Counting down to 2014

We decided to spend New Year's Eve home partying with the kids.  We came up with different activities to do for each hour as we counted down and put them in balloons for the kids to pop.  We all worked together in the kitchen and made some homemade potato skins and other yummy appetizers for dinner.

While it was baking we strolled down to the park for a silly string fight.  I love my kids patience with me as I had them take a couple of pics together before they started.

Then it was protective eyewear on and time to play!

Home for dinner and then a slideshow recap of highlights from 2013.  Deke and I felt like this year the kids were old enough to make their own resolutions for 2014.  They did a really good job and it was neat to read about their favorite things in the past year and the things they are hoping to learn and do this upcoming year.

Soon it was dark and time to head out front for fireworks.  The kids found some wild hats at the dollar store and the girls had fun "dressing up" for the occasion.   This year was probably my favorite front yard firework show ever because we had neighborhood kids from all down the street come and congregate to "watch the show."  It was fun to have all those kids all oooooing and ahhhhhing and having fun.  Poor Hudson however hated it and cried every time we set one off.

 Then inside for glow sticks and bracelets.  I know you can't see them in this picture but I still like it because you know who is who because of the height of the objects. Before we knew it we were all around the computer with our apple cider joining New York in ringing in the new year.  Watching the kids clinking glasses together over and over again and seeing who could blow their noise maker the loudest.  2014 is going to be an awesome year for our family, I can feel it!!!!

Walk, kick a ball, why not learn in the same day?

So with all the busyness in the month of Dec. with Christmas posts I completely forgot to do a post documenting Hudson's big milestone of walking!!! On Dec. 6th he took his official "first steps" about three and they were perfectly steady.  A few minutes later he crawled to the couch to steady himself and then took six sturdy steps towards a soccer ball on the floor and kicked the ball.  All of us were sitting there watching him in amazement.  It was the sweetest thing ever after he kicked the ball he looked over at us grinning with a look on his face like "I have been waiting to do that for so long!!"  He knew exactly what he wanted to do and did it and we were floored at his coordination.  To take his first steps and learn to kick a ball all in the same day, pretty ambitious little man :)  So the next day I had to get a video to document it because it still amazed me.  I can't believe he is walking.  I am going to miss his crawling, it always keeps them feeling like a baby still to me.  I have to admit the sheer joy and excitement on his face as he walks makes me happy and I know it is time for this stage of life for him.  Here we are weeks later and he is practically running around the house and I am loving trying to keep up with him:) :)

Berkley Shea Krebs

I'm an aunt!!!!!!!! On Dec. 30th at 2:08 pm my sweet little niece Berkley Shea Krebs was born healthy and beautiful!! She was 7 pounds 5 oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  She is so cute and has such feminine features.  She definitely has the fullest, prettiest baby lips I have ever seen. She's perfect.  I can't express how anxious I am to get to meet her face to face, hold her and plant kisses all over her cheeks.  I love her so much already.  Soon baby girl, soon :):) :)  

Texas

The day after Christmas I headed to Texas to see Kaulin and Brenn and get to spend time with Kimbre who was also there from DC.  I was surprised that Brenn hadn't had the baby yet since I thought she might have her a little early.  I figured she was waiting for her Aunt MeKell to get there.  All four kids stayed at home with Deke including the little man who I decided would be weaned from nursing this weekend that I was gone.  I arrived in Houston super excited to see my sisters, Brenn's cute belly and see their new place.  We had a great time going shopping, staying up late talking, playing games and enjoying non stop sister time.

  I enjoyed getting to sit and feel the baby move around in Brenn's belly and see all of her cute things in the apartment awaiting her arrival.  It is always fun to be with my sisters just as MeKell and not in mommy mode.  I love them so much. So nice to just talk and be with them.  Other than the fact that weaning made me extremely uncomfortable all weekend it was just what I think we all needed.  It is so hard to grow up and live far away from each other, I  still don't think I have adapted to it after all this time.  Well my auntie instincts were all wrong and Brenn hardly had any contractions all weekend.  In fact she ended up going into labor only hours after they dropped me off at the airport to fly home.  You'd better believe that I cried I was so disappointed that I had barely missed it.  Berkley is so beautiful and it has been so hard not to get to see her and hold her.  Hard to have missed getting to see Brenn become a mom for the first time.  However I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to go and be with my sisters and spend time together.  I hope that as we continue through the years we will be able to stop life sometimes and just come together and be with each other.  I miss them all the time.  Thanks for all of it, I love you girls :) :) :)

"I didn't get to see Santa"

  Christmas came so fast this year, it was the busiest season yet for us and it was over all too quickly.  Dave and Nalene came over Christmas Eve afternoon and the kids had been busy all day cutting out and decorating snowflakes and getting the table all decorated for dinner.  They wanted it to look "snowy" so we hung some snowflakes with fishing line and we used some quilting batting on the table instead of a table runner.

We had big roast dinner with mashed potatoes and side salads and lit candles in the jars on the table and ate by their light and the light of the tree.  Not going to lie it felt kind of magical.  It definitely felt more like winter.  We ate and talked about our favorite Christmas memories.  Looking around the table at our kids happily munching away, eyes lit up with excitement for Santa I felt so blessed.  The kids had tracked Santa all day on the NORAD website which was something we had never done before.  Hunter was very interested in it.  After dinner we did gingerbread houses and then the kids got into their jammies.  We turned the fake fireplace on the tv, read a Christmas story, sang a couple of songs then just talked and snuggled with the kids.  One of my favorite parts of Christmas Eve is listening to the kids talk about listening for Santa and giving me their step by step plans of what to do if they see him.  Emma had talked about it all week.  If she heard Santa she would go hug him and then ask to ride in his sleigh.  "I will come right back mom and I will not lean over the edge when I ride" she told me for the tenth time that day.  "I will ride with Santa and then Santa will hug me and I will say I love you Santa" she said grinning.  That night when I tucked her in she laid eyes wide open.  "I am going to listen for jingle bells and I know Santa will come see me" she reminded me. I love her.  Avery had come up with an agreement with her siblings that if anyone heard Santa they would make sure to wake each other up so that they could all see him.  So notes were written, cookies put out and oats sprinkled all over the front yard.  We told the kids that we would do Christmas at 7 o' clock and they weren't to wake us or grandma and grandpa until then.  Deke and I finally headed to bed at 1 o clock and had checked on the kids who were all sleeping soundly.  Nalene's foot was bothering her so she slept out on the couch in the living room.  At 3 am she heard a noise and woke up to see the shadows of Hunter and Avery crouched around the tree looking at presents.  "What did your parents say?" she said startling them both and then shooing them off to bed.  Hunter was up every hour on the hour for the rest of the night until 7 o clock.  Poor Nalene.  She said she would hear the door creak and he would start tiptoeing out of the room until she opened her eyes and sent him back to bed.  He was so excited he could hardly stand it.  As we all headed out to look under the tree Hunter and Avery started examining gifts as Em just stood there.  "I didn't get to see Santa" she whimpered on the verge of tears.  My heart broke a little.  Here were all these fun gifts waiting to be opened and yet this little girl had just really really wanted to see Santa.  She didn't understand why she hadn't seen him because she had really wanted to.  After a big hug and a reminder of how many kids Santa has to get to in one night she was okay and climbing off my lap to go and open presents.....

 Our girls LOVE Frozen and Santa brought them Elsa and Anna dolls.  Their reaction when they opened them was adorable.....

 Hudson was hilarious and was more excited about ripping off the paper tiny piece by piece more than the actual toys at first.  He would rip a small piece and hand it to someone and then rip another small piece and hand it again.

 Hunter opened his last gift with great anticipation and then saw that the picture on the box was a space heater. Trying to act mature and not show his disappointment he said "Oh a small heater for when we do campouts, that's cool."  We were dying.  He actually thought he had gotten a portable heater!!!

 When he opened it to dig out a smaller box containing an Ipod he was completely surprised.  It was really cute.  It is his first big electronic thing, he is going to really have fun with it and we both feel like he is responsible enough to take care of it.  Surprise kiddo :):)

 The rest of the day was spent eating, lounging in pj's and playing and playing together.....

 MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!!!!!!!!!