Winter Fun

I know there are lots of people out there who complain about our cold weather. But Iowa winters just aren't fun unless you have snow and ice to play in! I'm so thankful to live in an area with four distinct seasons! Some of the kids' favorite winter weather activities are being pulled behind the 4-wheeler or Ranger on sleds, building snow forts and tunnels and ice riding on the pond. Mark put ice screws in Ethan's dirt bike tires and he's having a blast! He loves to be apart of what the big guys are doing!

After spending 40 minutes getting all four kids bundled up and driving over to Grandma's, this is the sight I saw. The guys just finishing up for the day. Bummer we just missed watching them!

Ethan zipping around the pond.

Amelia likes to get in on the fun too!

Amelia's 3-wheeler died, so Grandpa gave her a push back. It's a 1983 model so I'm not sure how much life it has left! :)

Anton isn't too fond of his snow clothes, and for good reason. Every time I set the poor kid down he tipped right over. :(

A boy happy to be outside enjoying the weather!

Christmas 2010

It's been a busy week filled with cooking, cleaning, family get-togethers and church services! It seems we've been in and out of the truck all week, and this week looks to be much of the same! We're very thankful to have most of our family close, so that we can see everyone during the holidays!

Dressed and ready for the Sunday School Program at church.

Amelia couldn't wait to wear this pretty dress from Grandma VDB!

Do you have enough help opening your present Anton?

Ethan loved putting his Lego combine together!

So glad my kids aren't the only ones that do this! :)

We love you Logan!

Amelia likes dressing up dolls, and had fun making a little closet out of a box for all of these dresses.

Alex sporting his new John Deere fur hat!

I think he "accidentally" left it at my house. So if you join us for some sledding sometime soon you may find me wearing this furry hat! :)

Horsing Around

Here are a few pictures of the kids entertaining themselves. We only have a couple days left until school is out for Christmas break and I will get to do a little more entertaining! Ethan is especially looking forward to a break from school! He is very excited to help Mark and be outside! We also have several Christmas gatherings planned, a overnight hotel stay in IA City, a birthday party and hopefully lots of outdoor fun in the snow or at least on the ice!

Amelia proudly showing me her snowball.

Amelia & Ethan thought it was hilarious to throw little snow balls on the roof. They would watch them roll down, getting bigger and bigger before falling off the edge.

I love you my sweetness! Kiss, Kiss :) Anton LOVES cats and I think they love him too!

I'm not sure why our kids like to play on the stairway, but they do. Now that Anton climbs the steps I have to keep an extra watchful eye on them!

Anton at 10 months

It seems like the more kids you have, the faster they grow up! At least that's the way it feels in our family, Anton is 10 months old already! He continues to grow and grow, and is quickly catching up with Eljiah. I'm guessing he's around 22 lbs already!

Balls of any size are a favorite for Anton. He especially loves to play catch!

He loves to eat! But the poor guy is gumming everything, still no teeth!

Anton is my first kid to ever mess with the Christmas tree. He knocked it over once right after I got it set up and twice the next morning after it was decorated. I tied to the ceiling with a bungee cord that I hooked to a plant hook.

We have 5 cats and Anton loves them! He's even started kissing pictures of the kitties in this book. It's SO cute!

He's an outdoor kid for sure! Most kids will bring you shoes to show you they want to go outside. Anton just tries to put on a hat. :)

What a mess maker! Pulling out bags, emptying out drawers and cupboards, unrolling the toilet paper, dumping toys out of the toy box..... to name a few. :)