The Firepit & S'mores

James got me a firepit for Christmas. I was so excited, really! I asked for it.... I knew we could have alot of fun with the kids. They love playing outside and now we can at night too! We had to break it in by roasting marshmellows. I think Hannah ate half a bag herself.

The first of the Disney photos....

So Much to Blog so little time....

I know it has been a while since my last blog, but we have been so busy...... We went to Disney, had our Company Christmas Party, James' birthday, Haydens's Birthday, went to Grammy and Poppy's for Christmas, and then celebrated Christmas with all our family here at several houses.
Wewwww.... I'm tired just thinking about it! We are so blessed to be able to have so much family! We are all healthy(except Hayden has a broken arm from wrestling with his brother) and glad to start a new year with lots more fun things planned!

Here is a slideshow of a small number of our Disney pictures. We have so many more, but they are on James camera and the Disney photo card. I am still working on getting those.

I will post birthday, Christmas, and more in the coming days....

A Run and a Reunion... Happy Thanksgiving!

We started the day running... The kids ran the one mile and James and I ran five miles at the Run thru the Woods. Hayden had a rough time because some lady yelled at him for cutting in front of her kid while running. I think she thought he was older than he is.... We get that a lot. Poor guy he is the sweetest of all our kids and if she had only known his real age of seven she would not have been so harsh. Hailey and Hunter ran pretty fast... Hailey did the mile in under six minutes and Hunter under seven. We are so proud of them. It was also fun watching Paige and Payton( our nieces) cross the finish line.



Then on to my brothers house for a family reunion. In this photo are aunts, uncles , and cousins from all over the place. We had a great time catching up on whats new and laughing about the past. The kids played for hours outside and the only one to fight and argue was Hannah. She just has to be the boss. All in all it was one of the best Thanksgivings to date!

Thanksgiving Feast at school

We had so much fun at the feast! Hannah asked, "Who's birthday is it?". She just assumes it's some ones birthday when she gets a cupcake. Our cousin Braden who also attends school with us looked to have a good time also. Hunter and Hailey were a big help. They both served in the food line. If any one has pictures of that I would love a copy. Nana also came to join us. Thanks, Nana!

Rain, Rain Go Away....

After school Hannah likes to play outside with the big kids and jump on the trampoline, but not today. It is raining, raining, and raining. She was just staring out the window....we sang rain, rain go away come again another day. It stopped for a few minutes and she was convinced the song worked.

When the boys saw me taking pictures they joined in... They think the blog is so cool.

This morning with Hannah...

The big kids all spent the night with Mamaw, and Hannah felt a little left out for a minute... She then used it to her advantage. She asked me," Mommy, can I be a princess today?" I answered, "Sure, as long as I'm the Queen."

Planning for Disney

As we look forward to our trip to Disney in December, the kids and I look back at the last couple. Our family loves to take this trip every other year.

We have gone with just us, with us and other family, and us with family and friends. This trip is going to be with more family and friends. The kids are excited to go with cousins this time. Hannah is so excited to see "all the princesses". She asked me a couple of weeks ago if she could live with Cinderella in her castle. I told her I would miss her, and she said,"I will miss you too mommy, but "her" will take good care of me."

Hunter's favorite memory of Disney was helping daddy get over being sick from riding Mission Space. He even got to climb in the window of our cabin because James was locked out when he left my mom and myself at Epcot with the key.... he thought. When actually he had the key in his pocket the whole time.

Hailey's favorite Disney memory is how the housekeeper made her bed and marked the book she was reading in the arms of her stuffed animal. Her favorite ride is the Rockin Roller coaster.

Hayden's favorite Disney memory is eating all the cookies at Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Hopefully he will ride more rides this year.

Hannah's favorite memory (pictures) is when she ate breakfast with "all the princesses".

My favorite memory of Disney is all of it! We have so much fun just being together as a family. I look forward to this year because the kids are getting older and we can do more. We are planning some different things and trying new restaurants. Even though we have gone four other times every time is a different adventure.

A Night Out

Hannah says, "mommy where are we going."

Hayden (always dancing)

Hayden dancing the "Shake"

The Boys

Hayden, Hunter, Hannah, & Hailey

Due to plumbing problems in the kitchen this weekend we decided to take the kids to Market Street to eat and walk around. The weather was so beautiful. Of course they were "thrilled" when I said I was bringing the camera to get some pictures to put on the Blog.

The night was far from typical. I mean we are an organized family and everything, but James and I have been learning recently that we cannot prepare for everything. I think we had three food or drink spills in one meal. Hayden is a riot. He is always dancing and making up his own dance moves. He even names them. Ask him to share sometime. I can promise a few laughs for sure. Hailey is just well, she is Hailey. She has to have everything planned out and know what is coming up next. No surprises, and she stays happy. Hannah is so busy and loves to be the center of attention. She wanted the whole restaurant to know she had arrived. And Hunter, He is coming to the age where he tries to make people think he is not with the other three. He still likes to be with James and I though. I wonder when that part changes.

Oh Hannah!

The reason we all smile! We never know what she is going to say or do. She is the baby but thinks she is in charge, and usually gets her point across. It is very hard to tell her no, but we manage.Our dog Riley is her best friend. They can play for hours just running in circles around the house. She gets so worked up, she does the deep belly laugh. I need to record and post it some time.
This next trip to Disney is going to be the most fun of all. If you know Hunter, Hailey , and Hayden they are all so reserved in public. Hannah is not! Life is a party and she doesn't care who is looking. We are really looking for a good kid leash, and have taught her mine and James first and last name and James' cell phone number just in case...

Thinking Back

Sisters

Hayden

The Mess

Tell me do they look scared?...

The Hurricane Party




Hurricane Ike is for us just a memory now, all is almost back to normal. We are even getting a new tree put in the backyard to replace the one we lost. As we hear stories of others we are thankful for what we have and for God keeping us safe during the storm. Like others we actually spent time with our neighbors that we have lived next to for three years and hardly knew their names. We learned that we have more things in common than we thought and that they are very dependable in a time of need.



The kids thought it was one big party, followed by a trip to Grammy and Poppy's house. Hayden was so excited to be off of school for two weeks. Little does he realize he has to make some of those days up.

We have been busy since my last post ... My Papaw turned eighty-two. Happy Birthday Papaw! I hope you have many more. James and I participated in the Race for the Cure. It was fun and a little humbling to look at how many people we know who's lives have been forever changed by cancer. We are planning our family vacation to Disney World. The kids are so excited, and I am shopping for a leash for Hannah.... I think that girl is going to be crazy! Before Disney we are having a Kurtz family reunion. I can not wait. It has been too long since we all got together at once. The kids are counting down the days until the get to see The Nash Kids.(cousins) They are all about the same age and had fun this summer when we met to them for a quick visit at Aunt Lynn's.



I am trying to post a slide show of some pictures so check back soon. I will get this figured out someday.

Well ,Today I relearned prime factorization with Hunter. Wow, how soon we forget this stuff we don't really use anyway. The hard part is to make him understand it is important stuff. He says to me, " I want to be a Game Warden, why do I need to know this". My answer," Because if you want to go to Texas A&M you have to pass math." For now that answer was good enough.



Hayden is enjoying this extra week of school, because his school took some water damage. They will actually have to move to another location with in the church to have class for a few months, but we know God has a plan. All the while Hayden has gone to new levels in Lego Star Wars on the Wii. We have had to set time limits for sure. I think he could play it for a whole day and never look up if I let him.



Hannah is back in preschool. Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. She loves it! On her days home she plays with the dogs, and trys to "do school" with the big kids. We get alot done during nap time on those days.



Hailey's right foot is fractured. She had a fall on the balance beam, but will get the boot off next week. It has cut her gymnastics back from 4 1/2 hours a day to 3. The girl is just dedicatied.... I think she gets that from her father.



James and I are just enjoying this time with them.They are all changing everyday and growing so fast. New days bring new challenges, but also new blessings.