Coming to a Close

Sadly, our Christmas break is rapidly coming to a close. For the most part we've had a really nice time together. We really didn't do much.


A couple days ago we ventured out to the pet store. The highlight of that day was watching Snappy chase around a little fish we bought for him to eat. (It was his first fishy.)


Yesterday afternoon we went to the zoo and then stuck around until it was dark enough to enjoy the Christmas lights. We had a good time. It's been a long time since we've gone to the zoo as a family.


Today Danielle and I goofed around in the back yard for awhile and enjoyed the temporary thaw and spring-like temperatures. Ron and Tyler finally started making their Pinewood Derby car. We have a full evening of games, movies and appropriate movie-night snacks lined up to get us up to ball-dropping time. It's been a very restful break, and it's been nice to spend it together.























Looking back, I'm thankful our 2010 was about as uneventful as our Christmas break. There were the usual ups and downs, but nothing too dramatic or catastrophic. None of us had any major health issues. Ron still has a job, and even enjoys it most days. In addition to lots of fun day trips here and there, we were lucky enough to go on 3 vacations this year. We enjoyed special times together, lazy days, and visits with family. I have so much to be thankful for, and I'm sure I haven't been nearly as grateful as I should be. I thank God for all His blessings on our family this past year, and for all the times and ways He's protected us when we didn't even know we needed it.

Christmas Favorites

Two of Tyler's Christmas presents proved to be favorites today: the K'nex Demon Coaster and Lego Creationary.


The K'nex Coaster is for ages 9+ and has smaller parts than the other K'nex sets he has (but no longer plays with). It took him a few hours to put it all together. Considering most Lego sets aren't a challenge to him any more, it was nice to find something that kept him busy for longer than an hour and something that Ron could build with him. The finished product was pretty cool, too. You can also download new designs, so there are other things you can do with this set. Even if this isn't something he plays with everyday once the new-ness wear off, I can see him pulling it out and designing something new from time to time.




































The other real winner was Lego Creationary. You don't have to read to play, so Danielle didn't need any help. There are 4 different catergories on 3 different levels of cards. A player rolls the dice to decide which category to build from. As that player builds, the other players guess the item. We had such a good time! When it was the kids' turn to build, they used the easy cards. Ron and I built from the medium difficulty cards. We played in teams, but there are several different ways you can play. It's definitely our new family favorite, and we're all looking forward to playing again tomorrow!




























Both of these items are rather difficult to find in stock in stores. I managed to find both items ON SALE and must say I'm rather proud of myself. (And yes, we spent another day in our pjs. At least I showered and put on clean pjs.)

Christmas Highlights

All that preparation and excitement for Christmas, and it's over so quickly. We had a really nice day today. None of us changed out of our pjs all day. We exchanged gifts, ate a good meal, and just enjoyed being together. It was a lazy Saturday at its best, with the bonus of presents thrown in!

Here are some highlights from our Christmas "weekend".

On Thursday we celebrated Christmas with my dad, stepmom, stepsister & brother-in-law, and niece & nephew. We had a nice evening together. (All my pictures turned out a little dark.)

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas with my mom, stepdad, and brother. We had a good day together. It's funny what turns out to be the kids' favorite gifts. Tyler's "headlamp" was a huge hit. Danielle (& Ron) enjoyed her loom kit. By the end of next week I expect to have lots of new potholders.

Last night Tyler read the Christmas story from the Bible for us. This year Danielle wanted to read, too, so she read Twas the Night Before Christmas. She stumbled over a couple words but did remarkably well. I know the picture of the kids with their stockings in front of the tree isn't the best, but I was struck by how big the kids look. They are growing up so fast.

We had a great morning. Tyler got the Spy Trakr that he wanted. It really is a cool toy. (And since I bought it for considerably less than full retail price, it was a really good deal, too!) He got lots of other goodies, too. Danielle got the Rapunzel Hair Braider Barbie she wanted. I was hesitant to get it for her because the reviews were so bad, but it was her most requested toy. The reviews were right. It is pretty much a piece of junk that includes a Barbie doll. Thankfully I found a deal on that, too. She also got an American Girl doll, which she loved, and lots of other goodies.

In addition to all our material blessings this Christmas, we're most thankful for the gift of God's Son. It was nice to hear the kids include their thanks for Jesus in their prayers tonight - especially since it was unprompted. Merry Christmas, everyone.

Christmas Break Begins!

The kids had 2 days of school this week. They had their sing-a-long and Christmas parties on Tuesday. My rotten daughter (and her friend) thought it would be funny to conduct the 3rd graders as they sang. She is usually a little more reserved than that at school, so I thought it was kind of funny. (I am zoomed in on her, so it looks much more obvious than it was.) The parties always consist of a game, a craft, and food. Personally, I would have preferred the kids just get out of school an hour early. They had a good enough time, though.

Christmas break started on Wednesday, and the kids kicked it off by opening their gifts from Aunt Joyce's family. That evening we went out to look at Christmas lights. We had a really nice time. The kids were in wonderful moods. There was lots of laughing and giggling.

Saying Good-Bye

On Thursday we said good-bye to our dog Hunter.

She was 13, which is pretty old for a golden retriever. We had her for 11 years. We adopted her from a home breeder who decided she wouldn't be good for breeding. We picked an older dog so we wouldn't have to worry about training a puppy. A few days after bringing Hunter home, I began to suspect she was pregnant. When I took her in to have her spayed, I had them xray her first. I was so glad I did! She had 7 puppies in there! That turned out to be quite an adventure.

It seems kind of silly to get so emotional over a dog, but anyone who has ever loved a pet knows they become more than just an animal. She was a good dog, and we will miss her.

First Snow Day of the Season

Yesterday we got some snow that actually accumulated. Here is Danielle and her first snow angel of the season.






















There was a lot of drifting, and our country roads were pretty slick, so school was cancelled today. After sleeping in a little, we bundled up and went sledding. It was COLD! The kids had fun, though.

Tyler's Directing Debut

Tyler learned how to make and edit videos on the computer today. That's more than I can do.

It's short and sweet. (And cracks me up every time I play it.) I didn't have the heart to suggest he check recheck his spelling.

This and That

Tyler had his first basketball game on Saturday. He said it was a lot more fun than he thought it would be.







Danielle had her baton performance Saturday evening. It was FREEZING but she did a great job! She had a lot of fun, too.

We took advantage of our nearby science museum's annual "free day" recently. It's so expensive to pay for all 4 of us to go, but the kids really enjoy it. "Free" makes it even more enjoyable! We got there when they opened and managed to avoid the crowds. We had a really great time.

Christmas card picture rejects:



Don't know where her upper lip went.





















Obviously the pictures are causing him great physical pain.

























And finally...


So far this month my son has learned the following in school: how to multiply by 8s & 9s, that Santa isn't real, and that "2 men who are best friends and get married are called gay". I'm so glad it's a short month.