Retro post...Grace's 4th birthday in September!!

I call this a retro post because it's been 4 1/2 months and I reailze that I never posted pictures of Grace's birthday. In my defense, we'd moved in barely a month prior and were "kind" of settled...and the week following this is when Nathaniel got really sick with his ears and throat...and then it was the holidays it seems like - craziness!!

So, here is Grace's brithday...at our new house in Grants Pass.

Both great-grandmas came up with Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Lorrayne.

We had lasagne for dinner - as per Grace's request - which was odd because she's never cared for it all that much.

Nathaniel was very attentive and helpful as Grace opened her presents - he read her every card.

Being oh so serious

Big Brother Joshua gets a hug

Her Sofia the First dress-up dress (to go with the shoes Aunt Theresa had gotten her in the summer when we were visiting)

Grandma Darlene brought her this ceramic kitty cat doll that Grace loved to play with at Grandma's house...Grace was so happy. She is very careful with it, but it always gets its turn taking a ride in her stroller.

Wearing her new birthday sweater

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Tangled doll and movie



She was so excited that Grandma had brought back this teddy bear!  Grandma had been at our house a few nights before while Grandpa had gone to a class at Home Depot and she'd been working on this cute crocheted bear. Grace had tried to take off with it (though it was missing arms and legs and face, I think)
 

The Birthday Girl and her Cake!!

Worn out birthday girl and her new baby, Sweetie.

Happy 2014 - Part Two!!!

I just realized that I didn't post the pictures I took of them on January first - whoops!

Being silly...nathaniel is pretending to pick his nose...Grace and Joshua are yelling "Deer!" - if you are familiar with Studio C on BYUTV, you'll get that...

Joshua just finished a unit in social dance/swing dance in PE and Grace would practice with him :)

Happy 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brian worked on New Year's Eve as well, so we had a little camp out in the living room (the kids had the floor, I had the couch :))

We didn't do a whole lot...watched several episodes of Studio C and eventually watched the ball drop...Brian was able to call us from work then so we could all wish each other a Happy 2014!

We didn't watch any of the pre-ball dropping stuff  - every time we'd switch over it was another musician being inappropriate...

Big year coming up...Joshua turns 12 in April and Nathaniel 8 in August.

And Grace will be five in September, but due to the Oregon cut-off date being September First, she'll get another year at home with Mom!

 

 

Christmas 2013

Between holidays, everyone being sick and then catching up from all of that, I haven't gotten Christmas pictures up yet...Grace just asked me to send a picture of her and her new castle to her cousin, Geddy, so I figured I'd just do the Christmas blog post...so Carol, make sure Geddy sees her castle :)

We tried to take a picture of all three kids in front of the tree after church the Sunday before Christmas...as you can see (to the left) Grace was really happy to comply.

But I got a great one of the boys...

Some of our Christmas decorations.  Love this built in shelf area in our dining room...I finally did what I've wanted to do for years...printed out a picture from each year that we've had kids of them in front of the Christmas tree (except for 2003 when we were in Arizona for Christmas...I got a picture of Joshua with his great-grandma's Santa dolls instead)...so pictures from 2002 - 2012 are up there...it was January before I finally got a good one of all three in front of the tree this year, but we'll count it for 2013. Kind of neat to watch it go from one to two to three kids and see how much they've changed and grown in those years.



Brian had to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. As he works the night shift, that means he sleeps during the day. Originally we'd figured we'd do stockings and santa presents and then he'd go to bed....well, we realized that was going to be hard on the kids and me and his sleep, so we decided to just do it all and then Brian would sleep later than usual.
Since we were all (except Grace who was over it and Nathaniel who hadn't come down with it yet) at some stage of the cold we were passing around, we opted to not do a big Christmas dinner...we finally had our turkey dinner on the 30th I think.
So below are pictures of the kids opening their Santa presents (Grace got a cool wooden magnetic Little Mermaid "paper" doll set and the boys each got a lego set) and emptying their stockings.
I decided a few years ago that so I could enjoy Christmas, I make sure to take pictures of this part of the moring and then afterwards when they are building or playing with their new stuff instead of taking dozens of pictures of the whole process and in the end really missing out on stuff because I'm too busy trying to get perfect pictures and I end up missing priceless moments.

Building some of their new legos...the each got a set from Santa and then they each got a set from Grandma Donna. Nathaniel got a Coast Guard helicopter rescue set he's been wanting for ages from Santa and a cool 2-in-1 set from Great Grandma. Joshua got a Castle set from santa (including a ferocious dragon) and a Ninjago set he's been wanting forever from Great Grandma. Grace got her first big set of Legos from Great grandma too - the new girl lego stuff. Nathaniel built it for her before he built his own set ;)
The boys also both got cool Lego books from Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Lorrayne. It was a
Lego-y Christmas in some respects. Wish they werent' so incredibly painful to step on...

Grace and her Little People princess castle...she loves it...and she wanted me to take a picture of her with it wearing her new Hello Kitty dress from Grandma and Grandpa and send it to them, so we did that later on.

Another try at a picture of all three in front of the tree...in their new pajamas from Great Grandma Donna...and Grace with two new Barbies...yeah, this one didn't make my cut for a frame...goofballs.

This one, taken in January, in their wonderful new sweaters from Great Grandma Darlene turned out the best...still a little goofy.