The finals days of 2010

A few days after Christmas, Abbey and Ben came back out for a longer visit. Abbey had a sleep over with Katelynn Gould and her friend, Jasimyn. I gave them all makeovers prior to them munching on pickles, chips, orange soda, and mint chocolate ice cream....gross!!!!! I am apparently crazy because I also brought Nathan over so I had 6 kids in the house by myself while Kevin was at work. We survived though! The boys went out and played in the snow and brought Isaiah back into me crying telling me they threw snowballs at him. Oh, bother! Surprisingly, he survived and got them both back with the Nerf gun later.

A little bit about...New Year's Eve. My parents spent New Years' with the little man while we rang in 2011 at my friends', Ashley and Ryan, wedding in Rock Island, Moline. Tons of fun....and memories! I am sooo not ready to go back to work, but even more dreading writing my comprehensive exam for my Masters. I am 1 class away! Woohoo!

"Yatas & Santas"

Wow! The holiday times have been busy for us, as I am sure they have been for most. For Isaiah's 3rd birthday we invited several friends and family over for chili and cake. Last time we counted there were approximately 20 people here besides us (and Abbey and Ben)...yikes! It was hectic at times, but everyone seemed to have a good time. Isaiah especially loved the "yata" (pinata) we got him for surprises for his friends. Unfortunately, our camera didn't have batteries, so we relied on Mom and Dad for pictures.

A couple days before Christmas, my parents took Isaiah to Bass Pro Shop's Winter Wonderland to see santa. He asked santa for "Bumblebee" from Transformers, but when asked later he said he asked for a puppy. No, he did not get the puppy...this year. We were grateful beyond words this Christmas. A lady at the hotel, graciously gave us 2 Manheim Steamroller tickets so Kevin and I were able to have a short, but amazing date as we sat 5 or 6 rows from the front. They were so great! Additionally, my parents and siblings gave Isaiah some awesome toys, Tom and Lynn gave him some more (super cute clothes, too!), and my parents gave us things we really needed (a tire & money to pay off my pass due car loan).

Our most shocking surprise, was coming home on Christmas Eve to a kitchen, freezer, and pantry full of groceries. Additionally, presents from this "Secret Santa" for Isaiah and us with a note saying to put them under the tree. We are/were in complete shock and cannot believe how blessed we are to have such amazing friends to do something like this for us. It renewed the CHRISTmas spirit and showed us Christ's love for us in a very DIRECT way! Thank you, Secret Santa! We cannot wait until next year to pass a blessing on to someone else...