We love Zoo Lights!

Go Hawks!

Grandpa and Grandma Visit for Christmas

Grandpa Mike and Grandma Donna were awesome playmates this Christmas. They were even willing to dress the part as pirates!

The plate of cookies we made Santa and the baby carrots we left his reindeer were almost all gone on Christmas morning. Karen analyzed the "nibble marks" on the carrots. 

There were lots of "Oooooooos" and "Woooooows" when opening gifts.

 Karen continues to love horses. Papa justified getting her this big stuffed horse..."It's a lot cheaper than a real horse". :)

 

Thank you grandpa and grandma for the great visit and helping us break in our new toys!

Early Christmas in Leavenworth

We had a wonderful visit to Leavenworth prior to Christmas. The lights downtown get more beautiful every year! We wish there was more snow, but we still had enough to throw snowballs and run around in.

We had a blast playing with our cousins during the Seahawks game.

Uncle Moo was in a great mood with the Hawks beating Arizona. He even danced to my silly songs! 



Auntie Amy was very kind to nourish us with fun snacks during the big game!

We were extremely blessed to stay with Emma and Lily's grandma Connie during our time in Leavenworth. Karen ADORES her dogs!

Grandma Connie's newest grandson, Peter Terence, is SO CUTE and very tall for his age!

I had fun playing with Connie's other grandkids (Finn and Elise). A favorite toy was Evan's old Brio train set.

It was a treat to see Anne Smith, Kate, and Petra too!

We opened gifts at Uncle Moo and Auntie Amy's house.

We also saw mama's first cousins Kathy Falk (daughter Leah) and Karen Martin-Schramm downtown!

On our final night, Auntie Teddy cooked an amazing dinner for the family - Snow on the Mountain - at their house (the house mama grew up in). We love the view on a snowy afternoon. Thanks for the memories!!

Pre School Christmas Play

My pre school class sang Christmas songs and performed a Nativity play for our parents yesterday. "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." (Luke 2:12)

My role was Joseph. I told Mama and Papa I wasn't nervous and I even waved to them a few times up on stage!

A silly pose with Papa and Karen after the performance.

Silly Pole Vaulter!

 I love to watch pole vault practice right outside Papa's office at SMU and my parents had no idea the influence it would have.

I had so much the other day running all over the house. I used a broom to launch my body up and forward like the pole vaulters I see.

As I got better and faster, Mama advised I move my event outside for safety. :)

GO SAINTS!

We love our Saints! Yeah, it's basketball season!! Holden and I made signs as well as brought pom-poms to cheer on the team at the most recent home game. The popcorn is probably our favorite part...but we also like the fast-paced game, people watching, and all the upbeat music during half-time and time-outs!

Visitors from the North Pole

Thank you Grandma D for helping watch us during the Jingle Bell Run at Saint Martin's...so Papa could help put on the event and Mama could race the 5K. We were so excited to see Santa and Mrs. Claus after the run. Thanks also for your help writing them a letter!

Decorating our annual gingerbread house

It took a lot of time, detail, and cooperation to decorate our house this year but we had a great time with the project.

 We're so proud of the final product serving as a center piece for our table.

Just a few hours after we were done, mama found Karen climbing up on the table...all the candy was "calling her name"!

Not afraid to get dirty!

Karen had so much fun the other day helping papa outside, digging in the dirt, and picking up worms. She would proudly come to the back porch and show mama all the worms she found.

Who are these masked Christmas characters?

With all the Christmas stories we've been reading from the library this month, I requested a "Nutcracker" mask and Karen a "Gingerbread Girl". We were delighted what Google, our printer, and a little imagination helped us make!

Hunt for our Christmas Tree

Karen brought her little saw and I brought my plastic axe to help cut down our Christmas tree. There were so many choices we had a tough time deciding.

We finally decided on this Noble Fir. It smells SO GOOD in our house!

The tree farm is less than 1/2 mile from our house. They gave us a ride throughout the whole farm on horse-drawn trolley with two Clydesdales.

 Later that night it was time to decorate.

Notice the overload of all the ornaments on the branches right at Karen's height. :)

And the finishing touch...the angel on top!