Happy New Year!

Christmas

Christmas Day we spent with the Lucas family and had a lovely day together.  

 All went off without a hitch and look how excited C was to see Uncle Tyler. ;)

 The soon to be married couple...now married.  Yay!

 We drove back to Minnesota and Santa had been here while we were gone.

 Micah was tired of waiting for us to open his race track and took matters into his own hands.

So blessed.

Wagoner Christmas

I'm really trying to get Christmas caught up on the blog before February.  Ha!  Mass in WR is always loooooong and at 5pm when my kids are not ready to sit.  Every single year Shawn and I grumble about mass in WR, some things never change.  :)  The kids and adults all did great this year though.  Micah took a snooze, which helped him power through the night of presents.  Paul, Deanna, Molly, Johnny and Samuel weren't able to come at the last minute and we all sure missed them.

Julia giving Celia tips on the piano.

 Uncle Darren and C.

 Uncle Shawn and the kids tracking Santa.

 Grandpa reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas"

 The kids enjoyed the humor he peppered in.

 Then we tried to get a group shot.  I can't help but laugh as I go through the shots.

 The best?!

 Julia and Celia hit it off.

I know Celia is excited about her own lawn mower instead of using the hand me down nearly broke to pieces version we have. 

I love this family.  What a great time.

Birthday Boy

As always we celebrated Noah's SIX year mark in Nebraska.  Noah loves this tradition and we love that he is surrounded by his family for his special day.  The cake is the focus of the party for him.  He requested a Vikings football cake and Uncle Tyler delivered big time by asking his wedding cake baker to make it.  Then Noah placed the football guys just so.

So happy.

A stubborn candle.

Presents!

Excited about posters from Aunt Beth and family.

"Oh yeah, Wes Welker.  He's the best."  Have I mentioned how this kid cracks me up?

Such a happy day.  Such a wonderful boy.  Thankful to be his mom, everyday.

Noah's Interview from "Your Birthday Book":

What were some of your favorite gifts that you got this year.  

Solar system kit.  Sports posters.  Vikings jersey.

Tell me what immediately comes to mind when I say these words.

Home:  family

Favorite color:  purple

Brother/sister:  nice

Magic:  guessing

Bedtime:  stuffed giraffe and puppies

School:  Easton

Hero:  football players

Love:  How mom loves me.

What makes you really, really happy?  When my team wins.  The Vikings.

What do you look for in a friend?  Nice to me.

Are you scared of anything?  Getting locked in my room.

What do you like to do on Saturday mornings?  Play with dad.

What do you think you'd like to be when you grow up?  A Vikings player.

Besides your birthday, what is your favorite day of the year?  Memorial Day.  I like going to the parade and seeing the doves.

Who is the last person you kissed?  Mom in the night and Dad before bed.

How much does a family car cost?  $100

Who is the biggest person you know?  How tall do you think he or she is?  How much does he or she weigh?  Uncle Darren.  7 feet.  90 pounds.

Who is the littlest person you know?  How tall do you think do you think he/she is?  How much does he or she weigh?  Samuel.  10 inches.  1 pound.

How many people do you think live in your neighborhood?  How many live in the world?  50.  Infinity because there are always new babies.

Love note!

Today an unexpected thing happened.  Noah came home with a love note.  His classmate, Mariana, left it is in his cubby.  Oh. my. stars!  Noah doesn't think about liking girls or boys more than having fun as friends, but he sure did beam about having a special note from her saying she really likes him.  He has started his response note.  It is filled to the brim with hearts.  They are just so adorable and innocent.  Can I bottle this age and keep it forever?

Mariana told Noah that the note below was written by her friend.  Both her siblings are younger than she is so I'm thinking teenage babysitter??

Decorating Grandma's Tree

Grandma Jane always leaves her tree bare so the grandkids can decorate it.  Deanna and her family stayed in Texas this year so it was a smaller group to add the merry.

Julia and Celia hit it off.

Sibling Exchange

This year we decided to start a sibling gift exchange. Celia is pretty young for this but we wanted Noah and Micah to start the tradition of picking something special for a brother and sister.  Shawn and I took them to Target and gave them a $15 budget to shop with.  Our plan is that the kids will use their own money for this as they get older.  The kids exchanged gifts prior to our drive to Nebraska.

Noah really thought about what would make Micah happy.  Ninja Squinkies (I do not understand what makes Squinkies enticing!) and a bey blade of his own.  Micah was quite pleased.

Celia got a new Mickey Mouse club movie.  This little movie helped our drive to Nebraska tremendously.  *Miska Mouska Too*  *Hey Tootles*  *Mickey and Donald Had a Farm*.  Yes, they are just a little bit stuck in my head! :)

Micah chose the Herbie car movies for Noah with Shawn's help.  Shawn told Noah that this was one of his favorite movies when he was a kid.  The jury is still out on whether Noah likes them as much as Shawn did.