Prairie Lights 2007

Tonight- the whole Branch/Kline/Skipper clan went to Prairie Lights. It was the first time for all of us. We got there at a perfect time! The line as we left was about a 2 hour wait. We had to go in 2 cars- Granny Lou and Pop split time between the cars. The 3 older kids loved the lights. From what I understand- Jonathan was yelling for Dylan to come on! We pulled off a miracle- we got all 10 of us in a picture with Santa--tonight was so much fun-- definite memories to cherish for a lifetime!

I know you can't see the lights- but here is how my 2 rode through the car-- the windows down- heads as far out the window as we would let them.

The middle of the lights has a holiday area. There are a few rides, food and Santa. Here the kids are ready to go!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!! Pop and his 2 boys!

Dylan walked right up to Santa and took his hand---

Eric and Clay took Kadyn, Dylan, and Jonathan on the bear ride. It is one that spins and then you can make the bear spin more.

Here is Jonathan on the carousel. The moment Kaci sat him on the horse-- he began saying "All Done!" You can see the fear on his face.

Here is how Kaci and Jonathan rode the carousel.

Here we are---

Tonight was so much fun!!! I can't wait till next year!!

Much to Catch Up On

This Christmas season is proving to be a busy one. There was much to catch up on. So make sure to keep reading on..... there are 8 new posts on here, not including this one.

I know there will be more to come from the holidays!

Cookie Party 2007

What fun our Cookie Party was! There were 12 kids and 6 adults. The kids did quite well overall. They were definitely on a sugar high at the end-- but what great memories were made! The day started with playtime--then the good stuff-- PIZZA!!! After pizza, the real fun began. We made snowmen out of marshmallows and oreos. Dylan was so proud of his. However he got quite upset when the snowman would not stand up so he could eat him!! Then it was onto Christmas trees with m&m for decorations. Make sure to notice the mess Dylan made from eating it. Kadyn did a great job of iciing her tree all by herself-- she also had a unique way of eating it. She did not want to get messy! The last project was decorating sugar cookies-- again a fun treat. The day ended with a book exchange. The younger kids simply chose a present. The older kids played a game where they had to pass the book the the left or right when they heard the direction in the story. We had a great time-- we moms laughed as we said our kdis will be 17 and still doing this-- even if we force it!!!! We can't wait until next year!!

Kadyn's School Christmas Party

I got to something I don't normally get to do. Kadyn's class Christmas party overlapped with my classes PE time. So I got to go for 20 minutes!! I got there and they were doing a craft- the first 2 pictures. They were using a push pin to punch out the dots. They made holiday pictures when finished.

After they finished this, they began another craft. They made Gingerbreadmen pins. I had to leave shortly after this. I did not get to enjoy the goodies-- but I was told the rest of the party was a good time.

Kadyn's Gingerbread House 2007

Kadyn continued her tradition of making a Gingerbread house. We were given the materials this year by a teacher who made them with her class. She had one kit left over and gave it to us. Here are a few pics of Kadyn making her house. She was so proud-- Dylan loved it the next morning. She did this after he went to bed so she could make it in peace! I did have to continually tell Dylan he could not climb on the counter to eat it! He finally accepted that I was serious about 4 hours later!

Santa 2007

After Kadyn's dance (see post below) we went to see Santa. Kadyn was ready- and talking it up to Dylan. He was so excited until we walked up to Santa. He had a brief moment of pulling away. Once he saw Kadyn hop on Santa's lap-- he sat right down and said "CHEESE!!" Santa was wonderful. He talked with them-- asked them what they wanted for Christmas--and asked if they had been good this year. As I was waiting for the picture, Santa called me back over. He asked how old the kids were. I told him 6 1/2 and 2 1/2. He was quite impressed with how Dylan did. He told me he could tell the two of them loved each other.... I guess Santa will be good to them this Christmas!!

Jazz Dancing

Kadyn is now taking dance closer to home. It is not just ballet- as she was doing before. She is taking ballet, jazz, and tap. She had only been there for 2 weeks and they had a holiday program at a mall in the area. She had learned the dance- and so off we went! It was so cute and she had a great time!

Many looks

Dylan is such a mess these days. He loves to "dress up." The outfits range--whatever he can find. Here are a few outfits we have seen lately....
In Daddy's shoes

A Chuck E Cheese hat, Cars Pj shirt, wind pants, and boots-- nice color combos!

I got in Sissy's dress up box--gloves, crown, lei, and a Dorothy the Dinosaur tail!

Decorating Granny Lou's Tree

The entire family spent a Saturday helping Granny Lou and Pop decorate for their Christmas Party. It started by the kids making decorations. It was fun to watch and help them. Each decoration is proudy displayed!

Then it was off to decorate the tree. What was comical--Eric and Clay ended up doing more of the tree than any of the rest of us!

Here is the finished product. You can tell it has the magical touch of children!
We actually caught Jonathan and Dylan sitting together-- coloring! There was even a conversation-- not sure what they said to each other-- but they were conversing-- what fun!!