Deck the Halls

We're 4 days away from Christmas 2010. Our travel plans to KS and OK were postponed this year because of Dusty's shoulder surgery. But we're planning to make the most of it and have been busy decorating for the Christmas season. Our Christmas tree this year is probably the biggest we've ever had. The kids enjoyed decorating it. They also enjoyed making a gingerbread house. The frosting and candy may have been enjoyed a little too much.

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas with the Walsh's at Aunt Sarah and Uncle Matt's house. It was so fun to see Miss Mazie, she's so adorable and growing so fast. Jonathan and Johanna are pretty fond of her. The Walsh girls were decked out in adorable Christmas outfits. Papa and Uncle Tim put together Johanna's new high chair for her baby dolls. Aunt Sarah made pajama pants for all the adults.

The weather is calling for possible snow a few days before Christmas. We might see a white Christmas. Mah and Pops are coming up after Christmas to celebrate with us. (Pictures to be posted later). We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving 2010

As usual we're a bit behind on blog posts. Thanksgiving 2010 was especially meaningful this year because we had so much to be thankful for. My dad's miraculous recovery was top on my list this year. I can only guess, but I believe he had a few guardian angels watching over him. How else does someone get scrunched by two buses and get through it? We were also blessed with a pretty healthy year in our family-the kids are growing physically and intellectually every day. Even though Dusty struggled a bit with a bum shoulder, his surgery went well and he's on the mend. Again, so many things to be thankful for, indeed.

We traveled to Kansas over thanksgiving and got to see lots of family. We had lots of fun playing with cousins and enjoyed our time with family.

Happy Halloween!

Johanna the "pink puppy with pink spots"

Jonathan-Batman

Trick or Treat!

Boo at the Zoo

Boo at the Zoo for 2010 was a bit chilly. Jonathan went as Batman and Johanna went as a puppy dog with pink spots. The kids looked great in their costumes and came home with lots of yummy treats. In an excited voice Jonathan told me, "mom I got a new tube of toothpaste for a treat." (Bless the people who give kids toothpaste for Halloween).

Halloween night pictures coming soon!

Pumpkin Carving 2010

The Halloween season just wouldn't be the same without an annual pumpkin carving party. The Mohr/Hall's hosted this year's festivities. There were yummy Halloween treats to enjoy before and after carving pumpkins. Dusty and I had our work cut out (no pun intended) for us with the pumpkin designs the kids selected-but by the end of the night we ended up with a spooky bat pumpkin, a Hello Kitty pumpkin, and a rather failed attempt at a KU pumpkin.

The kiddos with all the great pumpkins.

Amber's dad got into the spirit of things and put on his best Batman face.

What fall party would be complete without some fun in the pile of leaves?

Another successful pumpkin carving party!

Pumpkin Patches 2010

We decided to try out a new (much bigger) pumpkin patch this year, Vala's Pumpkin Patch. It was fun, but exhausting. We enjoyed the train ride, driving large family-sized pedal carts, bouncing up and down, crawling in the corn, watching a pumpkin fly, and of course a ride out to the pumpkin patch.

We also decided to take a trip out to Roca Berry Farm when Uncle Stan, Aunt Jen, and Cousin Jake came to visit us. We love Roca Berry Farm, it's just the right size. All of us had a great time playing, riding bikes, and posing for pictures.

Triathlon Plus Some Older Stuff

Last Saturday Jman participated in the Y's kid's marathon. He had to swim 25 yards, run 2 miles and bike a little over 2 miles. He used the back crawl on the swim and ran the entire 2 miles, which is nuts. His dad couldn't run 2 miles until last year. All four grandparents came to watch. The Y always encourages participation rather than competition, but we knew he finished first. Nice job, Jman.

We spent the afternoon in Nebraska City at the Applejack festival.

Jman started first grade last month. His school is being renovated, so the city is bussing all of the kids across town to a temporary site. This was his first day.

With Jman back at school, Daddy and Jgirl have been getting lots of quality time. We toured the fire station with Ernie. Here they are driving a fire engine.

Here we are at the zoo getting our picture taken with someone who looks almost, but not quite, entirely unlike Dora the Explorer.

Each morning during the summer, we try to have learning time. When it was science day, we tried to do experiments. We learned that you can use red cabbage to distinguish between acids and bases, and we built a working telegraph. (Don't try to decipher the message here. It's just random dots and dashes to show that it actually worked.)

Summer Camping Trip

All summer long we've been saying "we need to go camping." And then last weekend Dusty followed through and organized our summer camping trip. We went to Pawnee Lake, which is about 10 minutes from the edge of Lincoln. Dusty spent all of Friday getting things ready. The car was packed, the kids were excited and they headed to the campgrounds. I joined them after work and we got settled in for the weekend. Our site was right next to the water.

We played some games,

did some fishing,

kept our campsite clean,

went for a walk to enjoy the scenery,

and went swimming.

Of course our camping trip wouldn't have beeen complete without 'smores.

We had a great time and can't wait for next year's camping trip.