Merry Christmas!

Favorite Christmas traditions

Daddy reading The Night Before Christmas on Christmas Eve, in addition to the nativity story from the Bible. 

And everyone in their Christmas pajamas.

Another Christmas Eve tradition Bert and I started, Chinese take out for dinner. No pictures of that.

Not a great picture, but Emma's 1st grade Christmas program was so darling I had to document it. They recited The Night Before Christmas and sang some really cute songs. Parents bought fabric and a few wonderful mom's sewed all the kids nightcaps. Emma's on the front row making faces. 

Snowfall

Jacob's first time playing in the snow. This time last year he was still crawling, so we didn't do a lot of snow play. 

He was pretty excited about it until he realized how cold it was.

And really didn't like it after Kaylie threw a snowball in his face. 

Halloween

It's after Thanksgiving and I'm posting Halloween pictures. This move has made me that much more scatterbrained so the only time I remembered the camera was while we were visiting with some friends. Yes, they are wearing the same costumes as last year. When I asked the girls what they wanted to be that's what they requested, I wasn't about to argue with that. 

Working on the House

We've been doing a lot of painting and fixing on this house we bought. The colors were a little interesting when we moved in. Here are some pics of the old with the new.

A green-orange hallway turned a nice neutral tan.

The dark red living room now painted, next is the bright, bright yellow great room.

Jacob gets his tools out every time Daddy does. 

I'm missing is curly hair. It recently got cut off. :(

We've almost finished the entire house. And I mean entire, ceilings, baseboards, doors, wall. Today we started on the last room, changing a mustard yellow bathroom into a prettier, happier shade of yellow. Then Bert slipped and sprained his ankle. The walls are done, the door will have to wait.

Lots of leaves

Twenty-five bags full of leaves.

Emma Rides a Bike

For several weeks Emma told us she could ride without training wheels, she just needed us to take them off. So we did, and away she went!

Probably time for a bigger bike, I guess we'll ask Santa about that.

Couldn't resist adding one showing the amazing view of the mountains. 

First day of school

Somehow during everything else that happened in August we bought a house and moved. One day I'll post some pics, but not until we finish painting.

Less than a week after moving, Emma started school, 1st grade!

I can't seem to get both kids to smile normal at the same time.

We are a 5 minute walk from the school, the kids and I are loving it. They ride bikes or scooters every day.

Jacob is usually in the stroller, but has recently discovered how to get the tricycle moving.

Looking back up our street. Our favorite part of being in an established neighborhood, lots of big trees.

Emma racing on ahead. 

At the school playground

And lining up with her class, look for the purple backpack. She has Mrs. Bezzant this year (I believe that's her on the far left) and so far loves it. She tells me her favorite parts of the day are having two recesses (instead of one at kindergarten). She loves bringing her lunch to school and eating in the cafeteria and she is meeting lots of new friends.

Kaylie's 4th Birthday

Much of Kaylie's birthday this year was spent driving home from the family reunion. We came home to not much food in the cupboards, so Bert took Kaylie to the grocery store and got little store bought cakes for a little celebration.

After cake she opened a present

This year the girls are obsessed with My Little Pony, so we added to the collection.

Jacob, just happy to be home and eating cake!

 We had a better party the following Sunday at Grandma Postma's house where she got a new doll

and had a much better cake. I promise she was excited about it.

Happy Birthday baby girl! I can't believe you are 4!

Adamson Family Reunion

Our second (and last) big vacation for the summer was the Adamson Family reunion with Bert's parents and siblings. This year Dave was in charge and it was held at Farragut State Park in northern Idaho.

We decided to go easy on the drive up and took two days to travel up to Spokane. So Saturday night we stopped off in Dillon, Montana at a little hotel. Our first family stay with the 5 of us in a one room hotel room, it wasn't too bad!

We arrived at Dave's house in Spokane Sunday afternoon where all but two of Bert's 9 siblings and their kids had congregated.

Kaylie and her oldest cousin Michael immediately bonded and hung out for a big part of the reunion. He was such a sweetheart with her.

Emma was in heaven with all the girl cousins. We all live so far away from each other we don't see them much. Here she is with Kaitlyn, Ruthie and Sadie.

We spent the night at Dave's and spent the next morning getting ready to go camping for three days at Farragut. The girls spent the morning out in the back on the trampoline.

Shortly after arriving at the campground we took a Ron Adamson family picture. All but one of the 10 kids and all of the grandkids were there. Justin is currently in Ecuador serving a mission. 

Left to right (all of the adults anyway), Eric, Andrea, Ryan, Gary, Melanie, Liz, Bert, Dave, Tiffani, Scott, Tiffany, Kimi, Landen, Codi, Joe, Becky, Mom, Dad  

And our little family portrait

Mom and Dad

And a few shots from around camp, we spent three days and two nights there. Went swimming, swinging, had a great afternoon of games for the kids and ate lots of food.

Kaylie still hanging out with Michael, she's giving him one of her "big, big, big!" kisses as she calls it.  

Cousins playing games

My little family. You can't tell from the picture but all my kids, even Jacob loved it. Lots of free space to roam, new things to see. And my the part that made it low stress for me, lots of adults to help keep an eye on the kids.

In the tent. Somebody is tired.

Uncle Joe brought a climbing rope and rigged a swing for the kids. Best entertainment ever. There were always at least 2-3 kids waiting for a turn.

Kaylie's in heaven. My favorite was watching her stand on top of the picnic table yelling for help to get on the swing. "Michael, I need you!" she would yell.

Bad picture of Jacob running around, but it's the only one I have.

Emma on the swing.

Olivia is about 6 or 7 months older than Jacob. Our last day the spent about 15 minutes running around holding hands. They of course stopped as soon as they saw the camera.

Grandpa spent much of his time making hiking sticks for all the grandkids. Thank you grandpa!

We had a ton of fun and can't wait to do it again! We are in charge of the next one, I hope we can put on one as least as good as this year's reunion.

Birthday for Emma and Bert

While at Bear Lake we celebrated birthdays for Emma and Bert. We did cupcakes and German chocolate cake with the cousins (I need to track down those pictures) and opened presents at the condo afterwards. 

Posing for the camera

 
Opening...

A doll from grandma

My Little Ponies from mom and dad, she's obsessed.

Cookbooks for dad, yes he loves to cook!

And of course some new clothes.