Ava's First Sunday School Christmas Program...

Ava had her first performance debut at the church Christmas program. She was so excited to get all dressed up and sing. We obviously didn't get to the church early enough (hence our not so great side picture of her singing). The video Brad took was priceless though! To say Ava was animated may be a bit of an understatement. She had fun and it was short and sweet so Owen even did well watching. Grandpa and Grandma VM even came to see her sing.

Candid Shots from December...

Christmas cut-out cookies with Grandma Chris

My "Poser" by the tree (we tried to include Owen, but it was a lost cause)

Peek-a-boo with the playroom door (a game that never gets old)!

Hannah & Luke...

Hannah & Luke opening their Christmas presents from us.

As has become tradition every year, Hannah and Luke give us a wonderful Christmas present: they watch our kids for an entire day while we Christmas shop and go out on a little date. Ava couldn't have been more excited (as were we!). I bet she asked 50 times when they were coming over. It was a big treat to have both Hannah and Luke to play with and she also thought it was fun that they were going to be staying until bedtime. We had a great time in Sioux Falls and Hannah and Luke seemed to handle the craziness with ease!

The Elf on the Shelf...

I'd like to introduce Gordy, our "Elf on the Shelf". If you haven't seen this before, you can purchase this elf at Target or off Amazon and it comes with a little story book. He is "sent" from the North Pole by Santa to watch children to see if they are good or bad. Each night when the children sleep, he flies back to the North Pole to tell Santa the news from the day and lands in a different place upon returning. Each morning, the child has to go find where they are. Gordy is the name Brad and Ava came up with for him. It has become quite a highlight for Ava each morning to see where Gordy is. She is so amazed by all the places he has been. The best morning was when we put him on her mirror in her room. When she got up, she was so excited to come and show us Gordy! We will be making this one of our holiday traditions.

A Visit to See Santa....

The kids were pacing the halls as we waited in line...

Check out the first "take" of the Santa photo :)

We took the kids to see Santa in Luverne. Ava has been quite fearful of Santa every year, and this year proved to be no different. After we waited in line for about a half hour, she proceeded to turn into a board and we had to drag her up by Santa. Once she saw the candy, she warmed up and was at least willing to be near them. Then came Owen...scared to death! Another comical year for us visiting Santa! Ava did have a few questions after we left like how come Santa wore gloves and when was he going back to the North Pole. It's so fun seeing Christmas through a 4 year old!

Owen 13.5 Months...

"I have both remotes!"

His sly grin...

The Serious Face

He did not like the Santa hat, but I'm not giving up yet!

Play Time....

Owen escapes whenever he can to the mudroom to try to put on any shoes he can find. He doesn't want to hold the shoes or pull anything else down, he only wants to try on those shoes!!

Even play food is worth trying...

I believe this is Ava's pretend wedding to Owen

Just cruising along!!

Thanksgiving at the Sieve's.....

Owen & Carly (both 13 months)

Ava & Layne

Joyce invited us out to the farm for Thanksgiving on Saturday. Lisa, Roy, Layne, Carly, and Joe also were in attendance. We had wonderful food and enjoyed our time together. Carly is growing so fast. The two babies really didn't seem to have too much time for each other. They each went about their business although Carly did get ahold of Owen's hair at one point. It didn't even phase him. Ava thoroughly enjoyed her time with Layne and talked about him all the way home. Ava also got a ride with Daddy on the 4-wheeler which seemed to be a pretty big hit. It was a fun day and nice to get the family together!

Birthday Presents from the Springers....

Ava got a new Barbie

I love Owen's look in this one

Owen got a new helicopter

Ava & Owen had lots fun opening more birthday gifts from Lisa & Roy. Ava loved her new barbie that has long hair that she can comb and style. Owen seemed to like his new helicopter with all kinds of fun sounds. Carly liked the new toy too!

Thanksgiving at the Kleis's...

Ava, Addison, and Bergen

Owen & Addie

We were invited to my sister Shelly's on Thanksgiving day with Jason's side of the family. My parents are always gone to Arizona to see my sister Sandy. We had a wonderful meal and great time visiting. The kids had a great time playing and we even logged our first overnight stay with them. We slept great with the basement to ourselves. Ava really wants Addie to come and stay with us very soon! She just loves her time with her. I even managed to take lots of pictures for Shelly & Jason to pick from for their Christmas card. This picture was one of my favorites.

Owen is 13 Months & He's a Climber!

He just climbed right up on the chair

Assessing how far down it is

No problem, I'll just sit first

Owen has certainly proven to have no fears which I guess is typical of the second child. He is not afraid to try most anything. He climbs up on the hearth of the fireplace, on top of the trampoline, and this latest trick on top of chairs to reach toys he wants. He not only can climb on things, but he is so fast at it. Nothing phases him. Sometimes Ava's comments show how surprised she is at what he can do. You'll often hear her say, "Mom, look what Owen just did all by himself." I'm usually just as amazed as she is!