Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year.  We had a great time together.  We spent time at the gym playing basketball, football and some volleyball.  I didn't take any pictures of this event, which I can't believe.  I did take pictures of families and individual pictures but that was it.  While we were all together we had a family picture taken.  Everyone made it except for one person, who we just photoshoped in.  This was a much needed picture.  The last family picture we had taken and put on the wall my little brother wasn't even in. 

I wish it would have turned out better but I guess we can try again this summer.  It was fun to have everyone together.

Our 2011 Family pictures

This year we tried to get the same lady to take our pictures as last year but she was packed until after the year.  We decided to see if I could do good enough pictures for us and if they turned out great and if they didn't we would just go somewhere and have them taken.  These are the pictures I took of us.

Mason five and a half years old

Elly almost three years old

Tyler seven and a half years old

Drake eight months old

I loved this one of him even though he was crying.  The tears lookes so cute on his face.

Our family in 2011

Elly wanted a picture taken with her Daddy.

 Our four cute little blue eyed kids!

I did one of Jay and I too. 

I think they turned out okay.  Someday it would be nice if I could really figure out how to use my camera really good.

Bathing cuties!

I was getting Drake ready to take a bath with Elly and just couldn't resist taking a picture of this cute chubby figure he has right now

 He loves taking a bath as long as the kids don't dump the water on his head to many times.

 He loves chasing the toys around the bath tub and knocking the shampoos and conditioners into the tub.

 These two have a lot of fun playing in the tub together.  I don't let them do it to much because they splash so much water out of the tub I am always surprised there is any left for them to bathe in.

Elly pulling a face once again!!

Elly loves spinning

Elly is pretty funny! The harder I try to get her to not be a girly girl the more she is so I have just decided to give up trying and just let her be.  She loves dresses, skirts, tutus, gymnastic suits and dress up stuff.  With Elly the more it spins the better.  This day she wanted both tutus on with her princess nightgown.  Now she was ready for me to watch her spin. 

 She is getting a little better at not falling down everytime she spins.

 She is such a pretty little girl and you just have to love those eyes...

 and all the silly faces she has to pull everytime the camera comes out.

Poor Drake!  I hope he survives all his sister has in store for him.  She told me just the other day that I need to buy her a Drake.  If only it were that easy!

Two of a kind

These two kids are my thumb suckers.  I don't like that they do it because you can't take a thumb away.  They have been pretty happy babies though. 

The other night I was putting Elly to bed and had Drake sitting with us.  They both settled down so I could rock them and this is what happened.

They both put their thumbs in and grabbed on to Teddy. 
Elly can't go to bed without Teddy and she doesn't suck her thumb unless she has him.  It was pretty funny to see Drake do the same thing as Elly.  It has happened a few times since then.  I would take Teddy but she will just find something else.  I have taken her favorite blankets, known as Dee Dee, her baby and one other thing she would attached to and suck her thumb with and have finally decided it isn't worth it right now.
This isn't the first time a kid has attached to this teddy bear.  Tyler got him when he was a week old and he loved that teddy bear.  He went every where Tyler did and he would cry when it was time for bed if we couldn't find him.  Tyler was the one who gave him the name Teddy.  Tyler has been nice enough to share him with Elly.  After the way Tyler was with Teddy I decided I didn't want to do that with the next so Mason never attached to anything and it was much easier to get him to sleep because he could fall asleep with any old toy.  Now we are back to finding Teddy every night so a little girl can go to sleep.  I am hoping that Drake won't need Teddy too.

(These pictures were taken with a phone that is why they aren't very good.)

It was cute to see them both grab on to him and settle right down with their thumbs though.  I hope someday they both give up the thumb.

State Football in Wyoming

Jay and I took the kids to Laramie, Wyoming this year for my brothers State football game.  My brothers are 4 and 80. 

 It was a little cold so we all bundled up in our snow clothes to watch the game.  The kids did really good and never complained about being cold.  They loved being there to watch their uncles play in the state game.  Elly was crying because she thought I was leaving.  Drake slept through most of the game wrapped up in blankets by our feet.

 The whole team after they won.

 My two brothers, Brock and Tenor, with the trophy.

 The boys with some of the grand kids that came to the game, the rest stayed up in the stands.

 All of the Teicherts that played on the football team this year.

It was really fun to go and watch the boys play for State.  We loved it all except for the flat tire we got on the way there and then the snow storm we got stuck in for five extra hours on the way home.  So glad we had four wheel drive and tired kids to make the waiting better.

Elly a girl of many faces

Elly is such a funny little girl.  She is at the age where she thinks it is funny to pull all kinds of different faces when I am trying to take a cute picture of her.  I think she is pretty.  She is a lot of fun most of the time.  Love this crazy little girl!

Drakes crawling!

Drake has been army crawling for a few weeks.  He finally figured out how to crawl the right way on November 3rd.  He climbed up my basement stairs a few days later.  I am not ready for him to be moving everywhere yet.  This means the garbage's have to go up and doors have to stay closed.  Now he is always under my feet in the kitchen and if I stand there long enough he will grab on to the bottom of my pants, lay down and suck his thumb while he waits for me to pick him up.  He is a cute little guy.