New Year's Eve

The kids relaxed on their new sleds while Daddy and Mommy got ready for the big New Year's party to be hosted at their house.

Kellen liked watching TV on his sled
That night, our friends came over to hang out... 14 adults and 14 kids ages 4 years and younger. Needless to say, it was crazy at the Warner house on New Year's Eve.

Kellen had so much fun staying up late and climbing into the girls' sleeping bags. Ornery boy!

Capturing some of the distruction

Moving down the hall...

and into the bathroom, which quickly became the princess castle.

Then, a beauty shop was set up out in the family room.

Kellen even helped with the girls' hair.

A moment where the girls sat on the couch. Maddie N. from Minneapolis even made it over the the big evening.

Bailey was exhausted by the end of the evening.

Campbell once again made it up past midnight (with Kellen heading to bed around 10, which was very late for him).

Dr. Campbell

Campbell asked for a doctor's kit for Christmas, and of course we weren't going to stand in the way of her dreams... or our retirement :) MeMaw made her some scrubs.

She loves playing doctor, usually she pretends she's Dr. Ann (a radio-syndicated family doctor specializing in nutrition) or Dr. Helfgott (Liv's obgyn).
Memaw had Mimi embroider Campbell's name on her scrubs along with her favorite hospital group.

Christmas Day 2010

Merry Christmas! The day was spent with lots of family, opening gifts and eating good food. The only thing missing was Liv, who spent the day at home in bed. She got hit with a second round of the flu bug and barely made it through watching the kids open their gifts in the morning. Oh well, next year!

Kellen and Uncle JJ

Aunt Manda and Kellen
Daddy got some sleds so we can pull the kids while we cross country ski. They both loved sitting in them while they read their new books.

Later that day, we went to visit Memaw, Uncle Ry and Aunt Leda. It was a fun afternoon with the Warners, too!

Christmas Eve 2010

We had to wake the kids up early from their naps so we could go to church. They were pretty sleepy but ready to get the party started!

... or maybe not! (MeMaw made this dress, too!)
Our little guy

who didn't appreciate getting woken up from his nap.

After the Christmas Eve service, we went to Liv's Aunt Pam's house. All the great-grandkids loved playing together and opening their gifts.

Santa Visits the Beavers

Santa came to Mimi and PawPaw's for his annual visit with the Beaver grandkids, making sure everyone behaved this year. Campbell had a long list of things on her wishlist.

Kellen was a brave boy sitting on Santa's lap.
The kids were all infatuated with Santa being in Mimi and PawPaw's living room.

The Mimis and the Peeps (as they are lovingly referred to) with all the grandkids

Santa with the Beaver kids. Miss Ayla did not appreciate sitting on Santa's lap... at all!

Christmas with the Warners

We had Christmas with the Warners at Aunt Weno's house. Campbell always looks forward to visiting with Aunt Geri and loves reading books with her.

Kellen got a really neat truck. He loves his trucks!

Kellen was showing Uncle Mike his Cars DVD.
The biggest hit of the evening, though, was the coloring book from Uncle Ry and Aunt Leda. Both kids love to color and could spend hours doing it.

Campbell got a jewelry box, so now she has a place to put all of her necklaces, rings and other bling. This, too, was a favorite for her.

Uncle Mike and Aunt Geri always get the kids clothing and books from somewhere they've traveled during the year. This year, they went to NY to visit some family, and the kids got some t-shirts and books about the city. The books offer some diversity and exposure to some things we don't have here in Fort Wayne, IN, like taxis and hot dog vendors. They always love these gifts, too!

2010 Christmas Program at School

Campbell and Kellen had their school program. Before it got started, there were lots of pictures of all the kids. We caught a few of Campbell and her friends in her class. This was Dr. Seuss day.

Natalie, Campbell and Brooke as princesses
So... Campbell's dress for Uncle Ry's wedding revamped for the Christmas season. She insisted on wearing this dress even though she was slightly overdressed. She got lots of compliments on the dress, though!
Kellen and his class were a bit overwelmed by it all. Kellen pretty much had this expression on the whole time and never sang a song. He sure did look cute in his suit from the wedding, and of course Memaw had to make a red tie so he could wear it at Christmas.

Campbell singing proudly.

Kellen and Campbell

Getting Ready for Christmas

Our Christmas tradition starts on the day after Thanksgiving and not with shopping early in the morning. We always get the Christmas tree out and decorate the house. Campbell really got into helping out this year, and we had minimal breakage of ornaments.

Kellen, however, was not so much into helping decorate the tree. He decided to ride his John Deere tractor train. It was a perfect fit for him, as you can see!
Farmer Kellen

Our Thanksgiving Post

Well, it looks like we didn't get any pictures taken at either of the Thanksgiving celebrations. Oh well, here are some pictures of the kids. Kellen was sporting his "Queen" pajamas as he calls Lightning McQueen.

Kellen was about to give Mr. Beaver a kiss on his tooth.

A Special Night Downtown

After a good dinner with Mimi and PawPaw (consisting of handfuls of calamari for the kids- not the momma, though), we visited some of the night-before-Thanksgiving festivities in downtown Fort Wayne. Campbell posed as a gingerbread woman at the Botanical Conservatory.

The new tradition was fireworks at the Fort Wayne Tincaps stadium. They were really neat, and we were glad we braved the bad weather to enjoy them.
The Warner Family