Winter Swimming Hole

On Wednesday, Dec 29th, Brandon flew into Kansas City from Maryland. He brought his son, Aaron, with him (much to the sadness of the girls!). Aaron hadn't been with Ethan & Isaac for several years, so this was an opportunity to play with them, plus attend his Aunt Cathy's wedding the following day.

We decided to take the kids to the Lied Center where they enjoyed some indoor swimming. As you can see, it was a hit!

And Kendra enjoyed a good book!

We all met up with Cathy later (she worked until 7 pm that day) for some more food & fellowship! The big day was coming up next, and everything was ready!

December "Hay Ride"

One of the first days of my vacation, I took Kevin, Kendra, Ethan, Isaac, Austin, & Mikie out to the farm where Doug let us do some exploring. The boys had their Nerf guns, and we all tramped down to the creek bed and checked out the firepit & bench, water flowing under the ice, and looked for wildlife signs.

Kevin and Kendra posed for a picture or two, all the while telling the boys to stay away from the water! Then, we headed back up to the house where Doug was hitchin' up the little wagon for a ride around the western corn field.

We all piled into the trailer (which looks like a hay wagon) and took off. Well, actually Doug & Kevin were in the Tahoe, and the rest of us brave souls were riding in the back. The exhaust fumes were starting to get to us, but we survived with all brain cells functioning! Frozen, but excited after our ride, we thanked Doug who warmed us up with some hot cocoa in the farmhouse.

Thanks, Doug!

Lukas is 1!

I'm a little bit behind in my journaling, so consequently I'm going to try to catch up in the next few days.

Kevin & Kendra with Ethan & Isaac arrived in Omaha from Phoenix on Dec 20th for a fantastic THREE WEEKS with the hometown folks! And just in time to help Lukas celebrate his first birthday!

There was still a little snow on the ground that day, and the boys were joined by Austin and built a huge snowball that stuck around for days! The weather temps were a tad bit cooler than what the Cozad family was used to in Monterey, but the guys were real troopers and didn't let a little thing like freezing weather deter them from their mission!

The next day was Lukas' first birthday and we all met up at Cathy's & Mike's for some cake & ice cream. The house was busting at the seams with all the guests. And loud...you can't believe it...and with standing room only...I kid you not!

Lukas demolished his piece of cake, lovin' every bite and smearing frosting everywhere (including up his nostrils!)

Then afterwards he made quick work of his presents with his big brother & sister helping him out! He also had some help from various cousins who were quick to point out the better toys!

It was so much fun for all of the hometown folks to have Kevin's family there, along with Nicki's twin daughters, Molly & Madison!

Definitely a great night & fantastic kick-off for a whirlwind Christmas holiday that included a wedding! But, more about that in the next installment! (I'm learning the art of "cliff-hanging!")