MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Super cute aren't they?? Baby J is almost 6 months old in this picture. J is almost 7, E is 4, R is 2 and 3/4 (she has this thing about actually looking at the camera!) and L is 5 and 1/2 !! Growing up SO fast!! 

Outside Fun @ Grandma's House On Christmas Eve!

Logistic's of it all. 10 kids 8 adults.. and fire :) It went great and the kids loved it. Actually only 6 adults were outside :)

L did NOT want to hold one and then loved it and held another two all together.

They take forever to light!! Here is Papa, Grandma and Grandpa lighting while J and K look on. Serious stuff this! LOL.

J really wanted his 1st one but refused one the second time around. I guess it was scarier then he thought. 

E enjoyed it. Her and R took turns which is why R has that LOOK on her face. 

R's turn. Sorry it's so blurry. My camera batteries were dying and the flash could not keep up! 

Aunt M and RJ. 

A bunch of kids watch Luke get the 1st one! 

Auntie D and Kyle. He's 1.5 old and 32 lbs. Big boy!! Out of 16 grandkids he's the only red head. :) 

E and K sharing one, I should have put new battery's in the camera but didn't have time. 

L again with his. Loved it!!

Inside Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's House Christmas Eve!

R and the mini keyboard she got! They all love it!! And I love that it has a volume button.. that and the on off switch! :) Actually it lights up the keys to play the songs and that's really cool. J loves it and is teaching himself some songs!

Papa and Baby J looking snazzy together!

Baby J and the MOST annoying toy ever built... At least that we got so far! The kids love it.. I'm waiting for the batteries to die! 

E opening her new tent!

E and Grandma F with E's new umbrella! 

Our very own Mary Poppinits! (That's how my kids say it :) 

L checking out his sleeping bag! 

J with his new sleeping bag and flashlight!! 

K Jane, Auntie R check out J and L's gift bags!! Love the matching shirts!! 

Of my 5 siblings only 2 were there that night with us. The group was nice for the space and the kids really had a blast together! So there was 10 kids 8 and under, or 7 kids 5 and under! And 8 adults! And the girls all matched and no one took any pictures! Maybe next time! 

Christmas Eve At Home :)

We started Christmas Eve out at home and then moved to my folks house for the afternoon evening. The kids got to open a few gifts before we went. The girls got these dresses and they fit beautifully!! 

J and L with their new PJ's. They got to wear them that night! Very cool! Thanks A for picking up J's when I got the wrong size! 

Baby J loved the paper.. and barely noticed his new shirt! 

Opening the last ones.. the girls got tights to go with their dresses and the boys got shirts like Baby J's. They all matched!! I love CP!! Very cool!! 

L and E with the PJ's. L's have firetrucks and E's the peace sign.. It was that or the same as R's and I knew she'd love the pink!

Opening the PJ's.. Note Papa is laying on our new couch! The green laundry basket is how I pack for family functions.. easier and you can fit more in them then a diaper bag! 

R and her pink poodle  PJ's. 

. Baby J got a new sleeper too.. 18 month size and it fits him wonderfully! 

New Couches!

One Sunday, not too long ago, some good friends of ours in a white SUV drove up pulling a trailer.. I actually was not home at the time as I was visiting a tiny new baby at the hospital, but I heard all about it. These wonderful people brought us 2 complete couch sets!! One has 5 pieces and the other two! They had recently moved and had gotten a old couch with the new house and had a old couch already and no room for either! They also had a old washer and dryer from the new house and they came and unloaded it all on to our outside floor! YAY!!! Papa and I measured and 'talked' and measured some more. Then we headed outside and brought one of the pieces in and placed it and then Papa brought a few more of the other pieces in and placed them! And we LOVE THEM!!! Now that we have the Christmas tree out we're trying to figure out how to 'redo' the living room and fit another piece or two in. Papa wants to keep his chair and so the spaces are limited! We can now actually seat more then 3 people comfortably in our living room!! Imagine THAT!! :)

 Thanks SO MUCH A&M!!! 

Decorations.

Christmas Decorations in the straw bale addition. The kids teddy bear ornaments hanging over the front window. 

Some of Papa's ornaments hanging over the milk sink window. The one on the right is the kids favorite.. you turn a thing in the back and it plays a tune! 

4 gingerbread men/women hang above the washer and dryer. These were all too heavy to hang on the tree and actually there were more with the stockings :) And I just looked and I have no pictures of them. Sorry. You can see some of them in the picture of J putting treats in the stockings.

My new Christmas Village.. or at least the start of one. I got some more pieces already. This top one is taken from outside with the lights on. I wanted it took look like a store window :) 

This one I turned the house around to get a good look. The little lamp posts light up too!! Now I have more people and a little bakery too! It's a bit crowded now.. but the window comes up farther on the other side and my kids are so short that they can't see over it :) SO we keep it where they can all see it! 

Meatloaf's New Trick

Meatloaf leans over one HOT fence into another HOT fence conversing with his Mother Maggie and possible half brother Bullseye. He was getting out regularly and now we know why!! Papa fixed the fence connections and he doesn't get out so much any more.. only once since then actually. 

Crafts At Grandma's House with Auntie A :)

Aunt A and C and L. We met up at Grandma's house and did some crafts together the week before Christmas. Great times and great fun!! Grandma and I worked on the baby blankets while A worked on some stuff she was making for her girls for Christmas and the kids played.

L working on getting it just right! 

E concentrating :) 

 M and J. 

R having a blast! 

The finished craft. They did 2 each! Different snowmen. 

Sneaky Little Giver :)

J wanted to give each of his siblings a candy he had bought for them at AWANA in their stockings for Christmas! So I sent all the kids in their  bedroom to play and he quickly, um tried to reach the stockings to put them in. I had to lower the curtain rod and he quickly put them in!! 

Chick-a-Dee's and Baby Smiles :)

This little Chick-a-Dee hit the window of the Travelall recently while we were spending a day at T's house. Mrs. T went out to see if it was injured and brought it in for a quick 'look see' for the kids. The boys were outside and got a look too. I saw it hit the window and watched it on the ground for a bit. One of their kittens walked RIGHT by it several times and the bird just lay very still and the cat never saw it! After the kids had all had a look she took it back out side and opened her hand it it was GONE!! :) Fully recovered! 

Here is Mrs. T explaining how to touch it and how very soft and frightened it was. 

While this was going on these two little smilers were playing on the floor in the living room. Baby T is on his tummy and Baby J on his back. Friends already!