Holiday Cheer!

Thanksgiving is over which means only one thing in our family... TIME TO DECORATE! We spent Saturday morning doing yardwork, Saturday afternoon doing house cleaning, and then Saturday evening we went out on the hunt for the best Christmas tree we could find! Once we made it home with our tree, we turned on Christmas carols and began decorating. Aron and I allowed the kids to stay up until 10:00 p.m. (which is very unusual in our house) and they loved every minute of it. Neither would quit until every last ornament was on the tree. What a fun night! Today we decided to beat the weekend crowds and headed to the Bass Pro Shop to visit Santa Claus. We absolutely LOVE the Santa Land at Bass Pro!!! Besides visiting with Santa, they have tons of games and crafts for the kids including an indoor snowball fight arena! I wish I had more pictures, but I forgot my camera and had to rely on my phone. Luckily Bass Pro lets you walk away with LOTS of free pics.

On the hunt for a tree!

I think the kids have more fun running around in the dark then actually finding a tree.

Sloane sang happily while gently hanging ornaments.Russell took this job VERY seriously. We didn't even break 1 ornament this year!All done and ready for bed!HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Thanksgiving = Family, Friends, Food, Football, and Fun!

Thanksgiving in pictures...

Russell couldn't wait to hunt at Uncle Keith's house!

Russell and Aron heading out for the hunt! No luck this time... good thing we had a 20 lb. turkey.

The big football game provided us with LOTS of entertainment! Our family was divided - Lion fans in one room, Packer fans in another - lots of yelling going on between locations!

Aron and Aunt Nancy were rooting hard for the Lions.

In the end - the Packers came out ahead much to Travis and Keith's pleasure!Cousin Katie spent lots of time spoiling the kids. Sloane was so happy to see Katie. She even called her two days prior just to make sure she was coming.Sloane kept everyone on their toes playing games. She became quite the expert at Dominoes. Here she is playing with Aunt Mary, Aunt Barb, and Great Gram.Football was over and food coma was setting in. Aron and Russell decided to take naps.Sloane was a ball of energy at all times, even when the rest of us were ready for bed!

An Early Holiday

We celebrated Christmas early today with Aron's dad and his wife Beverly. Carl and Bev are heading to Florida in just a few weeks where they spend the winter months. After seeing snowflakes this week, I am quite jealous of their travels southward! Hopefully Mother Nature will be easy on Michigan this year. Today, we spent an enjoyable afternoon catching up while eating, watching football (GO LIONS), and opening presents! Russell and Sloane couldn't have been more delighted to see presents being carried in. They were bubbling over with excitement and could barely get through their meal. Needless to say they spent the rest of the day playing with their new toys.

Russell received the Imaginext pirate ship.

He kept busy having sword fights, shooting off cannons, and sailing the seas.Sloane received the Barbie Pet Doctor set.She kept busy fixing the pony's broken leg and brushing Barbie's hair.THANK YOU CARL AND BEV FOR A GREAT DAY!!!

Quiet Time Around Home

Lately we've been enjoying quiet weekends around our house. I know shortly we will be bombarded with holiday excitement and packed schedules so for now we are having fun around home with just the four of us! Here are a few pictures to share.

Russell has turned into a huge history buff! He loves listening to stories about famous historians. Over the last week, he has been reading books about the first Thanksgiving. With all the talk of pilgrims and indians, he decided that it must be hunting time! Last night while wearing his camoflauge pajamas, he added a few orange garments and was set to go. He had a question about "What kind of belts do hunters wear?" but then decided that I wasn't the one to ask. He stated, "I will ask Great Papa that question because he knows a lot about hunting." He is very anxious to be a "teenager" so he can join the men out in the woods!

Sloane recieved a new tea set from my dad (it is actually a tea set that my mom had purchased and stashed away for later use) and was anxious to have tea parties. During one particular tea party, I asked her if I could join her. She said, "Well I am having a tea party with Jesus right now." I told her that I would join her another time since she only has two chairs. She replied, "It's ok Mom you can sit down on that chair. Jesus isn't sitting there. Jesus lives in my heart." I then sat down for the most delightful tea party with my beloved daughter and Jesus! (Mac joined us too in his favorite spot under her table.)Sloane LOVES dance! This picture was taken right before heading out for her Wednesday night class. I cracked up when I walked into her room and found her with sunglasses and leg warmers on! I had flashbacks from Flash Dance!Aron took the kids to the park one afternoon and captured this picture. I love it. They were so serious while playing explorers.

Six? Can it be?

Today was Russell's 6th birthday! When waking up this morning, the first words out of his mouth were, "I'm 6!" His wishes for today were to go to Chuck E Cheez for dinner, have a Star Wars birthday cake, and get Luke's X-Wing fighter. Well...all 3 wishes came true! Right after school we headed to dinner. This was my first trip to the famous kids' joint since I was a kid myself. We had a blast! It was just the four of us and we thoroughly enjoyed spending tokens, playing games, collecting tickets, and eating pizza! After 2 hours of fun we headed home to open presents and eat cake! I couldn't even keep track of how many times Russell shouted, "Thanks Mom and Dad! You're the best!" My young Star Wars fan was glued all evening to his new collectibles. Check out some of our fun!!!

Russell and Sloane riding the roller coaster simulator.

Who do you think had more fun? The kids or Aron? Hmmm...that's a tough one!

It's present time!Luke's X-Wing fighter, Darth's tie fighter, and new figures.Russell played all evening with his new toys!The Cake - even the light sabers glowed!