Where did it go??

Well, December sure didnt stick around very long!!  I cant even believe how fast it seemed to sneak up and then speed away.

I am glad it was filled with plenty of good memories tho!!
We did some hunting as a family... which was soooo much fun!!!  It was Nathan's first year going out, and I think he did pretty good... considering he is 12, has ADD and IS Nathan...LOL!!  We spent HOURS out in the cold, snow, ice... did I mention cold?!?  But we had soooo many laughs and made it a good time no matter what! 
Our hunting season ended with Stacy pulling some rambo moves, while Brittany was eyeing up a deer.  Needless to say neither one of them ended up with a deer.  None the less, it was fun... and funny... and made a great "hunting story"!!

December was also full of cheer, school programs and LOTS of grooming!! 
And of course, there was Christmas! 
We had a pretty laid back Christmas.  Brittany some how talked me into making a ham dinner... even tho I was set on NOT cooking at all...LOL!  Funny how kids can make you change your mind. 
Family came and hung out some.  Then we topped off our day at the new movie theater in Millersburg, seeing "Frozen"!  GREAT movie... GREAT small town theater!! 

We had a fairly modest Christmas this year.  In November we took all of the kids and let them each upgrade their cell phones... for a Christmas gift.  Then on Christmas day they all got a Rainbow Loom... and a few small things they needed.  Nathan got some school embroidered clothing.  Brittany got her comp cheer jacket.  Courtney got a gift card to use for things she will need while away at school.  And of course, Josh got his AAA membership... and his slinky.
I also threw in the traditional Christmas stocking items...  hair care products, toothpaste, dental floss, razors... etc.
Even with our "Christmas lite"... we all had so much fun together!!  Those Rainbow Looms really kept us all busy... including Stacy!!  Who, as an added bonus, was off work for 8 days over Christmas!!  :-)

We did managed to also sneak in a mini cabin trip to Rickett's Glen, over the break.  We had sooooo much fun!!  The bed that was suppose to sleep me and Stacy ended up  holding ALL of us on the first night.  All because my kids, at some point, watched "Cabin in the Woods"....  Worst, but funniest, night of my life!!!  We did some great off roading too!!!  I LOVE MY TRUCK!!  It just crawled through whatever mud, snow, ice and slush that was in front of us... even the really deep stuff!!  No problem!  Stacy got to finally do donuts in it too...which I would never let him do before...and probably wont again.  LOL!
We did end up cutting the trip short tho... no one wanted a repeat of the first night... and Brittany fell on some ice and was in some pain... so we just packed up and headed home. We decided that winter camping really isnt our thing...  we couldnt really do all of the hiking and outside stuff we enjoy most.  The snow and ice that was falling from the sky the entire time made everything difficult... even the truck froze shut... after only a few hours of sitting!!! 

New Year's Eve was the typical for us.  We spent it at home.  Stacy, Nathan and Brittany werent feeling the best.  But we made the best of it.  Josh and Ashley joined us!!  We rented some movies and then watched all of the NYE excitement on TV... until the ball dropped in New York!! 

In between we got a lot done around the house... and in my shop!  Tore stuff down in my shop and did some detailed cleaning and disinfecting... in the things that usually dont get taken apart, because it is just not practical... Like my soap system and in the corners BEHIND my tub.  Oh boy... good times...NOT...LOL!
Let me tell ya... the 2 weeks leading up to Christmas were brutal!!!  I was squeezing appts in all over the place... and even  opened up the Sunday before Christmas for appts!!!  BUT, I did manage to stick to NOT taking any the entire time the kids and Stacy were off! 

So, I guess that sums up the last month of 2013!  I havent really had time to sit down and made too many plans for 2014 yet... other than we have some appts coming up with our adoption agency!!  ;-)  We havent given up... but we did take a much needed break from it all.
That is all for now...  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Years... and I am praying we all have a safe, healthy and happy 2014!