Falalalala Christmas at Cedar Hill!

We had such a nice time celebrating on Christmas Eve Eve.  The kids again are one year older, and one year easier.  We all had naps at home and then headed up for snacks and an early round of gifts before dinner.  The food was sooo good - prime rib cooked a perfect rare, scalloped potatoes, twice baked potatoes, Caesar salad, and on and on...  The pickle is also a favorite tradition, and I beat everyone out and found it hidden in some decor in the bookcase in the kitchen.  We rehid it for the kids, and Weston finally found it after staring right at it 10 times in a row.  We figured that because he was color blind he just couldn't see the green pickle in the middle of the green decorations we hid it in.  Poor kid!  

Uncle Todd was quite the shopper this year...  he came through with remote control cars for the boys, and dolls for the little girls.  They LOVED them!  We tried to keep the kids calm as we pulled out presents and slowly unwrapped them and kept them busy.  It sort of worked!  :-)  They all SHRIEKED with joy as they opened their new pajamas that Grandma had made, and they jumped up and down when they realized they each got their own pair of ROMEOS!  Grandma wasn't sure they'd know what they were, but she shouldn't have worried, the boys were THRILLED and wear them every single day.  All in all it was a memorable year - full of fun, laughter, and just relaxing together as a family.  Thank you everyone for working so hard to make it so very special for us, and our kids!

DeGroot Christmas

 We gathered at the "Peoples Place" at the Fairgrounds this year as our group has got to be sooo large.  With grand kids and great grand kids busting at the seams!

Papa again made a craft for all the ladies - LOVE these tree cut outs!  I still remember when he got his first fancy scroll saw - I never could have imagined the hundreds of thousands of things he would create.  Amazing!

 

 Sister was rocking it...  on the GO GO GO!  She is been so busy the past month, it's a good thing she has 3 brothers to help keep her in line!

 "The Scowl."  She is full of it!  The thing is?  I remember scowling at people that same way.  I have heard numerous times at all of our parties that she is the spitting image of me as a baby, and I think I have to agree.  Ruh-roh. We are in for a sweet, smart, and stubborn childhood!  :-)

 My mom's brother Jim and his wife and family

 My mom's sister Shelly and her husband and family

 My mom and her family!  :-)

 My mom's sister Debbie and her family

 My mom's sister Dar and her family

What a fun night!

Groen Family Christmas 2013

Grandma's was a lot of fun as usual this year.  The kids are able to stay up later and later too!  No one had a meltdown - a first!  63 people all together packed in to Grandma's basement and all the adults played a rousing game of ...  not sure what to call it, other than it involves dice, and that's how the Groen's do it.  

Run, run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man!

The boys wanted to do gingerbread men so badly, and thanks to a 4pk from Costco we had a fun, stress free time!  The kit was awesome and included everything.  These 3 boys are quite creative, and Addison was quite hungry.  She continues to amaze us at how much she can eat.  I am guessing she is about ready to hit another growth spurt.  I wouldn't trade a quiet Saturday afternoon at home with these 4 for anything.  Love you kids!

Weston's first game

This little guy has grown leaps and bounds since last year, and what a little baller he is!  He LOVES to go to practice and is pumped for game day ALL day.  Defense just might be his specialty, but he doesn't hesitate to shoot either.  We are so proud of you and how hard you work Weston!

 Oh yeah, he LOVES his socks!

Game Day!

Let me start this post by saying... I can hardly believe how big Wayne looks in these pictures!  He has grown up so much these past few months - both in maturity and HEIGHT!  He is such a sweet boy - a word I use to describe him right now is DILIGENT.  

Diligent - having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties.

That describes Wayne completely!  I thought he was young to have contacts and was so glad that our eye doctor let him get them.  When he asked Wayne why he wanted them, Wayne told him, "Well, I am very responsible and do all my chores.  And I don't like to wear my glasses for sports but I can't see without them on so I don't have any other ideas of how to fix that besides getting contacts.  Do you?"  Poor doctor took him seriously and after asking me how I thought he would do with them and hearing me tell him "Well, the kid gets up himself, gets dressed, puts his lunch together and packs his backpack, and then does the dishes and makes his bed... ALL before I even come downstairs in the morning" said Wayne could give them a try!  

His approach to basketball is the same... he does his homework for school each night, and then does his ball handling drills.  Not because he has to, but because he wants to.  He tries so hard out there to listen to his dad/coach and to be a good teammate to his friends.  He is working hard at getting his footwork right and practicing his lay-up and his form.  

Tyler is having fun coaching - he just wants each kid to listen and learn and do the very best that they can.  So excited for another year of basketball! (even though it means we are at the gym up to 6 nights a week!)  

The Great Tree Hunt

Despite 4 of the 6 of us getting hit with a virus the day after Thanksgiving, by Sunday we weren't going to let no stinkin' fever keep us from getting our tree.  We ventured out for no more than an hour to head to the tree farm, get some fresh air, and find our tree!  The boys have loved coming to the Noon Road Tree Farm the last few years, and Addison loved it this year too.  We picked a Nordeman tree again which is good for allergies and doesn't lose a lot of needles.  And we picked a BIG one!  Wayne helped cut it down again this year too.  When we got home everyone was TIRED and settled in for a quiet afternoon while I went and made a wreath at Mom's, and then when I got back Tyler and Wayne (the only non-feverish ones) left for a family gathering at his mom's.  When they got back we all put lights on the tree and decorated it, and then it was time to put them all to bed EARLY.  Tyler and I enjoyed a quiet night with the sparkling lights of the tree and a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie!