Winter Sports!

The day after Christmas we went sledding. The weather was not too cold. This was Colin's first time. He loved it!




Mommy and Colin on the tube before a run.




A Flying Ian!





"Hey, Big Fella! You wanna grab this?!"


It's the uphill part that gets ya! But it sure is worth it!

This Is How Colin Eats His Toast...

..this week! Who knows what he'll come up with next week!

Christmas Morning at Our House

The day finally came!



Ian was Santa and handed out the gifts.




He was also Indiana Jones!




Colin is practicing his carpentry skills with his new Black and Decker workshop.





Ride 'em, Cowboy! (Don't forget your juice!)





Time for a Christmas doughnut.





Hope you had a great one, too!




Merry Christmas!

Ian's Note to Santa

Christmas Eve at Terri's

Every year we get together for food, conversation and a Christmas celebration. It's all about the kids. They open their presents from the extended family. Then everyone has their immediate family celebration Christmas morning. It's like having two Christmases each year!



Ian.




Colin.




Ashley, Erin, and Lindsay.




Wil and Cooper.

Arctic Survival Training

I've been showing Ian some basics to survival in the wilderness. We really do it for the fun but it's good stuff to know!




Ian in his snow cave. Underneath him is a bed of pine boughs for insulation. To his left is a candle which, along with body heat, is sufficient to bring the temperature up to 50 degrees or so in there.

Starting a fire

.

We only had time for a start so we didn't gather kindling, etc.



Eat your heart out, Uncle Rick and Uncle Jeff! (You guys should get up here and do some survivin' with us!)

The Storm

It cracks me up when people (even weathermen) refer to any snowfall as a "storm." This time, though, we had 13 inches, and high winds created blizzard conditions. This one qualifies!

Needles to say, we had the day off from work to clean it up and play in the snow. Some people hate the snow. I'm not a downhill skier, but the way I figure it is if it's going to be cold let's have some snow once in a while! I ain't scared!

Rudolph

Rudolph likes raisins. Who knew?

This picture was taken right after Santa asked him to guide the sleigh.

Our Outdoor Christmas Tree Tradition

Every year we decorate a tree outside and leave fruits, seeds, and popcorn for the animals. We all enjoy being outside and hanging up the treats. We saw deer and other animal tracks right by the tree. It's a well established hangout for turkeys, too. Steph initiated this tradition and it has become a must do around Christmastime!

Colin missed out this year. We couldn't bring ourselves to wake him up. It was right around his naptime so we let him sleep (we had to do it then as there was a storm brewing).




Do any of you do this, or have another holiday tradition?

Ian's Christmas Concert

Ian's Christmas concert was really fun. He was very attentive and sang all his songs. He has been learning tin whistle and will be playing some songs on it at the Spring concert!

Sesame Street Live!

We took the kids to Sesame Street Live at the Civic Center. They loved it! It was called "Elmo Grows Up." He couldn't decide what he wanted to be when he grew up. Dancing and singing nonstop. It was great!


Cookie Monster wanted to be a Firefighter. I never knew he was such a good dancer.

Ian when they first came out.

Colin's reaction. He loves Elmo. He calls him, "Melmo."

A Visit With Santa

Ian's making up for years past. He used to just scream at him! Now that he's older and views Santa as an ally, he tells him what he wants for Christmas. This year: a chemistry set.

It was worth the wait in line. (I waited in line while they trapsed around the mall having fun!) Again, it was worth the wait. Look at that smile.

Getting Ready for Christmas

"Dear Santa..."

Yay! We found a tree!

Ian picks it out every year.

Ian took this shot and the next one of the carolers.

Would you really bring a lamb with you to go out singing? Old fashioned handwarmer???

Colin getting a look at Old St. Nick.


You have no idea, little man!

They Grow Up So Fast!

Colin multitasking.

Ian trying to remember which girlfriend he's talking to.



Actually, they were talking to Grampa!

Be Warned!

THE SURGEON GENERAL HAS WARNED THAT PLAYING PUNK ROCK MUSIC DURING BATHTIME MAY CAUSE SERIOUS PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN YOUNG ENOUGH TO STILL BE TAKING A BATH!

Peekaboo Baby

Where's the baby?




THERE HE IS !!!

This is A Little Game We Call...

..."Diaper the Madman!"

Congratulations all around. Colin scored a personal best for sustained screaming (44 minutes straight), averaging 118 decibels at frequencies not less than 480 Hz. Stephanie suffered a 2/10 deduction for allowing Colin to take the newspaper apart but then made a nice recovery in the wiping portion. All in all, a solid performance.

So Colin made his point. We had been away for three nights and he was getting p#$$@d ! Time to go home!