It is crazy to think that December is here and gone already!
Even crazier to think that all of 2014 has come and gone already!
WOW!!!
We started out December with a fun trip to Red Lodge, MT with Lustre friends.
It was a crew of us: 8 adults and 11 kids.
Thankfully the house we stayed in could have housed many more!
Christmas Stroll in downtown Red Lodge.
The girls were so excited to have the chance to see Santa.
Well, two of the three of them that is!!
Ooops!
Made for a great picture though!
Natalie wanted to try to ski.
I was so proud of her as we checked her into ski school.
While she was in school along with the other mom's and some of their kids, I took off for a few runs on my own. I MISS THIS!!! SO MUCH! TOO MUCH!!!
I skiied to the bottom of the mountain and figured I still had time for one more fun before her ski school was over. Well, as I hopped on the lift and rode right over top of the ski school, I heard a kid crying. It. Was. Natalie. And I was already on the lift. Ooops.
I hurried down the mountain and got to school to pick her up and by that point she was sitting in the warmer hut still crying. She was crying because she was scared I wouldn't come back. Poor kid.
I called Tony and asked him to come back to the mountain to pick her up so I could still ski for the afternoon (he had his day the day before, and would go again the next day...its mom's turn!). She and I grabbed some lunch in the lodge and all of a sudden she perked up big time.
Here she is all smiles with mommy as her lunch date!
By the time Tony arrived back at the mountain, we were finished with lunch and he was able to convince her to go ski with mommy on the bunny hill. I am so glad she agreed!
WE HAD A BLAST!!!
I'm so proud of her.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVED my runs in the morning by myself at the top of the mountain.
BUT, nothing will compare to the LOVE I have for this girl and the time we spent together on the bunny hill! She did so well by the time we were finished, and even said she loved skiing.
My heart was ready to explode!!
On our way home from Red Lodge we stopped in Billings for a Costco run, a birthday trip to Cabelas, as well as checking out the new Scheels.
Scheels in Billings is so fun!
The girls were instantly attracted to the fish in the aquarium at the entrance.
No one would ride the ferris wheel with me. Maybe next time!
I terrorized my Maycie a little bit!
I'm such a mean mom! She was crying so hard!
Natalie posed with me by the skunks!
The girls pretended in the cars for a bit while dad shopped.
Natalie and Aleah bowled.
After Scheels we hit up Cabelas. We've got 'free' money to spend there, and with Tony's birthday around the corner, he might as well buy a gun! :)
So while he shopped for a deer rifle, the girls and I....
...well, I watched them while they played 'house' in the corner of the guns section by the cases.
So creative. (Natalie is the mommy and she just put her two babies down for sleep at night. I love how well Maycie plays along with her big sisters. She just fits right in!)
Tony's the big 3-0!!!
I am so blessed to have him as my best friend, husband, and father to my girlies.
God is so good!
Tony shares his birthday with our dear friend Silas. Silas is just 3 weeks younger than Natalie. For his 5th birthday he wanted to come out to the farm and sled. So that's what we all did!
And it was AWESOME!
Ava, Maycie, Virginia, Aleah, Sarah
Natalie, Seth, Ava, Noah
Annual photo by the Christmas trees at the church after the kids Christmas program.
Seriously. I cannot figure out where they get their silly side from.
(It's ALL their dad...gotta be!!!)
With Papa and Nana!
Silas, Reese, Aleah
Aleah came down with Influenza A. Hard.
Here is Natalie loving on her sister with a picture she drew to help her feel better.
So precious and sweet. So caring.
Guess who??
Maycie and her scowl.
Makes me giggle and melts my heart at the same time!
Poor poor Aleah. She was miserable. Her fever hit 104.5 one morning!
Praise the Lord for modern medicine!
Natalie got a little bug too. But only lasted about 1.5 days.
Aleah was down for about 6 days. By the end of day 6 she wanted to go outside for just a little walk.
Maycie and I took her for a short walk that night to get her some fresh air. Such a sweetie!
Following our walk, I had her take a hot steamy shower.
She was perking up afterwards, and truly embracing my shower cap! :)
In the midst of Aleah's sickness I was working hard on a cookbook honoring 50 years of Schmeckfest. I had plenty of help. All of the time!!
Time for some Christmas cookies. Daddy was all over this while I was busy typing!
Maycie's cookie was the lone cookie that no one else would touch. She loved on it...really well!
These two worked hard on their cookie creations,
only keeping one for each of them to eat and one for Santa.
All of the rest we delivered to folks' houses that we went caroling with some friends at.
It is so neat to see their hearts active in the learning process of
Jesus being the true reason for the season!
Christmas morning.
Snuggles with Daddy before dinner at Papa and Nana's on Christmas Day.
So thankful for the friends we have in Brad and Jori!
And this family. I can't say enough! Love them!
So excited that we could help you celebrate the big 5-0 Karla!
And these four people we're sitting with...they have played such
an important role in Tony and I's relationship and story here in MT.
Our lives have changed because of their loving friendship and servant's hearts.
It's because of these four people that we found such a wonderful family of believers at GEC.
And they're really FUN too!
And these girls. SO thankful for their presence in my life. God has given me an absolutely precious gift in each one of them, and I am so thankful for all that they have taught me in just these 5 short years of being their mommy!
New Year's Eve. This guy. Call him a foodie. Call him a connoisseur.
Call him AWESOME!!!
So happy to have him as a friend, pastor, and chef on New Year's Eve!
Those sweet potato chips were stellar!
All the kiddos slept together on the floor in the basement.
Such great memories!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your 2015 be all that God has intended for your life, sweetened with His Love and Blessings!
