Shecklet #1 used his height and balance to help hang the lights on Great Grandma Lois’ house for Christmas. He and his dad also decorated the front pine tree with lights, which was a fun surprise for her.
He also used his talents to help hang his Aunt Larissa’s lights, too!
This crew of kids continues to grow.
Shecklet #4 always gets an updated photo with her godparents <3
And this year, the moms decided to do a little posing for the camera as well.
Our friends, Melissa and Tom, treated us to delicious Vietnamese takeout to celebrate my latest trip around the sun (a few days before my actual birthday.) The food was delicious, the game we played was fun – and we laughed a lot! And I received thoughtful gifts of earrings and a puzzle. One of the most notable parts of the night was walking in and seeing my heads on the motorbike sign that they had for their little guy’s reptile party a few weeks earlier. I never knew I was so adventurous!
My actual birthday was on a Tuesday and we were hosting our friends for a few days. I made a new chicken recipe for dinner and baked the famous Settergren chocolate vinegar cake with GF flour – and it turned out great! A few friends came to help me celebrate and see our visitors.
Grandma and Grandpa came to watch Shecklet #3 play a couple of basketball games today.
Our friends invited us to celebrate a birthday this afternoon! Part of the celebration was a reptile show. Because of our small group, we were able to see and touch more animals than they often bring out. It was so much fun to celebrate our little friend and get up close and personal with snakes, tortoises, and lizards.
These guys have seen better days. Time and the elements have taken their toll so I figured it was time to give them a coat of fresh paint. I am excited about how they turned out!
Our SIL/kids’ aunt is in town and was planning to help her brother’s family move into their new house. We piled into the suburban and gave them a hand. The extra hands made short work of the unloading moving truck!
Meeting their new little cousin 💗 Shecklet #3 was a bit sniffly today, so she and Jake stayed home. She will meet this little one in a different day.
Hooray for the return of another “normal” activity! The kids and their friends ran through the neighborhood collecting an incredible number of full size candy bars this year. (I must admit, I jumped on this train of thought this year and it was amazingly simple – and about the same price, if not cheaper, than buying all of those mini bars of candy.)
While kids did their thing, a friend of mine (and mom to 4 of the kids,) hung out, handed out candy and sipped cider. Yum!
Two dogs and to Darth Vaders. These four made quite the haul!
