Home Improvements

We've made a few furniture additions over the past several months. I need to take pictures of Aaron's desk and the loft yet. Below is a picture of the bunk bed we were fortunate to receive from a Faith family. We put the top bunk in the attic for now. Grandma Bates made the quilt for Lexi's birthday. We bought some new patio furniture on Craig's list and are looking forward to really using it in the spring. Aaron installed the baby gate at the top of the stairs this week. Aaron and I are both loving it - Lexi's not so sure! We also bought a 9 foot Christmas tree on Craig's list this week. Aaron and I are excited about the tree - Lexi, on the other hand, is more impressed with the box =) !

Christmas with the Schardts

We got to see the Schardt and Bates families while we were in Nebraska for Christmas. We did some sledding and four wheeling in the snow, bowling and dancing in Hastings for New Year's Eve, a shopping day for the girls, hit up some church services, lots of game playing, and
eating =) ! Lexi got lots of attention for that week as the only grandchild. She loved it!

Christmas with the Castens

We had a great time with the Castens family in Wichita for Christmas. We enjoyed playing games, eating delicious food, going to church, and just catching up. Lexi had a hard time keeping up with her cousins, but she sure tried! Aunt Liz made the adorable tutus the girls are wearing below. I also put Lexi's first picture with Santa below. She screamed when we tried to put her on Santa's lap, so I got to have my picture with Santa too!

Grandma Bates and the Holtzens

Bev and Don took a vacation to Vegas in December and were able to bring Grandma Bates with them. They came to our house for dinner one night and we went to the Tournament of Kings show together another night. Grandma stayed with us for three nights. As you can see below, she baked up a storm! She made 15 runzas (Lexi's a fan of runzas - see below), 4 dozen rolls, 2 maple twists, and 15 and 1/2 dozen cookies! Needless to say, we're eating well! A family from Faith gave us a bunk bed they no longer needed. Grandma made the quilt below for Lexi's first birthday. It will be so cute when she's ready for a "big girl" bed.

Rock and Roll Half Marathon Weekend

Aaron did a great job getting his team ready to run in the Las Vegas Rock and Roll half marathon in December. Pictured below is the team after the pasta party that occurred the night before the race. The race went really well, and his participants had a great time! Lexi and I attended the pasta party, stayed at the MGM with Aaron on Saturday night, and headed out to the finish line Sunday morning. As you can see below, Lexi enjoyed her first hotel stay on the strip!

Our Little "Talker"

Lexi's Dance Moves

Lexi definitely didn't get these fancy moves from me. Aaron gets all of the credit!