Our Boys...Always Makin' Us Proud!

We are so proud of Hunter. He was chosen Student of the Month for his class for the month of December! Today was the assembly where parents could come and watch their children receive their certificates, so I took Coop and Kora with me. (They were actually very well-behaved, thank goodness)!

Mrs. Wysong usually mispronounces Hunter's last name, but neither of us noticed whether or not she did this time...we were too excited!

He actually got to go down to the front two times - he also got perfect attendace for 2nd quarter!

Hunter also brought home a very impressive report card today, which was like icing on the cake! We are so super proud of him for the effort he puts into the things he does. There are so many things about him that make him special, but the fact that he does well in school and shows respect to others are among the best!

While Cooper doesn't have awards like this in preschool, we have noticed lately that he has improved A LOT in writing his letters, numbers and his name! Preschool has definitely been good for Coop - not just for things like this, but for social skills, learning to play with others and learning to respect authority. We are still working on his speech - he has some trouble pronouncing the letters 's' and 'f'. But he makes us as proud as Hunter makes us, in the fact that he has become more eager to learn, to do his homework, and to be nice to everyone in his class. He loves to help me around the house, and he has such a tender heart...he really is a lovey little guy! What can I say? These guys are our life, and we feel so blessed to be their parents!

Frosty...

The boys and I spent New Year's Day at my parents' house, since Dave was snowmobiling. We had quite a bit of snow, and I knew the boys would love to build a snowman, so we brought our snowclothes over and persuaded Nana & Papa to come outside and play with us!

It started out very innocent...a nice snowman and a couple of very cute snow angels. But Papa can't resist starting a good snowball fight, so soon we were all pelting each other with snow. Only two people cried...I'll let you guess who. LOL!

We had a nice lunch together, and played Sequence and Candy Land with Nana while Papa took a nap. We can always count on them to let us come hang out when Daddy's gone snowmobiling...it gets lonely sometimes!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Precious Christmas Memories...

Christmas this year was very special. It seems as though each year gets better and better, and I really think it's because our children are finally understanding the MEANING of Christmas! It is so special to hear them say things like, "This is the night that baby Jesus was born!", or "It doesn't matter if I get everything I wanted, it's more important that we are just all together on Christmas."

We opened our presents on Christmas Eve morning, to have our own family celebration. We invited my parents and my sister Ashlee over for a nice lunch, then spent the evening at Uncle Tony & Aunt Marci's house. The boys were so excited with what they got, and Dave and I were too!

Hunter really loved his new Bible (with his name on it), his John Cena PS3 game, his big Optimus Prime and his Nerf gun!

Coop was especially pleased with his John Cena wrestling ring, his Randy Orton wrestling figure and his John Cena shirt and beanie!

Christmas morning at Mom & Dad's is always fun. My favorite part is my mom's Christmas breakfast! After breakfast comes presents galore, and even though it takes a long time we all treasure each moment and each gift. It is especially fun to watch others' reactions to what we got them! My dad got my mom a gorgeous new wedding ring - it was a moment I'll remember forever - so sweet! We played cards and Apples to Apples, which turned out to be really fun, and ate so many sugar cookies that we all had belly aches that night!

Mom and Ash...such beautiful ladies. :)

Hunter got a REAL digital camera from Nana & Papa!

Coop's Buzz and Woody pj's from Uncle Kev & Aunt Kris!

REAL football helmets and jerseys!

The next day we had two different celebrations - my Nana & Grandpa's house, then Dave's family Christmas. Although we couldn't stay long at nana & grandpa's, it was still fun and we got to see some family that we don't normally get to see. The boys got some fun gifts from their cousins! And Dave's family get-together was equally exciting. We played games and ate yummy appetizers and opened gifts. Again, the boys got some fun toys - a remote control truck and a flag football set!

A Decepticon Transformer from Daniel..

A hamburger restaurant Play-Doh set from Brandi!

Grandma and Papa know how much Cooper loves Hot Wheels toys!

RC truck from Jakey!

The Kleinow grandsons...Taylor (12), Coop (4), Hunter (7), Jayden (5), Jake (7), Rykker (6)

I do have to admit that when Christmas is over, I always feel a little bit sad. I just love to have things to do, places to go, people to visit with - and when it's all over I can't help but feel depressed! But I am so thankful for the special times we spent together as a family this year, and all of God's many blessings! I'm sure when Christmas rolls around again, it will seem like this one just passed and we'll all be going, "Hey! Wasn't it just Christmas?!" Haha! I really hope you all had a blessed time too, and that this new year will be a special one!