Tis the Season!

I can't believe it is Christmas again already! We are still trying to get our bearings in our new town, though it is nice to have rain instead of ice! We are making more of an effort to get out and meet our neighbors and make new friends (there are 30 kids on our street under the age of 8). We are planning on a mellow Christmas at home this year, but with our 3 children, I don't know how "mellow" it will be...
Thanksgiving was a quiet affair full of cooking, eating and football. The kids and I didn't get dressed all day, and we just loved having a day off together.

I started my new job the first week of December with a week long hospital orientation. Luckily, my mom was able to come out for that week to watch the kids while I was gone. It was so hard to be working while she was here, but I am so thankful for her willingness to do it!! So far my job has been going well, and I am now orienting to the Mom/baby unit at Bethesda North Hospital.
The day after my mom got here we decorated the house for Christmas, the kids were in charge of the tree...

Reach Ben!!

Well Done!

We let the kids open their Christmas presents from my parents while my mom was here, and they were so excited! They each got a large pillow and blanket for their beds, and for watching movies, and they all got wall decals, which are so great!

The boys each have Star Wars decals, and Brooke has Disney Princess decals, which I love!

We were all so happy with the way they turned out!

Thanks Mom! She also made gingerbread men with the kids and we decorated them before stuffing our faces!





For Christmas Steve and I were recipients of this great new camera, Thanks again Mom!! :)
Ryan had a Christmas party with his class on the last day before break, and we were able to celebrate with him. He loves his new school.

Yesterday we braved the mall crowds and saw Santa!

Brooke was so excited, but then had second thoughts once we got there, this was as close as she would get...

Now, we are officially ready for Christmas, check out this pose! (Watch out Santa!)

Cincinnati

We are settling in to our new home and neighborhood.

We have the living areas pretty well done and livable.

The dining room is where we have been housing the empty boxes as we go through them.

Yesterday we decided to break down the boxes to clear out the house. That turned into a paper fight for the kids. They said it was the most fun they have EVER had! (that means no Disney World when this option is so much cheaper!)

We have been trying to get out and enjoy our new town as well. Last week we took the kids to the Cincinnati Zoo. It was a great day in the upper 50s and the zoo was awesome!

We discovered a great little nature trail near our house that the boys loved running through and crossing a creek a few times.

After the zoo last Saturday we went to an annual event called Balluniaria where they had 7 hot air balloons displayed around a small lake and performed a small light show every few minutes. It was really impressive!

Here's another shot when it was a little darker outside.

This week we had to try out something that Cincinnati is famous for-- Chili! We went to Skyline Chili to see what all the hype we about and ordered Their 3-way Chili which is spaghetti noodles covered in chili covered in cheese. Dig in!

So far we have been enjoying this new stage of our lives. It is definitely warmer! We are still trying to get the lay of the land and get into a routine, but it's coming along. There is an open invitation to anyone who wants to join us! :)

Goodbye Appleton!

It was very difficult to leave Appleton, WI and move on to Cincinnati last week. Harder than I expected it to. I never expected to get so attached to the people and the town. It's difficult to put into words why such a small town in the middle of Northeast Wisconsin has had such a large part of my heart, but I am going to try...
When you have family living nearby, friends are great, but they are not a necessity. If you need something (like last minute child care) you just call up your mom, or mother-in-law, or your sister, or your sister-in-law...you get the point. When you break free from the family ties and dependence you recognize the value of those friends you've "forgotten" or left behind. I do not know what I would have done without the amazing, wonderful friends that I made in Wisconsin. They were my angels among the earth. They were there in seconds if I needed anything, even if it was just an ear to vent to. They brightened not only my life, but the lives of my children. Brooke woke up each morning asking which friend she was going to play that day. The last day we were in town I took the kids to Burger King to get out of the way of the movers, and out of the blizzard, and to say some final farewells to a few ladies. Brooke, who a year ago wouldn't let me out of her sight and cried if someone smiled at her, refused to come to me out of Kathryn's arms and called her "mama!"

The same thing happened later with Amy!

What makes me love these ladies most is that they don't have to love me. There is no DNA connection or marriage ties to make these women befriend me, I made these relationships on my own! They love me because of ME!! It is so empowering to know that I did this!

This network of such amazing women is a network I made myself! I love you all, and I value the light and warmth you brought to my life while living in "the frozen tundra."
During my final week in Appleton Steve had to travel to DC for some business, so I took the opportunity to get together with the great Mills family in Green Bay! Deb and I have known each other since Ricks (BYU-Idaho) about 11 years ago!

She is fantastic and her kids and my kids adore each other. Thank you Deb for being such a shining star in my life! I am so glad that we could rekindle that friendship from so long ago!!

Did I mention the blizzard we left in?

Okay, not so much a blizzard, but it was (luckily) the first snow of the season, and it was COLD!! The roads were very icy by the time we left in the afternoon.

The boys had their last day of school on the 8th. They both posed with their kindergarten teacher Mrs Hoeft. She was great!

Goodbye Ferber Elementary!

Halloween 2011

This has been a great Halloween season! I told Steve when we began this moving process that I did not want to leave until AFTER my birthday. I am so glad things worked out that we could still be in Appleton to enjoy our friends for the Fall and Halloween.
October 22, 2011 (not Feb 2004) I took Brooke and Ryan to Heritage Hill in Green Bay where we went Trick-or-Treating, went through a Prairie Maze, and saw a great shadow performance.

It was a little cold, but we walked fast, and had lots of fun!

Ben didn't come due to a friend's birthday party scheduled at the same time.

This past Saturday, Oct 29, 2011, we had our ward Trunk-or-Treat.

The kids all had fun with the ring toss, a pumpkin walk, face painting, and of course, the Trunk-or-Treat.

Here are the kids during the Parade before the candy frenzy...

and Brooke walking with Mommy...

That night we had some close friends come over to celebrate my birthday with us. We laughed until we cried! I have been so blessed with such dear friends here in Appleton. Unfortunately, the camera did not find it's way to the party. We had the Stephensons, the Ogdens, the Mills, the Whitings and Kathryn Miller over for the fun. :) I laugh just thinking about it...

Anyway, tonight I took the kids out with another dear friend and her family to go Trick-or-Treating. The Lewis family have the same kids as we do, a 1st grade boy, a Kindergartener boy, and a 2 year old girl. It's quite amazing, and they all get along!

We went down a couple of streets, then dropped Brooke and Ryan off with their companions, while Ben and Jack finished the neighborhood. We all had fun while it lasted!

Costumes + Candy + Friends = FUN FUN FUN!!!

Even Brooke enjoyed keeping up!

It got a little chilly (high of about 46 degrees) and we finally had to drag the older boys home.

When we got back Ryan and Owen were already sorting candy.

I love Halloween! :)

First Day of School

I neglected to post anything about the first day of school! School didn't begin until Sept 6th this year, so we had a very extended summer vacation. However, due to the late start Steve was able to be here for the first time in 3 years for the first day of school for the boys.