January random pictures

 (Rocket men.  I laughed so hard when Hunter ran up to me, so proud to show me his rockets.  Oh, Benjamin.  You are SUCH a clever brother.  And how blessed you are to have an innocent victim, I mean, sidekick.)

Dining room floor

David tackled the project of refinishing the dining room floor.  Here are a few pictures, including some boys who worked hard to make him a sign and cookies (also a good way to block off the room while they couldn't go in there.)  : )

Chickens (and raccoons)

One of our big adventures that started last fall is our chickens!  Here is Benjamin with the first egg we found. That was very exciting.  Along with chickens come raccoons (and hawks).  We started with 10 and are now down to 4.  Never fear, David has caught 2 raccoons in a live trip and taken them far away.  (And instead of roaming freely during the day they are now in an enclosure most of the time.)

Cousin Nick's Visit/Wright Brothers

David's cousin Nick is a senior in high school and has decided to pursue an education in mechanical engineering.  He came to spend some time with us and go to work with David to get a feel for what David's experience has been.  He was so much fun to have with us and the boys LOVED him.  Yes, he did spend a bit of the visit feeling very sick-but I hope overall it was worth his time.  : )

One of the really neat things about Dayton is the history involving the Wright Brothers.  They owned a bicycle shop here in Dayton and this was their home as experimentation and test flights were conducted.  Their story is so inspiring to me!  We took Nick to their bicycle shop, which is now a little museum, and to the larger museum about the Wright Brothers next to it.  I hope learning about them has inspired my boys to dream big.  : )

Sledding fun

Pictures from a few different sledding outings...

Benjamin looks particularly mischievous in this picture.  : ) 

Yes, they're wearing my hat and scarf.  David is an efficient guy, what can I say.  It's not worth it to him to take much time looking for his own hat.  : )

 David's cousin Nick was visiting us and had fun sledding with the boys.  He was a great sport. : )

Boonshoft Museum

Aunt Lynette gave us a museum membership that we can use at Boonshoft Museum, the fun children's museum here in Dayton.  We headed there a few days after Christmas to enjoy it.  : )
Something for everyone...
Preston loved buttons.

 Hunter loves the water table!

 Benjamin is all about the legos.  : )

 And this is just a cool picture.  It looks like Hunter is really going to get it, but the snow didn't land on Hunter.  : )

Christmas Eve and Day

Christmas party at dad's work

Fun time at work Christmas party.  Tables are set up in the halls for everyone to eat (pot luck) and there is a train set up that the boys loved playing with.  AND Santa comes to visit, jingling his sleigh bells all the way.  We had fun.  : )

Sleeping under the tree...

The boys had a sleepover under the tree one night before Christmas.  I love the sight of my sweet sleeping children next to a Christmas tree!

Benjamin's Birthday

A few pictures from Benjamin's 6th birthday!  : )  What a joy and blessing this boy is in our lives.  He is full of enthusiasm and big ideas and has a HUGE and giving heart.  His big request was to go to Chuckee Cheese on his birthday, so we had a fun family outing there.  He also asked for cinnamon cake, and had a great time making the Lego airplane to top it off.  : )