A Very Nicholl Christmas

Today we celebrated Christmas with the Nicholl clan at Mom and Ron's house.  As has been the case the past two years, Nick Schale, a former colleague of Ron, came over to take our family pictures.  He did a great job, and was especially great with the kids, and we got a lot of great pictures.

I snapped a few pictures of my own, including cute little Benjamin and an excited Joshua exploring his new book.

We had a great home-cooked meal, and thanks to Mom and Ron's house size and layout, we were able to have everyone eat in one of two large groups.

We later did gifts, and Mom received a violin from Grandpa and Grandma.  She used to play when she was little, but even though she hasn't picked up a violin since then, she immediately nailed some scales as if she still regularly played.  I was quite impressed.  Later, Grandpa received some food items that were branded with a certain sponge who shares his first name.  Grandpa is not counted among the sponge's many fans, and thus he was not thrilled to receive the items.  The perpetrator of this scheme was not definitively determined, but Grandpa had his suspicions, as this scenario has played out without fail for many years now.  Grandma, on the other hand, seemed quite pleased by the whole scenario.

Later in the afternoon and at night some of us played games, including a game called Say Anything that was a nice twist on Apples to Apples, and another new game called Wits & Wagers, which I loved, as it involved knowledge, estimation, and betting.

It was another great Christmas, and it was great to have everyone together (Elle was there for the pictures but had to leave after that) for the celebration.

David and Elle's Wedding

With Joanna's wedding last year, only one of the Nicholl/Leach siblings remained unmarried.  But tonight the final piece was put in place, as David and Elle got married in a beautiful ceremony.  The theme was Boho-Chic / Colorado Christmas Lodge.  Clara already had a perfect outfit, and we were able to put together outfits for Joshua and Hannah that were on-theme.  Meghan also did a nice job of coming up with an outfit for herself.  I, on the other hand, didn't perform as well.  Although my outfit was actually fairly boho-chic, it was too casual for the occasion, so I ended up modifying it on the fly to make it a little less boho-chic but also a little less informal.

The kids enjoyed the dance floor as a place to run around between events.  Here Benjamin watches in the background and considers joining in on the action.

The event was held at the Buffalo Lodge out in Missouri, and it was the perfect setting for the wedding, as it fit the theme perfectly.  We are so excited to have Elle as part of our family and for David to have found the woman of his dreams.

Fun, Family, and Fireworks

For 4th of July this year, Meghan again did a great job of planning coordination outfits for the kids.

After naptime, we went over to Mom and Ron's house, where they were hosting a 4th of July party.  Uncle Brent, Joanna, and Kirk were all in town from Texas, so including those who were local, we had our full crew, short of Abby who was out of town for the weekend.  David brought Elle, whom most of us had either not met or only met once, so we all enjoyed getting to know her better. 


Joanna and Kirk took the time to help Clara sharpen her soccer skills using the new soccer ball that Mom and Ron got for the kids.

David brought his new drone with him and demonstrated it by flying it in the back yard.  I thought it was totally awesome, as it can fly up to a mile away from the base, but it's completely remote controlled while assisted by GPS when needed.  It also takes video and pictures while it flies, giving amazing bird's eye views of the world.

The kids enjoyed playing in the yard, and we were also able to get a family picture in our festive outfits.

The day was not only a celebration of Independence Day, but also a party to celebrate Mom and Ron's birthdays.  Ron's is today, and Mom's was a week and a half ago.  They had a cake, which the kids assisted in the blowing out of the candles, but more importantly (from their perspective) in the consumption of it.  Hannah liked it so much, she considering alternate methods of acquiring more.

After the party, we went to the Olathe fireworks show.  For the past five or six years, we've watched them from the parking lot of the Great Mall, but it's always such a pain to get out of there.  This year I decided to find a new location for us, and earlier today I scouted out a place that I thought would allow us to have a much easier exit AND allow us to be even closer to the fireworks.  It worked out perfectly, as it was a great spot with excellent views and plenty of space to ourselves, all while allowing us to quickly leave the area after the show.  Also, all of the kids, while seeming a little concerned during the biggest booms, enjoyed it overall, and no one cried this year, which was a plus.

It was a full day of activities, but it was really nice to get to spend so much of the day with family and then to cap it off with a great fireworks show.

Memorial Day Barbecue

I travel a lot for my job, so there are a lot of times where Meghan isn't really getting much of a break from the kids.  We agreed that this afternoon and evening would be a time for me to care for the kids so she could relax, read her Kindle, etc.  This morning I went to Julie and Andrew's to help them rebuild their fence, and they had also invited us over in the evening for a Memorial Day barbecue.  I brought the kids by myself, which allowed Meghan to have a completely quiet house (minus pet noise). Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so I had to use my cell phone for pictures.

When we arrived, the kids immediately wanted to go downstairs, and Hannah spotted the Exersaucer, which she seemed to remember from back in the day.  She asked for help getting in it, and although she didn't actually jump (it was sized for Benjamin, not her), she enjoyed playing with the toys.

Grandma and Grandpa and Uncle Brent were also invited (Mom and Ron are still in Vegas after their cruise), so we were able to chat before dinner.  The kids enjoyed the kid toys to some extent (Hannah with the tower, Clara reminiscing with the bus, etc.), but the cat toys ended up being the favorite toys of pretty much everyone.  All four cousins were even playing together at one point, which was cute.

For dinner, Andrew grilled us steaks and hot dogs, and we had sweet potato tots, smiley face potato/fries things, and other sides as well.  For dessert we had angel food cake, Super Mario Brothers cupcakes, and Meghan's caramel fudge brownies (I don't know what they're actually called, but they're delicious).  The kids did well at dinner, and it was really nice to celebrate Memorial Day with family.