Michelle's side in MA

I leave the room for a minute and come back to discover the boys have decorated Sarah!!


The little babushka. :)


Matthew


Timo


Aunt Sue helping the kids figure out what to order.


Stephen and Timothy playing a game while out to eat.


The biggest draw for the kids at Aunt Barbara's (besides the cookies!) were... cat toys. ???


Rachel, Sarah and Aunt Barbara.


Matthew on grandpa Ed's woodpile.


Stephen and his wreath.


Stephen bringing a little holiday cheer to the burn pile. This photo cracks me up. Once he found the old wreath, he spent a good half an hour running with it around his waist. :)


Burning leaves with grandpa Ed.

Dave's side

The boys and grandpa, playing cards.


Grandma Erkkila and Sarah.


Grandpa Erkkila.


Grandpa and Sarah.


Sara and Sarah. :)


David and his grandpa Erkkila. March 2010.


David and his sisters Sara and Christie.


The Erkkila side.


Gram Diane and Rachel reading a book.


The Marble Guys.


Bunch of jokers!


David, Pepere, Pepere Scott


Gram Diane and kid pile up! I love this photo. :)


Pepere Scott and Sarah.





Pepere Scott and the kids with Gram Diane's juicebox boat at Saima Park.





David with grandpa and kids.


The windblown look...



Rachel in the sandbox.



Sarah impressed by the cat, and the cat totally unimpressed!



Sarah Therese. March 2010.


Matthew playing with blocks David used to play with at grandma and grandpa's in Fitchburg, MA.


Rachel searching for Easter eggs in the dusk in Lancaster, MA.

Second PA visit

Uncle Dave and Sarah. March 2010.



Stephen in the coveted plastic car!



Grammy and Timothy inspecting some bugs in the garden.


Bee on white crocus.


Rachel, A.K.A. "Curly Shirley", eating a banana at grammy and grampy's in PA.



Grampy and Tim. Timothy is tired, note the fingers in the mouth and the hair rubbing...




The family hanging out in the "front room".

Base Christmas Party

Shortly before we left, the squadron held a Christmas party in a hangar for the children, complete with Santa arriving in an F-15! I will let Stephen be the voice of what my kids were thinking about that: "I am NOT going to sit on that man's lap!!" 'Nough said...

Inside the hangar, there were several stations where the kids could go and make cookies, get their faces painted (another no-go for my boys!), make crafts, etc. There were also inflatable things to jump around on like bouncy tents and a huge train with lots of little compartments (not fun to try to find your kids in, but a barrel of laughs for THEM!).

Needless to say, the cookie making area and the bouncy thingamabobs were the hits of the day for my kids.

Did I mention I brought them there, all five of them, by myself, since Dave was at survival school? I should've gotten a couple cookies for that! :)






Creating their cookies:




The kids and their cookie creations:








Rachel, by far, enjoyed her cookie experience the most! First, she examined all that was to be had:


Then, she "decorated" her cookie with 3/4 of a jar of red sprinkles:


Then, she indulged in her work of art:


Yum! Yum! :)

Kids All in a Row...

I will be the first to admit, I would rather stab myself in the eyes with redhot pokers than be a Sears child photographer. How on earth do they get them all to behave and look at the camera at the same time?! Thank the Lord for digital cameras. I would've had to buy stock in film, otherwise!

This is what I USUALLY get most of the time:




Every once in a while, I get a "keeper", though!





Here are some more group photos that are deemed suitable! :)





For this last one, we hustled everyone outside at a picnic table near the side of our house. We didn't know it was so COLD (don't laugh, you northerners!). Notice the look on Stephen's face...