Christmas pics

Some pics from Christmas...

Auntie Monkey Becky

Giant Darth Vader!

Reading

Playing with Cousin Theo

Darth Santa

More cousins!

Cousin Joseph, Grampa Brian, and Aunt Becca

Opening presents at Gramma and Grampa Holt's house!

Yay!

Most favorite present, of course

"Harvest in the Meadows"

Gramma and Grampa Holt came to visit over Halloween weekend, and we took the kiddos to Oxbow Meadows for their 2nd annual "Harvest in the Meadows" fall festival.  There were a couple of bouncers, a reptile show, punkin' chunkin', face painting and little carnival games.  It was pretty fun, even if they couldn't get the trebuchet to chunk any punkins :(  The kiddos wore themselves out and each got to touch a snake and a turtle!

 

Slide!

Caught in mid-air!

Getting a blue butterfly painted on her arm

Maura went down this big slide too many times to count!

Touching a turtle!

Happy Halloween!

A beautiful blue butterfly and a black widow spider!

 

Cagle's Farm Fall Fun!

We took the kiddos to Cagle's farm for their fall festival activities, which included a huge corn maze!  We met Kelly and the girls and Uncle Kublai and Theo came along, too.

 

Jumpy thing

Maura had a hard time staying up!

Cousins Alice & Linley

Cow nuzzles!!

Posing by the calf

Brooklyn's birthday party

Every year Aiden's friend Brooklyn has a costume birthday party.  This year Aiden wore his pirate costume from last year and Maura wore a princess dress that we got last year after Halloween.  It was a bit small but she wore it the whole time!

 

A princess and a pirate

Cap'n Jack Sparrow vs. 2 ninjas!  (Brooklyn is in the white)

Pinata time!

Weekend beach trip

Both Matt and Aiden had a rare 3 day weekend at the same time, so we took advantage and rented a condo in Destin!  The condo itself was gorgeous, we had a wrap-around balcony with fantastic ocean views, and the pool had cool color-changing lights.  Aiden LOVED getting in the ocean (a far cry from a few years ago when just having sand on his feet caused a meltdown of enormous proportions).  And Maura had a blast wherever we went, but her favorite thing was swimming in the pool.  It was a great, relaxing break that we desperately needed!

Colorful pool

I think the hat strap was bothering her

Pool time!

Jumping off Daddy's shoulders

Up close

Standing by Daddy's "village"

Aiden the destructor!

This was a mural in the garage of the condo

Last day at the pool!

10 grandkids!

Every summer Beth's stepsister Marie brings her 4 girls for a visit to her GA family (they live in Wisconsin), and we all get together one day.  We've added kids to the mix throughout the years, and this year we added my stepsister Becca's baby, Joseph!  Between my mom and my stepdad they have 10 grandkids all together!  This year we went to the bouncy house place, out to lunch and then to a splash pad.  Everyone had a great time and all the kiddos were totally worn out by the end of the day :)

All the grandkids!

Grandkids and their parents (Parents from L-R: Becca, Marie, Kelly, Kublai, Becky, Beth & Matt. Grandkids from L-R: Joseph, Maggie, Annie, Katie, Alice, Linley, Dorie, Theo, Aiden &  Maura)

Grandpa Brian, Gramma Nancy and all their grandkids!

Becca, Brian, Bonnie & Joseph

Daddy helped Maura play basketball

Aiden and Maggie (Marie's youngest)

Aiden attacking Uncle Kublai!