On Christmas Day, we had Christmas at our house with some of Anthony's family.  Shade, Beth, and the kids came, and Brian and Cora came with their family later on in the evening.  Mom Starr was really sick on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, so they weren't able to come until later in the evening as well.
It was a nice, relaxing day.  The kids played, and played, and played some more.  The rest of us ate, and ate, and ate....
We did a White Elephant gift exchange with the older kids and adults, and the younger kids just exchanged gifts.  We had a lot of fun!

The kids trying out a new game they got.

Natalie and Aunt Beth

Happy girl with Papa!

Having fun with Uncle Brian

Getting some loves from cousin Ashley and Aunt Cora

Kaitlyn having fun with part of my White Elephant gift... a head scratcher!

Playing "Climb the tree".

Nolan was a pro.  He climbed right up the first time!

We had Christmas with my family on the 26th.  Let's just say, by the time the week was done, these kids were pretty much spoiled! Being so excited about their jerseys, of course, they had to wear them whenever someone new came over.  The washer became quite familiar with these garments in a very short time!

Natalie and Uncle Jeremy

Instead of a big meal, we opted for soup, salads, and finger foods.
Yes, I am rolling my eyes at my brother.  My sister snapped this one, and since it's the only one of us together, well....

Getting some snuggles from Aunt Donna

These kids love Uncle Jeremy!

Grandma lovin' on her babies!

Kaitlyn and Auntie Melanie

More pictures of the kids in front of the tree....

Donna expecting Baby James.  34 weeks and counting!!!

We had a great night, though we were sad that Justin had to work and wasn't able to come!
The kids got worn out from playing.... and wore everyone else out!
What a great week of celebration and family time!
We hope everyone had a very

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2012!!!

6 months old

Natalie is already 6 months old.  Pure craziness, I say!  Everyone says that kids grow like weeds, but even weeds kinda slow down for many of the cold months and don't grow as rapidly!  It seems like every week she's growing out of another outfit or pair of shoes.

She is such a fun baby with a huge personality. She giggles and belly laughs all the time.  It's very adorable.  She loves her toys- especially the noise makers and ones with animal faces.

She's still a mommy's girl, although one of her favorite things, is to have me hold her while she makes eyes at daddy.  She grins from ear to ear. So stinkin' cute!

 

We started putting her in her ExerSaucer, but she still is a little unsure about the whole thing.  She likes the toys, but gets frustrated because she hasn't quite figured out how to spin around in it to play with the toys behind her.

She also decided to start rolling over, and seems very proud of her new accomplishment!

Pictures

Taking some pictures in front of the tree.



Natalie really liked the tree and all the lights.

Finished...finally!

The finished product.  Our 10.5 foot tree all lit up and decorated.  I strung between 2,600 and 3,000 lights on this tree.  I borrowed Dad Starr's ladder, after I attempted the barstool on the dining room table trick.  Phew... glad that's done!

Christmas Tree 2012

Today, we headed out to get our Christmas tree. It was very cold and muddy, so Daddy and Granny stayed in the van with Natalie, while me, Papa, and the kids looked for our tree. We found a tree farm a couple of years ago that we really like.

Papa sizing up the tree.  Anthony wanted a really big one this year... 12-13 feet big.  I say, I have to light and decorate it, so we went with 10-11 feet.  Believe me, it's plenty big!

 

My little helper scouts.

Heading back to the truck to cart home our perfect find.

Yes, I say 10.5 feet is plenty big.  Did I mention we don't have a ladder?  We don't have a ladder...and I don't think my bar stools are going to do the trick!  It does fit in the tree stand, but just barely!  Here's to hoping it doesn't go toppling over in a couple of days!