While I was at my parents for Christmas I saw this old rocking chair in the garage.  I asked my mom about it and she told me it was my grandmothers that she received as a gift at a child.  And my mom had had it for years and had painted it white and had started once to strip some of the paint off.  It was also a little rickety but for the most part it was in great shape for a 75 yr old chair.  I asked my mom it I could take and fix it up a bit.  At first I thought I would just replace the screws to help with the ricketyness.  That didn't fix anything and then I decided I would like to strip the paint and maybe paint it again.  I took a couple of days but I was able to get all the white paint off and most of the original green color.  I guess the green had been on so long that it stained the wood green.  I got a piece of wood to screw in to help the wobbling, used some of the paint strippings to 'paint' the new wood and TA DA! A nice antique children's rocking chair that my boys have been fighting over.  I only wish they made things nowadays that could last for 75 yrs.

Before

After

Logan is 3!

On 29th of December Logan turned 3!  Can you believe it! I can't believe he is that old.  It seems like just yesterday I was hanging out in the hsp ringing in the new year by myself and getting packed up and ready to live with my parents for the next three months while Dan was gone to basic training.  Logan was my little extra attachment for those three months and he still thinks that only mom can do most everything for him.  He loves to get as dirty as possible and color on pretty much anything not called paper(Magic erasers are keeping him alive).  He is so stubburn it is almost impressive.  He enjoys pushing Drakes buttons and has a great mischevious smerk.  He is a great sidekick and an awesome partner in crime.  He is great with tools and is a big helper when we are putting something together.  He likes to help unload the car after the grocery store and show off is muscles. He loves to tell us he loves us and gives out big hugs. Everyone finds him so adorable.  I can't imagine life without my little Logan.

For his birhtday I made a ship and an island for his cake

The birthday boy!

Jumping on the trampoline with Maya

Getting ready to blow out the candles

Getting a little help from Drake

My goodness what an awesome birthday

A boy and his chainsaw

Alex, Kike and Paris came to party with us

Along with Diane, Lisa and Maya

Christmas Season

This Christmas season was a little different than we've ever had. First off, we were not in Salt Lake and right before Thanksgiving Dan lost his job.  Thankfully we were preparing our little family for a cut back in pay at the new year, we were planning on Dan cutting back to part time work and focusing on school full time.  Because this happened 6 weeks earlier than planned and it being the Christmas season Dan contacted his commander in the National Guard about any possible work and they were kind enough to oblige with 3 weeks of  work.  It was sad he missed the decorating  but we were grateful for the work.  

Also with Paula here we got to celebrate some of the fun things of a Swedish Christmas.  We made gingerbread and lussekatter while listening to Swedish Christmas carols.  With Dan's free time we headed up to Salt Lake for the Neville Family Christmas party a little early.  We had a great time hanging with the family, visiting a few friends, and walking around Temple Square.  After Salt Lake we loaded up the van and I mean overloaded the van with all the great Christmas presents from the Neville's and headed south for a Santa Clara Christmas.  It was fun having Mom & Dad, the Stahelis, the Dellamas, and us all together we did miss Eric & Heidi but soon enough they'll be a little closer.  We had another wonderful Christmas and loaded the van up even more and headed back home to Vegas.

Logan, Paula, and Drake decorating the tree

Hank taste testing what ever ornaments he could reach

Paula rolling out the gingerbread for the boys to cut out their shapes

The finished tree with the Ghost of Christmas present visiting

Paula working on the lussekatter

Christmas with the Neville's

Happy boy

Flying airplanes

Getting some Christmas Eve dinner

All the wonderful performers for the Nativity

The boys in their new Christmas Jammies and the adults ready for bed

Christmas morning waiting at the bottom of the stairs

Drakes got a present

Logan is showing me how much loves his tool bench

Hank getting in on the action

Dan opening a gift

Paula is super excited about her Taylor Swift tickets

We got Grandma Drake a scrapbook of all of our little families

Drakes Christmas 

Logans Christmas

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we were together with The Drakes.  We headed to Central to my Grandmas.  There was plenty of family and not much room in Grandmas house so we set up tables in the garage and had a great time with delicious food.  Paula got her first taste of Thanksgiving, turkey, and pumpkin pie.  She loved every last bite and more.

Four of the five siblings

We have a captive audience watching us eat(the deer heads and bear skin)

Getting ready for her first bite