For Nana, Papa, Aunt Uta and Uncle Jim

Nana and Papa have been asking to see more pictures of the girls with their short hair. And Aunt Uta and Uncle Jim gave the kids a gift card from Target for Christmas. Well, the kids and I went to Target last night and Aly and Koco bought these dresses (and a few other items...Thank you!) and wore them to church. I sat the girls and Keegan down on the couch this afternoon before the girls went upstairs to play so I could get some pictures of them. So, here you go Mom and Dad. And thank you Aunt Uta and Uncle Jim for the gift card. We love you all very much!

Reading's for the Dogs!

Alyson and Kourtney read to therapy dogs at the local library this past Saturday. It's a big hit with the kids so we try to go whenever the therapy dogs are there.

In Short

Alyson and Kourtney had their hair cut a week and a half ago at their requests. Although it was hard for me to part with their long hair (no pun intended), they really like their new does, and it takes less time to brush in the morning. All plus' for everyone!

6 Posts-Good Luck!

I've updated our blog with 6 additional posts. Wow-great to have it all done! Hopefully you will enjoy reading our blog and won't become too bored!

Frequenting Frankenmuth

We spent a day and a half in Frankenmuth (Christmas capital of Michigan) only about an hour and 15 minutes away. It was our second time visiting the area since we moved to Michigan, but this time we got to see more of it than we did last time. It was the mid-winter break mini-vacation we needed. Bronner's is the world's largest Christmas shop full of tons and tons of Christmas decorations for purchase, and it's located in Frankenmuth. It's a fun stop. You could spend hours there or just a few minutes depending on what you want to see.

We didn't splurge on the hotel, but we did find one with a pool and a separate sitting area with a pull out couch. Our family is just getting too big for a traditional hotel room. Can't believe it!

Here's Kris taking it easy with Keegan in our hotel room.

Is there anything sweeter than the admiration a father receives from his son?

It's Officially a Winter Wonderland Outside

We had our first big winter storm just after Christmas, and everyone felt the urge to get out and play in the snow. So, while Kris took to our driveway, and the neighbor's driveways via the snowblower, the girls got out and did their best with their shovels. This also marked Keegan's first real snow, and the first time Ellary played in it as a mobile child, both experiences that needed to be documented!
Alyson and Kourtney couldn't wait to get out and sled between our house and our neighbor's house. There was barely enough snow to sled on, but they had a great time.

Kris Minus an Alyson

It has to be documented. There is no doubt! Kris has lost a total of 53 pounds in the last four months! He has also managed to keep the snacking and overindulging at bay over the holidays and has continued his running regimen in spite of the sub zero temperatures. 53 pounds! That's a whole Alyson. And now all of Kris' suits are too big except for, get this, his old mission suit from 14 years ago. Way to go, Babe. You are an inspiration.

Christmas 2009

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas shared with the ones you love and filled with only the fondest of moments.

Our three girls patiently waited for their sleepy head parents to get up before coming down the stairs on Christmas morning...But before they were allowed to make their entrance, we had to stick with tradition and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".





Besides getting pajamas and stocking stuffers from Santa, the girls each got something that I made for their beds. Alyson and Kourtney saw some bunk bed tents in a magazine a while back, and with a few days of effort, I came up with these alternatives. The girls had no idea what the layers and layers of fabric were as they pulled the bunk bed panels from their gift boxes. The girls were happily surprised once they discovered what they were holding. I also made a quilt for Ellary's bed that coordinates with all the blue and brown that is in the room she will be sharing with Keegan.

Don't you think this is a great looking guy? Ellary also loved her new hat and gloves and wore them off and on throughout the day.

Our little Christmas Santa just kicking it!

Oma (Kris' mom) had a tradition of making prime rib for us every Christmas. This year Kris kept the tradition alive by cooking it along with the majority of Christmas dinner.

Making a gingerbread house has become a family tradition as well(second year running). This year we made things easy though. We bought a gingerbread house kit instead of making our own gingerbread. Oh...it saved us about a day of baking. Well worth it, although we had a great time making our own with Nana and Oma last year. Thanks for the happy memories!

We hope you all had an enjoyable Christmas and a happy New Year, and will stay in touch with us. Thank you for keeping up with what's going on in our lives!

Say Cheese

We attempted to be photographers and take family pictures on our own just before Christmas. Here are the two we like best.
We also had professional family pictures taken. We didn't want them to be too formal, and we wanted to be able to hang them on the wall all year round, so we decided to go with GREEN and WHITE. Go SPARTANS!

(Family and friends, please let us know if you would like us to send you any off these pics.)

The Real Deal

Our friends, the Gott Family (who have children in Alyson and Kourtney's class), invited us to their annual Christmas party. Wow-it was great. Good company, delicious food and a surprise visitor came too!

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Now we all know Santa can't be everywhere at once, but I tell you what, he was at this party! Just take a look and you will believe! See his rosy red cheeks, a nose like a cherry, and his large, jiggly, and very round belly. Take a look at his real, scruffy beard white like snow, and a belt buckle that says "Santa" and you just know!

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Santa sang songs, he read stories (one was about the real Christmas story), and then lastly, he took his book of good girls and boys, and began to read from his list. They were all the names of the children present at the party. So, each child had a turn sitting on his lap, telling him a little bit about themselves and then asking him for the things on their wish lists. Lastly, Santa put his fingers to their noses and said, "Do you have Christmas magic?" And to the astonishment of all, his thumb would light up in the affirmative every time. This Santa not only had the children enchanted, but the adults enthralled as well.

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Thank you, Gott family, for inviting us to your party. It was a magical evening not soon to be forgotten!



Just for your info, Ellary was too afraid to sit on Santa's lap!