Miss G turns 4

A little update on our lives in the past few weeks. Miss G turned 4 on the 4th. The poor girl was worn out with all the unwrapping she did at Christmas time, that she wasn't in the mood to unwrap her birthday presents. She finished opening some of them the following morning.

She loves to color!!

Mr. Entertainer needed in on the action too.

The next evening the kids had to test out one of Gretchen's birthday presents. Trevor wasn't too sure about this coloring on the tub walls. Mommy says "no" to the other walls. Once he understood it was okay, he loved it!!

Bowling

This year for New Year's Eve we decided to do something a little different. We took the kids and went out for pizza and then bowling with Ray's mom, step-dad and sister. This is the first time either one of them has been to a bowling alley. It's the first time since we've been married that Ray and I have gone bowling. It might be something we do a little more often now that bowling alleys are smoke-free.
Trevor was all about watching the ball go down the lane and than the pins falling over. He just thought it was great. He probably dreamed about balls that night. Gretchen was a little skeptical at first. Ray helped her the first time and she cried once all the pins fell down. She got a strike the very first time. Thanks daddy! :) After watching a few of us bowl, she got the idea. Soon she was rolling the ball down the lane all by herself. There were a few gutters in there but she was having fun. By the end of the night she was asking me if we could go next weekend. I'd say the night was a success.

Finally the pictures

Showing Aunt Carrie some of her new clothes. The girl loves clothes!

Checking out the new stuff we got.

Enjoying his new car he got.

Helping Grandpa with Grandma's new garbage disposal. It was more fun than my presents.

Dr. Gretchen checking out Matt. He was rather a handful of a patient.

New clothes with trucks on them. :)

Very excited about the new toothbrush Santa left her in her stocking.

As you can tell, it was a little too early for Trevor's liking.

Time to dig into some presents.

Mom's cake topper was more exciting than my new toys.

Grandma got me all these new toys. She bought so much since the kids hadn't really had a Christmas last year since we were dealing with Ray's grandfather's declining health.

On 3 let's take a picture. She had filled the memory with 470 pictures in 2 days!!

This Little People castle kept her entertained for hours.

SpongeBob pillow!! His face was priceless when he opened the box. He knew right away who it was.

Gretchen was very excited about her Minnie Mouse she got.

Helping Jordan decide what present to pass out next. It was tough work.

Christmas time

Whew! Last week was fairly busy with lots of Christmases and late nights for the kids. Tuesday started the celebration with Christmas with my Grandpa Miller and my dad's siblings and family. Gretchen and Trevor see this side of the family about once a year. Therefore, it took a little time for them to relax and feel comfortable with them. By the way, Karen, Gretchen is still talking about playing with the nativity scene and that "lady." :)

Wednesday evening was spent with my parents and siblings. The kids really enjoyed this Christmas but Trevor is still looking for those silly "baas."

Uncle Matt, you're taking too long to get my present out of the box.

Thursday morning was spent just us as a family opening presents. Ray had made the kids a table with drawers to put their toys into. Trevor seemed to think he fit in better.

The rest of the day was spent with Ray's mom, step-dad and siblings. This was a rather difficult Christmas. It's been less than a year since both grandma and grandpa passed away and by far the 1st holiday after is the toughest.

Friday evening we got together with Ray's dad and step-mom. Gretchen really enjoyed playing with Ray's half-brother Andrew and Ray's dad.

Saturday evening was spent together with Ray's uncle and his family. The kids know Uncle Greg as the man with the pool. Trevor even pointed to it and asked about it on the way into the house. He's going to be very excited this summer.

Sunday afternoon we ventured out to see my Grandma and Grandpa Birky and my mom's siblings.

Monday and today were spent recuperating. Late nights make for tired little kids. We really enjoy our schedules around here.

Editor's note: the computer is being slow and I'm not patient enough right now. More pictures will come. I promise, Carrie. :)

Christmas Pictures

Enjoy our Christmas pictures!

Pictures of Mr. T

It's cooking time! He can't be left alone in the kitchen anymore. He figured out how to turn the stove on. :(


That's one good lookin' turkey!

I turned around to put the dishes in the sink and found him attacking my spatula. As you can see, it passed the test.

That's him enjoying a cracker with peanut butter. He ate the pb off the cracker and handed it back to me for a refill. He knows what's good.

All dressed up for church.