Gingerbread House Challenge 2013

Our annual gingerbread house tradition has taken a competitive edge this year...and according to the older boys is now the annual Gingerbread Challenge.  We grouped into 3 teams - Team 1 - Spencer and Ethan, Team 2 - DJ, Tanner and Dallen and Team 3 - the Girls (Julia, Elise and Erica).  Tanner and Dallen took this very seriously and had a drawing sketched up of their house (including the specific candies and colors - it was very cool).  In the end - everyone voted for their own house (of course), so there was no declared winner.  However - here are the honorable mentions:
Best use of Candy - Team 2 (DJ, Tanner and Dallen)
Most Candy Eaten - Team 1 (Spencer and Ethan)
Most Frosting Used - Team 3  (the girls)...

Now - to realize the seriousness of this annual event - every team starts off even - even amounts of frosting, candy and workspace (which for some reason becomes very important)

Houses ready for assembly

 

Girls decorating their house...

 Erica - the "frosting queen" - she loved using the decorating bag (poor girl - she spends way to much time in the kitchen with mom)!

Look at that awesome use of candy (I wish I had a picture of their notebook they kept referring too as the assembled their house - it was adorable)

 

 The candy fiends...

 

 Notice how plain their house was...they kept eating ALL their candy!

 

 The finish products and the proud designers...

2013 Highlights

After looking over the photos taken this past year, I've decided we are very ordinary and don't do many outlandish and exciting things - WAIT - what am I talking about...raising six kids, selling one house and building a new one - that's about as exciting as it can get - right?  There was plenty of things going on this past year....here are just a few of the highlights: 


This past year began with a couple of good snowstorms here in the Midwest - now realize that there is usually a LOT of ice and wind that comes along with these storms - so to have a true snowstorm that the kids get to go out and play in truly a cool thing!

 

February 2013 - we actually had a really good snowstorm that dropped a record amount of snow - the kids (and dog) loved it - the played outside for HOURS!

 

 

 

 





Our "kid-free" cruise to the Caribbean...very fun, and ready to go back!

 Dallen lost his first tooth...in fact, if I add them all up, I think if we add up all the teeth our kids lost this year, we could probably fill a mouth!

 

 

 

SPORTS - between practices and games, we seem to always be running.  As a mother of six - we have to have our energy outlets....and this is one of the best ways - and healthy too!

Ethan running the ladder drill (I think that's what it's called anyway)

 

This was Elise's first year of soccer...not the best picture, but the clearest!

Dallen's second year of playing soccer - he really got into it!

 

Spencer does play many sports - football, basketball, soccer, etc, but for some reason , can't find a picture of him in action (actually, I did find a track picture of him running, but he will not let me use it).  He also refs soccer games for volunteer hours...I loved this picture of him (he was trying to remember which kid scored the goal - not the look you want your ref to have!)

 

Tanner pitching in a baseball game...on a side note, and not that you can really tell - but our new house is being built in the background of this picture...don't know why you need to know that - but it's there

 

 

Erica started dance this year...that is all that she wanted for her 3rd birthday was to dance.  She seems to have a knack for dancing and does really well - the best part is making her skirt twirl - truly a girlie girl!

SCHOOL PROGRAMS:  When you have many children and they are in different schools there seems to always be something going on at one of them.  Sometimes it's a pain to get there , but the programs are always fun (don't get me started on the schools here...there really isn't time - let's just say that I have 5 kids in school and they go to 4 different schools)

 

Dallen's music program - he loved being a cowboy!

 

Ethan plays the clarinet and has many opportunities to perform...

Tanner at his schools "Battle of the Books" contest - he looks forward to this all year

Spencer took an "acting" class one semester, and they put on a play for part of their final grade.  This is him in action - he was 'Kermit the Frog'...he had a hard time keeping his "pokerface" - in fact, if any of the kids looked at each other, they would start cracking up - it was still cute!

SUMMER FUN - I don't have many pictures of summer...but we were always off doing something.  The two pictures I do have are one of the 4th of July (it gets a little crazy here in the Midwest) and another one of the four younger kids at the zoo when Spencer and Ethan were at Scout Camp.



The boys were using this cooler to put firecrackers in and light them.  It caught on fire when they tried to light 500 at the same time...boys...the love the 4th of July!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL   - Elise started Kindergarten this year...it's amazing how quickly they grow up, but fun to see them learn new things...

 

 

 

HALLOWEEN

 

2013 has been a memorable year...here's looking forward to 2014!



New Home for the Holidays

A year ago we were meeting with architects and builders...today we now live in the house that was just a drawing and a dream.  It was a fun journey, full of great memories and many lessons.  Luckily, our old house was close enough to the new house to check out the progress just as often as we liked (actually 1.2 miles away).  The kids loved to go and run around through the framing and see where their new room would be.  I recently noticed that I have a TON of pictures of the house being built...but not a one of the house completed inside...I will work on that and get some pictures of the completed interior.  Here is a quick glance of the house construction...

 

Feb. 2013 - Groundbreaking (aka - just a big hole in the ground)

Basement Foundation

First lumber drop

Main level framing from the front...it still amazes me how quickly this part went...

View of framing from back of house

Kids running "through the walls" - I know this is totally not a good parenting moment (especially how Elise is jumping from the pile of unsteady 2x4's) - but I loved it as a kid - and now my kids look at the pictures and remember how fun and totally cool it was to be able to run through the walls!

Kitchen cabinets going in...

Back of house...

View of back of the house...amazing what a little siding and paint can do!

Front of house

 

I should actually give DJ the credit for most of the construction pictures.  I usually forgot to bring the camera - however, he saved the day by always having his phone with him to bail me out!



Under Construction....

We are currently "revamping the blog"... (sounds a little Halloweenie).  Anyhow - check back at week's end and we will have the latest and greatest info up!!

Look What I Found

Well, it's official - Erica's a thumb sucker. I've tried the binky, but she never really liked it - now I know why. I have to admit - it's pretty darn cute (at least right now...in 5 years it probably won't be so cute)!

Tanner's Musical Debut

A fun clip of Tanner's music program. He was so excited to do this part of the program!

(I'm not really sure what the song says, but I know that he is a Tiki Bird...)

Birthday Boy

It amazes me each time my children have a birthday of how fast the years go by...it only seems like yesterday that Dallen was born. He had a great birthday - he woke up on his birthday morning to cake and presents. All he really wanted was a train cake and a lawnmower that made bubbles - he got both! What a happy boy!

Spring Parties, Animal Expos, Field Trips and Strep Throat...? Oh, My!

I really don't know why everything has to happen the last week of school. I really wish that they would try to spread out the fun activities throughout the year...this last week has been chaos! The boys had a lot of activities to attend...and with DJ being out of town for part of the week - that means I'm hoppin all day! Of course the end of year Spring Parties were scattered throughout the week - they were fun to help plan and attend, but I'm glad they are over.

We started the week off with Dallen's end of year preschool trip to an animal park. He loved it. He got to play with bunnies, turtles and even lemurs! It was a fun day.

Ethan had his Animal Expo this week, and he did an awesome job with his Pit Viper animal project. I was so impressed that he put his own PowerPoint slideshow together and built his own diarama. He did a great job!

We ended the week at the doctor with Spencer...Strep Throat has struck again. He was pretty bummed to miss the last two days of school (he missed all the pizza parties, movies, water balloons, and all the other learning that takes place). I tried to convince him that he was lucky - he got two extra days of summer - he didn't go for it! Now the fun of summer begins...I'm actually looking forward to it in some wierd way. It will be challenging keeping all 6 kids busy and happy, but I'm thinking it will be fun!

Discovery Channel in our own Backyard

Each spring we have a robin or two that will build a nest in the trees in our yard. The boys always love to watch the birds, and this year was especially fun. You see, Mrs. Robin was very confused. Instead of choosing a nice tree, she instead choose space above our floodlight on our deck. I tried shooeing her away - I even took down her nest four times as she tried to built it, but she insisted that this is where she was going to have her nest. Unfortunately, when I was running errands one day, she won the nest battle...by the time I checked it that night, she had it mudded up and was sitting in it. Of course the boys were thrilled, and Mrs. Robin learned that she would have to live with the boys constant running in and out of the house. She was a good mommy bird...all three eggs she laid hatched, and our boys learned a lot watching her take care of those baby birds!