Many Thanks!

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Trains, trains, and more trains

Aunt Karla set up a visit to Van Electric for all the extended McKim cousins to see some electric trains. And when I say some, I mean A LOT.

This is just the entryway...

Rhett was in heaven!

Not sure who was listening more intently... Big Papa or Rhett.

The largest set up was 16' x 32'. All the trains were Lionel trains. Mr. Van and his brother started collecting and building around 1952. They had trains running around the ceilings and, if I remember right, 6 different set ups (including a Christmas village, a circus show, and a set up on a trailer that they take on the road!)

I think ALL the cousins, and 3 generations there, enjoyed the trains. Thanks, Aunt Karla for setting this up!

Wertenberger Christmas 2010

We also spent 2.5 days with the Wertenberger Family this week. Always a good time!

Hangin' out with some cousins. Love Tyler's glasses! I actually took this picture to document that Rhett CAN share (he's letting Drew play his MobiGo!)

Megan's first Christmas... a little snow angel!

Against my better judgment, I made Kyson a hat in KU colors. Luckily this kid looks good in anything!

Grandma Flossie was able to spend Christmas evening with us.

Leah, Tyler, and Kyson watching "God Made Christmas" on the computer.

Santa's Visit

Santa found Rhett & Leah at Papa and GG's house this year. We left cookies and milk for Santa and some carrots for the reindeer.

The theme for Rhett's stocking this year was things to take to Daddy's ball games to keep him busy. He got a MobiGo hand-held game system, preschool activity book, sight word flashcards, and a Llama Llama book.

He likes to "dial" his name on our computer at home and this has a pop out keyboard he is enjoying already.

Leah got some magnetic Tinkerbell paper dolls (also for Daddy's games), some "girl stuff" (aka nail polish), a Llama Llama book, Princess jammies, and...

a Princess play tent!

Even in the process of growing most of her bangs out, she looks pretty cute, huh?!

Fisher Christmas 2010

We enjoyed 2.5 days in Manhattan with my parents, aunt, sisters and their families. Here's a few highlights.

Couldn't resist posting this pic!

Grandpa reading the Christmas story from Luke 2. The grandkids get to help by adding the characters to the nativity as he reads. It was Rhett's year to add the baby Jesus.

Nephew Will LOVES green and soccer. So I made him a green hat with a soccer ball on it. Do you think he likes it?

Luke got a hat too. His has a basketball on the crown. Luke was the only grandkid to get to attend the KSU-UMKC basketball game with my sisters, their husbands, Aunt Karen, Ben & I to celebrate my birthday. The others had to stay home with Grandma and Grandpa.

Rhett excited about the new Lego set he got.

Extended Fisher Christmas 2010

We hosted 36 of my dad's family for Fisher Christmas at our home the weekend before Christmas. Lots of work to get ready and clean up (thanks Mom, Daddy, & Aunt Karen!) but I think everyone had a good time. My kids certainly did!

Rhett & Leah getting ready for company. Great Grandma Warrenetta made the red overalls Leah is wearing. Leah said she didn't want to be a farmer, but we convinced her she was Santa's helper and she jumped in!

Papa Don brought a Santa hat for our nephew Will and he helped Great Grandma hand out the presents.

Rhett's gift was wrapped in Thomas Christmas paper and was a Thomas the Train book. Jackpot!

The first big project

Rhett & Leah currently share a room upstairs (there are only 2 bedrooms upstairs). Well, that needs to change before this baby arrives in April! In order to move them (at least Rhett at first) to the basement bedrooms, we needed to have escape windows installed. Here's a look back at the project (just almost completed Friday).

Although we missed seeing the hole dug, the kids did enjoy climbing on the dirt pile.

The foundation was cut, pulled out and broken up to make room for the new windows.

You can see the forms for the new window wells in the picture above. The kids loved to see the big concrete mixer come to the house.

The concrete forms had a brick pattern to them.

Rhett slept through most of the back-fill process even though it was right outside his bedroom window!

All that's left to do is put up wall board in the bedrooms, replace the bottom piece of siding, and build the well covers and ladders. Only 19 more weeks for that to get finished!

Success! (with a little help from bribery)

Rhett's Christmas program was held last Sunday morning at church. I drove him into Wichita on Saturday for a rehearsal and he didn't sing a word, despite knowing all the words to every song.

Enter, bribery.

I had ordered a few new Christmas books but had not given them to the kids yet. So he got to pick one that would be his reward for singing at the program.

And it worked!

He sang every song, with a few silly moments of making faces and waving at us.

Great job, Rhett!

His preschool program is Thursday...

Introducing...

Skarloey!

(Rhett named him after a train from the Thomas books. Think we'll call him Skar)

He's a 2-month old lab/shorthair mix and cute as can be.

The kids were so excited when we told them we were getting a puppy.

As you can see they both love him already.

We got him Saturday and last night was better than the first. He's sleeping in the garage in a crate. Eventually he will be in the shed with the cats at night and out during the day. Right now, he can't hold his own with the cats and they are not amused by him. The kids have enjoyed playing "chase" with him in the garage and taking turns giving him his bone.

KSU-Texas Game

A few weeks ago, I was able to meet up with a few of my sorority sisters before the K-State-Texas game in Manhattan. It was so fun to catch up on the last 10 years (can't believe we have been gone that long!) and reminisce about those four years we spent together.

Thanks, Jess, for setting this all up!

Me, Jessica (came from San Francisco), Teresa (came from Lakin, KS)

The kids and I were able to spend some time with my family in Manhattan too.

Wes & Leah playing with Luke through the door at Pizza Hut.

Cousins Will & Wes

Sure love all that purple!

Halloween 2010

We went trick-or-treating in downtown Newton on Saturday evening. It was a nice night so there were A LOT of kids out.

Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato from VeggieTales.

We met up with our friends the Baxter's. Pretty Charley Girl (as Rhett calls her) made a very cute Tinker Bell.

It also happened to be Matt's 35th birthday, so the staff at Acapulco's brought him a huge sombrero and fried ice cream and sang to him. Rhett and Charley had their share.

Siblings and Friends

When I got out of the shower the other morning, the house was silent with the exception of Rhett reading "Polar bear, polar bear, what do you hear?" I snuck out to the sunroom and "caught" the kids doing this:

Getting along!

It was so cute to hear Rhett reading to Leah. He would pause and see if she knew the sound for the animals. He was a great affirmer when she was right and quick to correct her when she was wrong. He thinks it is his responsibility to teach her everything...

Back off, Ladies. He's mine!

My dad gave Ben and old chainsaw and Ben has been boasting his manhood ever since. If you can't tell, he's wearing a bike helmet, soundproof ear muffs, and safety goggles.

What a MAN!

I know you're jealous.

And the home of the... CHIEFS!

Thanks to Uncle Gary and Aunt Connie and Big Papa and Grandma Sauce for keeping Rhett and Leah for us last weekend so Ben and I could have a little pre-baby date! Job and Josh have season tickets for the Chiefs and offered them to us for a game. We ended up choosing the Jacksonville game. It was a beautiful day and a fun game ending with a Chiefs win. We stayed in KC Saturday night, ate dinner ALONE and walked around Village West at a leisurely pace. Our hotel was right next to the KC Wizards soccer stadium and they were hosting their final home game of the season. The won too and celebrated with a 15 minute fireworks show that we watched from our hotel room. A great night!

So steep! Once people were sitting in front of us, I felt a little more comfortable. At least there would be someone to break my fall!

This was the first time for me to go to a professional football game. We went to Arrowhead when K-State beat OU in the Big XII Championship, but when 80,000 people are cheering for the same team, the atmosphere is quite different! This game was also a reunion of sorts for me and my (pretend) college boyfriend, Jon McGraw, who plays for the Chiefs :)

Thanks again to all who made it possible for me to go on a date with my husband!!

In their own words

Just a few things we hear around our house...

Leah: It's darking.

Translation: It's getting dark or it's still dark.

Rhett: You are making me drive crazy!

Translation: You are driving me crazy!

New pictures

Too many to post...

Visit our share site to see a new album (dated 10/12/2010) at:

http://thewertenbergerfamily.shutterfly.com/

Enjoy!

Fill 'er up!

What happens when you move into a bigger house? Just ask Ben. He says, "Fill 'er up!"

Baby #3 is due April 30.

Yes! Momma still gets a maternity leave from school and the whole summer off!

Now, here are a few random pictures from the last few weeks :)

Leah at her birthday party. "I two!"

Rhett made elephant ears at preschool during E week.

Ben turned 35 on October 1 (gasp!)

Watching the parade at the Whitewater Fall Fest.