Ethan turned 9 today.  We went to bed with the promise of a snow storm.   We awoke to about 5-6 inches of snow, but not enough to cancel school.  He was happy to have a 2 hour delay, but a little disappointed that he was not given a snow day for a birthday present.   Since today was a school day, we celebrated his birthday on the weekend.  He invited 2 friends to spent the night.   We ate pizza, played his new lego game and watched the movie "Despicable Me". 

 Here's a few photos of his day.  

He can be so silly sometimes

Lighting the candles on his cake

Sorry,  this photo has a terrible shadow.

 

Life got the best of me this fall, and I did not keep up with my daily photos.   So today, I went back through my photos and updated with what I had.   Here's a link for you.   Daily photos 2010

For 2011, I have decided not to be intentional about 365 photos.  I found that posting daily photos took to much time and I neglected sharing on my blog.   So my goal for 2011 is to share once a week with words and photos.    I enjoy sharing the photos with you, but I hope this lessens my computer time. 

We spent Christmas Day in Oskaloosa.   My Mom was hosting Christmas dinner.   My Aunt Pauline and Uncle Rod were there. Their 2 girls, with their families were also there.  It was so nice to re-connect with that family.  We ate lots and played cards and dominos.   Grandpa even took us sledding.   As you can see from the photos, we had a little help from John Deere.  So it was not your ordinary sledding hill.  It was tons of fun!  Another benefit to growing up on the farm.  Nadia will tell you the Grandpa pulled us with a tractor, which at first is a little frightening.  But she will also tell you, "it's the little one, not the big ones"   Thank-you for that! 

The weekend celebration was at a hotel with a water park. We really had a great time, enjoying each other and the water slides.  Here's  a few of my favorite photos:

The 3 musketeers

Little fishy Sienna

Ethan and Elijah

Ben and Payson

Ethan did a great job watching Sienna when Rachel needed a little break and Sienna loved to follow him around.  Sooo Cute. 

Big boys make big splashes. 

Uncle Jason leg length made the slide a little difficult.  He almost got stuck a few times. 

We have had a wonderful Christmas season.  I have taken lots of photos and have lots of photos to share. I titled this part 1 because I suspect to add part 2, 3 or maybe 4.   I will start with the most recent and work my way backwards.

We spent the weekend celebrating my Parent's  40th Wedding Anniversary.  We had a family photo shot and a lovely dinner. 

  For Better or Worse...  My parents after 40 years of marriage.We had a great time reminiscing about all those times good and bad. 

My siblings.  We were responsible for lots of good times and a few not so good times.  We learned that the Pella Christian Principal called home for everyone except Jason.  WHAT?!  We decided he must have given up on the Vos kids. 

My family

Rachel's family - Tito.   He had just started a new job as a flight attendant and was busy flying the world. 

Michael's Family

Melissa's Family

Jason and Sarah

The 10 Grand kids

The whole crzay bunch of us! 

Cold Air and Blizzard like conditions have arrived in Iowa.   Our first snowfall for the winter arrived during the night on Saturday.  The snowfall totals were low, only about and 2-4 inches, but the winds were almost unbearable.   Our temperature today was 13 F/ -10 C ;   wind chills feeling about -20 F / -29 C.  Wednesday and Thursday we had balmy temperatures of above 40 F / 4 C.  It was a really a drastic change.   The blowing snow caused many road closures, which lead to canceling of Ben's hockey games.   He was so disappointed, but he played Scrabble with Great-great Grandpa.   He actually beat me, which is somewhat embarrassing.  I don't really have the patience for the game. 

We spent the weekend in Oskaloosa.   Rachel and Sienna arrived in Iowa earlier this week and we wanted to spend sometime with them.
Friday evening we attended a live Nativity walk-through at Grandma and Grandpa's church. 
The temperatures and snow started falling during the day on Saturday.  Sienna and Nadia grabbed a little time in the snow.

Thankfully the road crews had plenty of time to clean the roads and the trips back to Ames was uneventful.  

Sienna and Nadia at the Christmas Tree

I caught this shot of Nadia, I can't wait to play a little with the colors. 

A little romp in the snow....

Sienna does not seem to be bothered by the cold, maybe she is so excited not to be hot! 

Here's a few photos of our weekend. 

Had a few minutes this evening to share our Halloween photos with you.   Unfortunately, Andrew and I had a church meeting and missed the Trick or Treat.  The kids did not seem to mind spending the evening with friends.  There is not shortage of Candy around this house! 

Princess Nadia

Poseidon God of the Sea

Ninja Ethan