Christmas photos 2016

My super sweet friend, Becca, took these pictures for our Christmas cards.  These are some cute kids!

Christmas 2016

We had a very nice and a very white Christmas this year.  The Bauers joined us for Christmas Eve dinner and games and Nativity.  Avery and Daphne were Wise Men, among other roles, hence their awesome mustaches.

Christmas morning Santa brought the kids piles of goodies with their stockings that they enjoyed before church.  Then we all got ready and went to 9am church that was only an hour.  I LOVED having Christmas morning church with music and inspirational talks about the true meaning of the holiday.  I wish it were this way every year!

After church, they opened gifts.  Eric got a painting from one of his truckers who lives in Arizona, which was really sweet.  Eric is so helpful putting toys together.  Tate was, too, as he helped Henry put together his new car track.  I was curious how Henry would handle Finley getting her own ride-on Thomas train, since Henry is our resident train obsessed person.  But since Henry doesn't share his Henry-mobile with baby, and Santa found this used toy for a steal, it was Finley's gift.  Anyway, Henry has been doing awesome with his sharing.

It's been a week since the big day, and it continues to snow.  Maybe one day I'll learn to love winter.  But with 4 small children home for the week with cabin fever, I am REALLY looking forward to spring and summer!

WInter Break 2016

Perhaps I should attempt to blog on a daily basis to avoid these large groups of unrelated photos.  Here we have evidence of 

Henry:
*He is obsessed with his friend, Liam, and is always asking to invite him over.  They built a tall marble run.
*He insisted on wearing his snuggly warm Christmas pajamas for several days and nights.
*He loves his baby sister and pushes her in the hammock, much to her delight.  They also like to read together.
*When he sees me start to take pictures, he requests that I take pictures of him as he hides under pillows.

Avery:
*Lost a tooth on Christmas Eve Eve, and because our tooth fairy isn't very prompt with these things, she came the same night as Santa Clause!
*Did a great job at her school Christmas Concert.  They surprised us audience members with a cool light show.  She let me curl her hair!
*Went to her friend, Zoe's, birthday party at the ice-skating rink.  We have never ice skated with the kids.  I dropped her at the party and realized that there was no support for her.  Few parents, and Christmas trees along the rink meant that she couldn't follow the wall around.  Also, they don't allow support walkers during open skate.  So, I was happy to find that our neighbor was available to watch the other 3 kids whom I dropped at home, and I went back to the party.  We skated, and fell!, together for nearly an hour and had a blast.
*Is trying her hand at photography and took my picture.  She and I like stretch pants (bed picture).

Tate:
*Also did an awesome job at his school Christmas program, but I didn't get any pictures.  Sad.
*Found an article in the Friend magazine about making no-sew blankets.  He showed me on a day where fleece just happened to be on sale so we went to Joann's and bought enough fabric for 3 blankets.  They turned out great, and so warm, for this freezing weather we are having.
*Loves Lego.

Finley:
*Just keeps being sweet and smiley and loves her dolls.  Grandma pointed out that Finley and this doll have the same hair.  
*Has decided, at over a year old, that she likes to play with pacifiers.  It would have been nice if she would have tried this as an infant.
*Let's me put her hair in a tiny ponytail for the first time.