Well November ended with the boys chipping away ice so that they could go out duck hunting...these boys will hunt until the law says they can't! :o) Than the festivities started to get ready for the Holidays.  Andy had surgery the week of Thanksgiving so we had to plan ahead for some things since he wouldn't be able to lift for quite awhile.  Thanksgiving was celebrated at home as Andy recovered with lots of food and quality family time.  Can't get any better than that!

                                      Little Zoey getting dressed up in some hunting gear...

Normally we wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to get our Christmas tree but with Andy having surgery we decided to go the weekend before...it was defiantly winter out that day! Alittle chilly going into the tree lot in search of the perfect tree, but we had a blast...Zoey is so bundled up she reminded us of the lil guy in the Christmas Story!

We found the perfect tree and the boys went to work chopping it down, and in the process almost took out Zoey! She was standing off to the side and the tree came crashing down with the very tip of it brushing her coat! Zoey gave them a dirty look for that :o)

Team work!

Hard to believe that our little booger turned 12 already! We celebrated with a blizzard that day and school got out early (which he thought was awesome!) Instead of a cake this year he requested pumpkin bars :o) and ended up blowing out all the candles except for one....for Emily!

What a goof

Somebody was extremely happy with one of his birthday presents...xbox mindcraft

Sibling love

Zoey didn't want her monkey to go on the tree this year....every chance she gets she tries to steal it back :o)

The kids were involved in the after school program Art N Books again this year. They went twice a week for 8 weeks and learned different art mediums and how they related to different stories.  This will be Austin's last art show   :o(  They got all dressed up for the show at the Parkers Event Center and had a blast showing off their hard work.

Austin's art...this pic and next

Bayleann's art this pic and next

Bayleann had her Christmas Dance show on the 14th and it was a wonderful show! Her group danced to Frosty the Snowman and were little snow girls.  They looked absolutely adorable and of course they danced terrifically! This group of girls have been together for a few years now and dance competition together and you can really tell-they are perfect out there. Monie didn't dance this year for the Rockettes but she was back stage helping out and we couldn't miss out on our annual picture!

Bayleann and her bestie Dani

Even Austin was proud of his little sister!

I caught the girls having a tea party in Bayleann's room...they look so cute and played together so well :o) I love capturing these precious moments between sisters!

The tea party moved out into the living room for our enjoyment! Bayleann left for a second and Zoey is trying to steal her cupcake!

Austin had his last (tear) Christmas program as an elementary kid this past Thursday.  He was a reindeer named Prancer....now normally this kid will make sure he is in the back row when they are handing out parts so that he doesn't have one...but he didn't get so lucky this time! His character Prancer was one of Santa's reindeer and throughout the program he got to fight a villain, save snowflake the damsel in distress from train tracks, fight the villain again, and do a western line dance with his fellow reindeer friends.  This play was a hoot! We were laughing throughout the whole thing....of course Austin just told us he had one line to say...if we had known what his part really was we defiantly would have brought the video camera!

The villain (a fellow reindeer)

The big fight

Saving the girl

Fighting over the girl with the villain...Prancer won of course

I found this little toy at Walmart and it says Prancer on it...so we gave it to Austin after his play! Too cute!  He loved it :o)

Well everyone....we hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas!

We're back!!!

For those of you that thought the Moen family fell off the map...we didn't :o) Just been enjoying the last of the fall weather, busy with school activities, coaching and just plain enjoying the family time. It's hard to believe it's November already! Each day it seems that time flies just a little bit faster...

So sit back, grab a beverage-maybe a snack and enjoy a huge lot of pictures!

We had hot, sunny days for our last camping trip of the year...the annual labor day weekend.  Our kids are all little fishies-they absolutely love the water...I'm still noticing the tan lines from playing at the beach!

Good save Zo Zo

Austin caught her a little froggie and she wanted to grab it but it jumped away before she had a chance...she's not afraid of little creatures...

Some down time with big brother watching a movie after swimming...she loves her brother!

The stud muffin! You'd think this kid never eats a good meal....

The thinker

Bayleann got to ride the watercraft with Jenni...she loved it! This kid loves machine and speed..she's always telling Dad to go faster on the 4-wheelers!

Family time...so much fun in the sun means some deserved lounge time

Putting on a bike show for the campers...doing jumps and being the one jumped over...cover the family jewels!

Hunting for the boys started the weekend after Labor Day and they were pretty successful.  Andy always say even a bad day hunting is better than no hunting at all! These guys live for the hunting season-Austin is a chip off the old block of his Father!

Bayleann loves helping pluck the feathers :o) I'm thinking she'll be hunting soon too!

It was such a beautiful fall day...wish we could still be running around in our summer jammies!

Painting bubbie's face with a stick....

Even Zoey doesn't mind dead ducks! Bayleann gave one a kiss when she was little, now Zoey got trained in :o)

Austin got to participate in a 3 on 3 League this fall for 5 weeks...Every Sunday evening we traveled to Alex and he played 2 20 minute games half court.  Sometimes he only got a 5 minute break between games.  Needless to say those nights he slept well!  This was a great learning experience for him...it was very fast paced and only half court so they had to be on the ball for defense and offense.  They won a fair share of their games and lost a few.  It is so great as a parent to watch his growth each time he gets on that court!

Team Air Jordans! Alex, Josh, Austin & Graham

Andy & I coached flag football again this fall...Every Tuesday for 6 weeks we taught 3rd-6th graders the basics of football and played scrimmages.  The kids really seemed to enjoy themselves...Next year Austin will be too old (since he'll be over at the high school) but Bayleann has already said she wants to play so I guess we'll be coaching for quite a few years!

Another good day hunting!!! Can't wait for the duck jerky!!!

The kids wanted me to take a picture of the bullet wound since it was in the shape of a heart!

This girl loves her fuzzy creatures....she wanted to squeeze this guy a little too hard :o) Each year we take pictures down by the lake in the fall....I probably snapped over 50 pictures...narrowing that down is not fun for a person like me!!! It doesn't help when the subjects are just so darn cute!

Run away Zoey in the corn!!! Oh no!

Always got a kiss for Daddy!

Jammin in our mud boots!

Cutest Darn Sock Monkey!!!!

When Dad went to South Dakota hunting over MEA break the kids had friend over...I think I was the only one that was tired that night!!!
Girls being Girls.....makeup, dress-up and fashion shows :o)

Can't forget the nails!

Peas in a pod! Olivia, Bayleann, Hannah & Taylor

Now the boys....they had some outdoor fun...
Airsoft gun wars!
You weren't safe to go out the front door!

They look like a cool gang of misfits!
Dawson, Austin, Kolby, Zach & Eric

What I love about these boys is they may be almost teenagers but they still love to play with tractors...they had our whole living room made into a whole working farm.

Andy had a good time again this year hunting out in South Dakota....It was decent weather and they got their limit...these are his share of the kill that he brought home.  Next year Austin will finally be old enough to go with dad! He can't wait!

His buddy Eric had a pool birthday party and I got to help his momma keep these crazy kids in line! They had a blast!



Austin is the goof ball in the glasses...they are nerd glasses with pink tape in the center...If you look closely he is the spitting image of Johnny Knoxville! Oh Brother!!!

There are no words.....

Pumpkin time!!! Thinking of our designs, carving and baking seeds....it was a fun and messy night!

Zoey wasn't quite sure what to think of the whole pumpkin carving...she didn't want to dig her had inside at first..than she liked the goopy guts

Dad's crazy pumpkin....with a little pumpkin friend inside



Austin's monster pumpkin eating it's small pumpkin friend....my sock monkey!



Bayleann's little minion and Zoey's crazy eyed pumpkin!

The 5th & 6th grades classes took their field trip last week to the Science Museum and State Capital...I got to chaperone :o) I love going on field trips with Austin's class-they are such a good group of kids. Jodi and I have gone on just about every trip they have taken and we have a blast!
Austin and his girlfriend Emily :o)

As a chaperone I was in charge of a small group....here are my little delinquents :o) Actually they are good kids and we had a great time running through the museum...we had to see as much as we could in the hour we got to spend there...defiantly not enough time! But that's how field trips work sometimes.

On the news!

Again...there are no words! Told him this could be his first car when he turns 16!!!!

Interrupting a tornado...this was a cool exhibit

The 6th grade class...the majority of these kids have been together since they were in preschool.  Just think they will be starting high school next year!
AHHHHHHHHH

The tour guide gave the kids different jobs that happen in the State Capital and government...Your looking at Governor Austin Moen....he said his main focus would be wildlife :o) Imagine that! Who cares if the budget balances....wait the real guys don't care either...so we're good!

A cute little ladybug that you don't want to squish....just squeeze!!! Zoey defiantly had more fun this year for Halloween.  She knows how to look cute and get candy than turn around and want to eat all that candy! She was so sticky from suckers!

For the school Halloween party each classroom gets a pumpkin to decorate and than during the party everyone votes on the best ones....this year the two 2nd grade classrooms did the Minion Buddies....And they won first place...They were so darn cute!!!

More jerky! :o)