Ice skating fun

I was cleaning off the camera and realized I didn't ever get these photos up as a posting.

This is the 3rd Annual Black Friday Malecek Open Skating event.  We have done this 3 years now - gone to open skating the day after Thanksgiving in at the Redwood Ice Arena.

The last 2 years it has just been my kiddos and myself with the Nibbe's joining us.

This year we added Makayla, Taylor, and Jana to the event.

Up above is a photo of the girl cousins: Rochelle, Gracelyn, and Makayla

Down below is all the kids:

Taylor, Makayla, Gracelyn, Rochelle, and Zach.

Down below we have the Momma's:

Me, Denise, and Jana

And here we after the skating, ready to go to Pizza Ranch to eat lunch.

Organization

This is how we get ready in the Malecek house... Mom sets everything out the night before.

Popcorn and movie night

The usually Friday or Saturday evening event at the Malecek house is: Popcorn and Movie Night.

Of course we have to do baths first. Then the kiddos get all comfy on the couch with blankies. Then Daddy pops a big bowl of popcorn.

Then we gobble away. Jared has become quiet the lover of popcorn. He can't get enough. He usually goes from bowl to bowl grabbing a little from everyone.  Sometimes we get a little annoyed as he eats so much.

He will grab a handful and then shoves it all in his month at once. I guess with a Daddy like Marty (big popcorn lover) and a Grandpa like Grandpa Sohre (bigger popcorn lover) it is an expected trait.

He gives a good laugh.

Sledding

Getting out in the snow is the best part of winter.

Jared loves being out in the snow and going for sled rides.

He sits so still and just takes it all in. Marty and I joke that we should feed him is meals in the sled as he sits so still as compared to his highchair. When he is in the highchair for a meal he is nothing but ants-in-the-pants!!

Gracelyn is the big helper and actually does a pretty good job of trying to pull him around.

The three kiddos.

Movie Fun Night with the Hodgie cousins

Also on the weekend we were home for Christmas at Mom and Dad's we got the pleasure of watching the Hodgie kids.  It was so nice to have this older group of kids help out with my younger group of kids. They all played so well and really had a good time. 

This was the night before the Sohre Christmas party so I thought it would be fun to put curlers in the girls hair.  

So popcorn and movie and hair night it is!

BFF's for the evening:  Maesee and Gracie (Gracie thinks it is pretty cool that their names rhyme!)

Best buds for the evening: Spens and Zach.

The three girls with their curlers in before bed.

Margoe and Jared sharing popcorn.

Spenser trying to feed Jared breakfast the next morning!  Such a good helper this guy is. 

Visit with Great Grandma and Grandpa

The weekend we were home to my parents for Christmas we spent some time visiting my Grandparents. We   picked up KFC chicken and took it over for lunch. The Hodgkins kids happen to come over too. We had a very enjoyable visit and got a few good pictures taken too.

The Hodgies and Great Grandma Sohre (she is 87 years old)

Malecek's and Hodgies with Great-Grandma.

Great-Grandpa with little Jared (Grandpa is 97 years old!)

Malecek's and Hodgies with Great-Grandpa.

Cutting Wood

Marty has found a new hobby - it involves a chain saw!

He is determined to get our back yard (forest) to look like a park. This is a very large wooded area with a little creek running through it. Our house is way up on top of the bluff and edge of the wooded area.

Marty has spent many hours down there this winter.

Going back to my childhood days when my Dad made us cut wood ALL THE TIME I remembered what the fun parts of cutting wood was... roasting hot dogs, drinking hot chocolate, sledding (when we got a break), and having fun in the snow.

So out came the hot dogs, out came the thermos I got as a gift from the Norweigians when I did the Army Norway exchange 7 years ago (which has never been used), and out came the marshmellows.

We had ourselves a little picnic. The kids thought it was great!

At first actually they didn't understand eating hot dogs in such a fashion, but when Marty and I joined in, they were willing to give it a try too.

Gracelyn especially loved the hot chocolate. She couldn't get enough of it.

Here is our little creek... amazingly it still has water flowing through it.

Our fire and wood pile.

This was pretty thick with Cedar trees. Marty is clearing those out and just leaving the broad-leaf trees.

It is becoming a nice little area and will be a nice sledding hill for years to come.

The kids trying to help put branches on the fire.

And our wood pile for summer camp outs!

Our Christmas 2012

Christmas Eve we put out cookies, milk and carrots for Santa and Rudolph.  Note the spiderman cup... cause Santa is a boy you know.

The proof the next morning Santa came... all the crumbs.

And look what he left us - a bunch of presents under the Christmas Tree!

And the 3 patiently wait for the gift opening to begin.

Zachy starting to dive right in.

Gracie opened her LeapPad2 and that was it for her.  She was so involved checking it out she didn't even pay attention the the other gifts she could open. We threatened that Zach was going to open them.

Jared - he is more interested in eating his Cheerios.

The ImaginEx Castle. Lots of fun this toy is.

Zachy trying to show Jared how it is done.

St. John Lions t-shirts... showing the school spirit.

A wonderful Christmas morning it was. All done by 8am and now time to eat some rolls for breakfast.