All Aboard

We had the very fortunate opportunity to take our kiddos to ride the "North Pole Express" in La Veta, Colorado this weekend. They were so excited to be going on a real train. It was also rumored that Santa might make a visit. Ohhhh the excitement!! When we got out of the van it was 14 degrees outside. Talk about freezing cold! We made our way to the back of the train and found six seats together. This was a blessing as many families ended up split up because the train was so full. We had cookies, hot hot hot chocolate, candy canes, sang carols, read Christmas stories, and Yes, Santa made his appearance. He said hello and gave out bells to all the kiddos. We had a great evening as a family.

We're going on a real train!!

All cozy in our pj's. Just like the Polar Express!

Daddy and the boys are going to snuggle and keep warm on the cold train.



Its Santa!!!! He's giving me a bell!

Its really from him!! Look.

The Recital

Faith had her first ballet recital tonight. Talk about being one proud Momma! She did wonderful for her first time. She was super cute and Jason and Tyler got a good chuckle from her. She seemed to be a few steps behind the other girls. That made it even more cute!! Miss Laurels studio is in a building that is over one hundred years old. The heating in there is terrible!! We are told its like trying to heat a cave. Since the recital was in the evening it was colder than we had ever experienced.

Here's how the recital went:


Man, it sure is cold in here. I'm so glad my Mom put me in a leotard that has sleeves in it! I'll be sure to stay warm now. Thanks Mom!

Look! I'm sitting here being the best out of all the girls! Wait, maybe i'm just too cold to move. Yep. Thats what it is.

Here we go! I know I can do this. Just hold my hand tight, okay.


Maybe I should just watch Taylor. She seems to know what the heck is going on.

Okay, I think I missed something here...aren't we jumping now?? OOPS!!

Turning. Now i've got this one down for sure! Look at me!

I did it Mom! Aren't you soooo proud of me!!!



I am!!! The proudest Mommy in the whole world tonight.

Snow Day

This morning we woke up to lots and lots of snow. All of the kids, with the exception of John, were excited to get outside and play. We bundled them up and Tyler went out and warmed up the four wheeler. The new thing this year is tying the sleds to the back and pulling them around. Faith is too little to ride but she likes to help Dad drive them around. Tylers friend Austin joined in the fun which made three sleds behind the four wheeler. It was fun to watch! Since John doesn't like the cold, he and I stayed in and made cookies. He was a good little helper.



Jason and Faith pulling Nicholas, Tyler, and Austin.


Mom's little helper. He was a good taste tester.

The finished red and green cookies.

Rudolph

This week before school Nicholas and I have been singing "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer". Our bus schedule has been a little unpredictable lately so singing seems to pass the time more quickly. This song is Nick's favorite this holiday season. He usually gets really into the song. He dances and smiles and never misses a word. Well, today I asked him if he would want to sing while I recorded him. He happily said "YES!". But, when I turned the camera on...the smile went away. This video makes me laugh. He is so serious!!!




My favorite line was..."You would even say it glows, LIKE A LIGHT BALL". Hee hee Gotta love it!

Sorry the video is sideways. For some reason it wouldn't rotate.

Silly Dancer

Faith is still in ballet and loving it. She has her first recital coming up next week. I think it will only be a minute long but that will be plenty for this silly little girl. She has made some friends in the class and gets so excited when she gets to see them. She is still the youngest in the class so I attribute her silly behavior to that. I really hope it is just her age! She has continued to jump around saying "ribbit, ribbit". Could she possibly be the class clown?!?! I just don't know yet.

Miss Laurel has a ballerina tree in the studio. Faith was in awe of the tree filled with pink!

As is typical, Faith was being silly during circle time. Who wants to sit like they are supposed to when you can roll around and make the other girls giggle?!?

Morgan is one of the girls in Faiths class. They have become quick buddies. Without prompts from the Mom's they even hold hands and hug. So cute!!

The Gift

As we are all going about our busy holiday season it is really easy to get wrapped up in our own lives. Buying Christmas presents, going to our kids holiday programs, and planning that huge Christmas dinner. But, we need to remember to stop and take a look around. This time three years ago we were standing in line at Sams Club. Our family had recently increased by two very unexpected little members. We had the normal stuff in our cart...diapers, paper towels etc. Nothing extra. Just what we needed. We were doing okay financially but had to watch our spending carefully. Especially since the recent addition to our family. Standing in line behind us was an older woman who had been watching us (we never even noticed). As we approached the register she came up to Jason and I and handed us a hundred dollar gift card to Sams. She said "Your children are beautiful. They are so blessed to have you. God bless you and Merry Christmas". There is no way this woman knew the things that were happening in our lives or what a huge impact her gift would have on us. We walked out to the car in a bit of disbelief. I don't know if she felt a calling from the big guy upstairs or if she just saw a young family with four small children that could probably use some help during the holiday season. Either way it was a huge blessing to us. Since it is the holiday season again, I was reminded of this generous gift from a woman that we did not know. I pray that our family will have the same giving spirit as that special woman.

Miss Bailey

Our Bailey is growing and doing very well. At her vet appt last week she weighed in at 27 pounds. Not as much as I though she was! She has continued to be wonderful with the kids and Jason just thinks she's the best dog ever. I would have to agree with him :o)



She likes to wiggle her way in between the kids while they are watching cartoons. What a sight to see.

Our sad little girl had a very high fever and ended up spending some time at the veterinary hospital. No fun.

I think he just might love this dog more than I do...Nah.

This past weekend was her first time ever seeing snow. Much to my surprise, she loved it!



I bought her this ridiculous shirt at Petsmart. Hey, they had it on clearance. In the video you can see her trying to get it off. I can't say that I blame her.