Goodbye, 2007!

It has been a full year! Between the business and the kids, we stayed pretty busy. However, we are thankful for all that God has blessed with us with, and pray that 2008 will continue to be full of family, friends, and work. Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

What a fun Christmas! From stockings to bikes to dollhouses, this day was full! Mama and Papa came up to the house to join us this morning. They got to watch the kids open their presents and then joined us for breakfast. The kids took a break from their new toys to help with food preparation. Then it was back to the new stuff. The girls got a large dollhouse and the boys got new bikes. (We may own a bike store, but bikes still remain big occasion gifts!) All of them got some fun backpacks with sleeping bags from Gary and Cheryl. Then there were the random items in the stockings - some DVDs, periscopes, twirly ribbons, etc. After the morning of opening gifts, we just relaxed the rest of the day at home. It was so nice to have Christmas at our house and have the grandparents come over and join in.

Christmas Eve 2007

We have a tradition over here of opening one family gift on Christmas Eve. The gift is always a game that we can play as a family that night.

This year the game was Zitternix. Basically, there are wooden sticks painted in three different colors that are held up by a wooden ring in a delicate balance. Each player takes a turn rolling the dice to see which color stick they have to pull out without upsetting the whole bundle. Different colors are worth different points and whoever has the most points when the bundle comes crashing down wins.

We all got tickled watching this game progress, because for some reason Reese could grab whatever stick she wanted, yank it out, and nothing would happen to the bundle of sticks left behind. The others, however, had to watch the bundle sway, move, and come tumbling down.

Happy 8th Birthday, Troy!

Oh my goodness - my first baby is 8! I can hardly believe it! I remember very well Christmas time eight years ago. I was in the hospital being induced when Troy was not really ready to make his appearance. (He was already 2 days past his due date.) Thankfully, the doctor said it was time, because since he weighed in at 9lbs 2oz, I don't think I would have wanted to wait any longer! The hospital sent him home in a Christmas stocking. My mom provided a stocking for him as well, but he was too big to fit in it! We still hang both those stockings up every Christmas season.

Troy was such an easy baby and he has really been pretty laid-back and easy-going ever since (much like his father). Occasionally, he has those moments of "first-born-itis"...you know - he knows just how things go, we need to play by his rules, etc., but overall he is a sweet, caring boy. Let's see...in the last year, Troy has learned to ride his bike without training wheels, he has gone on the off-road trails with Jim, has run in his first "race", has ridden in his first road bike "race" with Kelly, has lost four teeth, and has gotten quite good at tackling (a little too good) his brother. He is also becoming quite the artist, loves to read, and loves learning about history and science. Math is his least favorite school subject, but he has improved immensely in it this last year. Troy also taught Trent how to read back in the early spring and surprised Kelly with that! Troy loves camping and still prefers the color blue over all the others. He loves hamburgers on the grill and pepperoni pizza. He is actually pretty adventurous when it comes to food and he is my one that I know will try something new on his plate.

Troy brought us into a whole new stage of life, and I can honestly say that our life is so much better with him in it. Troy, we pray that you grow to be a strong man of God and a man of integrity. You have been a terrific son these last eight years. We are excited to see what the future holds for you!

We love you, Troy!

Troy Through the Years

Baby Troy

6 months old

1 year old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old

7 years old



8 years old

Snow Pictures

We had a bunch of snow on Thanksgiving, so of course we got the camera out to document this rare event. All that white stuff is unusual around here, so anytime we get it we spend a lot of time playing in it. Now that we are back to temps nearing 70 (which is also unusual this time of year), I thought I would post a bunch of snow pictures just to have it feel a little bit more like winter!

It began to snow while we were at my parents' house so of course the kids had to go out and play!

Hannah (my niece) and the boys are enjoying the snow.

Reese likes the white stuff.

So does Paige! Yes - her coat is totally unzipped. Paige is my hot-natured one and rarely gets cold. She's the one who is in a t-shirt for pajamas, no socks and no covers when it is 30 degrees.

Zeke had fun running around in the snow, too!

Yes - even in the snow, football is still the game of choice.

Troy is getting ready for a pass.

Paige finally zipped up, but did not want to come in!

Reese was having fun, but was the first one to join Daddy inside by the fire. Not having mittens that fit right could have had something to do with that. The hot chocolate that was waiting inside might have had something to do with it, too.

Tackling in the snow...does it get any better than that?

Maybe we'll get some more snow this winter - we sure enjoyed it over Thanksgiving!