Daddy and Daughter Princess Ball

Daddy and his princesses

Kianna making her sash

Girls with some princesses

Pink Limousine

Inside the limousine  

Kaylee and Daddy dancing

The girls got all dressed up and went on a double date with their daddy and Mr Willet, and his two daughters, Emily and Abigail. The group met at Red Lobster and after a yummy dinner they all headed to The Centre for the Daddy/Daughter Princess Ball. The girls made their own sashes, rode in a pink limousine, played princess games, and danced the night away. They came home with huge smiles on their faces and full of stories to tell. It was a precious evening.

Super Hero Mommy and Son Night

Trace loved boxing again the Incredible Hulk

Alfred and Batman

Thor and Batman

Batmobile

Super Hero Dance Party

Super Heroes getting their groove on

She-Hulk and her disheveled date, Batman

Trace and I had a fun night together at The Centre's first ever Super Hero Night. Trace dressed up as Batman and I dressed up as She-Hulk. Trace got to go through a super hero training center where he donned some boxing gloves and boxed again the Incredible Hulk. He also got to practice walking along a skyscraper. He rode in the Batmobile (aka: limousine) around town, got signatures from some of his favorite super heroes, decorated his own cape, ate super hero treats, and had a dance party with super heroes. It was a super fun night!

Trace's 5th Birthday

Trace, Abram and Caiden

Incredible Hulk

Super Heroes

Look Who's FIVE

Trace and his Daddy

Trace and his gifts

Super Hero Scavenger Hunt

Trace's birthday festivities began on Friday by taking chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes to school so they could celebrate. He received a birthday crown and was the leader for the day. The fun continued after school when two of Trace's friends, Abram and Caiden, came over for the evening. The boys had fun playing together, opening Trace's new gifts, eating macaroni and cheese for dinner and puppy chow for dessert. Following dinner, we took the boys to an indoor play area filled with lots of inflatables. The kids played for two hours straight. Trace summed up the evening by saying "this is the best birthday ever".

The celebrations continued on Sunday when Trace got to open up all of his presents. He made out pretty well with his larger gifts being a new Hotwheels race track, an Iowa Hawkeye backpack, a couple Leap Pad games, super hero t-shirts, and some new super hero villains. The girls surprised Trace by planning a Super Hero Scavenger Hunt. They hid super heroes all over the house and had a gift waiting for him at the end. They also made him a superhero shirt. They sure love their brother!

The rest of the day was spent attending church, playing with new toys, and having The Johnson's over for spaghetti and buster bar. The kids put on a musical performance for us parents. They sang some of their favorite songs from the new Disney movie "Frozen". They shut off all the lights in the house, donned Trace's new glow sticks, and gave us a show to remember. It was a fun night!

It is hard to believe that our baby boy is now FIVE. Where did the time go? Trace is such a blessing to our family. He is a bundle of energy and has a really fun personality. He loves to joke around and he runs pretty much everywhere he goes. When he does slow down he enjoys the following:

• Superheroes- He isn't picky he enjoys them all. He got Hulk fists and a mask for his birthday and has a dress-up bin full of other costumes. He still enjoys playing in his Batcave.
• Legos- Trace has recently discovered legos. He still needs a little help putting them together, but is close to being able to do them independently. He especially enjoys playing with the lego guys. He has quite the imagination. I love listening to him play with his toys.
• Sports- Trace loves whatever sport is in season. He just started basketball and scored a basket during his first game. He plays hard at everything he tries. Trace enjoys soccer and LOVES scoring goals. He really enjoys playing baseball outdoors with Daddy and frequently requests that they go outside and practice, that is when their isn't snow all over the ground and frigid  temperatures. He also enjoys wrestling and playing football with Daddy.
• Daddy- Trace loves his Daddy. Not to say he doesn't love me or have a good relationship with me as well, but he especially LOVES his Daddy. He loves to cuddle up next to his Daddy and watch superhero cartoons with him. He also enjoys playing sports and really just about anything else with his Daddy. 
• Games- Trace really likes to play just about any game, but lately he has been requesting memory, connect four and chutes and ladders. He also really enjoys charades. I should mention that Trace hates to lose and isn't the best at accepting defeat. Enough said...
• Friends- His closest friends are Abram Marlatt, Brayden Hildebrandt, Caiden Randall, and of course his cousin, Bryker. 
• School- Trace goes to school three full days each week. He enjoys school, although he comes home with little to report besides lunch, recess, gym class, and sometimes centers. Trace can count to 25 without help. He can write his first name clearly. In class they have covered A-N and he has pretty good recall on recognizing the letters they have covered in class, but is still a little unclear on the rest of the alphabet other than "R, S, T & Z". Trace doesn't especially enjoy attending chapel services on Mondays, as it is still hard for him to sit still for that long, but otherwise enjoys school. He plans to start Kindergarten in the Fall. 
• Electronics- Trace is currently sitting with his Daddy's iPad playing Minecraft with his sister. He also really enjoys playing with his Leap Pad.
• Sisters- Trace LOVES his sisters. He has an especially close bond with Kianna. They are buddies.

We love you Trace and are so thankful for you!

Quiz Meet #2

Quiz Team

We traveled up to Fowlerville Church of the Nazarene to compete in our 2nd quiz meet. The kids were quizzed over 12 weeks worth of material. The girls and I studied for 11 or 12 nights straight in preparation for their quiz meet. Their hard work paid off. Kaylee earned her 2nd super star medal for answering all 60 questions correct. Kianna earned a gold medal for answering 43 out of her 45 questions. We are so very proud of the hard work the girls are putting into quizzing. We love that they are hiding God's word in their hearts!

Duck Tape Dress

Kianna is quite the creative little girl. She decided to put her duck tape to good use and made herself a new dress. What a cute idea!!! I wouldn't be surprised she ends up being a designer of some kind when she grows up. She is a good artist and loves math. Time will tell...

Before (she taped over a dress that was too small)

After

Trace's New Furniture: The Big Reveal

Trace's new dresser doesn't have a hutch, which opened up more wall space. Trevor was excited to get out some more of his sports memorabilia to hang on Trace's walls. Trevor hung up the Iowa Hawkeye Button collection my Grandma Carie gave him. They used to be my Grandpa's. Pretty cool that they now hang in Trace's room, along with the Herky Patrick painted. Grandpa would be proud!

Christmas in Iowa

Trace and Aunt Shelli

Cousins

Andrew, Aunt Shelli and Matthew

Sisters

Dad's Birthday Gifts

Christmas Cookies with Grandma Sue and Jada

Kids with Jada

New PJs

Dad and Sue with new calendar

Christmas Eve fun

Bruxen with his new ATV

Nana Bear

Kaylee

Cousins

Cook's with their new calendar

Our new sign Becki made us

Rubber band bracelet making fun

Bruxen

Buddies

Bryker and Trace with their new toys

"All I Want for Christmas are My Two Front Teeth"

Grandma's new sweater and scarf

Rylan and Trace

Lego time

Lego time

Our Christmas in Iowa was wonderful and yet exhausting. We had six separate Christmas celebrations with afternoon and evening plans most day. We are blessed with many people to love and who love us in return!

Trip in Review:

• Saturday, Dec 21st- Arrived in Cedar Rapids and spent a relaxing evening with Mom and Dad Cook with a surprise visit from The Langfald family. They were supposed to be up north all weekend, but due to a snow storm brewing they headed back early. Bryker ended up spending the night, which thrilled Trace.
• Sunday, Dec 22nd- Went to church and then headed to Stacie's house to celebrate Christmas with Shelli before she flew back to Florida later that afternoon. Trace got a Superman costume, Kianna got glow in the dark beads she had been wanting and Kaylee got money towards a new scooter. Stacie surprised the ladies with an embroidered Thirty One bag, which I love! The girls had fun making rubber band bracelets with Aliyah, while Trace had fun playing with Rylan. We had a nice time visiting with family before heading over to The Flender's house where our old small group was gathering. Kaylee reconnected with her friend, Chloe and has been anxious to skype with her ever since returning to Michigan. It was fun catching up with friends. 
• Monday, Dec 23rd- Spent the morning with Sam and Bryker at The Playstation. The kids had a blast playing while we enjoyed visiting with Sam. From there, we caught up with my old friend, Jamie Ross and her family. Their family just moved from Mississippi to St. Louis, MO in October. It had been four years since we had last seen each other. After a quick visit, we headed over to my dad and Sue's house for the rest of the day. Sue had sugar cookie dough ready for the kids to roll out, bake and decorate. The kids had fun making cookies with their cousin, Jada. We spent the rest of the day visiting, opening gifts, and playing games. My dad plays a mean game of ping pong. Trevor tried to take him down, but couldn't...
• Tuesday, Dec 24th (Christmas Eve) - Trevor spent the morning doing his Christmas shopping and the rest of the day was spent over at The Langfald's house for our Christmas celebration. Sam had some fun games ready for the kids to play including pin the tail on the reindeer, Christmas bingo, and a cookie decorating contest. We ate the night away, while the kids enjoyed their new gifts. Trace and Bryker each got a Nerf Box-N-Arrow, which they LOVE. The girls each got new Lego kits and rubber band bracelet looms. They wasted no times getting started making rubber band bracelets. 
• Wednesday, Dec 25th (Christmas Day) - Santa filled our stockings while we slept and delivered them from Michigan to Iowa. We had fun opening our stockings and then had some yummy monkey bread. We had a relaxing morning and then spent the afternoon at Stacie's house for more cousin time, gifts, and yummy food. The kids made out big yet again. The night ended with Trace having a sleepover at Bryker's house and Aliyah spending the night with the girls. 
• Thursday, Dec 26th- Aliyah spent the day with us. We did a little shopping and then headed over to spend the afternoon with The Issa family. The kids had fun playing together, while the adults visited. The kids spent the evening with Grandma Becki, while Trevor and I joined up with Anthony and Julie for a night out. We had a nice dinner out and watched the new Hobbit movie. It was a nice night with friends. 
• Friday, Dec 27th- The kids and I picked up Grandma Carie and spent the afternoon at my mom's house. The kids had fun playing with Aliyah and Rylan, while I enjoyed visiting with my mom and Grandma. It was a relaxing afternoon. The evening was spent at the Russell Christmas Party. We enjoyed visiting with family. 
• Saturday, Dec 28th- We spent the afternoon at The Langfald's house for more cousin time. Unfortunately, Kaylee was not feeling well and spent the day lying down with a tummy ache and slight fever. She spent the evening watching movies with Grandma Becki, while the rest of us met up with The Kruid family. We had a nice meal out with them and then headed to The Playstation for some fun.
• Sunday, Dec 29th- Thankfully Kaylee woke up feeling fine and we headed back to Michigan. We had a great time in Iowa, but it is good to be back home. The kids although reluctant to leave Iowa after a week of being spoiled are excited to begin the joy of playing with their new stuff. Legos here they come...