Happy New Year's Eve!

We spent our New Year's Eve together playing games, laughing, and going to bed a bit early! We enjoyed playing board games and Nintendo and the boys drank their sparkling grape juice. Conner and Nick didn't feel the greatest due to a cold, and Ben and I are starting to feel it, too! The boys went to bed by 9:00 and fell right to sleep!

We got the news today that Ben's platelets have again dropped even lower... but we didn't let that stop us from having fun tonight! We need to remember this because this rollercoaster we are on doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon. We want Ben and Conner to be able to meet each new day with positivity and happiness, not fear. So, for this new year 2020, we will strive to live more, fear less, and love each other always! Happy New Year to all!

New Games!

We love playing new games!!!

More Christmas!

Today we got to go to Conrad to celebrate Christmas with Nick's side of the family! We had so much fun and greatly enjoyed getting to spend some time there. The kids had a blast and definitely enjoyed opening more presents! Thank you to Mama and Papa for a wonderful Christmas!!!

Bowl Game!

We were excited to watch the Hawkeyes play in their bowl game tonight! The boys both were pretty sure they would be able to last the whole game, but they just couldn't make it! By 10:00, Ben and Conner had both fallen asleep!

Post Christmas Legos...

It seems like the first thing we do when we get home from Christmas in Bettendorf is put together some lego sets! Conner and Ben can pretty much just do it all by themselves nowadays!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas morning!!! The kids did a little exploring in the early morning! Conner was committed to making breakfast for everyone this year. He is a pro at making egg sandwiches, so he and Ben (and Dad) made some egg sandwiches for Christmas morning! Opening presents was certainly the highlight of the day! We had a wonderful morning and afternoon and then we got to enjoy our Christmas dinner. With the weather being so unseasonably warm this year, we even took a walk to the park after dinner so the kids could play! We had an amazing Christmas in Bettendorf, thank you to Nana and Gramps for always making it so special!

Christmas Eve!

On Christmas Eve (after Nick worked and we took a quick family photo) we drove to Bettendorf to spend Christmas with Nana and Gramps and my sister's family!  The kids always enjoy participating in the church service on Christmas Eve so we make sure that we get there in time for church! We took our annual family photos and enjoyed a yummy dinner courtesy of Nana. We had a wonderful night and the kids all loved being together! Christmas Eve is still such a magical and exciting night!

Our Christmas!

 My favorite day of the year... December 23! We celebrate Christmas in our house on this day every year. Nick got home from work and the boys were more than ready to start opening presents! Stockings were first and then we all started unwrapping! We all loved everything! The boys got smart watches, so they were most excited about those. We enjoyed spoiling each other and spending our evening together. We ended the night playing the new Nintendo game that Nick got for the boys! It is always a great way to start our holiday week!

Baking...

I spent Saturday and Sunday baking goodies for the holidays and Ben helped me out a bit this morning!

Accidents...

First full day of Christmas Break... the boys thought that wrestling would be a good idea. As the story goes, Conner's face collided with the floor. He walked away with a pretty good cut above his eye and broken glasses... Ugh... I was told "accidents happen!"

Basketball at 8...

Ben, Conner, and I are thrilled to be starting Christmas Break!!! And of course, on our first morning we have a basketball game at 8:00 this morning! The boys were very excited and they had another great game! They did a great job of cheering each other on!

Tradition...

It has become a tradition to go see the light show in Walker, IA. It is beautiful and meaningful and such a fun thing to do as a family. We got our hot cocoa and enjoyed the show!