Monster Jam

We took the kids to see Monster Jam in Columbia and they loved it. They were so excited and it was so worth it just to see their faces when the trucks jumped in the air. It was very loud though and we didn't exactly come prepared. I wish we would have brought ear plugs like the Rolands. Thanks Aunt Amy for giving yours to Natalie. I think she enjoyed it much more after she had her ears plugged.Nat enjoyed it (I think) but was not excited about the loud noise and made sure she was very close to her Daddy.It was a little loud.Thomas and Uncle JohnSarah and Aunt Amy

Natalie and her "boop"

My future scholar - notice the book is upside down.

"So much for looking at this boop. I want to eat it. That watermelon looks so good"

Anytime Natalie sees food in a book she smacks her lips and pretends to eat it. I think it is too funny.

Snow - you can't see it but it's there!!!

We saw a few flakes of snow. The boys enjoyed running around in it and tried to catch flakes on their tongues. It snowed off and on all day but not one flake stuck. Oh well, at least we got to see it falling from the sky.

Enjoying some hot chocolate after a cold day

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Errrr. I wish I could figure out how to get my camera to stop taking blurry pics. Is this a cutie pie or what?

Playing tails (an updated version of tag)

One more stop

The boys continously reminded me that they still had presents to open at Granny and Chief's house. Paw Paw and Grandmama Rose came from Nashville Sat. so we waited until they arrived to open presents. Girl talkNatalie and her Paw Paw (I wish you could hear her say it)Granny and her "Sugar Baby"Uncle BarryYee-haw Natalie loves her cowgirl boots even though they are about 4 sizes too big. Notice her pink pistol and pink holster too. Too cute!

Ryan sporting his new cowboy hat.Cale finally got some boots that he doesn't have to squeeze into. He had been wearing his Uncle Barry's boots which just didn't seem to fit Cale's wider foot. He also got the hat and chaps.

In the corner of this pic you can see Natalie's adorable tricycle and the boys got a real zip line which is now between 2 trees in our yard and the boys absolutely love it. Thanks Granny, Chief, Paw Paw and Grandmama for a wonderful Christmas.

Christmas in Abbeville

We headed to Abbeville the day after Christmas. The kids were excited to find out they had more presents there. We got to see everybody and had a great time visiting. Apparently I didn't take many pictures though.

Merry Christmas!

The boys were so excited that it was finally Christmas morning. I think they asked me everyday in the month of December if it ws Christmas yet. When it finally arrived Bart and I woke up about 7 and patiently waited for the kids to wake up, which they never did so we eventually woke them up about 7:30. Maybe we were more excited then they were. We read a children's book about Jesus' birth since I figured they would get more out of that then reading from the Bible. Then we went to see what Santa had brought them. I wish we could have gotten a picture of their faces when they walked into the living room. Their faces lit up with excitment. Ryan got a drum set, Cale got a guitar, and Natalie got a rose petal cottage play house. They also got a racetrack, playstation games, playdoh, moon sand, board games, clothes, shoes. Natalie got a Baby Alive learns to potty (I guess Santa was thinking this might help with potty training), a puppy, jewelry, boops (books). That's all I can remember right now. We had a great day just hanging out in our pjs until noon. Nina and Daddy Daddy came by to see what Santa had brought and Granny and Chief came by a little later. They gave us a nice ottoman that I can stuff full of toys. Helping Daddy put the race track together. Notice how Natalie has to be right in the middle and very close to her Daddy. As you can see I still haven't exactly figured out the camera.

That afternoon we rode to Harleyville to see Grandmama Dixie and Pappy where there were more presents to open. Wow! What a great Christmas.

Christmas Eve at NIna and Daddy Daddy's

So these pics were taken with my new camera that I had just taken out of the box. Apparently I don't know how to use it yet because they didn't turn out very good but you can get the idea. We had a great time Christmas Eve opening presents, eating yummy food, and just being together. This is their new big room. They knocked out a wall between the den and the dining room so now it is one huge room for our huge family.Daddy Daddy reading from Luke 2. This is a family tradition. For as long as I can remember we have always climbed into mom and dad's bed Christmas morning (even before we looked at what Santa brought us) and read the Christmas story from Luke. It helped us remember the real reason for Christmas and really built up anticipation too. A tradition I will continue with my family.

Good ol Sunday afternoons

Ella Jane is growing so fast. In this pic she is 1 month old. As you can see the kids are amazed by her. I am very impressed with how gentle they are with her (so far).

Fun w/ black and white pics

Aren't they cutie pies?