Matthew's 5 ?!?

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5 - oh, my!  There are pros and cons to having a snow day on your birthday.  On the one hand, you get to "sled" with your siblings all day.  On the other, you miss the hype at school with your friends.  But the big bummer is being SICK on your birthday and missing cake altogether!!!  More later...

Thankfully, we had previously celebrated at JUMP and shared "Steamboat" dessert with our friends.  (Round 2 singing, for the video, was a little less enthusiastic:( ).

 Sweet Ella Weiglein at Matthew's party---she and Margaret can't get enough of each other!

 

Grandma's Goodies...

We opened presents about 4:30 and while playing with his new LEGOS, Matthew announced he had a headache and slumped to his bed.  WHAT?!?  30 minutes later, he was vomiting, followed by stories from A&M about how he crashed sledding across the street twice and hit his head badly.  So, with moaning, headache and vomiting, we were off to the Dr.  Zophran instead of cake on your birthday really stinks!  

Poor kid was sick every Wednesday in January....two stomach episodes (which have now been diagnosed as migraines), one flu-like case of strep with high fever, and one 5-day stretch of nightly fever and hives.  Nothing nearly like what he had at 9 months, but disturbing none-the-less. 

 

  Joint Matthew-Dody birthday brunch in Richmond---SO.MUCH.FOOD!

"My very own Life of Fred books!!!"  Matthew was SO thrilled for his own set of homeschooling materials just like Andrew and Margaret's.

 Birthday hugs and prayers for the sick kid:-(

 ...but it had been a fun day until then!

 The squeezy stress-basketball was the most fought over gift!

 Right after presents:-(

 Diligently doing AWANA every night on his own accord.

 Thanks, Em, for the 4-part John Deere puzzles!  They have been HOURS of entertainment!

 Rewind to his first birthday, carefully not blowing the candle up his nose like we did Andrew.

  So very thankful for a strep diagnosis over the flu, but scary to have his temperature continue to rise every hour despite medicine.

New Year's Eve 2017

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We started our NYE celebration with our annual year-in-review slide show that Michael spends weeks putting together for us all.  He compiles both funny and touching videos and pictures from the last 12 months to remind us of exactly how far we've come, how much they've grown, and how grateful we should all be to have one another.  The kids talk about it all year and cannot wait for it!


 The Ochs' were gracious hosts to friends who were all in for "Minute to Win It" family games----absolutely hysterical!

When it's in the teens, the outside bar works beautifully!

A mad man!!! Matthew's dance moves to WIN the "get the ping pong balls out of your kleenex box" game.

Celebration #1....9pm version

We stopped at our neighborhood party for an hour and then home as everyone was determined to stay up until midnight.  Andrew bailed at 11:00pm declaring, "I don't want to be a lazy bum tomorrow."  Wise beyond his years!  

I called Matthew at 11:25pm, but he had begged to see the ball drop, so I got him back up.

But this little party girl stayed up with no trouble at all!  Thankfully, she happily bounced off to bed at 12:05pm

No, he doesn't remember that I got him up.

Andrew and I watched some video clips tonight of Dubai, Hong Kong, Syndey and Moscow wondering why on earth we ever bother watching New York!  These cities provide the most spectacular light shows!  Here's to a happy and healthy 2018 filled with met goals and more family time.

Busch Gardens & Baltimore

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When you've never been to Busch Gardens and you buy tickets 6 weeks in advance because you got 5 for the price of 1, you go even though it's 22 degrees!

First stop (after the outlets), Cheese Shop lunch, complete with "Dody Sauce" and bread ends:-)

The shuttle driver told us that NO rides would be open so when we found some kiddie rides running, we nixed our plan and went for it!

 Apparently roller coasters can't safely operate under 36 degrees because the metal contracts too much, not that you would want to be going 40-60mph in those temps anyway!  But what a tease to see them all!

 Thrilled to be on something!  When dark fell, we found the Pirate Ship open.  My hands were told cold to take pictures, but these three could. not. get. enough...and insisted on the back row!  We rode twice before trying to meet friends.  Since not everything was open, that meant standing in line.  Turns our walking around isn't so bad.  But standing. still. was. not. fun.  How are they always seemingly unaffected?!?!

 Thankful we stayed until dark, the lights truly are amazing....trees and animals everywhere are lighted, and the bridge walk reminds us all of the Peace on Earth we are so desperately desire.  Andrew wanted to hit Scotland before we left to check out decorations inspired by his ancestors. 

 We had a fun dinner and hotel evening with church friends, the Saunders, but everyone was so very cold and crazy we never captured it!  Then off to Baltimore where we enjoyed plenty of traffic and our first snow of the season:-)

 Perk to the frigid temps?  The river was frozen before it snowed so that snow stuck and the birds laid around. 

 The train display at the Wise Volunteer Fire Department seems to get more and more impressive every year!

And it wasn't too long ago that these special memories were captured...