Highlights from 2013

Highlights from 2013!

In January, Lesha, Natasha and I with ALL of our kids met up in Bellevue.

It was a weekend of loudness, FUN, Chuck E Cheese, Red Robin and a priceline hotel! 

A highlight for the cousins for sure!! 

Check out the spiral staircase in Lesha's hotel room! :) 

I am so very thankful for my sisters, for all of my siblings! 

And these cousins making memories --it's pretty great.

Oren Paul! #1 highlight, our bonus baby! Our hoped for miracle.

A FUN, wonderful, SUMMER!! 

With a content baby, lots of FUN at the water park! 

A trip to Lynden, baseball and hours of fun in our yard.

On August 8th, Vance and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary! 

Also, we enjoyed SUNCADIA with my whole family, mid August.

Sibling love... a highlight for sure

Last fall, Vance, Merit, Willem, John, Fischer, Alex, Kelcy, Jeff and Vic had an Alaskan

Adventure!! I think this trip was a highlight of 2013

The Nutcracker

Time with friends and family...

Wow! Merit has some fans!! 

Pictured here: Gramma Kris, Grandpa Vic, Merit,Willem, Vance, Hazel, Sandy and Matt! 

Nellie girl, good dog, great friend

Matters of the heart...

prayer matters.

This year has been full of blessings. I am thankful for God's plan. 

I am thankful for our family, our health, memories made and what the future holds!! 

Happy New Year! 

Christmas

We let the kids open gifts before we left for Lynden... our own little family Christmas.

And when we got home from Lynden, Santa had been here!! 

Baby's first Christmas. Oren really liked the paper! 

The above picture, the expression on Hazel's face... she was SO EXCITED

that her brother got a Russell Wilson jersey! 

I LOVE Christmas break. 

The PLAY that took place in this house today. 

Oh, I loved it. Listening to it, watching it, soaking it up.

Leavenworth and time with family

A couple of days before we headed to Lynden for Christmas, the kids and I met Natasha, Reese and family in Leavenworth. Leavenworth at Christmas is SO beautiful!!!
It was so fun to see Estelle, Lane, Reese and Natasha. The kids had a ball!!

We brought our sled. Five minutes after arriving, Lane, Merit and Will were sledding! 

There wasn't much snow, but the hill was fun and the kids went fast! 

Reese took the girls up to their condo and Natasha and I headed to the nearest coffee shop for some spiced cider. Walking around with our hot spiced cider, watching the kids sled and soaking in the Christmas decorations and sights was pretty great! 

Lane! 

These girls are pretty adorable together. 

I love their friendship.

Merit, Lane and Willem

Uncle Reese and the girls

Oren was very cozy in Aunt Natasha's arms!

It was really fun to be there. And it sort of helped us kick off Christmas...

Our trip to Lynden was busy and fun. 

I NEVER see everyone I want to see! That leaves me 

feeling sort of sad, but it was fun to make lots of memories with family there.

Oren's first Christmas

Wow, I can hardly believe it. 

He got lots and lots of snuggles there! 

Pictures to come...

chubby cheeked sweetheart!!

Ohhhh and I love this helper of ours, Miss Hazel Jane

This baby doll Oren is almost seven months already!! Time is cruising by!

The kids are so excited for Christmas! Tomorrow Merit and Willem have their class parties and an all school sing along.

Vance put together a darling pink "kitchen" for Hazel the other night. The heavy box with LOTS of pieces overwhelmed me!! I was so grateful he was willing to put it together! It looks so cute! All of my kids have played with a little thrift store kitchen, it cost me $5 many years ago. It will be fun for her to have a new little kitchen. When I was little my Grandma Alma and Grandpa Ken gave me a little fridge for Christmas. I played and played with that. I remember playing "restaurant" in our basement, using plywood on top of what we could find and using those as restaurant tables. We had play food and dishes... good memories!! 

I love the ages of these kids. I love soaking them up. Precious gifts!

The Nutcracker

It was a special treat to be able to see the Nutcracker here in Moses Lake! 

A few girls we know were in it.

It was beautifully performed.

Kendal and Hazel --- these girls enjoyed the show, but the second half they kept wanting to sneak off and just dance together!! Hazel thought the ballerinas were very beautiful! And couldn't wait to be a ballerina herself on the "sidelines." :) I asked her if she would like to take ballet lessons, she told me no and that she is too shy.