I will start by saying that 2015 has treated us pretty good.
Kayla is still in love with Owen and is ever so cute about it. Thank goodness for her, he is actually starting to give her the time-of-day. She's been waiting a really long time for that.
Jenna has been tiny her whole life and 2015 hasn't proven any different. The following picture was taken in January and I'm pretty sure she hasn't grown any since then. It is so cute how she can snuggle in with all of those stuffed animals, though
Jaxton had his very 1st ever pinewood derby race. He loved it so much!
Kayla discovered head towels and showers. She's getting so big!
We went to AZ and everyone was so happy to meet the newest addition, baby Brooklyn! My sister's 3rd, who we were all happy to see happy and healthy after some pretty difficult health issues.
The kids also enjoyed their time by the pool
Jared and Cynthia were both able to visit at the same time, which hasn't happened in ages. It was so nice to have everyone together!
Jaxton made his First Communion, and as with every sacrament, it was special beyond words.
For the 4th of July we went to my Mom's which is always fun. Jenna is afraid of fireworks because they are so loud, and in the past she would have nothing to do with them. This year though, she watched them in the street as long as we kept her ears covered. We didn't think it would last all that long, but she surprisingly watched all of them... and even with a smile on her face! The kids also enjoyed spending some quality time with their Uncle Mark and Great Grandpa John!
Mitch doesn't get an opportunity much to take things like hikes and we were kind of stressed out and anxious about the house hunting we had been doing. There was one particular week where we were waiting for that phone call saying that we would actually close on the one we wanted, so we decided to unwind by taking some lunch and going on a little family hike. We didn't get reception where we were, and when we came back into town there were multiple missed phone calls from the mortgage company and our realtor with messages to get back to them right away. It turns out that the snags we were up against got worked out and we were able to sign the next morning on our house!!! Such a good day!
Jaxton and Owen became buddies this year and got into this routine right before we moved where Owen would meet Jaxton in his room and Jaxton would read to him before bed. It was the cutest dang thing. If either of them missed it for some reason, they would feel incomplete. I don't really know how it started but it just became this thing. I'm glad, too, because once we moved into our new house they had to share a room, so I think it helped prep them for that. They bonded.
August was a full month for us. Jenna turned 4 and her birthday landed on moving day. She was excited to have her big monster donut for breakfast and the moving men let her take a picture in the moving van. Stephanie surprised her with a purple birthday cake, because that's what she really wanted... that made her day, I'm pretty sure! The kids started school at a new school this year and they were so nervous about it, especially Kayla. Thankfully, they adjusted so well and made friends almost immediately. They love their new school and so do we. We spent a lot of time unpacking and making adjustments to the house. We decided to break it up a bit by spending a day at the lake with Mitch's brother. The kids had a blast and it was a nice little get away for the day.
First night in our new house!!!
Mitch and Owen are enjoying some morning silliness before we get to more unpacking
Once we hit September, the time flew by for the rest of the year. I started watching a little boy for a few days out of the week which was an adjustment for our routine, but it has been good, and we had the usual fall festivities. My sister came out for Halloween this year, so we spent it together at my Mom's house. It was fun for the cousins to go trick-or-treating together. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, as usual, but it was fun this year because it was our first one in our new house. My Grandpa celebrated 90 years this year, so my Mom and Stepdad put on a big party for him. It was nice to have all of the extended family in one spot again for a time. Then we moved on to a Colorado trip to see my Stepson, Jared, graduate college. I will admit that I love Denver! It was my first time there and I thought it was an amazing place. It was a quick trip... sort of.... I'll get to that little detail in a minute. I think we'll have to make plans to go there again sometime, so we can spend more time enjoying it. On our way back from Denver we got in a car accident and hit a semi that had slipped on black ice and was taking up both lanes of the highway, so what was supposed to be a quick trip got drawn out by a few days in Cheyenne, WY because our van was totaled. We couldn't get home right away. Thankfully, we all walked away with minor bumps and bruises. It could have been so bad... God had his hand in it for sure!!! After we got back home, Christmas was less than a week away and I am excited to start a fresh new year in 2016!
making adjustments on our new house... adding a fence and concrete!!!
trip to the pumpkin patch
Fun with the cousins!
Our annual caramel corn night!
Thanksgiving!
Jared's college graduation!
The day we left Denver, Jared and his girlfriend, Jess, took us to the Children's Museum of nature and science. My kid's got to meet Jess's kids. Let me tell you, it was not easy getting them to leave.
Our accident
Getting ready for Christmas!
Christmas!
My Mom gave me this book that is so special to me. My Mom read it when she was little girl and let me read it when I was little girl. It turns out that I never knew my Grandma Kath also read it when she was a little girl. It even has a library stamp dated Christmas of 1944. Such a treasured gift. It warmed my heart more than I have words to say.
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