Christmas Cookies

This year we decided to make a few cookies and treats to give a neighbors and friends. Here are Mommy and Abigail working on cookies...You can't really see Mommy's tummy but it is really sticking out there now! (which is why I am wearing an apron...otherwise I am just COVERED with whatever I am cooking!)

Decorating our TREE

After we got back from Tree Fest, we decided to decorate our own tree for this year! Here are the kids and Daddy decorating the tree while Mommy got out the ornaments.




































Abigail's Baby Christmas ornament




















Nathan trying to show his Baby Christmas Ornament

More Christmas Tree Decorations

Here are some more pictures of them decorating!









































Daddy put the angel on the top when we were all done...Abigail wanted to know why we didn't put a star on top! Well, she ended up having two trees, one with a star and one with an angel!




















We also hung our stockings up...Here is Nathan pointing to HIS stocking!

Downs Tree Fest

The Downs Arts Council puts on the thing called Tree Fest each year. I have really enjoyed going since Marianne took me the first time. Anyway, various people and organizations purchase a live tree and decorate it with a theme or give away items and then they all get set up in the Memorial Hall. People then purchase chances to win those trees.

I think it was last year that we won the kids table and chairs from Domeny's and this year we won another tree! This is also the first year we have taken the kids. Marion went with me this year and we had a great family outing. Below are the few pictures of the kids at Tree Fest and one of Abi with our new tree in the living room!

Thanksgiving 2007

Well, other then having the stomach flu at the beginning of the week we were very excited to have Thanksgiving this year and to see family that we hadn't seen in a while.

We started our holiday off on Thursday with church and then lunch at Marianne's. I don't have any pictures of this as I didn't have any batteries in my camera and the ones I had ordered that were supposed to be here didn't arrive until Saturday after Thanksgiving. Anyway, the kids had fun visiting with their cousins, though Nathan didn't eat much ( I don't think he was fully recovered from not feeling well).

Then on Friday we celebrated our Schlatter Christmas as this would be the only time we were all be together before the Christmas holiday. Marianne had made all the kids matching outfit pajamas and they wanted to get their annual grandkids photo...Do you know how hard it is to get seven children all under the age of 6 to smile and look at the camera. I think they finally got one but they had to black out my knee as that was the only way Nathan would sit in the picture. Here is one I "doctored" and thought turned out pretty good.














Then after that was all over, we had the gift exchange and snackies...here are the pictures from that!



































Here is a picture of Mark, Karla holding Erik, and Heather with Tucker. None of the pictures I received had Marvin in them. (again, I didn't have my camera there so I am just going off of what was taken that day by others).

Here is a closer picture of the youngest Schlatter to date...Heather realized that this would be the only gathering where Tucker was the youngest...our next time together will probably be after our baby is born.













We left Friday night a little before 8 pm as they started to put the kids to bed. We found out the next day that it was shortly after 8 that people started getting sick and over the course of Saturday I think everyone of the eleven staying at Marianne & Jim's got sick execpt one! I am not sure if the ALL threw up but they all weren't feeling well anyways! It was definately a memorable event for them all. We were banned :-) just to assure we didn't get it again and to assure everyone could rest! We will never know if it was food poisoning or if it was the flu bug but whatever it was...it hit hard and fast...everyone was able to go home on Sunday though my kids were very disappointed they missed out on seeing their cousins again!

Misc. After Thanksgiving Pictures

The day after Thanksgiving, the kids helped decorate Grandma's tree. Abigail just loved this and couldn't wait to do ours! Here are Willow and Abigail helping Uncle Mark:















































The boys just had a ball playing together with tractors and combines. Here they are all listening to Grandma read a story before (or maybe after) the picture session! It was a trial sometimes to get them to share with each other but they loved to play together if that makes any sense.

First Snow of Winter 2007-08

Well, we had our first real accumulative snow around Thanksgiving. Here are a few pictures of the kids playing outside. They were VERY excited about the snow! The have since been given some snow boots which I am so thankful for! Now they can really stomp around!~

Baby Shower Cake

Okay, this may be a bit confusing, but here are a few pictures of the baby shower cakes I just made...these cakes are NOT for me! (ha)

I have a friend who is due within a couple of weeks of me with her first and she found out it will be a boy...anyway, another friend and I are giving her a shower this Saturday and I did the cakes. I made 24 of the booties and just one of the big bottles. Hopefully that will be enough!

I wanted to share the pics with some of my forum ladies and I had to post them to the web first. Hope you enjoy.