It is a messy process but I guess Avery has to learn to feed herself at some point. She is pretty determined to do it. It is just so much less mess if I do it!

Cade is loving hot chocolate on these cold days. Here he is giving me a cheers.

Nothing like a little pot and pan entertainment while I clean up the kitchen.

A white Christmas

Christmas eve we went down to my parents house for dinner with them, Jami, Robert and family and Dad's good friends Billy and Gail Williams. We stopped for tea and fudge at my Aunt Nancy's house before we went down and had a good time visiting.
We let the kids open some presents. Mostly Cade opened up Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head and was ready to quit opening presents and play with them and Avery played with the wrapping paper.
They made a pretty good haul. They both got a nice outfit and lots of toys!

Christmas morning we stayed home and ate breakfast before we opened presents. Rance and I decided we ought to since in a couple of years we will have to open presents first and then eat breakfast or the kids will be driving us crazy! Cade got these great Johnny tractor slippers from Landa and family. His favorite present is a gun from his Dad that makes shooting noises when you pull the trigger. He wore out the batteries by dinnertime.


Avery really liked the little doll I got her and Cade managed to lose it within a couple of hours. We are still looking for it. Rance is going to go thru the garbage tomorrow if it doesn't turn up soon. Mom and Dad and Jami and kids came up for dinner again. All in all a very laid back and relaxing Christmas. Dee and Larry were going to come down, but due to snow and road conditions they decided not to and we decided not to venture out to visit anyone. Cade and Carter had a ball playing together and she didn't want to go home very bad.

Cade wore his goggles in the tub and didn't want to take them off just yet.

Avery never would take a pacifier as a baby, but now she likes to run around with one. It still doesn't work as a pacifier when she is cranky.

Christmas Tree

We finally got our Christmas tree put up with just over a week left till Christmas. Rance went out and found this great little Charlie brown tree on Wednesday. We decorated it Thursday night and it fell over on Friday morning. It is back up, hopefully to stay until we decide to take it down after Christmas.


Cade had a great time helping decorate. Although most of the ornaments were too heavy for the tree and kept falling off. I finished up the rest of my Christmas shopping today and got everything all wrapped up. Cade has been pretty good with the presents he was pretty upset when I wouldn't let him open any.

A cold day outside!

Cade wanted to go out this morning to "help Dad" so we bundled him up and out he went for about 15 minutes. I thought that was pretty good considering how cold it is outside. So when he came in I made him some hot chocolate and he decided he needed to take a bath in the sink and drink his hot chocolate. Sounds like a good idea to me! A nice warm bath, a cup of hot chocolate.. if only! He does look pretty comfy.

Yet another safari adventure only this time with his chaps and his vest on. He has been watching the NFR with Rance. Cade thinks all the cowboys are pretty neat.

Avery the lounge lizard

Avery thought this quite amusing to lay back and then sit up on the boppy pillow.

Grandpa Harlen comes to visit

Harlen's brother Harold was roping in Gillette the weekend after Thanksgiving so Harlen came down Thanksgiving night and spent with us. He left Friday to go to Gillette and we went down Saturday for a quick overnight stay to see Rance's uncle Harold and Aunt Susan. We had a good time and got to have a dinner out with adults Saturday night. Although the best part was when the kids were sleeping in the pickup with their dad and I got to have some kid free time with adults. Good conversation and good food. Harlen came back up and stayed Sunday night before heading back to Ronan on Monday.

Here is a picture of the kids playing with their Grandpa before he heads back to the western part of the state.

Christmas Cookies

Gretchen held a cookie exchange again this year. I made this little Santa cookies. Rance told me they look more like reindeer to him. Whatever cookies are cookies and they were pretty easy to do. I even let Cade help a little. They didn't look quite like the pictures in the recipe book but I don't really look like Martha Stewart either.

Here is Cade and Rance sampling the cookies while Cade plays cowboy in his safari explorer hat.

Santa's Little Helpers

I am slowly getting all of the Christmas stuff drug out. I have yet to convince Rance to get us a tree to put up. He must be feeling a little Grinchy this year. He wants it to be snowy out, not too soon, not too cold etc before we go and put one up. Cade and Avery were excited when I found the Christmas hats. I couldn't get a picture where they were both wearing a hat but I got a really good one of each of them.

What a handsome little man!

Avery looks like she is doing some kind of Mexican dance!

Avery was looking especially cute with her little pony tail this morning while we were playing and waiting for her brother to wake up. I couldn't resist taking her picture. It is a little hard to see her pony tail but it is there and her hair isn't all wild like it usually is!

Avery can be quite snuggly sometimes. She likes to sleep snuggled up to someone best. I wish the light was better in this picture but I was afraid if I put the blinds down to block the sun she would wake up and I know better than to wake a sleeping Avery!

Cade was a little cross because Avery wanted to play with his barn animals too and he didn't like where she was putting all the animals!

Cade really likes this play hat and goggles. The gun, pajamas and bear(?) really round out the outfit. He is ready for adventure and all kinds of action.