Post Christmas and the girls were all about dressing alike....and they looked so cute that one just needed to take a photo:)  Plus, this pic shows their newfound desire to want to be together more than not....this is a developing want and one that everyone is so thankful they are discovering.  

 Everyone was so thankful for Daddy being home....

 Daddy builds the best forts and sleepovers in the family room are inevitable!

 And sometimes one just has so much fun that they need a little rest.....even if it is on the arm of a recliner!

 The middles and I had a middle date at the ice skating rink.  Pryce's goal was to go as fast as he could and ram into the wall - my guess is that he was thrill seeking and trying to work out his inner hockey playing dream??? At one point I asked P if he had fallen on purpose.  His response, "Of course! I am an all purpose kind of guy!" MK was so cute.  She was very hesitant about getting on the ice.  The whine came on strong.  Finally, she took the plunge and her skate hit the ice.  By the end of our two hour stint, she was all over the place and even dared several times to skate without the help of the helper thingie.  She said, "Mommy, thank you for telling me I could do it!  I LOVE ice skating! This is my dream come true!"  Sometimes they just need a little push:)  (What she doesn't know is that I had paid good money for those skates to be on her feet and by golly she was going to use them!)

 New Year's Eve and the kids were all aglow with the fire pit and some smores making ingredients....

 smores with graham crackers, marshmallows cooked right and Reeses peanut butter cups=YUMMO!

 The girls and I tended the fire for a bit while the boys and Ryan took a timeout to watch some of the Clemson game.....one should note MK's attire.  It was chilly.  And she was in a sleeveless shirt and no shoes half the night.  

 Who needs to get dressed, though, when you have a robe?  The children all took turns lighting fireworks and playing fire patrol....there were fireworks all over the sky which was fun to take in as we lit our little crackers.  On a side note, so thankful for a husband who carefully set our firework box outside after everything had been lit.  Good thing he did not set it in our garage.  I looked out and saw flames.  Lo and behold the box had caught on fire!

 New Year's Day and everyone was put to work....some had bigger jobs than others!

 And the dreaded meal.  Pork loin.  Collards.  Black Eyed Peas....and garlic mashed potatoes.  The pork is always a hit.  The rest, not so much.  However, to make it all worth their while, we always play Deal or No Deal.  And laughter is aplenty which makes the food part secondary.  This year we have incriminating photos of certain children performing their best ballet dance; a certain someone was challenged to go outside and yell, "I LOVE Justin Beiber" at the top of their lungs, for all to hear; someone had to sing Mary Had A Little Lamb, opera style.....ringing in the new year with a table full of laughter=perfect!

And finally, the cast.  One last bath with the bagged up cast.  So glad to get a good report on Wednesday....Colin's eyes got a bit larger when he asked me how the cast would be taken off and I told him with a saw.  He was hesitant to say the least!