CHAMPION!!!

We are so proud of Keenan. He wrestled a great tournament today taking first place! Keenan, Kira, Keylee and Keenan's friend Saylor.

No wrestling tournament is complete without snow cones!

Keenan with his biggest fan of the day, Saylor

Keenan with his buddy Sydney

My friend, Tanna, came out to cheer Keenan on. It is always a challenge when the weather is bad, the parking is slim and there are four hundred wrestlers to battle through but Tanna and Brian made it out for the second year in a row!

Reading

Keenan is super excited that he is learning to read. He asked if he could do silent reading every night like Kira does.

Confused

Clearly Keylee is confused these days. She can't decide if she is a princess, superhero or a cheerleader. All I know is she makes us smile.

Snow Day

Joe and the kids had a snow day today and were able to enjoy the first major snow of Winter. I came home for lunch to find Joe still outside scooping the driveway and the kids were inside making hot chocolate. Can you say mess??? I was able to enjoy the first major snow on my way to work and I will say the road crews were not out yet. I was/am thankful for my 4-wheel drive.

A blast from the past!

On December 28th Joe and I celebrated 14 years of marriage. It is hard to believe we have been married for 14 years. He is a great husband and father. He is truly my best friend. Now, I want to clarify what I said above when I used the word "celebrated" above: I was home with three sick children and Joe was hunting with his brothers and brother-in-law. Keylee had pink eye in both eyes, which we got cleared up pretty quickly. Then, Kira and Keenan both had a terrible cold. Keenan's cold settled behind his ears and he was up all night of the 27th/28th complaining of his ear hurting. Keenan had a low fever too. Kira was so congested and she developed pink eye in both eyes too. I woke up on the 28th and decided I am taking all the children to the doctor. We went to the doctor and Keenan had double ear infection, Kira had a fever of 101, her pink eye was confirmed and she also had strep throat... what?? How could she have strep throat she never complained of a sore throat. During her exam the doctor looked at me and said "has she been complaining of a sore throat." I said, "No." Kira promptly responded, "My throat doesn't hurt." She looked in Kira's throat again and she said,"Well it is strange she hasn't complained because it sure looks like strep throat." She proceeded to swab Kira's throat and it was confirmed she had strep throat. Until December 31st my kiddos have spent their entire Christmas Break sick. They are all well now, just in time for school to start.

Peugh Family Christmas

We spent Christmas Day with my family. Two of my sisters were in Dodge. I missed my sister Susan as she couldn't travel to Dodge until Sunday and we traveled back to Manhattan on Sunday. We had a great time with many laughs and some great coffee courtesy of my sister, Tamie, our personal Barista. She is serious about her coffee making. She lives in Dodge City so the nearest Starbucks is 60 miles (located inside the Garden City Target Store). Tamie measures her Starbucks syrups, her Starbucks Espresso Roast and steams her milk with a thermometer to ensure the final product is the right temperature. It is really quite a show but I will say the coffee was YUMMY.

Santa brought the kids these cute shirts with their names on them.

Keenan got his Vikings Jersey

Kira got ANOTHER American Girl Doll. I was completely opposed to the idea because I don't understand why she needs more than one. Plus, I know she will grow out of this phase soon and it seems like quite an investment in dolls to only outgrow in a few short years. Oh well, Kira was thrilled.

Keylee got some "furry crocs" and a princess purse, crown and other accessories that every princess must have.

By far the best part of the trip for Kira was horseback riding. Kira LOVES to ride horses and this time my brother-in-law, Greg, spent several hours with her teaching her some riding technique.

Schartz Family Christmas

We spent Christmas Eve with Joe's family. Joe is the youngest of six children. This year was a special Christmas as Joe's siblings, including Joe's older brother who recently completed his deployment to Afghanistan, were all in Dodge City for Christmas. It was a short weekend but it was great to see everyone. Joe's sister, Jeri, leading the family in Christmas carols.

Joe's brother, James, gave Kira this jewelry box that he had made for her in Afghanistan.

Keylee with Uncle John reading the book he gave her.

Keylee received a new princess dress from her Grammy and Papa. She is now Sleeping Beauty. She wore this dress the entire weekend (with her new crown). Maybe the Cinderalla dress that she constantly wears that is in shreds can be retired.