December

Pey waiting to go up the hill on her snow tube at Sleepy Hollow


Peyton


Kennedey and her friend Mariah
Kennedey's friends' had their brithday party there


The girls' after their Christmas program


One of the many attempts for Christmas picture





Pey


Kennedey


Tayte and his favorite ornament


Tayte on his new Little People car from Nicole





What we got the girls' for Christmas





What a cute little package!


Peyton's first time hunting with Grandpa and Matt
( Matt actually shot the bird)

She's been waiting all year to go hunting!


Maya and Tayte getting ready for presents


That's the cutest Santa's little helper i've ever seen


The girls' and Maya


Kennedey and her Iowa Hawkeye basketball
signed to Kennedey from the Iowa Womens' BBall Coach

And a signed autograph


Maya and her play-doh we got her


Careyna and her Little People's plane


Pey got a new Hannah Montana skateboard


Tayte was excited too and then he fell asleep


Matt and one of his new gifts


Tayte and his new Choochoo


And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more. Dr Seuss




I guess I have a lot of making up to do again this month. It seems like December just began. The beginning of the month Matt had a week of to have his annual stay in Hubbard for deer hunting. Their group was able to fill their tags and bring in 9 deer this year.
Along with basketball on the weekends we have had birthday parties and the girls' had their Christmas program. We were so glad Grandpa Denny and Grandma Karen were able to come down for the program. It was kind of a rush rush day because the program was going to be ruffly 45 minutes long and started at 2 and Kennedey had her basketball game 3. At that time Kennedey's team was undefeated and nobody wanted to cancel the game because we would have had to forfeit. Needless to say I think the girls' were still in program mode....lol....they played a great game but lost by one basket.
This Tuesday night we let the kids' open their gifts from us and our cousin Nicole joined us. We got the kids the one thing they have been wanting and they have been saving their money for.....a Wii! Let's say it's a good gift for the whole family. I don't know who likes it more Matt or the kids :) Christmas Eve I had to work until noon and Matt worked half a day while the kids went to Nicole's house. After we got off work and made some last minute stops we headed to Hubbard. That night we went to Christmas Eve Mass with my parents at the church that I grew up in. This is my favorite time of year to go to church there. After mass we went back to my mom and dad's and my sister and her boyfriend Steve joined us for lasagna and a few games of Family Feud ( DVD version)
Thursday Matt made breakfast for everyone and then it was time to clean up and start getting stuff ready for Christmas dinner. My dad, Matt and Peyton disappeared and supposedly went out to Casey's for coffee when we had already figured they had gone hunting. Peyton has been waiting all year to go hunting with the guys. She was very disappointed when she learned she is not old enough to go deer hunting. Matt was able to get a rooster and that made her day! As you can see in t eh picture above she was very excited! When they returned my brother and his family had arrived. Everyone was there except McKenzie and Rigby they were having Christmas with their dad. After a great ham dinner we opened presents and again played Family Feud. We had a great day! We hope you all had a wonderful joyous Christmas and half a blessed New Year!


"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:9-12

November

Tayte and Kennedey before Disney started


Peyton, Maya and Careyna


Careyna and Tayte


Friends!


Bear hug from Uncle Mike




Uncle Mike, Careyna and Tayte


Careyna vacuuming


Kennedey and her cousin Naomi



Billie, Tayte,Naomi,Denise,Cecelia,Joe and Ashley


The Cousins having fun!


and again...


Peyton enjoying the snow when we got home




I'm a little behind on blogging this past month. November defintely came and went. We celebrated Pey's birthday then it seems like the rest of the month flies till Thanksgiving. On the weekends we have been busy with basketball season. Pey plays on Saturdays and Kennedey on Sundays plus practice two nights a week. Peyton's team is doing well considering it's there first year for most of them, but they definitely have a lot to learn also :) Kennedey's team is undeafeted going 2-0.
The night before Thanksgiving Matt and I took the kids' to Disney on Ice. It's been three years since we last took the girls' so they were very excited to go again. We use to go every year. This was Tayte's first year and he loved it. He sat so well during the first half and then fell asleep right before intermission. What a trooper!
Thanksgving Day was the start of a very busy weekend. We attended the annual Wennekamp Thanksgiving dinner. This year it was in Des Moines at my Unlce Leon's house. Matt madse the usual turkey and I the green bean casserole. It was so nice not to have to travel that day since we were going to the next day. This year my whole family made it including my parents' , my brother and his family and my sister and her kids. My brother Mike and his family stayed at our house Thanksgiving night and headed to Nebraska on Friday. It was nice to visit with them since we hadn't seen them since June.
Friday after Mike and family left, the kids and I headed to St Joseph, Missouri where we would be spending the weekend in a hotel and visiting Matt's family across the bridge in Wathena, Kansas. We had a great time as usual. This is the one time of year that we can defintely count on seeing his sister Denise and her husband Rick and their four kids. It's always great to see them and catch up and watch all the kids play. Matt joined us on that Saturday since he had to work. We were worried he wouldn't be able to make it because the weather wasn't very good. The next day we all headed home. I can say it was a wonderful trip but also great to get home to a place where we are Tayte proof! :) We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

PEYTON TURNED "8"

Wouldn't you agree next "got milk" add, maybe a little less blurry though...lol



Miss Pey





Grandma Wennekamp baked and wrapped up an apple pie for Pey's birthday because the girls' stayed with them in Hubbard the weekend before and they didn't get that accomplished. Peyton had the top of half the pie eaten off by the time we got home :)


Ang, Meg, Ethan and Nicole


Grandpa Denny and Grandma Karen



Matt took on entertaining the girls' in the water very well!


Tayte stayed out of the water and played ball with Grandpa and Grandma


Peyton and a couple of her friends


Part of the clan.........


And here's the rest of them


I took this picture today when Tayte and spent the day together. He loves to play ball. Once you throw it to him he will actually throw it back :)




This weekend was our last weekend before basketball games start for both girls and we celebrated Peyton's 8th birthday. She had a wonderful birthday at the campus in Altoona with cake and swimming. Thanks to those who were able to make it to her party. Here are some pictures from her birthday.