We had a wonderful Christmas this year! We spent Christmas day with my mom and dad. They came over to my house and we made a delicious breakfast and the kids had fun showing off all their toys. Then we headed over to my sister's house, where we had dinner together and opened more presents. It was a wonderful time! My sister made us the most wonderful cookies, too! Everything was delicious, and it was very nice to have the family all together and spending the day with each other! Hope everyone had the opportunity to be with their family and loved ones! Merry Christmas!!
We had a Christmas party Saturday for my mom's side of the family. It was a lot of fun! She has a very large family...6 children in all, so it was packed!
Since Jennifer posted pictures of her tree on her blog, I feel obligated to share my own pics of my tree and garland that I made for above my archway. As you can see, I love my snowmen decorations!
Also, I noticed I hadn't posted any newer pictures of my precious little kitty, Nim, lately. Actually, he's not a kitty anymore! He's getting to be a big fat "large" (as Brayden likes to say...what he really means is "big fat lard", but apparently, Brayden thinks the saying is "big fat LARGE"! I just love that! Kids come up with the funniest things!) Anyway, here is a picture of Nim that I took last week. Isn't he so pretty??
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It's hard to believe it's already over. We had a wonderful time spending Thanksgiving with my husband's family on Thursday, and my family today. I found the following entry on another blog, and nothing sums it up more appropriately than this, in my opinion.
If you have food in the fridge, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep.... you are richer than 75% of this world.
If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace.... you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.
If you woke up this morning with more health than illness... You are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation... You are ahead of 500 million people in the world.
If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death... You are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
If your parents are still alive and still married.... You are very rare, even in the United States
If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful.... you are blessed because the majority can, but most don't.
If you can read this message, you just received a double blessing, in that someone was thinking of you, and furthermore, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read at all.
KALAHARI
We went to Kalahari Indoor Waterpark the day before Thanksgiving and stayed until Thanksgiving day with John's brother and his girls. It was awesome! The kids had an absolute blast!! They really love it there. I have to admit, the adults had fun too!! Sorry I didn't get more pictures. It's kind of hard when you're in the water! 
Avery's school has had a musical resident for the last five weeks. His name is Hal Walker. He taught the students about "music that fits in your pocket" (such as harmonica playing, hand whistling, banakulas, etc.) To finish out his residency, the school hosted a concert. The 4th and 5th graders showed off their AMAZING harmonica playing skills, and Hal Walker played some music and sang a few songs. The 3rd graders (like Avery) learned how to make and play banakulas (kind of like maracas). It was really a unique experience. I know the quality isn't the greatest on these videos. Unfortunately, those Flip digital video camcorders don't have a very good zoom on them. But, you can certainly hear the music in these videos! It was an outstanding night!
Tonight we went trick or treating again. This time in our own town! The kids got WAY too much candy! At least it was a nicer night! Not as cold as last time. Check out the pictures of this one house we saw! They REALLY get into Halloween, huh?? Also, check out this cool pumpkin someone had carved...obviously Notre Dame fans! Pretty cool, though, even if you aren't a fan! That had to take some time and skills!
We took the kids trick or treating tonight with John's friend Preston and his family. The kids have so much fun with Preston's kids! They got tons of candy (like they need it)! It was FREEZING, though!! Poor Avery barely made it! Her costume was so thin, we should have dressed her warmer! But, at least their town's trick or treat was only 1 hour. They both looked cute. Brayden kept getting asked if he was from "Top Gun", like he would know what that is! He just kept shaking his head "yes" when asked. It was so cute! He did kind of look like either Goose or Ice Man from the movie, though! He looked so adorable! Check out Preston's costume.....or, was that a costume?? Ha Ha, just kidding!!
My mom, dad and I went to the flea Market today. We took my kids, and my sister's kids. It was very cold! But, the kids were on a mission to find toys! The flea market is always good for finding cheap toys, among other "treasures". Well, the kids hit the jackpot! They found a vendor who had lots of Bratz dolls...their favorite! And, they were brand new, still in their boxes, which is rare for the flea market. Usually, they find Bratz dolls that are used. So, they were THRILLED when they, or I should say Grandpa, was able to talk the vendor down a little on his price. They were able to get their new dolls for $5.50 each. They were so excited, as you can see from the photos! Plus, we enjoyed yummy flea market food, too! Including some homemade frosted cut out cookies, cheese fries, and elephant ears and funnel cakes...yum!
My grandma turned 80 on October 10th. To celebrate, we had a small party at her house. Some of her friends stopped by to wish her a happy birthday also, which was nice! The cake was delicious, as always! I'm not sure I ever had a bad cake that Lisa made! (I'm sure many of you who have had her cakes will agree!!) It was also my nephew's birthday on October 10th. He and "Little Grandma" (as the kids like to call my grandma) are birthday twins! So, I had Lisa make him his own little cake. He LOVED it! He wouldn't let any of the kids have a piece...he wanted to take his leftovers home. Too cute! 
Today we made the long trip to Canton to attend my niece, Emma's 4th birthday party. John's brother, Chip just bought a new house and we hadn't been there to see it yet, so it was nice to be able to visit them. His new house is really nice! And, the kids had a blast at the birthday party! They didn't want to leave!
