Holidays and Such...

LATE DECEMBER:  

It was cold today (10 degrees), but we bundled up and played outside a bit.  

Mom and Ayden sledded on the snow pile dad made in the yard with the plow.  

Butch LOVES the snow, so he ran and ran.  

Dad even fired up the snow machine and took Ayden for a ride.  

The days after Christmas were quite cold - negatives!  

Even our icicles had icicles... but it sure makes for cool pictures.

Christmas was wonderful!  

Ayden was spoiled with dinosaurs galore!  

He got an Indominus Rex from Santa.  

He also got many more dinosaur things - 

movies, books, pillows and bedding, trucks and a helicopter from Jurassic World, a puzzle, etc - 

from Mom and Dad, birth family, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.  

I guess everyone knows what the kid likes!  

Butch gave us some laughs with his Christmas present.  

He was so excited to have it opened and then he chewed on it for hours.

On Christmas Eve, we made a giant batch of sugar cookies.  

Ayden and his cousins had fun cutting and decorating them.

Ayden made special ones for Santa.

Mandy dressed up as Mrs. Claus for "North Pole" day at school. 

Ayden and Butch... watching a movie.

Grandma Susie keeps the tradition her mom started - 

giving all grandkids 12 days of Christmas presents.  

Ayden loves being able to open a gift every day leading up to Christmas.

  

We went to a Christmas light festival in the park.  

The lights were so fun and festive.  Most were animated.  

We even found dinosaur lights.  Who knew?!  

Also at the light festival was SANTA!   

Ayden told him that he wanted a Jurassic World toy (Indominus Rex).  

We thought he was going to ask for a BB gun.  

I guess no "you might shoot your eye out" comments this year.  Surprise!

EARLY DECEMBER:

We made a trip to the mountains to pick out a Christmas tree 

and put up all the Christmas decorations.

We finally got some snow to play in!  

We made snow forts, sledded, had a snowball fight, and built a couple snowmen.

LATE NOVEMBER:

Ayden and Dad went rabbit hunting.  

Ayden shot his first rabbit.

Ayden was happy to get a package from his birth family 

with birthday and Christmas gifts.  

He was happy to open the birthday packages and 

a little disappointed to have to wait to open the Christmas gifts.  

THANK YOU!

At Thanksgiving we made graham cracker "gingerbread" houses.  

As the grand finale of Ayden's birthday, we took him to a dinosaur museum.  

To say he enjoyed it would be an understatement.  

He ran from exhibit to exhibit so fast Mom and Dad could hardly keep up with him.