Christmas

The boys had a fun Christmas in Richfield. This was our last Christmas in Richfield since Mom and Dad retired and moved to Payson. After 26 years in this house, they are selling it and looking to buy or build a house in the area. I'm sad to see the house go, and will miss weekend get-aways to Richfield, but it is so nice to have them close by.

It took them a while to open everything and was a mess after!

Josh got a Green Bay coat from Grammy and Grampy.

Despite all the new things Connor had to play with, he was more interested in unloading stuff in Grandma's cupboards.

Grampy sent Josh and Gary this Nerf gun that's almost as big as Josh. It's funny to watch Josh waiting to ambush his dad.

Connor standing on his stool, fingers in mouth, watching everything that's going on.

Josh and Jordan got new scooters they were excited about.

Sydney even got a sweater from Grammy. It kept her a little warmer!

Getting ready for Christmas

The boys got to go to the mall with their cousins to see Santa. Every time I asked Josh what he wanted for Christmas he told me something different. It seemed to change by the minute. I guess it turned out ok because he didn't really have his heart set on any one thing and was happy with what he got.

Josh also got to see Santa at a party at the church. This was his first visit with Santa and he was nervous. He decided to be brave and was determined to let Santa know what he wanted.

I had lots of help putting the Christmas tree up!

The grin on this face shows how thrilled he is that there are boxes of Christmas stuff for him to get into. He is always into everything! We were in a waiting room somewhere and there were a ton of toys for the kids to play with. Connor wasn't interested in the toys. Instead he was getting into a baby carrier belonging to a stranger, playing with the lock on the door, and then marched into an office to see what was behind the desk. He's going to give me a run for my money. Some day I will have a beautiful Christmas tree, but I do not expect that to happen for years. It started out looking pretty nice until I kept moving decorations higher and higher out of Connor's reach. It wasn't long before only the top half was decorated. Josh kept finding ornaments that he really liked and carried them around the house. I found ornaments strung everywhere. Both boys pulled on the lights until they were on the floor. This picture was taken when Josh came and told me "I didn't mean to do it." I asked him what he did, and he told me me he bent the top of the tree. I asked him how in the world he managed to bend the top of the tree. He shook the tree, of course, until the star on the top fell over.

I still haven't figured out why under the tree is the optimal place to relax.

Connor is happy with the dump truck, though he has gotten creative with his uses for it.

Josh had so much fun at a family Christmas party making a candy train.

Connor started doing this cheesy grin that cracks us up. With a grin like this, who would believe how mischievous he is and what a little stinker he has become during church. He is my little explorer and does not sit still for a minute unless he's strapped down to his chair! I can't believe he is already 16 months old!

Let it snow!

I don't know where the past three months have gone. I can't believe it is now January. My blog has been neglected more than it usually is and now I am going to try to catch up and do a few posts over the next week or so.

When it snows, I'm not sure if Josh or Gary gets more excited. Josh absolutely loves playing in the snow. Gary has just as much fun as Josh does. Connor has only been in it once so far, and not for long since he's still small. He seemed to enjoy a little ride on the sled and really liked being outside despite the cold.

Connor looks so cute in his beanie!

Gary bought Josh a sled and Sydney a harness and rigged it so she can pull Josh around on the sled. It's pretty entertaining to watch and about the only way I know of to wear that dog out. She has so much energy it is good for her and Josh has so much fun.

One morning we woke up to two feet of snow outside. It took forever to shovel the sidewalks and driveway.

He can't hardly move all bundled up, but is so cute wandering around like that.

Josh wanted to make a snowman and I found it was easier to roll the giant snowball down the side walk to clear the walk than it was to shovel. The snowball got a little too big though and I had to have help getting it off the sidewalk. That was as far as we got on our snowman.