taking a few shots and hoping for the best once they are developed.  We are so thankful for all of our Christmas blessings.  We are so blessed to be entrusted with these amazing children.

Happy Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Ranch with Nana & Opa.

Hunting Season

Eli is prepared for hunting season this year.  He is a bow shooting, ninja, farmer.  This kid keeps us in stitches.  He is certainly one of a kind.

Ben's Thanksgiving Feast

Apparently, Thanksgiving is a huge celebration at Ben's school.  Each year each class holds a feast.  Everyone dresses in authentic Indian or Pilgrim garb, eats a traditional Thanksgiving meal and uses authentic utensils.  Ben was the only kid in his class who chose to be a Pilgrim.  We were proud to say that he did not care about being different.  I guess he read the ending of the Thanksgiving story....Pilgrims win.

Halloween

Here is bit of Halloween fun. Eli was Tony Stark. He takes his roles seriously.  Ben was Captain America and Mady should have been the Hulk but was Tinkerbell.  As you can see our "hulk" daughter found the candy.