Preschool at the Zoo!

Parker's preschool took a field trip to the zoo last week...all the animals were out, it was just a little bit overcast, but not too cold, and the kids had a ball! Here's some pictures from our fun morning!!

Aren't these kids cute?....there's Talon, Parker, Jackson, Tanner, Sadie & Emry! (If you look closely, you can see the head of the crane peaking up over the sign!)

The boys really liked seeing the lions!!...they're back there behind them...

We were able to spot the giraffes without any problems!...this was the first time we were able to see them outside of their enclosure (our zoo just got giraffes a few months ago)!

Parker then had to "drive" the Safari Truck!

Connor loved watching the penguins!...he looks a little lost here, but I promise, he had fun!!

And, of course, we have to take a picture on the Komodo Dragon! It wouldn't be a trip to the zoo with out it!! :)

Fall Fun (Part 2) aka Our Trips to the Pumpkin Patch

This October, we took were able to visit the pumpkin patch 2 different times....I took the boys one morning with all of Parker's preschool friends and then we went again with some of our good friends, the Knox's, for FHE....we had a fabulous time at both of the visits!

The morning that we went with all our preschool friends, it was SO, SO cold...but we had loads of fun as well!

Here's a picture of most of the kids after making their way through the straw bale maze...I think they liked running through it because it helped them stay warmer! :)

I loved this picture of all the kids on top of the wagon after going for a hay ride...it was picture perfect! Aren't they a cute bunch of kids?

And, of course, one of Parks with his prized pumpkin! He spent a lot of time searching for just the right one!

When we went with Knox's, we had the chance to see all the animals in the petting zoo. Boy, was that a hit! All the kids (9 between both families) loved seeing the horses, donkey, dogs, camel, and sheep! All our kids got a kick out of being able to feed all the animals, and Parker didn't even cry very hard when one of the sheep got a little bit of his finger!

As always, the hayride is a big hit! I love how happy all these girls look! :) Could they be any cuter?


And, the final ride before heading how was a trip around the pumpkin patch in the "cow train"...Parker & Connor had been waiting the whole night for this! Annie was a great big sister to sit with Connor & keep him safe!

Thanks to the Knox's for being such great friends & sharing your FHE with us!

It's My Party....oh, Annie's Party!!

So...Annie turned the big 6 years old two weeks ago! She started asking for a "friend party" at least 6 months ago, so we talked about it a lot. Annie decided to have a Hannah Montana (big surprise...) party!! It was a gorgeous day, so we did most of the party stuff outside....we painted finger nails & added the cute little stickers on them, we played musical chairs, played games on the trampoline & then had cake! I think she had a fun time!! Here's some pictures...

The birthday cake...

Getting ready to blow out the candles...

The adorable group of girls!!...they all had SO much fun together!!

Playing musical chairs...I think girls this age are so much fun!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE...WE LOVE YOU!!

Christmas Eve Celebrations!

I know I'm behind, obviously...but we had such a fantastic Christmas (both Eve & Day) that I thought I'd share some of the happenings of those days, before we move on...


Christmas Eve morning was perfect!!...we woke up to fresh snow on the ground. Before the kids could fully wake up, Matt was already talking to them about building a snowman in the front yard!! We went on the hunt for warm gloves, hats, and clothes (we already had the coats out & regular clothes, but we don't really have any "snow clothes"). Abbie, Annie & Parker bundled up warm & headed outside to help dad build "Charlie"...as our snowman would soon be named! I still don't know who was more excited, Matt or the kids....

The finish product with all 4 of our cute kids!

Around 4 o'clock on Christmas Eve, we headed over to our friends (the P family) to celebrate! We had such a fantastic time with them & our kids had the best time being together! The funniest part of the evening is when we had all sat down to have dinner, there was a "kid" table and an "adult" table, that were basically right next to each other (we still have kiddos that needed help getting their food). Anyway, we (the adults) are talking across the table & we realize we were pretty much yelling at each other because the 6 of our kids were just making so much noise! It was so funny, we just had to laugh & then took pictures of them all...

Their 4 kids line up almost perfectly with the 4 of ours, so they all just had a blast! Honestly, there was probably a lot more playing instead of eating, but that was okay...

After a lot more yummy food & a little more playing, we attempted to do a Nativity!

S boy was Joseph & Annie was Mary...aren't they cute together? I'm already beginning to plan their wedding... ;)

Parker was a handsome wiseman...

Here's all the kids (Joseph, Mary on the donkey, Abbie the sheep, and M girl was the angel) minus the wiseman!!

Thank you to the P family for such a fun Christmas Eve!