Cookie Making

With the craziness of this December, cookie making was a little more subdued this year.  My little helper and I made our favorite peanut butter patties and dipped pretzels, just in time for my piano recital.  It was amazing to see Olivia's growth since last year.  She was so careful and patient and used just the right amount of sprinkles.  I love making these memories (and cookies) with her!

Happy 60th Birthday, Grandpa Jim!

For my Dad's 60th birthday, we decided to have a family weekend out at our cabin.  We spent the weekend snowshoeing, sledding, going on a sleigh ride, and enjoying some delicious food.  It was the perfect way to celebrate.

My dad is such a good husband, father, and grandpa.  He is incredibly hard-working and is always willing to help out.  He is good at many things - sports, woodworking and other handyman things, hunting and fishing, anything farm related, and so many other things.  It is important to him to do the right thing.  He turns into a little kid when he is playing with my kids and it is so fun to see.  He isn't afraid to change diapers, have them help in the kitchen or outside, and even took them to the swimming pool himself this past summer!  Growing up as his daughter, he taught me to mow lawn, drive a trailer, stack hay bales, fix fence, and use tools.  There were not "girl jobs" and "boy jobs" in our house, and I'm so grateful for that.  My dad is a good man, and I'm proud of him and am so glad we got to celebrate together as he begins his next decade.  Happy Birthday!

Christmas Lists

Here are the Christmas letters the kids wrote to Santa.  Nolan's list just cracked me up...a playset with over 1000 secrets?! Joy?! Such a funny boy.  He also wrote the sweetest letter to Jesus as part of our family Advent activity.  And Olivia's letter was so sweet, too - the girl is easy to please!  Soap? Plates for Mom?  Love these guys.

Trinity Christmas Program

For the past several weeks, Olivia and I have been rehearsing hard for the Christmas Program at Trinity.  Livi sang two songs ("There was a Little Baby" and "Starlight") with the Children's Choir and was one of the stars that led the wise men to Baby Jesus.  I played piano for all of the musical performances and helped the performers with their solos and duets.  Livi was hilarious during the performance - super sassy and inventing a whole bunch of dance moves to add some pizzazz to the more mundane actions.  She sang out enthusiastically and had a blast.  I was really proud of her confidence and will to try something new.  She did a great job.  I always enjoy this program because it offers opportunities for lots of different talents to shine.  Puppets, dancers, speakers, actors, and musicians join together to tell the story of Jesus' birth.  It was a special night and I hope the kids will continue to want to be involved.

Queen of the Horses

"The Queen of all the horses has woked up.  This is the face a queen makes."

Pelican Holiday Concert

The kids had their school program this week, under the direction of their music teacher, Mrs. Sparks.  They both did a great job and clearly new all their songs and actions.  Despite it being her first program, Olivia was fearless.  I was very proud of the wonderful job they did and how well they followed the instructions of their teacher on stage.  Way to go, kids!

Decorating the Cabin

It has become a tradition to go out to the cabin before Christmas to get it all decorated for the holiday and put the tree up.  This year we went out a little early because it was a BEAUTIFUL day and we wanted to try out Livi's new pair of snowshoes.  She did pretty well in them and walked all around the game opening before the stopped to build a snowman with Grandpa.  After that, we had pizza and decorated the tree.  Christmas will be here soon!