Enjoying Thompson Time

The girls are always ecstatic when the Thompsons are here, and we were lucky enough to get a few extra days with just Carrie and Callen this time.  The cousin fun started at the WOW museum to kick off our Christmas Break.

 And we had to attempt the homemade gingerbread house.  Making the gingerbread was no easy feat.  I think we may stick to the boxed ones next time.

 After Christmas we ventured out to Hammond's Candy Factory for a tour.  Turns out it was a popular outing for lots of families, but at least most of the candy was on sale to satisfy our sweet tooth,

 As good as it gets with an active 2 year-old in a candy shop

 One day Carrie and Josh took the girls out for donuts, jumping, and lunch.  They absolutely loved it, and Steve and I got some gym time in.

 Jumping at Big Time (with an extra kiddo they picked up)

 Poor Callen is going to have a rough time when he's older with all these pictures of him dressed up with the girlies.  They love their human doll.

Christmas Time!

The day the girls look forward to every year was finally here, and it came and went just as fast as ever.  Our 3 days of gifts, food, and fun was one of our best yet!  The madness began Christmas Eve at the Wesling home with a nice meal, followed by loads of gifts!

This is a girl ready to get down to business!

 The girls with their matching aprons - ready to cook but no kitchen.....yet.

 Callen just as giddy as can be - is it a poopa in his pants or a candy cane he just ate?

 The girls with their mug they made for Magra

 Papa even got his own too!

Christmas morning was low-key with just us 5, but the girls were excited to see what Santa left, especially in their stockings.  It's always such a delight to watch their excitement as they open gifts, but this year they really enjoyed watching each other open gifts.  It's amazing to me that they don't just tear into them like wild beasts!

The girls looking for the hidden pickle.  Who will get the extra present?

 They decided they'd all open the pickle gift - such sweethearts!

We finished up gifts and had a nice breakfast before rushing into the bathtub and heading over to Grandma Betsy's and John's for dinner.  The girls found out they will ALL have a sleepover and see Mary Poppins in January.  Whoa!

Cousins!

Our last celebration commenced the day after with dad, Andy, and Kenz at our house.  The girls whipped up a fancy Easy-Bake cake for us all to enjoy!

 Papa reading clues for the treasure hunt to find their last gift!  A kitchen!  Finally!

 We finished the evening with dessert - a rock-hard pink cake that was enjoyed mostly by Kenz!

Although it's almost a little relieving when the madness ends, it's also a little depressing, because they look forward to Christmas more and more each year!  Christmas with kiddos never gets less exciting, only more rewarding!

Our Little Singer

Our little Boo has always loved to sing, from her infamous "This Girl is on Fire" to just sitting in the back of the car making up lyrics as she goes.  So when the opportunity arose to join Eagleview's choir I knew she'd jump at the chance to sing in front of an audience.  Unfortunately, this wasn't the case.  She insisted she still wanted to become a famous singer, but I assured her she's going to have to get some instruction from a trained musician, because Steve and I would never cut it.

She reluctantly went to her first choir practice after school, even though she wasn't sure who would be joining her and if she'd have any friends there.  When I picked her up she was overjoyed with the experience and couldn't wait to go back in a few days.  We would find her practicing her songs for the upcoming concert and even teaching them to her sisters.

After two months of practice the big night arrived.  She knew all the lyrics and even was fairly animated on stage (although she was overshadowed by the girl in front of her).  Her music career has now officially begun, and we can't wait to see where this road takes her.

Brooklynn and the "show stopper" in front

 Cute as a button!