Choir Concert and Von Ahsen Xmas 2016

Kate joined the "73rd St. Singers" our school choir this year.  She enjoys being with her friends, but has figured out she really isn't too into the singing part :)  But she was a real trooper and worked hard and stuck with it through the end of the year.  And their Winter Concert was very nice. 

Jack the elf delivered new Jammies for Kate and Will to wear on Xmas Eve.  Will's are perfect for him..... eggs and bacon. 2 of his favorite foods!

Will received the Millennium Falcon from Grandma and Grandpa Schaefer for Xmas and had this thing put together in less than 2 days!  Like I have said before... He is obsessed with Legos!

Xmas Morning at our house is always on Dec 24th before we pack up to head out of town and it was great!  Kate and Will were so surprised when they found out we were taking our spring break trip to Cancun this year with a group of friends. 

And Santa gave both Kate and Will hermit crabs this year. They each got their own tank with 2 hermit crabs.  Kate named hers Lady and Ellie.  Will named his Diggie and Clark. 

We headed back to Nana and Papa's house to enjoy our steak and seafood dinner on Xmas Eve.

Nana always does a fantastic job with all the gifts and foods to celebrate!

And Will always looks forward to the big turkey leg!

And Great Grandpa Von Ahsen sported his new suspenders for the big event!  Merry Xmas 2016!!

Workouts and Bday Parties

Swim Team is underway and going strong!  Both Kate and Will really enjoy swimming & are really developing their skills! 

They both like the backstroke best of all!

Kate is in the red cap.  She really pulls herself up out of the water for the start of the race.

Hugs and High Fives after each race!

My niece had her bday party a few weeks before Xmas.  Princess Tiana surprised everyone and joined us for the party!

"Dad!  I can't believe a real Princess is here!"

And the kids really enjoy any "chill" time they can get which includes hot cocoa a lot of days during these cold winter months.

AND..........This girl got her upper braces!  She is really excited to finally have enough teeth in her mouth to put them on! 

Will is finally old enough to use the equipment at the YMCA now. He thinks it's pretty cool to walk on the treadmill and watch a show at the same time!

Kate and I really like to jog and watch a show too!

Jack Arrives!

Our little Elf "Jack" arrived on Dec 1st 2016 for another month of fun before Xmas!  Jack arrived for the first time when Kate was 2 years old and Will was 2 Months Old and they get SO excited when he arrives each year!

Will decided to start off on the right foot and write a sweet little note to Jack :)

Boy did that Elf get crazy this year!  Toothpaste on the counter.....

Drinking syrup right from the bottle!

Roasting marshmallows on the pretzel campfire!

And starting his own game of Candyland one night all while we all slept!  Such as silly little Elf!!

This year we started a little tradition of our own.  We dressed up as elves ourselves and scurried around the neighborhood delivering goodies to all of our lovely neighborhood friends.  It was SO much fun seeing the surprised smiles on their faces as they opened their doors to find their goodies awaiting them!  Definitely a repeat for next year!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Nana & Papa decided 2016 was the year to downsize their Xmas Tree.  Well...... and the fact that they left their 14 ft tree from last year up the whole year resulting in many of the branches bending and breaking......also helped them make the decision to downsize! 

And another trip to let the big guy know what to bring down that chimney is in the books!

And they both still want to somehow squeeze themselves in the little train for ride around the mall!

Each year gets easier and easier when we put up all the Christmas Decorations!  Kate and Will get VERY excited to put up the trees and look at all their ornaments and decorations as they hang them up for the holidays.

And as always, they fight over who gets to put up the 12 days of Christmas ornaments.

They did a nice job!

We actually celebrated the Schaefer Xmas at Thanksgiving this year as Gene and Carla are out of town over Xmas this year.  Pie Face was a huge hit with the kids this year!

And I got an early Xmas gift this year when my coffee pot bit the dust.  I have always wanted a Bunn Coffee Pot, but they are pretty pricey!  I am truly a coffee nut and decided it was time to fulfill my Xmas wish just a few weeks early!

November 2016: Lego Shelves and Papa's Surprise!

Anyone who knows Will very well knows he is obsessed with Legos!  We were getting a bit overwhelmed with all of his wonderful creations and running out of room to display them.  So...... dad the architect designed and built Will a wall of shelves to display his many wonderful creations!  AND he included a new desk in the design too to give Will a nice place to work. 

Changing gears a bit.... On election day this year, my dad suddenly developed multiple pulmonary embolisms in his lungs.  The doctors initially thought he was having a heart attack, but quickly realized he had many blood clots in both lungs.  We were all very nervous for a few days, but thankfully with the right medications, my dad starting feeling better fairly quickly.

Mom and I stayed with him and tried to make light of the situation the best we could.  One of my dad's friends called to check on him and asked if "Sir Clots-a-lot" was available when my dad answered the phone.  That was my dad's nickname from that point forward, even though the pulmonologist didn't think it was that funny at first!

After a few days, Dad was much more medically stable and feeling better.  We delivered treats to the doctors and nurses and headed home!! 

We were already lined up to dog sit for a neighbor the following weekend.  Kate & Will really wanted to see Papa since he got home from the hospital, so we loaded Patty the dog up with us in the car and off to Williamsburg we went. 

It was great to see how well Dad doing since he got home.  My mom is such a great nurse and really took charge to help him get back on his feet. 

It was a beautiful weekend, so we ventured down to the West End Park for some swinging and a ride on the Merry-Go-Round :)

Don't Throw Up!!!

And I think Papa was just as excited to see Patty the dog as he was to see his family!  Boy does he love dogs ( and his grandkids too!)

Oct 2016: Hawkeye Football & Pumpkin Patch

Kate & Will were able to enjoy their 1st Iowa Hawkeye Football game in Oct 2016.  It was a bit chilly and rainy, but we had a great time!

We always have 1 Monday where there isn't school and we always try to get to the pumpkin patch that day to avoid the huge crowds.  We were able to go along with some friends this year which made it super fun.

Do you ever get too old to make mud pies?!?

Or to squeeze into the pedal cars?!?

Say Cheeeeeze!!!

Jump..Jump...Jump!

The moms had a pretty good time too!

Oh how we found the perfect pumpkins this year!  Given the size, I am going to vote for painting them vs carving this year. 

And somehow we were able to find a little bit of time to make some Halloween treats to munch on too!