Decorating!!

Garland on the Welcome sign

My lattice all decorated

The dining room fireplace

My hutch now holds all my snowmen figurines

This year since we aren't going to be home for a majority of the holiday, we decided not to buy a real tree but instead we just decorated a bit inside and outside the house.

Santa Pictures

Today Walmart was having a free 5 X 7 photo with Santa. The boys got dressed up and we headed to Walmart this morning so they could have their picture taken. They turned out wonderful and the boys were excited to tell Santa what they would like to have for Christmas. Enjoy!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent Thanksgiving this year with the Wedeking and Brady families. We deep fried a turkey, baked a ham, had cheesy mashed potatoes, a veggie tray, a meat, cheese, & cracker tray, corn, corn casserole, stuffing, rolls, trifle, ambrosia, white chocolate amaretto cheese cake, & pumkin pie. We were all stuffed. We also did some activities with kids to keep the occupied for a bit throughout the evening. My project for them was to make a reindeer using brown construction paper and using their hands as the antlers. We let them pick out what paper they wanted to use for antlers and we had some interesting choices. Then the kids used glitter glue to paint on his face and nose. Meegan's project for the kids was to turn cookies into Rudolph the red nosed reindeer using red m&ms, chocolate chips for the eyes and pretzels for the antlers. They turned out super cute and were very delicious to eat too! And finally Ashley's project was to make snowman on green ornaments using some paint and their little fingers. Then she wrote the kids name and year on the back so they can could always remember our holiday together. All and all is was a great day despite the snow/rain mix that decided to fall just about at the same time we decided to cook the turkey. Great Food and Great Friends make for a Fantastic holiday!!

Early Christmas Celebration!

On Wednesday before Thanksgiving we did our Christmas Gift Exchange with the Wedeking family since we all will be gone over the holidays. Ashley & Cannin are heading to Texas in mid December and Dustin will meet them closer to Christmas. We are heading to Kentland also in mid december to do Christmas with Justins' family. The boys are staying with family during their christmas break since Justin has to work. We are sad that we won't be together but this way he will get to sleep well and not have to worry about the boys waking him up during the day.

Our pre-Christmas celebration was so much fun and the kids got some really cute things. Cannin got some books, a bath toy set, & a sippy cup. Owen got a pillow case with his name on & the bowling dice game. Ashton got a pillow case & a bakugan dice game. Ashley got scrapbook stuff, a candle, & socks. Dustin got a blanket and a cuddlie since he is always freezing. Justin got a sign to start our collection for the bar downstairs and a set of beer glasses with a tin. I got scrapbook stuff & an ornament with a pic of Ashley & I. It was a nice way to spend our last holiday together. We had a great dinner watched movies by the fire and started the desserts for Thanksgiving the following day.

Practice run on Christmas pics

Owen

Ashton

Cannin

10 tiny toes

This weekend Ashley & I took some pictures of the kids for Christmas! She had seen some ideas that she wanted to try. So we headed down to the basement and gave it a whirl. Both of us with our cameras in head started snapping away. It was so much and I think the pictures turned out really well. I have so many to put on here but i only chose a few. Enjoy and hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Christmas Tree Lighting @ the Greene

Last night we headed to the Greene to see the Christmas Parade, the live reindeer, and the tree lighting. We have made it a tradition since we moved to Ohio. This year we met our friends the Herman family & the Wedeking family. The Brady family was also suppose to meet up with us but they got stuck in traffic so they went back home. We snapped some pictures from in front of the tree before it was lit. Then headed over to our usual spot to watch the parade. Thank goodness the weather was much warmer this year than it was last year. So everyone was comfortable and not freezing their butts off. It was a lot of fun and the boys had a wonderful time! Have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Welcome Maddison Erin Robinson

Our brand new neice, Maddison, was born Thursday November 18th. She weighed in at 8 pounds 1 ounce and is 21 1/2 inches long. Mom and Baby are doing wonderful. Congratulations again to Jennifer and Geoff and big sisters Alexus & Emilee!!

Makenna's 5th Birthday Party

Tessa, Makenna, & her cousin

Owen

Ashton

Yesterday we headed to Dublin to Chuck E Cheese for Makenna's birthday. The boys had a wonderful time playing games and seeing Makenna & Tessa. Owen won an airhead, a clacker, & had his picture done with Chuck E Cheese. Ashton won cotton candy, a clacker, & a frisbee. For the price you have to pay for the tokens you think the prizes would be a little better. It was nice to catch up with Casey, her mom Tammy & her sister Heather. Happy Birthday again to Makenna!!

CLC Craft Show

Meegan & I

Ashely & Meegan

Meegan, Frosty, Me, & Ashley

Ashley, Rudolph, Me, & Meegan

Every year the Christian Life Center puts on a Chrismas Bazaar. Ashley, Meegan, & I went over there after we got the kids from the bus and settled to check out what booths they had set up this year. It was very nice and they had everything you could imagine from food to candles, to homemade arts & crafts. We got tones of ideas for projects and even got our scrapbooking party scheduled for next week. We all could have went broke in there but Ashley was the only to spend money.... a whole $1.50 on a piece of fudge for each one of us ladies. Thanks Ashley it was delicious!!!

Scrapbooking Day

Me, Ashley, Meegan & Cheri

Ashley, Me, Jane, & Cheri

Me, Ashley, Jane, & Meegan

This morning through mid-afternoon today was spent goofing around and scrapbooking with a group of lady friends. We had such a wonderful time. We try to meet once a week for some quality girl time and also to get scrapbooking or card marking projects done. Everyone brings some finger foods and various other treats and we just hang out all day chit chatting. I am very lucky to have met such wonderful ladies. We have such a wonderful time together and I am very blessed that they are apart of my life!

Celebrate Veterans Day

We would like to thank all of the men and woman who have served or are serving our country. The boys learned about Veterans Day @ school today. The each had great stories to tell about they learned and they got little American Flags to show their support. Owen stuck his flag in between the couch cushions and had his little Army figures in each hand as if they were standing in front of the flag saying the Pledge of Allegiance. He knew the entire pledge.

Jamie, Ashley, Meegan & Jane

Today the ladies and I headed out to the Greene shopping center to walk around and have lunch. It was a lot of fun. We laughed so hard and had a great lunch. Thanks to Meegs for the invite. I had a great time and look forward to scrapbooking on Friday. Hope everyone has a great week!

Parent Teacher Conferences

So this week we had conferences with the boys teachers. I am happy to report that they both are well behaved, model students. They have a wonderful work ethic and are progressing well. Ashton is strong in math but struggles a bit with his sight words. So we will continue to work on those at home. His title I teacher said that once he gets his sight words down that his reading will improve ten fold. Owen has drastically improved in his Speech therapy as well as in the classroom. Both their teachers and us are very proud of them.

Watching Canni B

Justin & Cannin playing
I love this face

Monday I watched Cannin while Ashley went to the ER for her finger. I love this little guy just like he was one of my own. He is such a great baby and just a barrel of laughs. All of the funny face he makes and some of things he does just makes me laugh. Justin & Cannin had fun in the afternoon when Justin got up. He had Canni laughing so hard and they played pretty hard together until the boys got home from the bus.

Costume Party

Justin, Ashley, Cannin, Dustin, Me, Ashton & Owen
Halloween Costume Party 2009


This weekend we also went to a Halloween Costume Party at our neighbors house. (Yes I know it is after Halloween but the party was rescheduled) We had a wonderful time. The kids ran around and played all night until about midnight. The adults drank, played pool, and danced. We want to Thank Meegan and Zane for inviting us. We all had a wonderful time.

Sunday-- First Photo Shoot

Justin and I are thinking about starting our own photography business so this weekend we did a small job for some friends of ours. Jane had always some pictures of her family outdoors so since Sunday was the warmest day this fall we headed to John Bryan State Park to shoot some for them. Justin did a wonderful job taking the pictures. I am very proud of him. So now in my spare time, I am reading up on digital photography and trying to learn how to take great pictures. After Justin gets started with his school January, I am going to start taking photography courses hopefully!! Enjoy the pictures. We had a wonderful time and the Herman family was very pleased with their photos!!

Super Saturday.

Sorry that I have not been on lately to post but it has been super busy.... So the next few posts will be catch up. These are from Saturday afternoon. Since the weather decided to warm up a bit the boys headed outdoors. They have a great time on their bikes and green machines. Justin & I did stuff around the house and cleaned up a bit outside. We really enjoyed the warmer weather because we didn't have to stay cooped up in the house.

Grab bag from Grammy & Papaw Wheelock

So Mom talked to the boys on Halloween and asked how Trick or Treating was. Owen told her that he had a good time but was upset because he didn't get any gummy eyeballs. Mom said that was gross but Owen argued that they taste great. So this weekend when mom was in Lafayette she picked up some clearance gummy eyeballs for Owen and Ashton. They were so excited to come home after school today and have a box waiting for them. She sent them a T-shirt, a Riley's grab bag that had some candy & small toys to support Riley's Childrens hospital, some gummy eyeballs, water balloons for next summer, & a bag of assorted gummy body parts. So we wanted to Thank Grammy & Papaw for their stuff (ours too!) and post a couple of pictures of the disgusting eyeballs. I have to say the gummy eyes don't taste very well but the boys sure do love them.