a SUPER compliment

I just had to blog today about something someone said to me that really meant a lot.  It was a SUPER compliment ... it really made my day.

First of all, it was from a stranger which, for me, sometimes makes me feel even better, because I know they aren't "just saying it" because they are related me to (like all of the kind things my Mom always tells me) ... or they aren't "just saying it" because they are my friends and they want to be nice. They don't have to say anything to me, and I would never be the wiser.  

But today, I was out to lunch with one of my bests, Gwendy, at Red Robin.  I took Colton to the bathroom before we left.  We went in and did our thing, but I suppose (like usual), we were chatting it up a bit.  He mentioned that there were colors all over the wall.  (The tiles are all colored.)  He started to tell me which colors he saw ... "Brown, blue, yellow ..."  I said, "That one isn't brown.  It looks like it, but it's actually Maroon."  And I pointed to another one and said, "This one is tan."  He repeated me.  Then I said, "Look there's a different blue." He said, "Yeah, it's Dark Blue.  And this one is Light Blue!"  As he pointed to another tile.  I said, "Very good, Colton!"  Then he asked me if I wanted toilet paper from the top roll or the bottom roll.  Anyway, the conversation is usually like that in the bathroom.  We can't go anywhere and just be quiet ... which is fine.  Then we stepped out of the stall, and I asked him to come over to wash his hands.  While we were washing, a lady comes out of the other stall, and says to me, "Are you a teacher?"  I said, "Yes, I am."  She said, "I can tell.  What grade do you teach?"  I told her that I hadn't been working in the school system since my son was born, but I had taught 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th & 8th, and high school history.  She said, "What did you like best?"  I told her I preferred middle school ... 5-8th grades.  She said that she currently teaches 5th grade math and science.  But it's what she said next that really made me feel good.  She said, "I could tell you were a teacher by the way you were talking to your son.  You speak to him and explain to him and expect him to understand ... and he does! You obviously expect a lot of out him, and his vocabulary and speaking skills are excellent!  He really carries on a conversation with you."  I said, "Thank you."  She said, "Keep it up!  I just knew you had to be a teacher!"  

I really felt good about that.  Partially, because I like that a teacher can recognize one of her/his own, and partially, because I love that Colton is such a good boy and is growing and learning so well.  It really makes being a Mom so fun for me!  He's pretty special, and it warms my heart to see others think that about him, as well.  

Colton with his "Sunshine" cookie (he called it that).  He got to eat half of it for a special treat, and he saved the other half for later.

Colton asked the balloon guy for "A BIG, TALL GIRAFFE!"

And a butterfly for baby sissy.  She was actually thrilled with it, but she didn't want to stop playing with it to take a picture for me!

cock-a-doodle-doo! ... and a tooth, too!

I have been thinking, lately, about how I really need to get Cole a haircut.  He has had a mop all winter.  Billy likes to let it grow, and I think that it's fine.  A little Bieber-ish but cute none-the-less.  So, I decided it was time to pull out the shears.  While I was thinking about it, I figured ... let's do something fun!  I bought some hair wax, and I shaved down the sides of Colton's hair.  Now, he has a mohawk, and it seems everybody (but my Dad) likes it!  Ha, ha!  He does look pretty cute, and he runs around the house yelling, "cock-a-doodle-do!"  (Yeah, because that doesn't get annoying.)

His new hair do!

So cute!

Anyway, who knows how long I will have him keep this cut, but for now, I really like it.  So, it stays.

Today, Koki cut the first of her last four teeth!  She has been teething these canines for over a month, and finally, the top, left canine broke through.  I am so happy, because she hasn't been herself.  Her top,  right canine is about to bust through any minute, so I expect it any day now.  The bottom two are bulgy, but not nearly as close to breaking through.  I know this seems so boring and dull, but in our house, it's a big deal!  When those suckers are moving, I have one unhappy kiddo.  I will be so thankful when the last three are in, and I won't have to blame teething for her naughtiness anymore! Ha, ha!

Koki loves Cole's new toddler bed!  She is always climbing up on it and jumping around.  I don't look forward to her getting her own toddler bed.  Here comes trouble!

So, it's that time again!  Time for festivals around Florida.  We have the Florida State Fair coming up, the Strawberry Festival, and we just went to the Kumquat Festival last week!  I didn't even know they had festivals for kumquats.  If you're not sure what that is ... it's a small fruit that looks like a mini-orange, but doesn't taste like one at all.  It's a lot tastier as a cupcake, ice cream, and pie ... as we figured out at the festival.  Colton had a lot of fun playing a fishing game.  He got to get a fish on his line and then get a prize.  He was very happy about that!  He, also, played in a bouncy house maze.  We had a great time!

Playing the fishing game at the Kumquat Festival.

His prize!

Yesterday, I took the kids to the zoo with MOMs Club.  Colton loved riding all of the rides at the zoo.  I hadn't taken him on them before, because I was afraid he wouldn't like them.  But after all of his fun at Busch Gardens, I knew he would really love the rides.  So, he rode the roller coaster, train (which we've ridden a lot before), bumper boats, and flying bananas.  He had a great time!  He still loves rides, and he still dislikes the swings at the park.  I don't get that crazy kid!

Riding the train.

Colton's friend, Evy, was nervous to ride the train, so she asked him if he would hold her hand.  He said, "yes." :)  So cute!

Staring down his look-alike chicken at the the zoo.

Bumper Boats!

Riding in the flying banana.  He loved that he could control when it moved up and down all by himself!

This week, we have a lot of MOMs Club activities.  I went to Zumba today. I've really been enjoying Zumba.  It's great fun, and it's a great way to lose weight.  I'm hoping for a lot here.  I've been going every Tuesday and Thursday.  On Wednesday last week, I went to Pilates.  It was pretty difficult, but it was good!  I'm hoping to go to BodyPump soon ... a good weight lifting class, I've heard.

Life's been pretty busy, but we're having fun ... so that makes it easier! :)

i love the smell of orange blossoms!

Today, we headed out to Hancock Orange Grove for MOMs Club.  As soon as I stepped out of the car, the sweet aroma hit me ... mmmmmm .... orange blossoms!  The smell was intoxicating.  I wish my house could smell like that ... so fresh and sweet without being too perfumy.  Lovely!

We went into the store, and I saw just what I was looking for ... orange blossom honey ... key lime juice ... and jams, jams, jams!  I bought some honey and key lime juice ... then we went picking!  We picked a quarter of a pound of oranges/grapefruit/tangerines.  We, also, ate a few strawberries that were growing nearby!  Delish!  Koki LOVES strawberries, and I could barely get her away from the rows.  She finds as many as she can reach and she eats them ... greenery and all!  It's pretty funny to see her spitting out a leaf or two here and there.

Colton trying to pick oranges. 

Sweet baby girl ...

Mmmmmm ... tasty!

"CHEESE!" she says. 

Two fister ...

Cole with his bounty of oranges.

Colton had a blast using the orange picking pole to grab oranges out of the trees!  He would pick them and then put them in the bag.  He thought that was pretty awesome!  After running around the orchards for a few hours, we bought our goods and headed to lunch with some of our favorite friends, the Adams.

We finally tried out the new Panera Bread they built at Wiregrass Mall.  I'm so happy they put one close to our house.  Then we headed over to Wiregrass to check out some stores and, of course, to let the kiddos ride the train!  Koki is so cute!  She loves to ride things so much now ... or at least she is really good at vocalizing it now.  She said, "Choo-choo! Choo-choo!" Then she said, "RIDE! RIDE!"  She loves to ride the train.  She didn't want to get off of it.  I guess we'll have to make sure to ride it more often.

It reminds me of the other day when she wanted to ride Colton's tricycle.  Colton put it away, and she was having a fit over it!  "RIDE! RIDE!" she yelled.  So, Mom H put her in their car while they were packing it up.  She had a blast sitting in the front seat.  When it was time to get out, she cried and yelled, "RIDE! RIDE! RIDE!" all while she was pointing to the car and trying desperately to get back in.  She was so funny!  However, she pretty much hates the rides at Busch Gardens ... and don't even get me started at the swings in the park!  She will cry and doesn't want to ride those ... she seems to dislike the up and down, but the car ... the train ... the bike ... she loves those!  Maybe because they go straight and smoothly.

Koki loves this thing!

Riding the train at Wiregrass! By this time, they were both pretty tuckered out and ready for a nap!

Speaking of Busch Gardens, we went again this week.  We went on Sunday for Brenda's birthday, but then we bought a year pass (pay for a day, play all year for Florida residents).  So, we went again with Mom and Dad H on Wednesday.  Cole LOVES it!  He rode every kid ride all by himself!  (Except for one he rode with Khloe and me).  He loves to ride the rides ... which is so funny, because he dislikes the swing at the park, too!  But he even rode the swing ride at Busch Gardens.  I don't know about that kid! Ha, ha!  Khloe, on the other hand, rode one ride ... this egg ferris wheel type ride.  She rode it with me and Colton, but she disliked every minute of it!  I think she prefers smooth straight rides and doesn't want to go up and down quite yet.  She's still pretty little ... I think that will change over the next year.  Especially since she yelled, "Ride, ride!" at the car ride and only started crying once she sat down in the ride.  When I got her back out of the car, she pointed to it again and yelled, "Ride, ride!"  So, it seems like she wants to like it ... maybe next time.

Dad H with Colton looking at the Cheetahs.

Riding the Hang Glider ride. 

Riding the "egg ride" with Mom and Koki (it was like a ferris wheel).

Riding the Swing ride ... nut! He won't go on the swings at the park, but this ... he rode with a HUGE smile! 

Carousel!

Koki riding the carousel with me ... the only ride she liked!

Carousel! 

Hippo water ride! 

Flying elephant ride ... he learned to pull that lever that his hand is on ... and the ride moves up and down!  Pretty cool!

It was great to have Mom and Dad H here all week.  After Brenda's birthday weekend (which I have yet to blog about), they stayed all week at our house.  It was fun to play games at night.  Dad H completed some projects for me, and Mom helped watch the kids.  It was great!  We will miss them, but they will be back in a week and a half for one more visit, so we have that to look forward to!

Colton asked Grandma if she would read him this story.  "Grandma, would you read this story to me?  It's my VERY FAVORITE!" (It's My Bible Friends: Noah)  I don't know how many times she read it!  A lot, that's for sure!

My new spice cabinet courtesy of Dad H!  I love it!

Sissy enjoying one of her many "rides".

Grandpa H reads Sissy her bedtime story.

So, in big boy news ... we moved Colton into his big boy bed on Monday.  I changed his crib over to a to a toddler bed before nap time, and he did pretty well.  He got up 3 times ... but ultimately slept for 3 hours ... so that was good.  He has been napping and sleeping well at night.  The only issue I have is morning.  So far ... and it's only been a week, in the morning, he wakes up and comes into our room to tell me that he's poopy (because this kid is too scared to poop on the toilet! He doesn't want to fall in ... we're working on that!  The hazards of teaching him to pee standing up! UGH!) ... then he's ready for the day.  That's usually sometime between 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m.--TOO EARLY for me!  I've had 3 years of 8:30 p.m. to 8:30 a.m. sleep time ... now, he wants to change that!  I would like to insert a "dislike" button here.  Seriously.  I guess things will still change as he learns to poop in the toilet and can go to the bathroom without feeling the need to tell me about it.  But right now, there's a change in our house--and although I know it's a change for the better, sometimes it feels like a change for the worse (even though I know that's not true).  I guess being a Mom is like being a teacher, flexibility is a must ... and you can never rely on the way things are going at the moment, because in a drop of a hat, things will change!

Cole in his big boy bed! 

I am so ready for this weekend!  We are going to have a relaxing weekend.  I can't wait!  We've been so busy lately with family in town (which we LOVE), but it will be nice to not think about entertaining others for a few days.  REST sounds lovely.

Happy Sabbath!

merry christmas ... a month late

Another late, late, late post about Christmas!  It seems that each year when I get home from our trip, I want to blog about Christmas right away ... then we have family visit us in January, and I just don't get around to it.  In fact, I don't do any blogging for several weeks in January.  Now, I sit at the end of the this month, and I realize that I haven't blogged at all since well before Christmas!  Whoops!  Well, better late than never.  Here's our Christmas blog ... and hopefully, this will be followed by several (or at least one) blog about what we've been up to since the holidays!  Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!  Love, the Heinrichs

We have had a long extended Christmas season.  We opened up our family gifts at home in Tampa, FL on Friday, December 21st.  On Thursday night, we got the kids ready for Santa to come.  We placed cookies and gummy worms on a plate for Santa, and of course, we had a glass of Mt. Dew ready to wash it all down.  Colton was very excited to get it all ready for Santa.  At bedtime, he was still requesting "DJ, Wingo, Boost, and Snot Rod" from Santa.

On Friday morning, we got Colton up by singing "Joy to the World", and Khloe was woken up by "We Wish You a Merry Christmas".  We opened up the stockings first, and of course, Colton's was filled with cars from the Disney movie CARS.  He was so excited that it was hard for him to concentrate on the other gifts!  Khloe got some 'Hello Kitty' items in her stocking, as well as, one car from CARS for her to play with.  Now, Colton can never technically take that one away from her ... since it's "hers".  The kids had tons of great gifts from loving Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents.  They are truly blessed, and we are, as well.  We had a lot of fun seeing Colton get so excited about each new gift that he opened.

Merry Christmas!

This centerpiece I got at Billy's work Christmas party.  It was fresh roses, fresh garland, and lit up!  Very pretty!

Making a gingerbread house with my little Bud.

Finished!

Going to visit Santa with our friends, Mason and Landon.  In the Ice Palace!

Waiting for Santa!

She has no idea what's about to happen.

And now that we know she is NOT a fan ...

Santa, Round #2, at MOMs Club ... He was still asking Santa for "DJ, Boost, Wingo, and Snotrod!

She was still begging to get away!

MOMs Club Christmas party!

She still got a gift from him ... even though she seems to dislike him very much!

I had just missed the moment, but she had just given him a high 5!  Baby steps ... (literally)

Love all of my Christmas cards ... this was halfway through ... I added many more before they finally came down.  I love getting Christmas cards!

A gift basket I made this year ... it was a lot of fun to make!

My baby girl on fake Christmas Eve.

Colton showing me his Mater ornament. 

A little Christmas time with the Adams.  Lots of open mouth smiling ... maybe they were all saying, "Cheese!"???

He loves his Cranky the Crane!  Thank you, Adams!

The tree ... I miss it!

Back home ... leaving cookies and Mt. Dew for Santa!

Ready for Santa to come!

Fake Christmas Morning!  The kids head to check out the stockings ... that have been stuffed!

Colton finds an innovative way to check things out! 

Use a present as a step-stool.

Ready to open stockings!

Having a tea party, already!  Thanks, Grandma Bourland!

Colton opens his Mack Truck!  He was super excited!

This here is "classic Koki" ... these next few pictures sum her up completely.

She must climb on everything.

And she always has to show her belly!  I swear she is not a starving kid from Africa.

She loves her new Hello Kitty necklace!

He was thrilled to get this Mack Truck from Grandpa and Grandma Reynolds!

Koki's new KC Wolf from Grandpa and Grandma Reynolds!

The aftermath .... yikes!

Colton really made my heart melt all day long ... as he told me over and over again, "Mommy, I just want to thank you for all of my gifts.  I love them all so much!  They are so great!  I am so happy with them."  Billy said that he told him that a few times, as well.  It makes me smile to see how happy and thankful he was this year.

Later that day, between playing with all of the new toys, finishing up packing, and cleaning the house, we watched a few Christmas movies--Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.  Those are both great movies for the holidays, and Colton loves them so much!  What a fun tradition!  I know Koki will enjoy them next year.  This year, she watched a little bit, but mostly, she just played with her new toys.

On Friday evening, we had Thai food, as we didn't have much left at the house.  We had been eating down the groceries and trying to get rid of the fridge food before we left on vacation the next day.

Sabbath morning, we didn't have to leave the house very early.  Our flight wasn't until 12:50 p.m., so we left with plenty of time at 9:15 a.m.  It's good that we left so early, because the parking lot where I booked our space for the week had some issues!  Nearly a month prior to our trip, I booked a deal through Living Social for $60 worth of parking for $30.  I booked our 11 days of Christmas trip, and all seemed well.  On Sabbath morning, I got a call from the parking place that asked me to park in the N. Dale Mabry lot instead of their main lot ... as it was all full.  I had made a reservation, but I thought--this is Christmas, so oh, well ... no big deal.  When we got to the N. Dale Mabry lot, they were all booked up, as well.  Three other cars were there waiting for a spot and desperately needing to get to the airport to make their flights!  By this time, it's 10:00 a.m.  We still had plenty of time, but I was getting worried ... their main lot is gated and video camera secure.  This lot was a patch of grass land in a bad area of town behind a hotel that didn't want us to be there.  A lot of people were angry and yelling ... I asked the supervisor who showed up, "Why would you take reservations, if you were all booked up before Thanksgiving?" (As he had told us they were.)  I said, "You're taking reservations, but you're not keeping them."  We were stuck in an episode of Seinfeld!  The parking attendant squished us all in the middle of an isle (don't ask me how our car will look when we get back)!  Finally, the parking attendant drove one of the patrons cars to the airport with them and two others inside to get them there to catch their flights.  The supervisor stayed and waited with us until the airport shuttle arrived.  By this time, it's 11:00 a.m.  We finally made it to the airport, and luckily, because we were flying Sun Country (and it doesn't make very many connections), we got right up to the ticket counter with no line.  And because we have babies to take through TSA, we got right through the fast-forward line with no waiting through security.  On to the gate by 11:40 a.m. (including a stop at Burger King in the airport)!  We could finally relax at the gate and wait for boarding.

The flight went fine ... we were sitting around several babies and each had their angry moment, including Koki.  She was so tired by the time our flight took off, but she doesn't sleep well in my arms. She wants to lay down ... alone.  I held her and finally, after a little bit of a fight, she fell asleep in my arms for about 45 minutes.  Other than that, it was an uneventful flight.  We landed in MN by 3:50 p.m., and we were off to Grandma & Grandpa Heinrich's house.

Finally in Minnesota ... and there's SNOW!!!!

Saturday night, we had a bunch of great food with all of the family in town over to the house.  There were Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Great-Aunts, Great-Uncles, Moms, Dads, Kids, Grandparents, a Great-Grandparent, and even a dog.  It was a full house!  The food was excellent ... and the homemade ice cream to follow was delicious!

Sunday morning, we had our Second Christmas morning!  This time, Grandma & Grandpa Heinrich got to watch all of their kids and grandkids open up their gifts around the fire in their living room.  It was great fun watching everyone open the gifts we all had brought for each other, and it was nice to see the kids opening up their gifts with excitement and joy.  What a fun time to share together!

Khloe had me up early ... as we all were sleeping in the same room together ... and the time change, etc.  Anyway, I am the only one up ... well, me and Koki.  What a beautiful start to the morning!

Koki finds a kitty!

Sunrise

Toasty fire!

Heinrich Christmas morning

Aunt Cherrie and Uncle Josh gave Cole a cool new tool set!

Koki playing with her new phone.

I love these jammies!  They are so cute together!

Hanging out in a box with Cousin Elle!

Cole giving me Christmas smiles!  He is just the absolute cutest!

One last gift for Colton ... what did Santa wait until LAST to give him?!?

Crackers?  No.

Why, it's Snotrod!

And Wingo!

And Boost!

And DJ!

This is the HAPPIEST boy with the four cars he had been asking Santa for since last August!

After gifts, we went sledding.  The kids were really cold outside!  The snow was so much fun, but the wind was blowing pretty hard that day.  Koki couldn't stay out as long as I would have liked, because of the wind.  Colton sledded down a few more times than her, but soon, we had to come inside.  It was just too chilly!

Out in the snow with Koki.

Uncle Alan pulls Elle and Koki on the sled.

Fun times!

Elle going down the hill with her Daddy.

Koki sleds down with Aunt Brenda!

Sunday afternoon, we made strudels, and it was a delicious supper to enjoy together!  The strudels were most excellent, and Colton downed quite a few.  That night, Cherrie, Josh, Billy, Alan, and I went to see "The Hobbit".  It was a good start to several movies that will come out.  It was fun to be out at a movie, as we don't get to do that very often!  Thanks, Mom and Dad H!

Monday was Mom's birthday ... and Christmas Eve.  We had a fun day hanging out with each other, chatting, going sledding, playing games, and ending with a soup supper with extended family.  The food was excellent, as usual.  The soups were so tasty!  I loved the potato/leek soup, and of course, the mushroom soup was tasty, as well.  The fruit soup, always makes a great addition, too!  We had cake for Mom's birthday to finish off the meal.

So, I am across the room, and I hear ... Smack, Smack, Smack ... Chomp, Chomp.  I come over to find Koki devouring a package of chocolates!  One in each hand ... one in her mouth, and she was looking for a few more.

Koki was baking with Grandma H!

Just making some pies.

She kind of licks the utensils.  Don't eat anything she makes!

Covered in flour!

On Christmas day, we went over to Great-Grandma Ellstrom's house.  Everyone came over for lunch!  The food was plentiful and amazing!  It was nice seeing lots of Aunts and Uncles and Cousins on the Ellstrom side.  Colton and Khloe had such a nice time playing with Leif and Kelsey (Mom's youngest brother's kids).  They are both so sweet and great with kids!  Kelsey even played hide-and-go-seek with Colton; he LOVED that!  Khloe wasn't so sure about Leif at first.  I think it was his glasses!  She kept avoiding him ... didn't even want to walk past him.  Soon, he won her over by slowly getting her to play ball with him.  She finally decided it was okay to give him a 'high five'!

My kiddies ... are so cute!

Merry Christmas from Colton and Khloe!

A Christmas tradition ... watching Ice Age Christmas together on Christmas morning ... thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Bourland!

Colton playing Lincoln Logs with Leif.

Leif and Kelsey were napping, so Colton ran to find a blanket.  He said, "I need to lay down under my blanket, too!"

The kids playing with their cousins, Leif and Kelsey!

On Wednesday, we did some more sledding and playing of games.  The days went by so quickly.

Koki sledding with Daddy!

Colton "pulling" Daddy on the sled.

Grandpa pulls Colton along!

Koki and me as snow shadows.

Colton and me as snow shadows.

Such a cool barn!  I will miss it when it's gone!

Gorgeous, sunny morning!

Even prettier!

Outside in the snow with my Bud.

I love this little boy!

Shoveling snow with Daddy.

He said, "It's like walking on pillows!"

The big barn from the side.

Such a gorgeous tree!

Snow

The big barn

I love this door on the big barn!

The barn with the silo.

Such a clear day!

Colton helped Daddy chop this wood ... so he was going to take it inside to the fire!

Playing Settler!

Playing dominoes!

A new favorite snack of mine ... wasabi almonds!

She gets into such shenanigans!

Thursday brought a day of snow ... before it began to come down, we were able to go feed the geese, ducks, and turkeys some corn and bread.  The kids enjoyed seeing all of the birds and giving them some food.  Several nights, the kids had fun playing on a random mattress that got moved into the basement.  The kids loved to jump off of it onto the floor.  Even Khloe got into it!  It was great fun to jump into one of our arms, too.  What a fun time in the basement!

Going to feed the ducks!

Feeding the geese and ducks with Grandpa and Grandma H!

They had such a great time!

Cole helped Grandma make this bread.  He was pretty proud of it!

Taking a flying leap off of the mattress!

She loves being tossed around and held upside down!

Getting tickles from Grandpa!

Super flying leap!

Loving on Daddy!

Jumping around.

LEAP!

Friday ... we spent the day getting ready for the Sabbath.  We cleared the sidewalks of the snowfall, and Colton got to ride the tractor with Grandpa.  We had a great week visiting with family.  We played a lot in the snow, and we enjoyed a lot of family time.  It really is a blessing to have family!

Such a gorgeous picture!

Panoramic view

Cole shoveling snow.

Koki wants to shovel snow ... but she is too little!

Snow blowing on the tractor with Grandpa H!

Building a fort with Daddy.

Walking to find a new fort spot!

Koki sledding with Grandma H!

Cole and Daddy found a new fort spot.  Cole is trying to fit inside!

Trying from the top.

Grandpa pulls him on the sled while Daddy digs!

Koki crawls inside.

Cole crawls inside!

Koki and Grandpa in front of the fort.

Two kids found some wrapping paper ... and dug it all out!

On Sabbath, we went to church.  On the way home, Colton got to "drive"/steer the van up to the house  while sitting on Grandpa's lap.  He thought it was pretty great!  It was very swerve-y!  Once we got home, we had a big lunch with all of the family in town.  It was super delicious!  

Driving home with Grandpa!

Wildly steering away!

That night, we went ice skating at a local park.  It was freezing out!  Colton loved it, though, and he had so much fun sliding and slipping around the ice.  We all borrowed skates from Billy's Uncle Wayne, and we got out there and skated around for about a half hour ... it was just SO cold!

Skating with Billy!

Billy takes Colton out for a skate!

It was FREEZING!

Colton and Cherrie defending the goal.

Billy comes skating in for a goal!

On Sunday, we got to go to Steph and Andy's house to visit with them and Tricia and her kids.  It was so great to see two of my most favorite ladies and their families!  I am so thankful that Mom and Dad H live in Hutchinson ... it allows me to see these girls once or twice a year and to be a part of their lives and they can be a part of mine.  We spent the entire day at Steph's house.  I didn't get back to Mom and Dad's until after 7:00 p.m.!  I had a lot of fun just talking and hanging out with them.

My kiddies!  Love them all!  Koki, Colton, Colbie, Brody, and AJ

Billy put all of these shells on Cole.

Monday morning, we got ready to go to Cherrie's house for New Year's Eve.  We spent the evening eating delicious food and playing several rounds of Hands and Feet Tournaments.  It was a lot of fun!  Debbie even had a "tasty" cup of 10+ year-old hot cocoa that Cherrie had been moving around the country since before 2002!  (Ew!)  What a fun night!

A night of Hands and Feet Tournament Style

Me losing at Up and Down the River ... Billy being silly.

My sad, sad score sheet ... I am the 113 ... you are aiming for closest to 0. 

Koki and Cole keep Grandpa from getting a nap in before the New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR ... ringing in 2013!

On Tuesday morning, we flew back home to Tampa.  We had a great flight, and got home by nap time!  The kids were ready for a rest, and so were we!

We really had a wonderful Christmas in Minnesota with Billy's family.  It was wonderful that there was snow.  The kids had so much fun playing in it, and I really enjoyed have the "feeling" of Christmas through the weather.  We got home to 80 degree Tampa!

Merry Christmas!