My best friend, Callie, came for a visit, and we went on a Route 66 road trip.

AUGUST

Ethan started 1st grade.

Jackson started preschool...and Mommy started a new job as a Probation and Parole Officer for the State of Oklahoma!

SEPTEMBER

Grandma Vicki "moved in" with us to help with the boys while I complete a four-month academy for my new job.

We enjoyed the warm fall temperatures and continued our family fishing trips.

After much anxiety, I turned the big 3-0!

OCTOBER

Andy turned 33 and celebrated this milestone with a new truck!

Ethan turned 7 in October, and enjoyed another season of soccer.

NOVEMBER

Andy and I enjoyed our yearly date at the Marine Corps Birthday Ball.

DECEMBER

Enjoyed the holidays with BOTH of our families visiting. We are blessed.

Happy New Year! Looking forward to 2012!

Happy CHRISTmas!

What a wonderful Christmas we had!! My parents and sister flew in, and Andy's mom and brother are here too! We had a wonderful candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve, and then we opened presents, played with toys, and ate Swedish meatballs on Christmas Day. The weather was sunny and in the upper 50's, and I'm thinking we won't be getting many white Christmases in Oklahoma, but we still made lots of memories!

Ethan-the-red-nosed-1st-grader after his last day of school in 2011. When I told him he didn't have to go to school again until "next year," he panicked because he thought he was going to 2nd grade, and he didn't know where his classroom was. I set him straight and all is well in his world again.

Advent calendars are complete! That means it's CHRISTMAS!!

The Haxtons/Goldhahns ready for church!

Sprinkling the yard with "reindeer food." Reindeer need snacks too.

Ethan insisted we make a birthday cake for Jesus being it IS Jesus' birthday. Aunt Britt and Ethan love birthday cake! (and Jesus).

Santa found our new house!

We got the movies we wanted! (Jackson was obviously too enamored with the back of the box to smile for the photo).

Mom got a Packers' jersey!

We got to go swimming at Aunt Britt's hotel pool.

Daddy trying out his new truck vacuum from Grandma V.

We've loved having our families here to celebrate our first Christmas in our new home!

Pre-Christmas Shenanigans!

Another week closer to Christmas! It's hard to believe Christmas is almost here, but I am so excited! My parents are coming this week to celebrate Christmas with us, AND I get 10 days off from the academy to be with my babies. I can't wait!

These pictures are some glimpses of the fun the boys have been having at school in preparation of Jesus' birthday. Speaking of Jesus, Ethan asked if we could make a birthday cake for Jesus. I think that's an excellent idea. I love that he is more interested in Jesus than Santa.

FYI: ALL of these pictures are from my iPhone. Life is so frazzled right now; I don't even know where my camera is. Amen for the iPhone!

Santa came to Jack's school. I don't think he asked for anything (except maybe assistance in getting away from the creepy old guy).

Jackson is the only boy in his Sunday school class, and the girls LOVE him. They often dress him up and put stickers all over him. This Sunday they dressed him up as a Christmas tree.

Today is the 1st grade pajama party. They are watching The Polar Express in their pj's and drinking hot chocolate.

Since I have today off, I took a couple hours to volunteer at Ethan's school. I love hanging out with this little elf!

Christmas countdown: 6 more days!

iPhone Dump

Another LLLOOOOOOONNNNNNGGG week at the academy so here are a few, very random shots from my iPhone this week.

Grandma Vicki bought Christmas donuts, which resulted in green lips!

Spine and Neptune love each other.

Jackson showing off his toy (bribe) for pooping on the potty.

Spine is a little cold as the temperatures start to drop and thought the computer was a good place to warm up.

Anything to earn a quarter!

Bonus: he asked to do it and thought it was fun.

Winter Zoo Trip

Despite spending the majority of their lives on a tropical island, these boys have Montana and South Dakota in their blood. We weren't going to let a little cold weather keep us from the zoo. Andy had to work last Saturday so I decided to take the boys to the zoo. We heart the zoo.

Check out the changing colors on this tree!

Watching the elephant snacking.

No trip to the zoo is complete without measuring up to the chimp. Ethan is starting to pass the chimp's proportions.

And now Jackson fits in there too!

And to end our trip, a train ride with a conductor named Grizzly!