January 2010

Okay, so I guess the number of pictures I took at Christmas made me burnt out. It seems like every January, I have no pictures until Caleb's birthday, so I made a little bit of an effort this January....as you can see, I didn't have much to pick from. Here is what we have been up to....

Chloe got dress up stuff for Christmas and I loved this picture, just soo sweet.

We went to the park with our friends Halie and Austin, had fun while the dads were out running. If I remember correctly, it was a nice evening, not too cold.

We also attended a fundraiser event for a boy in our church who has been struggling with a rare form of liver cancer for almost 4 years. He has had numerous (over 30) rounds of chemo and has spent his lifetime amount with his insurance, so needless to say, they needed money to be able to continue treatment. The event raised over $40,000 and was a bunch of fun. We got t-shirts, face painted, hair painted, limo rides, jump houses, bake sale items, and just enjoyed doing something fun and not caring that we were spending a little bit of money, knowing it was a good cause. Pray for Carson. They are in Guatemala now trying out a new treatment that I believe is one of their last hopes. Pray that it works. They are there for 12 weeks, that is a long time to be out of school and away from friends and family. Carson is in 1st grade and his brother is in 3rd I believe.

Probably the most exciting thing so far this January was the fact that Caleb lost his first tooth. I knew it was coming as I could see the permanent one already through behind it. He came out one night and said, "look what happened?" Thank goodness this one didn't bleed....So, the tooth fairy visited that night (thank goodness she had something for a last minute tooth emergency). She left him Luigi, something I was planning on getting him for his birthday, thank goodness I hadn't gotten it yet......he was pretty excited and is now even more excited for his birthday. I am sure to take lots of pictures on his birthday. More of that to come later :)

Swimming in Michigan....

We swam quite a bit this year...with no snow, we decided that we should just swim more. Caleb got to be really confident in swimming in the deep end...making me a bit nervous, but even more sure that I needed to get him signed up for swim lessons then a swim team if he wants to try that out. Chloe got a bit braver too. She was a bit nervous at first, but she loved it once she got in. I am hoping that she will learn how to swim this summer. Keira could have done without it most of the time, however, she did love the goggles....one night she took a pair to bed with her....

Jennifer had the right idea, staying dressed and out of the water. I was okay as long as I was moving, but it was cold when you got out. After a couple days of swimming, I made mom turn the heat up...then it was much better.... Caleb and all the other older kids loved jumping in the deep end, doing cannonballs and generally just having a great time.

Some great posers, don't you think????

Snow pictures.....

Slightly disappointed this year by the amount of snow...however, the kids enjoyed the little bit that we did have. Caleb thought he could cover himself with snow, it was quite fluffy, so it was hard to cover him, but he sure tried (yes, we had snow pants on, he wasn't the least bit cold). It was windy and so that made for a shorter snowtime outside.....Keira and Chloe had a great time as well.

Josh took a break from work (he had to work all week while we were up there, total bummer), and came out to drive the 4 wheeler and pull the kids on the sled. They had a blast and as you can see, Isaiah had fun chasing the sled....(he left his boots at home, so he had walmart bags on his feet - yet another use for those walmart bags!!). Keira even got a ride on the sled and I think she liked it.

And then of course, there were wipe outs and for some reason, they LOVED it. Funny how when they wipe out any other time they cry and now they love it....

Just enough snow to make a mini snow man....Ben had the best quote, he said while getting on the back of the 4 wheeler, "this is the best thing EVER!" I thought that was pretty cute....

WIPE OUT by Carly and Chloe - giggling all the way. Eli even got a nice relaxing ride on the sled...no wipeouts for him...daddy was keeping a firm hold on that sled...

"Christmas" morning

Christmas morning came in a hurry. We stayed up way too late the night before enjoying adult time, however, I had to get up to make my yearly cinnamon rolls, so I was the first one up. That was okay because no sooner was I up and in the kitchen making cinnamon rolls than Ben and Carly were up. Carly amused me by crawling into the kitchen hissing like a cat....not my idea of a "good morning aunt Renae", but it made me laugh. They were ready to open the gifts and I think my kids were the last to arrive/wake up, so of course we started with the reading of the Christmas story which most of us know by heart now, but it is a timeless story, so I will never bore of hearing it. Here are some cute pics of each kid opening presents....

Grandma and Grandpa McGregor came over to watch the kids and of course get their presents too. It was a great morning, quite chaotic, but fun all the same. I think Chloe won the prize for best reaction, if you can't see her face in that picture, I think you can click on it, it was priceless.

The night before "Christmas"

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, all the children were stirring, yes, even the mouse. The children all nestled and snug by the tree, in hopes for a good picture, so they could be free. The stockings were on right up to their knees in hopes to stay warm please please please..........the kids were ready for bed all adorned in new pajamas from Grandma....they get to open presents tomorrow!!!

After the kids went to bed, the adults opened presents. It was very nice to have the time with adults only to open presents together, be able to see who got what and just enjoy family. We started out by sharing a favorite Christmas memory, which was very touching. Amazing how many different things we can remember...and the things that mean so much to us. Anyway, here are some random pictures of the adults ONLY....

Randee and Johnny win the award for the best gift given....they had some exciting news that they decided to share just as the picture was being snapped in hopes to get a surprised look from everyone...well, apparently none of us were too surprised because it didn't work....or we just didn't believe them. We are THRILLED to have them pregnant and so excited as they begin this new journey....and glad we are done with that part of our life :)