one of these things...

...is not like the other!

but leave these kids alone for a few minutesand the problem will resolve itself!
yes, it's back!!!!

ringing in the new

i meant to document how we closed out 2010.
that didn't quite work out.
here's how our night went...

we decided at the very last minute to go see tangled
LOVED IT
then the plan was to come home, play wii & watch another movie.
{forgot to take pictures!}
then at precisely 11:55pm we watched the festivities from new york.
the kids saw the ball drop, then quickly asked "is that all??"
then 30 seconds later, we had 3 out of the 4 kids hysterically crying.
{i got the camera out, but it was not pretty}
5 minutes later they were all asleep in their beds.
so maybe they weren't quite ready to stay up until midnight :)

so while 2011 got off to a teary start,
we managed to regroup {and sleep in!} for all the fun on new years day...

:: the cousins ::

:: let the party begin ::

:: loving our pillow pets - and other assorted gifts ::

:: wow i took a lot of pictures! ::

:: the vogel version of minute to win it ::

:: what's a holiday without a craft? ::

and now for a year in review collage...

just kidding! i think this post has enough pictures!!
if you want to take a look back, just look at my blog header - HA HA

but i will say that we had a great 2010 and can look back
and see plenty of great blessings & experiences that God sent our way!
and we look forward to see what 2011 brings!

a day at the gardens

earlier this week,
we visited the meijer gardens
to check out the christmas tree exhibit.

they have trees decorated from all sort of countries
including this one from korea.
the kids had fun looking at all the interesting things on the trees,
and one little 4 year old loved touching all the decorations :){his brain told him to touch them all - yes, that's what he said}

in between looking at trees,
i tried for a few photo ops.
some successful, some not so much.

the trees were cool,
but my favorite part was the models of famous grand rapids buildings -
all made with natural supplies like acron caps, leaves & twigs.
it was crazy and very cool!

winter at the gardens is fun,
but we're waiting for our favorite exhibit.
only 4 more months...

from start to finish

remember this from last year???
well, now they're older, wiser, ready for some candy -and they each want their own house!
here's the process from start to finish...
step #1
assemble the houses

step #2
try not to eat all the candy

step #3
decorate, eat candy, repeat...

step #4
say cheese {or not}

yummy*holiday*treats

our very merry day

up early
opened presents as fast as possible
surprised them with things they didn't ask santa for
{olivia is pretty sure he is "magical"}

discovered the best toy to keep the boys busy
{even though they became a little antisocial}

skyped with family far away

rocked out with each other

and that sums up our very merry day!

merry christmas 2010

'twas the night before christmas...

when one little boy
learned how to make cinnamon rolls.
yum.

a good choice

this winter we are enjoying the fact that all 4 kids love to play outside -
without our assistance :)

but there is one kid who likes to come back inside
while the others still play.

it's not hard to see why...

just in time!

just a few more days left...

the kids were worried it wouldn't happen...

they had so much to say...

whew! mission accomplished!

some of us...

...have rhythm, some of us do not.
...feel the need to undress, some of us do not.
...can rock out proud mary, some of us cannot.

but i think we all agree that we need to close our curtains at night!