Gerry Waibel/Wyss Christmas

We enjoyed the Waibel christmas on christmas weekend. Always a good time with family.

Each year we do the most fun thing which is an appetizer dinner. I love it cause there is (as you can see) many options to choose from. Some this year included shimp coctail, bacon wrapped crab, bacon wrapped smokies, cheese puffs, texas caviar, bread bowl with spinach dip, jello jigglers, stuffed mushrooms and more. So delish!!
Here are the kids with their stocking stuffers. As you can see they each got a camping chair backpack. Pretty cool.

Liam with the santa hat. What a stud!!

It was off to the Wyss Christmas on Sunday that same weekend. It was at Uncle Dale and Aunt Susie's house. So nice to be with everyone again. Seems its a once a year that we get to be with the Wyss's with all that is always going on. Liam posing with Great Grandpa Wyss. Such a great picture!!

We played this game where each team got a bag of goodies and we had to use what was in the bag to make a nativity scene. The Gerry Waibel family was a team and this is our nativity that we put together. Fun activity, but we had to be super creative!! Thankfully we had Kelli who is the artist and made all the faces and drawings that we needed. Mom waibel made the manger that Jesus is laying in:). Nate made the star, dad waibel and nick made the wise men. I made Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

I think that covers all our Christmas' that we have had this past 2010 year. We didn't have the Leon Waibel christmas yet and Im not real sure when we will have it. Its hard to get everyone together for that christmas.

Top 12 of 2010!!

Starting at NUMBER TWELVE!! Minnesota vacation
NUMBER ELEVEN!! Boating with our family.

NUMBER TEN!! Alisha lived with us for a month.

NUMBER NINE!! Week long vacation with Steidingers in Alabama.

NUMBER EIGHT!! Nick and I went on a Haiti Mission Trip

NUMBER SEVEN!! One of the many pictures to show fun family outings on the weekends.

NUMBER SIX!! Gramps and Grams 60th Anniversary!!

NUMBER FIVE!! Our nephew Austin was born!! And our neice Liberty was born!! (austin pictured below)

NUMBER FOUR!! Caden turned 5 years old.

NUMBER THREE!! Elijah turned 8 years old.

NUMBER TWO!! Liam turned 1 year old.

AND THE NUMBER ONE BEST REASON OF 2010 IS: MY FAMILY!!!(including Nick of course)

Our Christmas!

We have a tradition of having a fancy meal to start our evening of "our Christmas". The boys are pretty excited all day and usually have extra energy. All normal of course cause I remember when I'd be "off the walls" in excitment over christmas too.
I made Beef Brisket. Ive never made before, and may not make for a long time. Boys didn't like it:(. We also had baked potatoes with a yummy topping, green beans with fresh mushrooms and peppers, and bread.

Both Elijah and Caden had gifts for us under the tree from school. The one we are opening is from Caden. (he took the picture too). Elijah was a bit sad this year as we opened his. His was just a note that said "your gift will not be coming on time this year". He actually was crying, because he felt bad that he had been sick earlier before christmas break and couldn't finish his gift to us. So we will get it after christmas break which is fine:).

Elijah opening his lego's again:). He probably got 5 different lego sets this year. AND yes they are all put together already!!

Caden got lego's as well, but Elijah helps him with his:).

Liam our third boy really needs NOTHING because his brothers have all he ever needs, so as I was looking around for gift idea's I came across the large mega blocks. We actually do NOT own any of those, so I picked up a bag of them. He loves them and thinks its cool he can play lego's too by himself.

Each year as part of our tradition we do Fondue for dessert. The boys think its the "best part" of christmas. Liam got to partake in it this year and he couldn't get enough. He was squealing with delight and nick had to stay busy feeding him or if nick wasn't ready fast enough Liam would cry. Pathetic I know.

Yep, another part of the tradition...sit on top of the table:). I wonder when they will think they are old enough to use chairs??

Usually we aren't around for christmas morning, but now that we live here and aren't traveling to see family on Christmas morning we might get to keep this new tradition we started....which simply is saving stocking stuffers for Christmas morning. Boys seemed to like it as they got to open gifts on Christmas morning.

Sure praying everyone had a safe and happy Christmas!! May the Lord bless you this New Year in 2011!!!

Jerry Gutwein/Harold Gutwein Christmas'

Jerry Gutwein Christmas was a week before christmas, so we got to enjoy christmas for a couple weeks. Elijah opening one of his many gifts. (jason...you don't look to happy in the background:))
Caden loved getting his lego's. My boys are very much into their lego's. Gives them lots of time to be creative or put together one of their model sets.

Liam was thrilled to get this car from grandpa and grandma gutwein. Its soft and lights up. He thinks its pretty fun to zoom all over the house.

Liam opening his stocking stuffers. It was pretty fun watching him open gifts this year. He actually enjoyed tearing off the paper. The only problem was the fact that once it was open he needed it out of the box as well and he wanted to play with it NOW!! Not a good idea with all the gift wrap paper laying around. Needless to say he cried alot this christmas.

Kids all in a row waiting their turn to open stocking stuffers.

Harold Gutwein Christmas:

A tradition was started a few years back to have each couple kiss under grandpa and grandma's misletoe....so here is nick and I:)

Of course the kids wanted in on this too:). Elijah and Kyra

Caden and Lily exchanging a sweet cousin kiss.

Catching up!

These are out of order:(.....

Nick has a christmas work party for the family and its Cosmic Bowling!! Its a blast and the kids really love it. Elijah up to bowl.
Caden up to bowl. His ball barely even rolls down the lane. Its so funny, but yet when the ball gets there, it pretty much knocks down most pins. Impressive!!

Liam enjoyed dancing to the music that day.

They have free food and drinks for the family. Here the kids are enjoying their snacks.

Each year we make christmas cookies. Lately we have made the same kinds and so once again here are our attempts at white chocolate covered pretzels and buckeye's. Not pictured we also made fudge and toffee bars. Yummy.

Here are the boys busy helping. Of course they get bored pretty quickly, so this was at the start of the cookie making.

Our first REAL snow fall....the boys loved playing in it.

Elijah's a good big brother pulling Caden in the sled.

A Family of Six.......

NO More......

Alisha K. went back to Haiti today(Wednesday). Of course this makes me sad to no longer have her in our home, but I know how excited she was to go see her family. Its been a pleasure, and a huge honor to have her living with us for a month. I sadly didn't take alot of pictures, but the ones we did take do a good job of explaining what all we did.

Alisha was a huge help and an amazing 16 year old!!! She was always willing to play with the boys, babysit the boys, change liams diaper, get him ready for bed, deal with fighting kids if need be (when I was gone), and get them fed.

They even made a train track together which I found out that Liam was very much into:). We keep them in a bin and I guess my older boys don't play with them much so it really never crossed my mind that Liam would be of age to play them.

Of course I had to introduce alisha to Ticket to Ride. Now mind you, this picture was actually taken at the end of her stay....we tried to calculate how many times we played this game in a month and we came up with a rough estimate of 70 (give or take) times!!!!! Liam takes great naps, and kids are in school, house work done, not time to make dinner yet....so what did we do??? We played TTR!!! We got so fast at it we could finish a game easily in 20 minutes. I think I might just have withdraw symptoms come next week:).

It was a fun time having her in my kitchen as well. We tried a few new recipes, but also stuck with those comfort foods:). Here she is with a pot of Potato Soup. YUM!!! We made many cookies, christmas candies, meals, lunches and NO breakfast. Neither of us are breakfast eaters...so that was easy.

We also took her out to eat at a Sushi restaurant. We not only wanted her to try this stuff(cause we like it), but also a thank you for all she did with our boys while living with us. I think she enjoyed the sushi and would eat it again....next year:). Its an all you can eat; served to order place. So we all ordered several different kinds and tried everyone else's. Worked out nice, because we were able to try 10 different kinds of sushi. Eel, tempura shrimp, salmon, tuna, crab, fish eggs, and other kinds.

Here is a couple samplings:). Oh and we also had a huge plate of Crab Legs...which were delicious!

God even allowed Alisha to enjoy the snow while here. She kept saying how she loved snow and how the cold didn't bother her. Of course keep in mind most of the year she is in 80+ degree weather. So our first snow fall of the season we walked out on the porch in bare feet...(she insisted) and snapped this picture. I was freezing...she was not! I kind of think that she got a good share of snow and the cold and just might have been ready for warm weather by the time she left today:).

Alisha,

I love you dearly. Yes we are 15 years apart, but it sure is hard to tell at times. You are a mature 16 year old. And I can also be an immature 30 year old too.
We had many laughs, many times we would give each other a "hard time" and be sarcastic to each other. I loved having a GIRL upstairs to go to to ask about my clothes...if they matched, which shoes to wear. I loved trying on different make up's and playing around with our faces in the mirror. I loved having someone to talk to during the day. My house is so quiet right now, its a bit sad:(. I loved getting to know you so much better. I loved having you here to help me grocery shop(cause you would help with cranky pants in the cart:)). It was so nice to be doing something, knowing that I needed to be getting boys ready for bed and all of a sudden, down would come Liam dressed and ready for bed or even better yet...put to bed!! You were such an amazing help to me. I now know one of the reasons your mother wants you back:)....she could use your helping hands with your siblings. Did a learn anything from this visit?? ABSOLUTELY!!! I learned that I need to enjoy my kids at the ages they are NOW!! Ive always wanted them to be older and more independent, but now that Ive had you in my house for a month alisha, I have realized that VERY SOON my boys will be 16 and won't need me anymore. They will be going out at night with friends, they will be on the phone with friends, they will read books in their rooms, they will want alone time(and none of this is bad, trust me)...its just that soon and very soon I will be a lonely lady in this house. SO I NEED TO ENJOY MY KIDS AT THEIR YOUNG AGE!! and be THANKFUL THEY STILL NEED ME!!!

Thanks again alisha for staying with us!!! We love you!!!