december pictures

December is my favorite time of the year, not just Christmas, the WHOLE month of DECEMBER! I love it for many reasons, but this year I particularly love it because of all the family time we are spending together.   With Jeff and I Ty are both on the school schedule that means they both have 2 weeks off. We have had alot of fun together time and have made some precious memories. The kids are loving their endless hours with Jeff.

Every time one of them opened a gift, they both got excited to see what it was

One of my favorite places in the fall is a little farm west of town. It is an AWESOME place full of outdoor activities and pumpkin patch. Usually we go out there and pick a pumpkin straight off the vine, this year we didn't make it. However this year was their first year to "cut down your own Christmas tree" and even better was that admisson was FREE. We spent an entire Sunday afternoon enjoying the fun of this farm.

At the farm the weather was PERFECT. We made it out on the last day it was open for the season. It had rained the night before so the ground was a little muddy, but we practically had the whole place to ourself. Plus all the extra activities (they cost $3-$5)  were free and open.

I wanted so badly to get Ava one of these swings for Christmas but couldn't find one anywhere.

The roller slide was a BIG hit with Ava

Jumping off a rope into a pile of hay. This place HAD to be designed by a bunch of little boys. Ty was in heaven all day.

Sitting on the hay

Climbing up the BIG fort

Ava rolling on the zip line

Ty running off the mound of the zip line...I think he spent atleast 45 minutes doing this. Going back and forth on the line. He even perfected his skill and would pull his arms up and down while in mid-air to make himself bounce as he zipped across...this kid has amazing upper body strength.

Racing around on the pedal cars

Miss Ali May enjoying the outdoors

Snuggled up tight looking for a Christmas tree

Our plan was to pick out a Christmas tree and cut it down. However this little one was the cheapest one on the lot, it was around $30. So, we passed on cutting down our own tree and stopped at Lowes on the way home and got a 5 foot one for $15 dollars.

The rock wall

Draw bridge fort

Ava was loving it all just as much as Ty

It really was a joy to watch him play.

After the farm and Lowes Aunt Mandy stopped by on her way through town.

Truth be told, this is our first year to have a Christmas tree (real or fake). While I love Christmas, I'm just not a seasonal decorator, Christmas included. Getting the tree this year was a last minute thing..just 10 days before Christmas. Since this is our first tree (we might have had small table trees in the past, I don't remember) we only had a few ornaments. So, while Jeff and I were in Michigan we picked out  a special ornament for everyone in the family. The kids were so excited to put their ornament on the tree but all of them broke. I guess they weren't very skilled at attaching the ornaments to the tree, and so they fell and broke when they hit the tile. They were both a bit frustrated.

Ali is enjoying the taste of a Douglas Fir tree as she eats the ropes intended to transport the tree home.

They were concentraing VERY hard not to let anymore drop

The pants were a by-product of my time in Michigan. I had such a hard time last year finding matching PJs for Ava and Ty that I just made them all some year.

I love these kids!

Snuggling with Daddy at night is such a treat.

Loading up the car to look at Christmas lights and sip on hot chocolate

Our Christmas tree. It was a really pretty tree but decorated very ugly Jeff put some outdoor lights on it, I think they were a little over powering.

Ty got a basketball goal from Jeff's mom and dad. He has spent lots of time shooting hoops. This picture is taken from my kitchen table with the blinds open. It's the perfect set up b/c the goal is in a little cove at the front of the house. A place were he can go and play outside by himself but I can still see him.

My baby boy!

I won't go into Ali's high maintance at this time. Because in this picture her anger was provoked by Ava. Ava really has taken to mothering her. In this picture she had gotten a wipe and was wiping Ali's face and hair. Ava does stuff like this all the time, I think she is enjoing having some one to boss around.

Family fun days. The kids always want to play in my make-up so we did. I let Ava and Ty give me a "make-over" then they put make-up on themselves. Ty said his wasn't make-up he was putting on "paint"

Call it what you want buddy boy, but it was make-up

I drew some facial hair on Ava and I made her look SO much like Jeff. Just compare this picture to the one below it.

Another product of my time in Michigan. I made us all Christmas stocking. I made them x-large like the one I had growing up, I thought they turned out so cute. In order from L to R. Ty, April, Jeff, Ali, and Ava.

They wreaths in the picture, the Christmas tree, and the stockings were the extend of my Christmas decor.

Merry Christmas to all.