Blazer Game

Ryan stayed a few extra days at Grandma Karen and Grandpa Bill's over winter break.  The lucky kid got to go to a Portland Trailblazers game with Grandma on Sunday night!

Pink Mountains

The view from my office:

The picture doesn't do it justice, but the pink mountains were spectacular this morning.

A Day With The 12's

David's sister Melanie not only gave up her tickets to the Seahawks game but also offered to watch the kids so we could go!  Twist my arm!  Seriously?!  How do you say no to that offer?  It's like we hit the jackpot!

We were thrilled to go and watch the Hawks beat the Rams in the final game of the regular season!  Thanks, Mel!

Go Hawks!

Happy 12th Anniversary To Us!

David's parents took the kids home with them after Christmas, and left us alone to celebrate our 12 year anniversary!  It was amazing to have two nights and an entire day to ourselves.  Thanks Karen and Bill!
 
We both agreed the most amazing thing was not having to worry about feeding the kids.  So simple, yet the most wonderful thing!

How lucky was I to find this man!  I count my blessings everyday.

Melanie's Little Coat

Karen made this coat for Melanie when she was little.  It has been hanging in the girl's closet for awhile, and I could not get them to wear it.  Have I mentioned how picky my girls are when it comes to their clothes?

Anyway, I was hoping to get one of them to wear it to church on Christmas Eve.  We found it was too small for Kendall, and Natalie just refused to wear it.  Even though she looks adorable in it!

Aubrey took a strong liking in it, so we deemed it time to pass it down to her.  She ran around the house in it with a big smile on her face!  So fun!  I wish I would have gotten a picture.

Christmas With The Boehms

We hosted Christmas at our house this year.  It was wonderful to to have all the Boehms gathered under one roof.  It had been awhile since that had happened.

David and I lived with the chaos and excitement of Christmas from our trio all month, so our favorite part was watching them interact with "that cute little Aubrey" (as Kendall calls her).  They all adore her so much.

David whipped up an amazing meal, as usual.  The man can cook!

Christmas Morning

Ryan was up super early Christmas morning - like 6am Minnesota time early (aka 4am Pacific Time).  That crazy kid!  He was obviously bursting with excitement.

Like every Christmas morning, this one was just as magical!  It's so much fun to see the kids reactions to the fun things Santa left for them.  Ryan asked for a Rainbow Loom this year, and both girls asked for Elsa dolls and Elsa ice castles (shocking, right?!).  

Christmas Day Walk

The Year in Review

Looking back on 2014, I would have to say it was a pretty good year.  We are all happy and healthy, and that is all that matters.

David and I have enjoyed watching the kids grow over the past year.  We both feel they are growing too incredibly fast.  How are they 8, 5 and 3 already?  The saying "Time flies when you're having fun" could never be truer.  Each of them brings us so much joy each day. 

David switched careers in March.  He officially left the restaurant business and we couldn't be happier.  While he loved working with the people in the restaurant, it left much to be desired in terms of a schedule.  He's now doing vocational counseling and works Monday - Friday.  Having weekends off together for the first time ever is an amazing thing, not to mention sitting down to dinner together as a family almost every night.  This has definitely been the highlight of our year!  Having Dad around more is a wonderful thing.

Although our beloved Seahawks winning the Super Bowl would be a very close second!  What a fun ride they gave us, and are continuing to give us again this year.  We have so much fun following and cheering for our team.  Our 12th Man pride is strong!  A huge thank you to Grandpa Bill who invites us to attend the games with him.  What a blast!

We had a great summer sticking to the theme - Just Add Water.  The kids are happy whenever water is involved whether it's a pool, a sprinkler, a bucket or a puddle.  Water bring us so much joy!  We spent lots of time swimming at area lakes and playing the pool at home.

Our trips to Sunriver, Oregon and our annual adventure to Minnesota were both awesome.  Sunriver was a new destination, and we had a wonderful time exploring a new part of our world (thank Joe and Judi for your amazing hospitality!).

And our Minnesota adventure is always a huge highlight.  Hanging out with the Baumann clan is indescribable fun!  A dozen crazy cousins splashing in the lake together for the first time was a magnificent sight!

We also had fun trips to the beach house with Grandma and Grandpa Boehm.  Being there over the 4th of July was especially fun.

 

However, the most fun is had under our little roof where we get to watch these three kids grow and play and fight and love every single day.  We feel truly blessed to have such happy, healthy and fun kids.

Ryan started 2nd grade in the fall.  He loves school with recess, PE and math being his favorites. Ryan is one active boy, and can be found playing a one-man game of football in the yard at all hours of the day.  He's also an avid baseball player and was selected to be on a select team starting in January.  He is also the loudest Seahawks fan I know!

Kendall and Natalie both started attending preschool this fall.  We had to say goodbye to our Nanny, Miss Hanni, but feel enrolling them in this amazing preschool was a wonderful decision.  They are both thriving among their peers. 

Kendall turned five in September and is our thinker  She always has a tough question to ask.  She is very sweet and sensitive, and very particular about how she wants things.  Kendall is also very athletic from years of keeping up with her brother.  She loves to dance and run and ride her scooter.  She also learned to ride on two wheels this summer!

Natalie is trouble.  She'll charm the pants off of anyone she meets with her humor and wit, but her parents think she is full of it!  She is a free spirit who makes us crazy with her big ideas every day. The line "it's a good thing she's cute" is used quite often.  Her big personality will suit her well in life, but it makes it very difficult to be her parent at times.  The joy she brings makes up for all the frustration, though!

We are looking forward to more adventures in 2015, and hope our paths will cross along the way.  We hope you check in often and leave comments so we know how you're doing.

Much love to you and your family and we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy 2015!

-The Boehm Family

We take a lot of pictures throughout the year, but this one is our favorite of 2014:

 

Scone Baker

Gearing up for the holidays, Kendall and I whipped up 4 batches of scones in less than 2 hours.  We figured out a pretty effective system!  She's the best helper.

Christmas Eve

The Boehm family joined us on Christmas Eve and we headed to Christmas Eve service.  When we arrived at church (which is held in that beautiful barn) there was the most magnificent full rainbow perfectly centered over the barn.  What an amazing reminder of all our blessings!

After church we had a delicious lasagna dinner, and the kids set up a stellar plate of cookies for Santa.

Grandma Karen read the kids "Twas the Night Before Christmas", and we said our good nights.

Once the little ones were in bed Grandma and Grandpa unloaded their car and left very little room for Santa to come down the chimney!  

Ryan and Kendall were in awe when they woke up the next morning (way too early).

Christmas For Five

We decided to have a pre-Christmas celebration with just the five of us.  The kids had picked out gifts for each other, and David and I let them open the gifts we picked out for them.  They also got to open the gifts they received from their Minnesota cousin gift exchange, which they loved most of all.  It was really fun, and sweet.