Sledding in the Driveway...

Grandma and Grandpa Potts have a great hill right in their driveway for sledding down. After a couple of fresh snowfalls, the boys got out the sleds and sped down the driveway.

There is even a nice path cleared, to make walking up easier!

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Potts'

On Christmas Night we left for Grandma and Grandpa Potts' house. We arrived there in the evening and (after a little play time and saying hello) we got the boys ready for bed.

We celebrated Christmas with the Potts family on the 26th. The boys had breakfast and then waited patiently (or not so patiently...) for everyone to be ready to open presents.

JJ and Zeke helped hand out gifts.

Gifts from Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Colette and Uncle Sherman included tractors, K-Nex, farm animals and a variety of race cars (and some cash). After we opened gifts we headed out to the lake for a little icefishing before lunch.

After fishing we went home for lunch and naps... Grandma likes to play games wiht the boys, so after their naps, they played some games before we had dinner!

Christmas Day...

On Christmas morning we are not the early to rise family. We don't usually have the kids out of bed before us because they have learned that we usually will go to church before we start the gift opening.

This year, we had the blessing of spending Christmas day with my Grandparents. We drove up to Wabeno, Wisconsin after church. My Grandma lives at a nursing home now, but for Christmas day she came home. After going to church, driving north and then waiting for Great Grandma the boys were ready for their presents. A few years ago, I was tired of the waste of wrapping paper and I sewed a bag for each of the boys to put presents in. Now each year they open a gift bag with a gift or two from Chad and I. Usually someone crawls all the way into their bag to find the gift at the bottom.

This year, the boys each got a big semi-truck for hauling!Note also that there is a speed racer car and Noah is also holding an airplane that Grandma and Grandpa got them.

Christmas Eve...

By Christmas Eve, the house had quieted down considerably. Grandma and Grandpa and the Potts' were all that were left at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We went to the 5:00 service at Mt. Olive and then came back for supper. Grandma made Spaghetti for us.

Our usual tradition is to wrap up a box with a little baby Jesus in it. The boys get to open this gift on Christmas Eve before they go to bed, to remind them of the most important gift we recieve at Christmas time. Well, as happens when traveling things get forgotten (on the kitchen counter where you set it so you wouldn't forget of course). Zeke, however, reminded us that we are celebrating Jesus' birthday and so you must have a Birthday Cake. Grandma bought us a cake and we sang happy Birthday!

Salvation Army Bell Ringing...

On Monday, Grandma had signed us up to ring bells for the Salvation Army. With the temperature nearing the zero mark, we bundled up and headed out for two hours of singing. We had the opportunity to remind that kids that there are others in this world who are not as fortunate as we are and we had some fun singing and ringing bells. (One person commented that we could use some singing lessons, but I would like to see him try to conduct 7 kids).
Afterwards, Grandma had the idea to warm up at McDonald's with a Hot chocolate. The kids got to play and then we headed back to Grandma's House.

Wisconsin Pizza Factory...

The Wisconsin Pizza Factory is a Chuck E. Cheese style place near Grandma and Grandpa's. After the Christmas celebrations Uncle Jeff, Aunt Jess, Carter and Ali had to head home on Sunday. Before they left, the kids all had a chance to eat pizza and play together one last time!

Instead of a Big mouse, visitors to the Wisconsin Pizza Factory are treated to a visit from a Big Cow! And, of course, being the newest member of the family and the only child not running around, Ali was the center of the Adult attention.When we got home that afternoon, Chad and Seth decided to take a little rest on the couch!

Stockings and New Jackets

A friend of my mom's had made a cross stitched Christmas Stocking for each of the grandkids. We brought them along for a picture this time...

Our boys also recieved new Jackets from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas. Here they are showing them off before we headed to church on Sunday morning.

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Breeden's...

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Breeden's home took place on Saturday, December 20th. We were able to gather the whole family for the celebration. Of course we started the most important meal of the day...

Last Christmas we paid for the sitting fee and a large portrait for Grandma and Grandpa... For the first time snce then we were all together, so following Breakfast we had a photographer come over and take our family picture. We started with indoor picutures in Grandma and Grandpa's basement and moved outside for some outdoor pictures. While the outdoor pictures didn't work out so well, the indoor pictures turned out great and Grandma and Grandpa now have a large picture of all of us to display proudly to all who enter their home.

In the afternoon the kids and grandkids took a sledding trip... (As previously mentioned, there are no pictures of this event). There were lots of giggles and a few falls and then we headed back to Grandma and Grandpa's house.



Supper started late as Grandma and Grandpa had gone to a Birthday party for one of Grandpa's Aunts. Grandma came home and started cooking...

While we waited for supper, we opened gifts... Each year the guys all get a present that matches... This year it was paper shredders! (We still laugh about the year they all got Kleenex holders for the car). There was some patient waiting for the gifts to be handed outOur boys had gone to Home Depot for their kids workshops this year and gave Grandma and Grandpa one of their projects. They had painted them for them too. Zeke made sure that Grandpa's was Packer colors.As Grace's Godparents, Chad and I get to shop for a girl every once in a while... This is the first time I have bought a doll for a child since our children were born! She enjoyed giving the baby its bottle.

And Great Grandma and Great Grandpa had come to town for the Birthday party, so they stopped in for a little bit and we had a chance to get a big group picture with all the Great Grandkids.

A big part of the day was spent just hanging out with the family! Note that all present on this day are accounted for in the above pictures except Michelle (the photographer) and Darrell (the one who doesn't like to be photographed)!

Living Nativity...

Grandma took us to a Living Nativity (similar to our Journey to Bethlehem only outdoors) at a church near her home. There were shops along the way...

And animals to pet...

And a manger to reflect upon the reason for the season!

Our first snow...

Well, our first snow in Indiana happened on Tuesday... The boys wanted to get out and play in it on Wednesday, however, since we were heading out for Wisconsin on Thursday, all the snow gear was already packed into the car. On Thursday we drove all day but when we got to Grandma Breeden's house, we were not dissappointed.

Of course there was the bundling up... Most of the kids were cleared out in this picture, but in Grandma's living room we had 8 children all under the age of 7 getting into snow gear (Baby Ali didn't head out with us). JJ got right down and made the first snow angel... The it was Zeke's turn... All the cousins enjoyed chasing Noodles (Uncle Jim and Aunt Amy's Dog) around in the snow... Note: the dog would not cooperate and stay in the picture long enough!

Carter and Seth had fun throwing snow at each other.

There were also sled trips around the yard and lots of giggles and fun by all the cousins.

We also took all the kids sledding on Saturday, however, I left my camera at home because my sister told me she would bring hers... Then she forgot hers.