The Walkers

 

So mike has been away in california for the past 2 weeks working.We have been battling sickness off and on and Kaleb started karate (LOVES it) so he has preschool Mon/Wed/Fri and karate tues/thurs. Saturday and sunday are definitely family days. Last sunday we took a drive up to swan valley/palisades I really wanted to get some photos but it was SO cold my hands were numb within a couple min of stepping out of the car! So beautiful though its amazing what some good music and a scenic drive can do for the soul! And something really exciting in our family happened.... Kaleb learned how to write his name well enough we can actually read it!! SO exciting!!

Kaleb wrote his name

Kaleb lining up with his class. He's so modest he kept trying to close the opening of his karate uniform.

Keaton and I watching K-man do his thing!

New Years Eve 2012 we went up to my parents house to play with cousins and hang out. We had a candlelight dinner, played games, lit off fireworks and just hung out. 

Keaton and his Cousin Patrick Playing. Patrick got a kick out of pulling keaton around in this wagon. They are only 5 ish months apart.

    To celebrate "midnight" aka 8:00 with the kids we turned out the lights and put on a strobe light while the kids danced around and blew their noise makers. I bought a giant balloon drop and confetti but we never got around to blowing up the 100 balloons so Ill save it for a rainy day. 

Ada and Afton at our candlelight dinner

Kaleb and Canon

          We left my parents house a little early and headed to Grandpa and Grandma walkers to celebrate. We watched pitch perfect made our new year wishes and toasted the new year. 
    I have a new years tradition of writing down our wishes for the new year on balloons and releasing them out into the world. Kalebs "wish" for 2013 is Ninja Turtles...... He's 4 what do we expect!? 
Mike and I's Wishes for 2013 Included Health and Safety of our 2 sweet boys, being surrounded by good friends and family (Love) and More money in the bank! You can always strive for more savings! Can never be too prepared! 

Emma and her friends wishes for 2013

I bought rock candy for the kids to make their sparkling cider toast a little more fun! I forgot how yummy these were! And it was fun to dunk the in the drink and watch the drink fizz.

Game night with hot chocolate and ice cream marshmallows!

     So I absolutely LOVE baking and cooking. Im always trying new recipes and If I ever hear of meals with ingredients Im not familiar with its all the more tempting to track down the ingredients and make it! I think owning a bakery would be SO much fun! Lots of work and I would probably weigh 500 pounds but still fun! 

Vanilla Macaroons with eggnog fluff cream filling

Packaged ready to be taken to Family and Friends

Hunting down our christmas tree. Drove around for quite awhile looking for a perfect one and the realized we forgot an axe........... yup!

We were sick off and on for the first couple of weeks of December. Luckily Mike and I never were throwing up like the boys!

At Kalebs Preschool Christmas program!

My Brother Michael unfortunately was deployed to Afghanistan for his 5th tour (I think) a little before thanksgiving. Im really close to him and his family so it was really sad to not have him here for christmas. We all wrote letters and sent gifts. When I asked Kaleb what he wanted to send Uncle Mike for christmas he said "A Hug, I wish I could Hug Uncle Mike" At first I had No clue how to make that happen and I remembered this idea so kaleb laid on his back and we traces his arms and head, cut it out and sent Uncle Mike hugs from us!

Making ornaments

Driving around to see christmas lights

Christmas EVE Morning I made Peppermint pancakes :)

The sunday for Christmas (Christmas eve's eve) We had a movie night. We popped popcorn made hot chocolate and watched Polar Express.

Christmas eve the boys got Christmas "Grinch who stole christmas" Pillow cases made by me and new P.J's and slippers.

My gift from Mike :)

   Kaleb helped me make some M&M cookies on christmas eve. He is such a good helper in the kitchen. After the boys went to bed "Santa" wrote his yearly christmas letter to the boys on "North Pole" stationary. When I was growing up I always looked for to santa's letter that he left by the cookie plate. So we have been doing this the past two years. 

I may or may not be slightly obsessed with tea.... but anyways this was my tea fortune on Christmas Eve I thought it was very fitting to the holiday season.

After santa made his visit.

Boys Stockings

Christmas Morning, Mike and I keep Christmas simple with each other this year I got him a hunting bow with a case and 5 bows. He is pretty excited to test it out. Mike got me an external speed light flash for my DSLR, love it!!!! /span>

Love me my blankets

   On Christmas morning we opened presents and did stockings at our house and then headed to Mikes dads house to have breakfast with them and hang out for a bit. It was kind of a crazy morning out of all the mornings our children are up at 7 they decide to sleep in on Christmas morning and we end up having to wake THEM up! Mike likes to describe our morning as speed dating but with present opening. We had to rush the kids a little at opening things and then rush to mikes dad cram in the fun and then rush to my parents house. I think we are starting to lean to the idea of staying home on Christmas..... At Grandpa and Grandma Walkers (Glenn & Jody)  we had a VERY yummy breakfast and played just dance 4 and YES mike played too I have videos, it was great fun!  

Playing with some of the toys he got! You can build lots of different forts (igloos, rocket ships and so on) and drape blankets over it.

This was the boys BIG christmas gift this year. Giant waffle blocks = hours and hours of fun!