Monday, December 31, 2012

The 2012 Bushwar Top Ten

 
Bushwar Top Ten 2012
10.  Jon and Susan are still teaching in Irving and
continue to be astounded by the parallels between
the lives of children in Pre-K andmiddle school. 
9.  Liam began playing soccer and blastball in the spring.  Due to his tendency to use the soccer ball as a bouncy chair during mid-play, his inclination seems to be towards baseball.
8.  While spending much of July in Minnesota, Jon, Susan, and the kids also enjoyed time on the North Shore of Lake Superior, including a visit to Canada where Jon learned how to throw an ax and outrun swarms of mosquitoes.
7.  After ten long years and the occasional donation of plasma, Jon finished paying off his student loans from Baylor in November.  Sic ‘em, (Bush)Bears!
6.  The last adventure of the summer was a trip to San Antonio with Jon’s parents and sister’s family to visit the Alamo, River Walk, and Sea World.  Jon still tears up a bit with emotion when he remembers the Shamu, One World performance.
5.  Ellery, a sweet animal, music, and French fry lover, emerged out of her delicate shell this year and has learned to hold her own against her two feisty siblings. 
4.  Outgoing Marin brings the party everywhere she goes with her sunny smiles and endless supply of hugs.  That, combined with her adversity to wearing clothes, has her parents a little nervous.
3.  Starting Pre-K this year, Liam is a fan of the Texas Rangers, McDonald’s Happy Meals, Star Wars, and watching shows on Nick Jr….In other words, a mini-version of Jon.
2.  During Spring Break, all five Bushwars joined Susan’s parents and sister’s family on a Caribbean cruise.  They played with monkeys, swam with dolphins, hiked Mayan ruins, explored rain forests, and relaxed on white, sandy beaches.  More importantly, they proved that it is possible to have an amazing time on a cruise with four kids who are three-years-old and under.
 And in the Bushwar 2012 Top Spot…
1. The “Yes We Can” slogan had nothing to do with politics in the Bushwar house during this election year; it was more about surviving with two spirited 2-year-olds and a frenzied 4-year-old, and YES WE DID!
 



Friday, December 28, 2012

White Christmas

It's hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone.  Although we stayed in Texas this year and celebrated with the Bushwar branch of the family, snow hit Dallas just in time for us to have a white Christmas!
 
On Christmas Eve we went to Mikeska's church and then to Jenni and Jeremy's house for dinner and to decorate cookies for Santa.







 
 Let's decorate some cookies for Santa.




 
Liam made sure the Santa was set with cookies and milk before heading to bed late on Christmas Eve.

 
 Santa arrived with lots of toys for our good little girls and boy.




 
 And after opening up more presents at home, we headed over to Nana and Papa's for lunch.




 
And then something really cool cold happened...It started to snow.  Big, giant white flakes falling from the sky sent the kids into a frenzy!



 
And the excitement continued as there were still more gifts to unwrap.




 
 Even as we returned home in the evening, Liam could not get enough of the snow, and he requested a few more pictures to capture the memories of our wonderful, white Christmas.


Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Happy Christmas Wishes!





Sunday, December 23, 2012

Merry Madagascar

We had a fun time today with Nana and Papa at the Gaylord Texan's Ice!  We even had time for snow tubing at the end.


 



 



Saturday, December 22, 2012

Getting Close

Our Purposeful Christmas Advent is coming to an end, and it has been such a meaningful and reflective time for our family. 


Jon and the kids are also doing a fun Lego Advent.  They love it!