Redoing the kids bedrooms

I have to start with the pretty pictures.... :) 

  Over the Christmas holidays I redid the girl's room and the BOY's room! I've been waiting for 9 years to do a boy room. :) It's getting close to moving Jason downstairs time - and since Katie and Erik had been sharing for a bit - time to move Katie up with all the other girls. Both rooms needed some TLC, so after months of looking everywhere for bedspreads ... and not wanting to spend a fortune - I found them! The girl's bedspreads are from a family company in Utah - called Loomswell. And the solid pink one is from Walmart USA. I got them all on black friday sales which was perfect. And Erik/Jason's navy stripe I found on Pottery Barn on Cyber Monday. And then I borrowed Deanna's awesome color inspiration for the boy's room and copied her. : )

This was the before - though as we were taking out the stuff in the old guest bedroom. (kids room) 

 All of my helpers.

Doesn't it look so good now? :) 

Erik enjoying his new room. :) 

Since then - we have taken out the playpen, and added a white crib and moved the "dresser" unit into the closet... and Adele is in the crib right now, until we move Jason down. 

New Years Eve

The 31st - we had a morning skate with the whole Heikoop family at our Sports Complex which was fun for everyone. An hour to just skate, and the last hour was for hockey.  

Think this was Leanne's first time on skates, and she did great. 

 I had a bit of time just to skate with James and that was so fun. 

  

 Dad took Adele around the ice with some ingenuity. 

 Mom doing her Grandma-ing so well. 

  

Then it was home (after some lunch with a few family members) for some family stuff, errands, and getting ready for the Heikoop "Christmas" which was the next day. 

In between Christmas and New Years

The days after Christmas are such fun - new toys to play with, or things to create. A level of calm, with not so much "expectancy" of Christmas. More laid back... a breath of fresh air. 

Erik got some hockey playmobile that I found second hand. The players can actually shoot a little puck, so James and Erik made a rink for the guys - and Jason also loves it! 

It's so cute - he knows that they are shooting the puck. 

James making life fun by making a box fort/tunnel. :) Such a wonderful memory making dad.

 Adele getting so big.

 Erik built this cool cardboard model - then turned into a game. Love his creativity.

Christmas Day

Our Christmas breakfast has been German Pancake and Egg Nog. :) The kids love it, so that works out great. 

Our seven little ones. 

When Jason escapes and they want him back.

My little santa elf. :) 

Reading and talking about the Christmas Story. 

Jason started the gift unwrapping. 

Pretty serious stuff.

Katie made me a Popsicle stick nativity - my girl is loving crafts more and more. 

Someone got roller blades! 

About to open their doll bunk beds! This year the kids were super spoiled/blessed... but in all honesty - we didn't spend a lot on them. The bunk beds were a hand me down gift from some friends that I kept for 8 months in our attic. :) The same friends blessed us with their playmobile dollhouse which was incredible! James got the kids a playmobile set too - and had found it on sale. And most of their other stuff, even two sets of roller blades we had found second hand. 

My favorite gift was from James - he got me these lovely mugs and teapot - which were exactly what I had hoped for! I asked for some textured white mugs - and he found these... and this gorgeous teapot. And even though I don't drink tea ;) it's so nice for company and family time. 

I got this yummy cinnamon bun recipe from Erika T. so I had made them the night before - and baked them that afternoon for a special Christmas snack.

Then it was over to the chapel for a Christmas dinner with some friends and Oma and Opa. All in all - a special day - all made possible by God's great gift to us.