Leaving Kentland.....

Tonight is our last night here in Kentland :( It has been great being here with our families for the holidays but a little sad too since Justin couldn't be here since he had to work. The boys spent time with both sets of grandparents and got loads of stuff for Christmas. They also got to see their cousins again which was great. It is amazing how never skip a beat. They see one another a few times a year and it seems like when they get together that they have never been apart. I am so happy that they get along as well as kids can that is. We are headed to Noblesville to stay the night with my sister then on home to Ohio on Thursday. We will make it home in time for our neighbors New Years Party which we are looking forward to. Plus the boys will get to spend the entire weekend with their dad :) Hope everyone had a great holiday and has a wonderful and prosperous New Year!!

Homemade Jelly

Last night while the boy visited their Mamaw & Papaw Cupp, Mom & I hit the kitchen to make homemade Blackraspberry Jelly. Which by the way is my favorite. I had never made jelly before so this was a whole new experience for me. It was a lot of fun and we laughed alot. It was a great way to spend the night. We got 17 jars made and still had some juice left over. We ran out of jars so we are hoping that Aunt Sue has some so we can finish off what we have juiced. It was not as hard or complicated as I thought it would be just time consuming since we did the squeezing by hand instead of using a juicer. I learned something new and enjoyed the quality time with my mom:) Hope everyone has a great week!

More Snow

Today the boys headed back outside to fix our snowman that fell down. They got him sitting back up and put his hat back on him. Owen was upset when he fell over but explained that when we built him we must have put him on hill so he tried his best and got him moved over a bit today. It has been snowing for 2 days and it looks like it is done for a bit. They boys stayed out until they were numb but they enjoyed every single minute of it. I am glad they had fun and it gave mom and I a chance to get some stuff done around here.

After Christmas shopping

Today we took the boys over to Watseka to Walmart to spend their gift cards. They had a great time shopping and looking thru all the toys. Ashton got a bowling set, two lego race cars, Storm Shadow dress up set, Axe shower set, and Bod cologne spray. Owen got Star Wars lego set, a shot gun, hand cuffs, and the power ranger 3 in one gun. They have also started compiling a list of stuff that they want for their birthdays :) Owen and mom started putting the Darth Vader ship together but unfortunately he gave up and now mom and dad are putting it together.

Christmas @ Grammy & Papa Bills 2009

Opening presents
Opening presents
Owen, Ashton, & Aunt Amanda

Aunt Berb

Christmas at mom and dad's was very eventful! We had to do some running around in the morning get some stuff that we had forgotten so already the day was off to a rocky start. Then we started cooking everything and the power kept going out. As we finished off the desserts and got the ham in the oven (while waiting for the rolls to finish rising mind you) the power decided to go off and stay off completely. It was out for a few hours and we decided to call Steve and have him come over so we could open presents early while their was still some light in the house. The boys had never been without power before so it was an experience for them. Owen asked Aunt Amanda how long the power was going to be out and she told him the story about when we were little and the power was out for 11 days. His got HUGE and he said "What, 11 Days are you kidding?" Needless to say at that point he was freaking out at the thought of no cartoons for 11 days. The power did come back on after 4 hours and we warmed the rest of our dinner up. Despite the power outage it was a great day. Everyone got really nice Christmas gifts and it was nice to just be together and enjoy each others company.

Amber visits

Aunt Berb putting the puzzle together
Grammy & Lily

The boys playing a game

Amber came to see us @ moms on her days off. It was nice to get to spend some time with her. We decided that we were going to finish a puzzle that we started a few years ago. Unfortunately we did not finish it but we did get half way done. Oh Well, maybe we can finish it next year. We also played some games with the boys and watched movies. We even had some minor power issues while we were watching one movie. A transformer blew by my parents and the power went out during the best part of our movie. We ended up having to start the movie over 3 times before we finally finished it. All I have to say is Thank Goodness for scene selection on dvds :) It is always a lot of laughs that fill the house when we all get together.

Dec 23rd

We spent the day getting ready for our family get together on Christmas Eve. Aunt Sue stopped by after work so we could visit a bit with her before she left town to go and see her son. I didn't have any pictures of them with Aunt Sue so I thought I better take one while she was here and while I was thinking about it. Because we all know if I don't do it while I am thinking about it, I will forget :) Aunt Amanda & Uncle Trent also stopped by Grammy & Papa's house before they went to a funeral. The boys were so excited to see them and would not leave Uncle Trent alone. The boys didn't want them to leave but understood that they were going to support a friend who lost a loved one and that they would see them the next day. Then the boys bowled the rest of the day with Ashton's new bowling set while Mom and I cleaned up the house and put together stuff for Christmas.

Our first snowman of the year!!

The boys and the snowman
Mom & the boys

Today I woke up to lots of snow on the ground. After the boys came back from their Mamaw & Papaws house, they got in their snowsuits and headed out to play. First they talked mom into going out and playing with them. So i watch them have a snowball fight for awhile and then they started rolling balls for a snowman. Then I decided to get out there and help them while trying to take pictures. We got our snow man finished but he was leaning a bit. (later on that night he fell over so tomorrow we are going to have to fix him). Lastly before everyone got too cold we started building a fort. We built up to rows but we have to finish tomorrow. It is suppose to sleet, snow, & rain tonight and all day tomorrow so we will see how the weather turns out tomorrow. Until then we just have to keep finalizing how big we want to build it :)

Christmas @ Mamaw & Papaws

Sunday we had a big breakfast then the kids finally got to open their presents! They had been asking for 2 days if they could open their presents and finally when Sunday rolled around they were practically begging to open Papaw gave in! All the kids formed a semi-circle on the living room floor and patiently awaited their turn to open presents. It is so wonderful to watch their faces as they open up each and every gift. They are so appreciative and the excitement just washes over their little faces. I love it!! What a great Christmas... who could ask for a more awesome time of the year and it is best spent with family!!

more fun at Mamaw & Papaws house

Saturday the kids got to open their cars off the tree from Mamaw & Papaw. They ended up trading with each other to get the ones they wanted but hey as long as they had a good time that is all that matters right. In the afternoon we had Wii bowling tournament. Everyone drew a number and then was pair up with a partner to bowl against. The winners from the first round were then paired up again to go onto the next round and we did that until there was a winner. Andy ended up winning the whole tournament with Regan coming in second. Then we had a prime rib dinner with tons of desserts to chose from. We visited with Grandma Carolyn too for awhile before she went home. Then the kids played for awhile while we got then cleaned up and settled down beofre sending them to bed so we could watch the Hangover. It was hilarious even though we had already seen it! All and All it was a great day!

Mamaw & Papaws

Friday night we spent the night with Mamaw, Papaw, Jenn, Geoff, Alexus, Emilee, & Maddison. The boys had a great time beating up and rough housing with their Uncle Geoff. Alexus jumped right in with the boys beating up her daddy. Emilee on the other hand was not too happy with them beating up her daddy. She kept going up and hitting the kids beating up her dad. It was a great night catching up with Jenn & Geoff, meeting and holding Maddy for the first time, and watching the older kids play together. They always have a good time together!

Great day!

Happy Birthday to Me & my sis Amanda!!
Happy Anniversary to Ashley & Dustin!!

Today was a wonderful day... The ladies took me out for breakfast for my birthday! We went to the Golden Nugget which was great by the way. We enjoyed breakfast and just chatting away with each other. The ladies got me lots of snowman stuff because they know how much I love snowmen & scrapbook stuff which is always a plus!! I am very lucky to have such wonderful friends in my life!
Then this evening I babysat Cannin so Dustin & AShley could go out for their anniversary. I was happy to do it... WE think of them as family. Cannin is such a great baby and the boys love playing with him! It is going to be pretty lonely around here when they leave us! Happy Holidays to everyone!!

Decorating Cookies!

The kids decorated some gingerbread cookies that Meegan on Sunday. The Bradys joined us for dinner and a movie. It was a wonderful way to end the weekend and spend some time together before we all head separate ways for the holidays. The kids had a blast decorating cookies and we enjoyed watching the movie! It is nice that we can get together and let the kids play while we play games or watch movies. We are very lucky to have such wonderful friends!

Our early Christmas

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas together as a family early since Justin has to work over the holidays the boys and I will be staying in Indiana until January. We are looking forward to the trip very much but will miss Justin not being there! They boys were excited about getting to open their presents early. They loved all their toys and even the clothes. Especially the fleece PJs that they can't wait to show off to everyone!

Morning Snow

So this morning the boys and I woke up to freezing weather and a little snow on the ground. They of course we excited while I on the other hand am still dreaming of fall. It is amazing that yesterday morning it was almost 50 degrees and pouring down rain in the morning but by the afternoon it was freezing and snowing. Granted the snow melted luckily but it is now very cold outside. They boys want it to snow so that they can slide down the hill next to our driveway. And apparently our hill used to be the go to spot while the house sat vacant. The neighbors said that they used our hill and our neighbors hill last year during the winter. Hope everyone has a great rest of the week and and wonderful weekend. Stay warm!!

Tree LIghting @ the Fire Dept

Sunday evening we went to the tree lighting and to see Santa @ our local fire department. The ladies and I had hurried back to Dayton after our trip this weekend to Chicago so we could make it home in time to take the kids to the tree lighting. They were more excited to see Santa though. I personally loved the Christmas tree. The men from the fire department also outlined the entire fire station in red and green lights. It was beautiful. They had hot chocolate and cookies for the kids. They also had a big bon fire going outside that you could go sit by after you saw Santa. The kids had a great time and even got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas.

Pics from Chicago

View of the building on Michigan Ave

View of the cityscape outside Macy's

Meegan, Me, Ashley, & Casey

Me, Mom, Amber, & Amanda

It was cold in the morning getting off the train but by the middle of the day the sun was shining and it was a bit warmer. Or it could be that we were just sweating to death in the stores and happy to be outside where it was cooler. Thanks to Mom & the girls for inviting us. And a big Thanks to Mom & Dad for letting us crash with them for the weekend. We had a great time! *and to Amanda---BANG We win :)*