This Christmas.

Our family of 5 plus Emma made the trip to Cloquet to celebrate Christmas.  We all had a fabulous time celebrating the birth of Jesus and just being with each other.  Grandma Betty spent the holiday at mom and dad's so we all had some great time together.  Ryan, Curt, and I took the 5 kids sledding at Pinehurst Park which was so much fun.  Thankfully, no one was injured and we all had fun, even Kenzie!

 We went to Jill and Curt's church on Sunday as well as on Christmas Eve.  The kids were more than glad to be back home after church on Christmas.

 Grandma Betty and Mom.

Dad, Mom and Sofie after church.

 Kadence opening her Christmas Eve present.

And Landon.

Then there was Kenzie.  She was just so funny I had to post all of the pictures.  She is at such a fun age.

 Love this one.  Her face says it all!

 Then it was time for PJ's and putting Christmas cookies out for Santa.

 They were so excited about Santa!

And...this was the scene just minutes later.  Apparently Kenzie thought we were putting all of those yummy Christmas treats out for her to eat.  So you can see her disappointment when she realized that wasn't happening.  There really doesn't have to be a caption for this photo but man does it crack me up! It was definitely time for bed!

 All 3 kids slept until 8 o'clock (which is unusually late for them) and then were very excited to go downstairs and see if Santa had visited.

Her birthday and then Christmas just a month later-this peanut was a present pro.

 The kids all received nice gifts and had so much fun.  Kenzie's favorite presents were actually clothes and she tried them all on.  It was so funny and beyond adorable.

 Emma had a rough time.  This is where she spent the majority of the 4 days, sleeping on Grandma Betty's lap.  She actually had to be forced to come home with us!

 Always so good to see Grandma June :)

 We headed back to Fargo on Christmas day because Ryan had to work early Wednesday morning.  We had a great celebration and are so fortunate to have a great family.

 We actually had to stop in Brainerd at Perkins which was the only restaurant open to have our Christmas Supper.  I guess there's a first time for everything!  The kids were happy to be out of the car and pumped for sprinkle pancakes and we walked out with a $3 banana creme pie.  Not long after dinner I turned around and saw these two fast asleep and snuggling.  They looked so comfortable and adorable.  Kenzie was also fast asleep and even though we were traveling on Christmas day, Ryan and I talked about how beyond blessed we are to have each other and our three beautiful, healthy children.  God is good.

Bentleyville.

We were able to make it to Bentleyville again this year when we were back for Christmas.  It is a great Christmas light festival along Lake Superior.  It was pretty chilly and we didn't hang out real long but it was fun to walk through and see all the displays of Christmas lights.

 It was the most fun for these 5 munchkins who never even complained of being cold.

 Great Grandma Betty and the kids.  She was a trooper and even stayed warm.

 I didn't get great pictures because it was so cold my fingers were actually having a difficult time pressing the button.  I loved the last picture of Kenzie and Ryan.  She walked 3/4 of the time and danced almost the whole way to the Christmas music.  We all had a great time but were very glad to get to Caribou for some hot drinks and heat!

Gingerbread House's.

This year I was fortunate enough to participate in making gingerbread house's with both Landon and Kadence.  It was the first time I had done an activity with Landon in Kindergarten so I was pretty excited.  We had so much fun making his house and it was great to hang out in his class!  I have to share that the day after I helped him at school Landon came home from school and said, " Mama, when I got to school, my chair still smelled like you and I just felt like you were right there with me all day."  I think my melt seriously melted.  That was one of the sweetest things I had ever heard in my entire life.  Then, the next day he informed me that he was sad the janitor had cleaned his chair and it didn't smell like me anymore.  What a little love.

Two days after Landon and I made a gingerbread house I got to make one with Kadence at school.  We had just as much fun!  She wanted to do everything herself which was okay since Kenzie was being a little stinker.  We had so much fun together and she was so excited to have me spend time with her at preschool!

Can't ever forget about this little lady.  She wants to do everything big brother and sister do so she wanted her picture taken too.

Love doing holiday activities with the kids!

Sweet Boy.

I have to share this story about Landon.  Landon has had a rough three weeks.  He has been plagued with strep throat, the stomach flu, and a cold/infection.  He has been a trooper through it all but was pretty pekid for almost a month.  He was complaining of his neck hurting for a few days and Ryan and I noticed his glands were swollen but decided to just watch him for a little bit.  Friday afternoon (430 pm when most teachers are checked out for the week) I received a phone call from Landon's teacher, Mrs. Spanier.  At first I was a little worried he was in trouble.  She was just calling to let me know that she had noticed Landon's neck had been bothering him in school and he had said he had a headache a couple times.  She said he is not a complainer and never brought it up unless she initiated the conversation and then would always end with, "but I'm okay."  She wanted me to know and thought maybe he should see his doctor.  At the end of a very good conversation she said she had one more thing she wanted to tell me (I thought oh great, always save the bad for last) and she said:

"Thank you for Landon.  He is such a sweet, good boy.  He listens so well and is so willing to learn.  He is trying so hard and doing so well with his reading.  Landon is nothing but a joy in my classroom and he is just a good boy."

I don't think that I could have heard better words about my son.  I was so happy and so proud of him.  It was after this conversation with Mrs. Spanier that I was reassured sending Landon away every day to school to learn was the right thing to do.  I am so blessed that the one person who I have to share him with more than anyone is a kind-hearted, sweet, smart woman who I have no doubt in my mind would protect my little boy in a heart beat.  This was just what I needed to feel after the horrible news of the elementary shooting in Connecticut.  We are beyond blessed to have this little boy in our lives and beyond blessed to have such a caring teacher.  

Happy Birthday Ry!

 We were all excited to celebrate Daddy-o's birthday today!  Unfortunately, he had to work later than normal and didn't get home until almost 6.  The kids and I had picked out an ice cream cake for him from Dairy Queen and I think they were more excited to eat it than he was!

Happy Birthday to the best dad and husband in the world.  We love you so much!