Blog update

I just realized that it has been a few weeks since I have blogged!  So here is a low down on what has been happening in the Belden household!  Any pictures will come later!

We had a fun new years.  The Cylcones played in the insight.com bowl and they won!  Great way to start of new years eve.  We had some friends over for the evening!  There were 4 adults and 7 kids!  All the kids had fun and so did us adults.  New Years day we all hung out around the house.  I read a Dave Ramsey book, so we are all set with this new financial plan!  We know we can do it!! 

We had a big play date at Monkey Bizness with some friends and LOTS of friends for the kids to play with.  It was a great time since it was so cold and the kids couldn’t play outside.  The kids were exhausted and so was I!  The kids were scheduled to go back to school on the 7th of January, but due to blowing snow and wind chills below zero, they didn’t go back til the 11th. 

Brian and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary on the 9th!  Can’t believe it has been 11 years!  Look how much we have been blessed with over the years.  I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and caring husband!  I know that I take him for granted some of the time, but I do thank God every day for bringing him into my life. 

Jocelyn started a volleyball clinic this month and she really is enjoying it.  I will be going this Sunday to watch, and hopefully remember to bring my camera!

We did have a rough week last week.  Bella has become quite the handfull over the past month.  We found out that she was actually a stray living on the streets for about 8 months and she had some behaviors we were trying to retrain.  We spent last week talking with a dog trainer.  After many discussions and tears in our family, we decided to take her to the shelter so another family (hopefully without an older dog like Ebony) could adopt her.  The kids were very upset, as were Brian and I.  I still have my times of the day where I start to cry and wonder if we made the right decision!  She was cute as can be and a great dog.  Just not with Ebony!  We pray every night that she gets into a good home!  Lesson learned…

Now, on to happy news!  Eli turned 6 on the 15th!  I took cupcakes to his classroom on Friday.  We celebrated his birthday Friday night here.  We had spaghetti for dinner!  That wouldn’t surprise most of you.  He had is party on Saturday at the gym we used to belong to.  He had 16 of his classmates there to play games, eat rice krispie treats (he doesn’t reallylike cake!),  open gifts and play more games.  It was the best birthday party and Eli had a blast.

Jocelyn has her pinewood derby for GS this weekend.  Her car is very cute and she is excited for race day.  I am one of the people that helps put on the derby, so I will be there all day.  I will get pictures! 

Think that is pretty much it.  I will get some pictures posted soon!

Playing in the snow

It doesn’t seem like we get much snow all at once here in KC.  We would get some snow and then it would melt within a few days.  So this year, all of this snow has been great for the kids!  Here are some pictures of them playing outside!

Jocelyn and Eli building a snow fort.

Ryder and Bella watching Eli and Jocelyn play outside

Audrey joined the other 2

Eli wouldn’t look at the camera!

But they all had a blast playing outside…many times!

Jocelyn and Audrey

Jocelyn and I spent a couple of hours cleaning off the trampoline.  There was inches of snow on top of some ice.  I helped to the half I could reach and then Jocelyn got on the trampoline to finish clearing it off.  But looking out there now…it has more ice and snow on it!

Christmas 2009

We had a wonderful Christmas this year.  We were able to stay here in KC and our families came to us.  It is very nice to be able to stay at our home for the holidays.  My mom, Jami, Rexy and Ryder came down on Christmas eve and stayed until the 26th.  They made it here to KC just before all the snow began.  We had a really good time and it is always so fun to watch my kids with Ryder.  They just love to be around him and they all fight for his attention!  Needless to say, he gets pretty spoiled with all the attention when my kids are with him!  I wish we lived closer so we could get together more often, but our daily conversations help with keeping in touch!  On Christmas Eve we went to church and then came home to open some gifts.  We then ate and the kids played with their new toys.  We woke up Christmas morning and the kids dug into their stockings to see what Santa had brought for them.  We spent the day just hanging out.  US adults stayed up to wach the Hangover (which may i say is one of the funiest movies I have ever seen!)  They all got on the road mid morning on the 26th.

 Audrey opening some presents

 Eli opening a lego set and Ryder looking to see what Eli got

 The 4 grandkids on christmas morning.  Couldn’t get a good picture of all 3 kids, but this is the best one!

 Playing a new game the kids got.  Serious game playing here!

 Rexy, Jami and Ryder

 The 5 of us

 Ryder found a nice place to lay down after the presents were all opened!

 Ryder watching Eli play his new DS.  It was very cute, Ryder kept pointing at the screen and talking to Eli like he was trying to help him with the game!

 Eating some of the candy from her stocking!

 My mom with the 4 kids.

 

Jami and I eating!

Ryder eating a marshmellow that he got in his stocking.

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We then welcomed Brians parents, Mark and Deb on the 26th.  It was Melanie’s birthday on the 26th so we celebrated that too.  We opened gifts, ate yummy foods, played some games and just enjoyed spending time together.  They spent a couple of days with us too.  It is nice to have a few days to spend with family and not feel rushed to squeeze it in to one weekend! 

Aunt Deb with Jocelyn and Audrey

Posing for pictures!

Jocelyn opening her guitar!