HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Can you believe 2012 is here tonight???  Where did the year go?  I hope that everyone has a Healthy, Safe, Happy New Year! 

Merry Christmas....and a Merry Birthday!

Merry Christmas!  We are still taking gifts out of packages at my house.  Santa was very good to us this year.  We celebrated Christmas my mom's family tradition this year.  Before going to sleep, the kids had to spread their reindeer food in the yard!  That way the reindeer knew where to land!

The kids went to bed early on Christmas Eve.  Here's the kids before bed....

Can you tell Ryan is very excited???

My parents, sister, brother and his wife with her brother came over around 10 p.m.  I had food out all evening.  My brother dressed like Santa so that Cameron could catch "Santa" putting presents under the tree with Haley's camcorder.

 It was fun!  Then at "midnight" (actually 10:30 because Josh and my mom both worked early that morning and were tired), we woke the kids up, saying Santa came!  It was hard waking Ryan and Cameron.  Finally they walked downstairs to find all the presents Santa left.  Boy, was it a lot this year!

I didn't really have a chance to take lots of pictures.  It was crazy in our house!  Here are the few pictures I did get.

It was a long night!  The kids didn't want to go asleep!  Everyone left by 2 a.m.  Finally, we got the kids to bed.  I rested for a few hours until the boys woke up at 6:30 to play again!  I let Josh and Haley sleep in.  Josh, especially, since it was his birthday!  Merry Birthday to my wonderful husband!  I love you with all my heart!  We spent all day celebrating his birthday this year!  It was nice instead of just Christmas in the morning, we celebrated him!  We played games and went to the Chinese Restaurant for dinner like in "A Christmas Story".  We had a birthday cake!

It was an enjoyable day!  Until the following day, when Josh went to work, leaving me behind to build all the lego sets and a marble race!  How horrible!  I spent from 8:30 in the morning until 9:30 that evening building!  My fingers actually have blisters on them today! 

Still in the process on this Lego!

I am not building anymore Legos until Cameron's birthday in January!  Ryan still needs a dragon built.  I am waiting for someone else to build it for him!  I did have a little help from the boys....but that didn't last very long on each!  They just wanted to play with them!

Moving On...

Since I am finished Christmas shopping and everything that has to do with Christmas, I decided to move onto my next project....Cameron's 8th Birthday Party!  It's only a month away.  I do have a lot of things to make for it.  His theme this year is CAMPING!  The poor kid wanted to have his party outside like his sister and brother, but can't because it's in winter!  Mommy suggested that he should have a camping party indoors.  He thought that was great!  He could have fake fishing pond to go fishing in, a scavenger hunt, a bow and arrow target practice (fake, of course), a Jumping frogs contest.  The list goes on and on!  Did I ever tell you how imaginative Cameron came be???  So I have started my long list of things I need to do for this party to pull it off for Cameron. 
First things first...make 7 pup tents out of wood and material.  This way there is no fighting over space in a tent.  We are having his party at my husband's work to have plenty of room.
Second....make individual signs out of a piece of wood and twigs to make their names on the sign to hang on their tent.  Boy, these kids are going to love all the stuff they go home with!
Third....make a "Camp Cameron" sign out of wood to hang over the entrance to the banquet room with tree limbs on both sides of the door to make you think you are walking into the woods.
Fourth....make lots of stars to hand from the ceiling!  It has to be night during the day!
Fifth....make a fake fire.  I am using their Elefun game, the bottom piece without the trunk, to blow the red, orange, and yellow tissue paper from the cut wood and surrounding it in a circle of rocks.
Sixth....cover the tables in camouflage and burlap.  Then place a ceramic pot with an evergreen limb cemented in on the table to make the room more forest like.

I may be making "Happy Camper" t-shirts, depending on time.
Last, but not least, all the other stuff!  The s'mores bar, make your own trail mix station, magnifying glasses, canteens with a personalized sticker, binoculars, compasses, flashlights, and bugs!  I hope I can accomplish all of this for Cameron by his birthday!

Fun Day!

Today, Josh was very tired from working until 3 a.m. last night.  We let him sleep in.  After he woke up, we decided to take a drive to Mingo Creek County Park for Josh to see the covered bridges.  We grabbed some sandwiches to go and headed for the park.  Even though it was only 34 degrees outside, we ate our sandwiches on the picnic table under the shelter near the creek.  Cameron was finished quickly because he wanted to go down and check out the creek.  Soon, Ryan followed.

Cameron being Cameron, he tried to get all the way across the creek on the rocks.  He slipped and fell onto the muddy rock and got mud all over his pants and gloves.  We pulled him to safety and started our walk along the creek.

Ryan was being silly with the camera!

Ryan told me to take a picture of the little bit of snow that was leftover from our snowfall from yesterday and last night.

Then Ryan was being very observant and found a "monkey brain" still in the tree!

Along the walk, Cameron found this tree that was down.  He asked Dad if we were crossing it!  Hahaha!  Josh told him that if it summer, they could cross it together!  Wait until summer, Cam!

Here's the rest of our walk back to our car that is dressed up like Rudolph! 

After the drive back home, we stopped at Barnes and Noble to pick up a Christmas puzzle to make tonight after dinner.  We came away with 3!  One for each of the boys and one big one for all of us to do!

Let's see how much we finish by Christmas Eve!

This Past Week...

I have been slacking on my posts.  This past week my daughter Haley had her first junior high chorus concert Tuesday night along with the high school and band.  It was very enjoyable. 

Can you tell she was not feeling well?



Yesterday, Cameron had his last hockey game of the year.  He got his medal and will be rejoining the hockey league for the new year until baseball.  That starts again on the 7th of January until the end of April.  Ryan and Haley want to join as well.

See his hockey medal!

When we started to relax yesterday, the kids decided they were going to dump out the lego box and build some more.  Oh what a mess!  I cannot complain though.  They did clean it up.

For dinner, I made rainbow pancakes and made Cameron's into a smiley face!

So much for relaxing and trying to get over pneumonia!

The Ward Family 12 Days of Christmas Song

On our way home from Overly's Country Christmas Lights last weekend, the kids made up their own version of the 12 Days of Christmas song:

On the first day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the second day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the third day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the fourth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the fifth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the sixth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the seventh day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....7 lottery tickets, 6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the eighth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....8 candy canes, 7 lottery tickets, 6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the ninth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....9 video games, 8 candy canes, 7 lottery tickets, 6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the tenth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....10 cups of hot chocolate, 9 video games, 8 candy canes, 7 lottery tickets, 6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....11 cool Lego houses, 10 cups of hot chocolate, 9 video games, 8 candy canes, 7 lottery tickets, 6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me....12 "Angry Birds" flying, 11 cool Lego houses, 10 cups of hot chocolate, 9 video games, 8 candy canes, 7 lottery tickets, 6 cool cars, 5 passes to Disney World, 4 puppy dogs, 3 nutcrackers, 2 teddy bears, and a sled for our Christmas Day fun.


Let's just say that their version has stuck with us since last Sunday.  We are still singing it today on our way home from Cameron's hockey game!

Lesson for today

After having a nasty cough for 3 weeks, my husband made me go back to the doctor's.  The first time, the doctor said I had a sinus infection and a cold.  He gave me an antibiotic.  Well, I finished that and still wasn't good.  Yesterday, the lady doctor told me that I have pneumonia and bronchitis.  She put me on 3 different medicines, a Z-pack, a pill for cough that I take three times a day, and a steroid to take down the swelling in my throat.  Holy pumpkins!  That's a lot of meds!  So, I came home and thought I better take the other kids to the doctor again!  They had the same cough as me!  I took them to their doctor.  They have the same, pneumonia!  No bronchitis.  Thank goodness they are only on the Z-pack and not the others.  So....The lesson for today is never let the coughing go for longer than 3 weeks, even after seeing the doctor.  I am off to rest! 

A Country Christmas Lights Display

Last night, we traveled to Overly's Country Christmas Lights.  It was a nice drive there.  Everyone was excited to actually walk around to see the lights instead of sitting in the car the whole time.  We arrived at Overly's right before they opened their gates at 5:30.  As we drove up, we missed our turn to park.  So we drove around to see the lights on the driving path.  Then we parked to walk around.

 The Lights are sponsored by KDKA Channel 2.

 There was an area dedicated to Mr. Roger's Neighborhood.

Inside the walking area, we went inside to see the trains.  Boy, this was something the boys really enjoyed.

 There was even a Mail Pouch Barn!

 Cameron directed the way.

 Yes, it was a bit cold out.  We forgot our hats and gloves.

 This is the Old Country Store that sold ornaments and toys.

 This is the Overly's carriage.

 A picture of the kids without the flash.

 A picture with the flash.

 These are pictures of the Lights "Fireworks". 

And of course....my little ones on the Kiddie Train that went quickly around the track.  They had a great time!  Until next year for more lights!