Christmas Overload...

First let me say I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! If you are anything like we are, you're trying to dig out from under the toys that are scattered everywhere! We are definitely very blessed to have so many loving friends and family that shower us (the kids) with such wonderful gifts. First task - thank you notes... Next chore- purging the old to make room for the new. And finally - down with the tree! What a wonderful tree it was, but I'm tired of looking at it... :-)

Here are some photos and perhaps a movie for your viewing pleasure...

Thank you, Aunt Laura, for the drum sets!!! - D and O

And thank you, Grammy and Poppy for the Thomas trains and warm fuzzy pjs!!! - D and O

Thank you, Uncle Andy, for the OSU warm up outfit!!! - D and O

Thank you, Kyler, for the awesome pirate ship!!! - Dillon

Thanks to Santa for our new tool sets, books, and Lightning "the queen" car! - D and O

And thank you, Mom and Dad, for finding my lost horsey!!! - Love, Joe

Anyone else notice that even when you buy kids 1001 toys, they still choose the box (or the Styrofoam filling in this case) to play with???

Preschool Open House/ Christmas show

This past Saturday, Dillon's preschool put on a quick show for the families. As they were all 3 or 4 years old, it didn't last long, but they all did great. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much from Dillon, seeing as how he has been telling us that he was just going to "listen" and "stay quiet" and not sing with the group. He was right, he didn't really sing, though he did do the hand motions to a couple songs, so I was pleasantly surprised! It's super hard to see in this video, he's the one in the front center (bright white hair), but you can hear the kids - it's cute...

Say, "Treeeee!"

This past Saturday, we got our tree up (but have yet to fully decorate it- at least it lights up and has a few ornaments on it!), and it's not even Christmas Eve yet! (For the past few years, the tree trimming has been a last-minute occasion for us...)

Dillon was excited to hang his angel - he made it in preschool and was very proud of it!


Owen likes the nutcracker ornaments, and found just the right spot for them (with Daddy's help)!

Before we got the tree out, the boys ran off some steam and danced around - anyone who got a kick out of Owen's dancing in the past will crack up at this one, too!

Turkey Day Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Hope everyone had a good one, we did! We started the day at our church, and delivered a few meals to people in Marysville. It was really amazing what the people that organized it did - they ended up delivering 694 meals to people around town that needed it. There were loads of volunteers - I waited in line for about 20 minutes just to sign in. I found my mom there - she was helping out for a few hours, too!Then we headed to the Gilkerson's for an excellent turkey dinner. The boys were well-behaved and had a good time. They were lights out before we got onto the highway shortly after 7:00!
Saturday we hung Christmas lights on the house while the weather was decent. We're hoping to do a bit more, but we'll see how that goes...

Wildlights at the Columbus Zoo!

Last night we had a fun family trip to the zoo, even if it was below 30 degrees! The trees were all decorated with thousands of lights, and it was just beautiful. There was a light show around the lake every 30 minutes - the lights flashed to the music that played (about an 8 minute show). We looked at animals, too, but stuck with the ones that were indoor exhibits. First up, the aquarium. Needless to say, all the fishies were a hit!


Next stop - Dillon's favorite - the elephant! I'm not sure how old he is, but I believe he was just a baby last summer. I guess that would make him a toddler?Next up, Owen's favorite - the monkeys! One of them had a baby attached to her underside, so everytime she lept from one place to another, everyone would gasp, hoping the baby didn't let go!
We saw some bats, too, but these were too "carey!" (Owen's words), so we didn't stay long. They were HUGE, though - it said they had a wingspan of 6 ft! Just to put this picture in perspective, the small one on the left is probably about the size of a chicken.

Honda R&D rented out the pavillion and provided gifts, snacks, and drinks for everyone, so we were able to visit with a couple friends. Here is McKenna with her daddy:


And here is Owen with Aiden - quite the little man!All in all, it was a fun time - the boys made it all the way till the end (9PM) without melting, and actually stayed awake the whole ride home, too. Good times...

Up to No Good...

Guess who the trouble maker in our family is?? I'll give you one guess, and if you know the boys, you'll get it right...

Poor Owen takes the brunt of Dillon's ornery doings, but he's still a happy kid! I named this picture, Dopey - I don't know why he posed like that!

With cold weather looming in on us, we let the boys burn off some energy at night in our room. We recently got a new mattress, and haven't trashed the old one yet. It gives them a fun way to jump on furniture and actually be allowed to do it!
Not much to post about, just wanted to update the page, since some people (not naming names here!) gripe about not updating it enough... :-) Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy Halloween!!!

What a fun day we had Friday! It started with a Halloween party at Miss Julie's, who had all the kids over for a fun little party. They made a craft and had fun playing in their costumes.

Later, our friend came over with her little girl, Elise, and we took them out trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. They made it about halfway before they were too pooped to do any more. I think they had a lot of fun, though, now they're old enough to actually get it.
Owen and Elise as Bozo and lobster:
He is such a ham... I couldn't help but crack up every time I looked at him!!!
Joe carved a couple pumpkins to resemble Brutus the Buckeye - they turned out really cute!

Circleville Pumpkin Show

Last Saturday, we took the kids to Circleville again for their annual pumpkin show. It is a neat event, and worth the drive to go to, the kids enjoy it, and we enjoy the pumpkin donuts and ice cream! (So do the kids, of course!)