Thank You Mamoo & Dadoo Train!!

This was Benjamin's absolute favorite present for Christmas. He has worn the batteries out a couple of times already. I've never seen one of my kids be so addicted to a toy so quickly. I've also never seen Taylor addicted to one of their toys so quickly either.

Yay I Have a Camera!!!

So I finally have a good small camera! Yes, this camera is for both of us, but I am usually the one that ends up taking pictures. I have so longed for a camera that takes both pictures and video. Now, thanks to Mom getting us one for Christmas, I can now post videos on our blog. Needless to say, I'm VERY excited!!!

A Sloppy Goodnight Kiss

Each night, it has become a tradition for Katie to give the kids a goodnight kiss. It's totally disgusting, but Hailey and Benjamin especially love it. I can tell when the kids haven't brushed their teeth too because Katie doesn't attack them as much.

Jordan Learned Something New Today...

...braces attract magnets!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree . . . How Rubbery Are Your Branches

Every Christmas, a tire company on Cheyenne puts up this fabulous Christmas tree display. It's really a pile of tires wrapped in Christmas lights. It cracked me up the first time I saw it, and it still cracks me up every year.

Visiting with Santa Claus

Benjamin was not happy in the least bit to visit with Santa Claus this year.
I had to pry him off of my body just to sit down.

I ended up giving up and visiting with Santa by myself. I told him I wanted a big, fat diamond ring, but I wasn't sure I was good enough this year to deserve one.

Grandma, Magan, Ashley, & Rachel

Hailey seemed very nervous to talk to Santa Claus....fidgeting with her ear the entire time.

Bowling in Idaho

I love bowling up in Idaho. We can go basically anytime we want to. There are no casinos to hike through, so you end up stinking like smoke. Much more fun to not stink I believe.

Noah won this sweet hat from arcade tickets. It reminds me of the Dick Tracy movie.

Jordan has a flying move when he bowls.

Taylor & Jared

Hailey & Rachel

Benjamin had a much different attitude towards bowling this year. He even learned to pick the ball up, carry it without dropping (with a few exceptions), and push it down the lane all by himself. He would even stand there the ENTIRE time, waiting for the ball to hit the pins.

Thanksgiving Time!!!

Thanksgiving is a big event for us up in Idaho. It usually consists of Nicole cooking a huge dinner (she's a great cook) and hanging out talking and playing games. Hailey & Ben playing outside in the snow. There wasn't too much this year, but enough to throw snowballs at each other.

Ben trying to sneak a poke at the frosting.

This is the first time I had an involvement in cooking a turkey. I have a newfound respect for how much my grandma and mom did every Thanksgiving.

Our Backyard

We have decided to finally start working on our backyard. Since it's pretty big, it's been taking us a while to get around to it. One weekend we had a few large piles of fill dirt and rocks delivered to our home.

Benjamin found these piles as yet ANOTHER useful way of terrorizing me. One day I looked out back and saw him about waist-high to the top of the brick wall, throwing rocks over. Not that throwing rocks and possibly hitting passing cars were bad enough. I could just imagine him thinking it would be fun to try to climb over.

After I calmed down a bit, I decided I needed to get a shovel out and start digging the back slope of this pile about a foot lower. The following pictures are the result. I found it sort of amusing when I thought of cars driving by, seeing a little two year-old peeking his big head over the wall.

Look-alikes

Whenever I have a baby, I constantly hear how much they look like Taylor. I hated hearing that, but as time has gone on, and as they have grown older, I tend to hear more of a mixture from people.

I wasn't surprise by the results of Jordan's, but I was definitely by Noah's. People always say that he looks like a mini-Taylor.

Family Picnic

Every year, we get together with our extended family to catch up on each other's lives. I can name my cousins, but I couldn't even try to guess the names of their children.

Everyone chatting and eating. It didn't seem like as many people showed up this year. I wish they would because these picnics are much less stress to attend than the Christmas party.

Jordan & Noah playing a game of football.

Noah loves the babies......especially when they hold still like Charlie always does.

Hailey & Audrey eating together in the car.

Dadoo holding his newest grandchild Charlie.

Ben tried to figure this shovel out, but he ended up giving up and pushing dirt by hand into the scoop.

The "Koch Test" is always fun to perform, especially when others are around who haven't experienced it. They always freak out.

Visits from Reese & Charlie

In October, we got to have our two newest cousins Reese & Charlie visit us.

Reese wasn't too thrilled being held by Hailey.

Staring Hailey down after she's been released from captivity.

Reese was more intent on checking out our dog Katie. She would follow her wherever she moved.

Unfortunately, Katie will attack you with kisses if you get within 6 inches of her face. Reese doesn't look like she's experienced this kind of affection before.

Charlie and Hailey

My Unlucky/Coincidental Day

Noah and I went to the podiatrist yesterday to check on some foot problems we were each having. As we were walking out to our car, I biffed it by catching my heel on the edge of a curb. I am always such a clutz.

Since I'm so close to the doctor's office still, I waddle on back in and ask them for another x-ray. I thought for sure I just sprained it, but I just wanted to make sure. After a couple x-rays, sure enough I see a chip out of the bone at the top of my foot. Noah was such a huge help and showed me what a man he is.

So, lucky me, I get to wear this beautiful thing for the next 6 weeks. My other option was a cast. Amazing how such a little chip out of a bone can cause such pain and warrant this massive contraption.

Funny Pics of Ben

Ben enjoyed trying on different things when we went shopping for Halloween costumes. My favorite was "Reggae Ben".

My friend was watching Ben for me one morning. She said that she went upstairs for a few minutes and when she came down she saw all the cushions looking like this. She said, "Benjamin did you do this?" and then he dove under the cushions thinking she couldn't see him. She texted me this picture with the tag line "Ding Dong Ben is Dead" because he looked like the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz.

Halloween Time Again

One of the most fun, yet most dreaded times of the year for me is Halloween. It's fun to pick out all the goofy costumes, but not fun to deal with the massive amounts of candy that go through our home. True I like chocolate, but trying to keep my kids from overdosing on it during the next few weeks is very exhausting.

Hailey finally opted for something other than a princess costume. I was so excited she chose this one because I always wanted to dress like this for Halloween when I was a kid.

Noah is always such a good sport when it comes to choosing costumes. When he tried on this basketball player costume, we knew it was the one. He especially loves the fro, but he wouldn't agree to put a pick in it.

Jordan made me realize how close I am to having a teenager. He wants to go for a "cool" look that his friends will admire. For the past two years I've tried to get him to be Napoleon Dynamite because he's got the look and the build.

Instead, this year he went for his own creation . . . . we ended up naming him "The Unfortunate Skateboarder".

The gang

Eyeore!

Benjamin is the fourth and final child of ours to wear the Eyeore costume. I always think Disney costumes are adorable, and since Halloween is usually pretty chilly here, this costume has been perfect. We've definitely got our money's worth out of this costume.

(I can't seem to find a picture of Noah yet.)

JORDAN

HAILEY

BENJAMIN