Ethan's Christmas Program Debut!!!

Travis and I were two VERY proud parents last night as Ethan made his Christmas program debut for school!

He stood on stage and jingled his bells!!!

Santa even made an appearance at the big show and danced on stage! (However, Ethan's part was already done, so he didn't get to see him!) 

Great job, Ethan!  We're so proud of you!!

Thanksgiving!

 We went to Grandpa Mike and Grandma Mary's house for Thanksgiving this year!

 Ethan is eyeing up the big feast - he was especially excited about the turkey - and that's all he would eat!

 Grandma Mary, Uncle Tim, Great Grandpa Glenn, and Uncle Luke celebrated with us this year . . .

 Ethan and Victor are sharing a big cousin hug . . .

 Macie's favorite part of the meal was her sucker!

 Aunt Michelle and Victor celebrated with us too!

We had a very fun Thanksgiving this year at Grandma and Grandpa's house.  We had a delicious feast and then hung out until late into the evening.  The next day I got up early to go shopping (early, like 3:30 AM).  I was at Target at 4 AM and it was a total madhouse, but I did get some portable DVD players for the car that I wanted - and they were a great deal - so it was worth it!  It was fun shopping with mom, Aunt Cathi, and my cousin Lizzy.  We've been getting up at the crack of dawn to shop the day after Thanksgiving since I was a little kid - when Prange's was in Eau Claire!!

Later in the day we met Luke, Michelle, and Victor for lunch - then took a nap.  Later in the evening we all gathered at mom and Mike's house again for leftovers and a game of Balderdash.   It was a bit tricky to sit and play with my kids running around, but we managed to have fun and laugh a lot!  Ethan and Macie had a blast playing with cousin Victor!

We put up the Christmas tree on Sunday night, so it feels like Christmas mode is in full swing.  Ethan can't wait for presents.  He won't have to wait too much longer, because St. Nick's day is this weekend! 

Too busy to blog

I have been feeling a bit . . . . BUSY lately.  My blog has been woefully neglected.  At night I'm so tired after the kids go to bed, it's all I can do to stay awake for one or two of my favorite shows.  I don't have any recent pictures, but I do have a couple things to share . . .

Ethan is very excited about Christmas this year.  He and daddy wrote and mailed a letter to Santa.  He asked for "a car, a truck, and a motorcycle."  When asked what he thinks others should get for Christmas, here is how he responded:
mom:  "A big suit."
dad:  "A big smock."
Rachel (his teacher):  "A jacket."
Mr. Aaron (another teacher):  "A big piece of paper . . . a toy paper."
He also remarked, "Santa is going to have to stop by Shopko to get me a loader for Christmas."
Let the holiday festivities begin!!!

Macie's been into doing finger plays and singing songs ("The Itsy, Bitsy spider," "Where is pinky?"  "Twinkle, Twinkle").  She so entertaining!  She does the choreography with the Barney kids (sometimes while standing on the couch - ARGH!).  I think she has a bright future as a cheerleader, just like her mom :)  She's been giving great hugs around the neck and she'll say, "Mommy, Daddy, Ethan, and Macie!  All our friends are here!"  That's a nice greeting for any mom to wake up to in the morning :)

Halloween!

This year for Halloween we had a cute little Monkey, and a cute little Clifford.  We took a trip to Strum on Saturday to show our costumes to Great Grandpa Glenn and Uncle Tim. (And the kitty too!)

We began our trick-or-treating at Cousin Victor and Aunt Michelle's house.  Right across the street, they had some rabbits out for us to pet!  How fun!

This was Macie's position most the evening - flailing out of anyone's grasp who tried to hold her.  She insisted on walking by herself.  I'm pretty sure she was the pokiest trick-or-treater in Eau Claire.

 

Cousin Victor was Spider Man!

The kids had so much fun trick-or-treating together :)

(Another shot of Ethan with Grandpa's cat, Moses, in Great Grandpa's office.)

October Fun!

Having fun playing in the leaves

"Macie the Explorer" has insisted on wearing her "Little Miss Sunshine" backpack when we go outside to play.  She thinks she's going to find adventure on Ethan's scooter.

Macie and the mum

At the pumpkin patch . . . We had a blast at Schultz's Barn in Eleva - very laid back atmosphere - perfect for our family!

Macie was exhausted after our big day of fun.

Here's Ethan in our yard, soaking up some sun.

Apple Orchard and Campfire!

Yesterday we all went to the apple orchard and got some delicious apples!

Macie is the poster child for Connell's. 

We went on a wagon ride, pulled by a tractor.

We even got to say hi to a donkey.

At the second orchard there were some pumpkins, and wine for the grown-ups!

Unfortunately, Macie hurt her arm and we had to take her to urgent care!!  After a quick visit there, she was all better and back at Grandma and Grandpa's for supper and a campfire.

Victor, Ethan, and Sheba - bonding.

Reflecting by the pond

Great Grandpa helped Ethan roast a marshmallow.

Macie kept escaping the campfire to check out the pumpkins in the front yard.

What a perfect day with the family!!