More Pictures

My handsome boys!

The cats are getting better day by day. Rocky (my cat) and Maddy (Bret's cat) have been laying on our bed at the same time without Maddy hissing at him. Here, Rocky and Annie (Maren's cat) rest on a chair together. They often play together, too.

Rocky (white) and Annie (black)

Visit to Uncle Dave and Aunt Jenny's

The kids and I packed up and headed to Madison for a visit. Bret's on call for 2 months, so he couldn't come. We had a great visit. Dave, the kids and I bundled up and went to the free zoo. We saw many animals in the snow and had many snow ball fights. I won, by the way! We also laughed a lot! Jenny is still recovering from her concussion and was a real trooper with the kids. We also all enjoyed long DS hours. Dave had gotten one as well. Here's a tickle pile:

Christmas Morning

The whirlwind has come and gone. I have so many memories, really great ones actually. I'm rushing to get caught up while looming in the background is the guilt to get packing. So, I'll just publish a few more pictures and then get to work.

He came!

The big request this year was for Nintendo DS Lites.
I guess they were really, really good this year!

Connor's favorite hockey player is Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penquins. He had this on his Christmas list, but thought that it was too expensive. So he didn't ask Santa for it. Mom found it on sale!

Grandma Ellyn has a book called "The Red Ranger Came Calling". It is a wonderful Christmas story. She has been reading it to the kids. Santa and Grandma Ellyn (with mom's help) made a Red Ranger costume for Brendan.

Family Pictures

It is a tradition, now, that we take family pictures after Christmas Eve's 5 o'clock service. Here are the results.

The Friday Family
Connor, Bret, Maren, Louise and Brendan

The Friday's plus Grandma Ellyn (Louise's mom)

Ellyn, Connor, Maren, Bret, Louise, Brendan,
Nancy (Bret's mom), Brandon and Josh (Nancy's 2 foster sons)

Maren the Makeup Artist

Maren's been having fun with makeup lately. Her latest creation, her brother.

Connor's Nativity Pageant

Connor volunteered to be a shepherd in our church's Christmas Eve Pageant. He was already in the Children's Pageant as a baseball player, with 4 speaking lines. He also played his cello for the prelude.

More Maren's Birthday

Maren enjoyed more of a birthday weekend. We started with her having a day of being boss. That's a normal ritual on birthdays. She had to compromise some, as Connor had group cello that afternoon. I spent the morning with Maren in her preschool classroom to celebrate "reindeer day". We made reindeer cookies and I enjoyed sledding and art projects. After cello, we went out for Mexican and then stopped off for a birthday cake. Maren had wanted High School Musical cupcakes, but we had no luck, so she settled for a snowman cake (chocolate, of course).
We continued the celebration on Saturday with hockey in the morning and then prepared for her party at JETS (a gymnastic facility in town). She had friends and classmates as well as her brothers join her in an hour of physical activity, followed by more chocolate cake and presents. It was a great party, especially because mom and dad didn't have to anything besides enjoy the party! We were supposed to go out to Red Lobster and then to the movie, Alvin and the Chipmunks, but Maren was too excited to get home and play with her new toys.

Connor was extremely disappointed with being teased with Red Lobster, so we compromised and went out on Sunday night. For those of you who don't know, Bret loves seafood. And he is grooming our kids to follow suit. Connor loves king crab and Maren loves snow crab. The last time we went, Maren ate 1 1/2 pounds of crab. Brendan is slowing following suit, eating 1/2 pound at the last visit. I usually get the surf and turf, trying to stay true to my Midwest red meat requirements.

Maren licking off her "5" candle from her snowman cake.

At JETS

Maren and her friend, Maggie

Blowing out the candles

the whole gang

After realizing the day before that I had forgotten to get Maren a birthday present from Mom and Dad, I ordered an American Girl that's just like Maren. Her name is Madeline. She has since gotten more clothes for her from Christmas. She's made a bed from her box. She's enjoying her new friend.

Maren and Madeline

Maren's 5th Birthday Fiesta

I have to apologize for being out of the loop for so long. I guess that the holidays got the best of me, and I'm just recovering from a cold. I've decided to get caught up today.

So, here's Maren at her 5th birthday dinner. Her favorite food is tacos and "little cheese" (shredded cheese). We took her to Fiesta Mexicana where they serenaded her and donned her in her sombrero. Too cute!