Mountain Day!

We were missing the snow, so drove to the mountains!  Super fun (and a little wet)!  Both girls skied, snowmen were built, lunches were consumed at the fire pit, fingers were warmed by the heaters and hot chocolate was a must!

G had great balance, but couldn't resist the joy of a purposeful fall!

She would LOL when others fell as she thought it was all part of the "game".  One frustrated fellow told her, "That's not nice.  There's no laughing at skiing."

CC did awesome!  She will likely be on her own next trip!

From Our Stable...

...To Yours,  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Party!

We celebrated Christmas with our small group (minus one family) this weekend.  It was a super fun evening for all!  After a swell dinner, we moved into an informal talent show.

Father son duo

A dance which soon inspired others to join...

A shy bell playing....

Father son duo... take II

Lovely cello accompanied by Ted on piano.

LET THE GAMING BEGIN!!!

After we ran out of talent, we split into 2 teams with 2 families per team and had a friendly competition of Christmas games!

D&H mastered this one... I think the trick was hugging!  :)

(photo courtesy of Dan)
The above was probably the funniest... moving a cookie from your nose to your mouth, sans hands!  Almost everyone tried it and we enjoyed much laughter!  :)

Stacking cup pyramids with your elbows... K (17 months) just stacked a tower!

Even the adults shared in crackers, whistles and crowns!
WONDERFUL EVENING!

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Surprise!

Special delivery from our preschooler! 

Annual Light Gazing!

 Pajamas, hats and jackets on.  Check.  Hot chocolate in hand.  Check.

Roll down the windows and play the Christmas music loud!  Check.

We went light gazing!

 For the first time ever, we got out and walked one of the streets!

I highly recommend walking.... you miss a lot of detail in the car alone.

 Lights can be a little scary.... G was convinced she could see a spider!

Loved this gorgeous white dog outside with St Nicholas.

Christmas Cuts!

I have always cut the girls hair.  However, my lack of experience was starting to show... especially in the back of the head.  Thanks to Yelp, I found this great kid friendly barber close to our home.  Cute cuts, not a big change, but SO MUCH neater!

Cookie Thief!

Mmm... loving the holidays!

Beatrice's Goat

Every year we search for ways to fill the holidays with the spirit of giving.  Now with little ones, we seek out ways of giving that tots may understand.  For the past 3 Christmas seasons, we have gone to World Vision's website and the girls have each chosen an animal to gift.  We talk about what the gift means to the family receiving and the importance of giving to those who have less.

Thanks to Heifer Project International — a charitable organization that donates livestock to poor communities around the world, I have found a GEM of a children's book!

Beatrice's Goat

 by Page McBrier

Illustrated by Lori Lohstoeter

 

It's a lovely story of how one goat changed the lives of a family in Uganda.  The girls loved the story and now have a fuller picture of how their gift can make a difference.  It's been my favorite find of the season and will likely be part of our giving tradition for years to come.

FYI: I borrowed the book from the library OR you can listen online here!  Also, the story is TRUE and you can read about the amazing ending here.

Advent Wreath!

May I have a moment in the spotlight?

Although not the most beautiful wreath I've seen, I am proud to say I made it!  The best part.... I used the trimmed branches from our Christmas tree and candles from the dollar store.  Cost me about $6!  Yes, thank you!  I love it too!  :)