Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day was a busy, fun, tiring day!  We started by opening presents at our house, and the kids loved their new toys, clothes, etc.  (The note Katie left for Santa read:  "Dear Santa, Hope you like the cookies.  Love, David, Heather, Katie, Lauren, Preston and Parker.  That is a family of six.  Yes we survived with six."  --  I guess I wasn't the only one surprised that we have survived with 6!!  HA HA!!)  We then left for my cousin's house in Carthage, MO, where we had the huge Christmas meal with the extended family.  We always look forward to this time because the food is FABULOUS and the people are a lot of fun, too!  :)  It is bittersweet because we have lost two of my cousins and my uncle within the past two years, so the time together is very special now and makes me appreciate my family even more.  On Christmas evening, we went to my dad's side of the family and had dinner with them.  Wow!  We were stuffed and tired by the time we got to bed...  :)  On the morning of the 26th, we opened presents with Mom, Dad, and Brian's family.  Three days later, on the 29th, we had Christmas with David's parents and his sister and her family.  We had a great Christmas "week" and are truly thankful for our many blessings.

Happy 7th Birthday, Katie!!

Lunch at Rib Crib...we required a "big" table!

Mmmm...a smore's brownie sundae

Party #2...after church and dinner

Party #3!!

Katie turned 7 years old on Christmas Eve.  We ate lunch at Rib Crib, her favorite place to eat a birthday meal because they bring dessert and sing to her!  Later than evening, after attending the Christmas Eve service at church, we had another celebration with presents, cake, and ice cream.  Six days later, on December 30th, we had the big family party with grandparents, aunt, uncles, and cousins.  It felt like we partied for a solid week!  But it was so much fun ~ it's hard to believe that seven years ago she came into our lives.  We love you so much, sweetie!!!

Christmas Fun at Big Cedar Lodge

We spent December 18th-22nd at Big Cedar Lodge near Branson.  We love to go there before Christmas; it is so beautiful and it really gets us in the Christmas spirit.  Santa's elf came to visit the kids one night; they played games and read stories before the elf tucked them into bed.  We even had a Christmas tree in our cabin, and the next morning the kids awoke to find presents under the tree!  They had so much fun swimming in the indoor pool and, since the weather was nice, they were also able to play on the playground.  The boys loved running around on the deck of our cabin--their very own fenced in play area!  :)  We watched movies, ate cookies, and drank hot chocolate every night.  Such a nice, relaxing time!!

The elf's name was "Snowflake."

Preston and Parker weren't too sure about being tucked into bed...

They found presents the next morning!

"You can't catch us!!"

The girls cooperated, but the boys weren't too excited about having their pictures taken!

Halloween Cuties

We had a beautiful Halloween this year...the weather was perfect for trick-or-treating! Katie was Minnie Mouse, Lauren was a genie, Preston was a horse, and Parker was a chick. They were pretty cute little kiddos!!

We're Still Here!!

Well, I've said it before, but I'm sorry for not keeping this blog up-to-date. I admit, I post things on Facebook but I have neglected my little blog. I was recently admonished by my mom, who is not on Facebook, so I will try to do a better job of posting new pics of her little grandkids! :) Well, what's new?? David, the girls and I took a wonderful trip to Walt Disney World during Katie's Fall Break in October. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather, accomodations, etc. Really...just a perfect trip (except for the fact that the boys weren't with us...they stayed with David's parents because we thought it would be more "work" and not so much "fun" if we took them)! The girls were able to meet so many characters, we ate dinner inside Cinderella's Castle, they loved Space Mountain, we visited the beach...and the list goes on!!! I'm hoping to put together a great scrapbook of our pictures, but for now, you'll find a few of our favorite pics above.

Summer of Surgeries

All "gowned up" and ready to go!!

A little pre-surgery rough-housing...

Preston in recovery (I forgot to take my camera back there for Parker but he looked the same...)

Katie playing doctor with her new baby doll

Katie in recovery with her nurse Audrey, who also took care of the boys the week before!!

Although we kept busy this summer with vacation, swim lessons, and church activities, we also had many trips to the doctor's office for strep, ear infections, and the like. The boys also were circumcised in the middle of July, and then ten days later, Katie had surgery for bilaterial inguinal hernias. In fact, some of the same nurses took care of both the boys and Katie! The staff at the Children's Hospital at St. Francis in Tulsa are fabulous! We are glad these surgeries are over and everyone has healed nicely. You know, if you are going to meet your health insurance deductible, you might as well meet it in a big way!!!

Summer Fun

We spent our summer vacation at our favorite spot, Big Cedar Lodge, which is 10 miles south of Branson on Table Rock Lake. The kids had a blast swimming, fishing, and doing activities at the resort. They even went to a "dive-in movie"--a large movie screen was set up at one of the outdoor pools after dark and the kids swam/floated in the water while watching the movie. So much fun!! (The third picture shows Katie sitting on a lounge chair with Preston during the movie while they took a "popcorn break.") One morning the girls wanted to eat breakfast on our balcony, and when Lauren left her muffin on the table, a friendly little squirrel helped himself to it! We made a lot of fun memories on our trip...and we'll be going back in December!!