Valentine's Tradition

For as long as I can remember,
we have had this little valentine's tradition...
pink heart pancakes for breakfast.

The kids count on it and it is a fun way to celebrate the holiday!

Jamie's Winter Band Concert

Jamie loves playing the clarinet and we love watching her play!
We especially love her chipmunk cheeks when she plays!

Successful 1st Season

Riley started skiing at the age of 4 or 5. He loves it, he is definitely a winter kid and plays outside more in the winter than in the summer.

This year he joined the school district's Nordic Ski Team. It was a change for speed demon Riley to all of a sudden need to work hard to move on the snow. He is used to gravity and steep slopes to propel him down the hill. Nordic Skiing is 'a whole different ball game'! The first month of practice was November and we didn't have any snow, so the team practiced by running through Lebanon Hills parks with their poles. Riley does not like running, but persevered and actually enjoyed this training. Once the snow came, Riley found a new love and had a great time practicing with the varsity and junior varsity teams. He even braved negative temps. The coach said that Riley had a great first season and should definitely continue with the team next year. Riley is considering and we are hoping he sticks with it!

I love the motto on the Ski Team's website:

Real Skiers Ski Uphill!

Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of Riley skiing, but here is one of his teammates...maybe this will be Riley in a couple years!

Our Young Inventor

Jamie was determined to participate in the Young Inventor's Fair this year. She and Brent worked long and hard on her project "The Junior Snow Digger". Here is the product from start to finish!





We are very proud of Jamie for her hard work, she did a fantastic job. She says that her inventing days are now over!

Jamie and Mom's Week Away

At the beginning of January (yes I am very behind on my blogging!), Jamie and I spent a week in Utah. I had a conference for work. I really enjoyed meeting everyone I work with on a daily basis and getting to know them better.

Jamie, however, had the most fun and got to play every day with her cousins and Aunts. She was SPOILED by them all and had a great time. Thanks to Aunt Kathy, Aunt Irene, Aunt Leslee and Uncle John for taking great care of Jamie and showing her the 'time of her life'! Thanks to Tasha, Connor, Dane, Fynn, Cali, Kensi, Luke, Dylan, Paris and Becky for being the best playmates a girl could ask for!

Here are some snapshots of Jamie's sleepover with Natasha and Cali and the fabulous girls' day out that Aunt Leslee treated them too.

New Baking Hobby

One of my favorite Christmas presents was the cookbook: Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I LOVE it and have really enjoyed trying several of the different recipes. I have never felt confident baking bread before, but so far with these recipes, I have not failed. Thanks Kristen for the recommendation!

Happy New Year - 2010!

Happy New Year to all our loved ones.
It is hard to believe we have entered the year 2010!

We have had a wonderful week off and have enjoyed:

• sleeping in
• staying up late
• reading books
• watching lots of football
• shoveling snow
• scraping ice
  
• playing games (Monopoly Deal is our new favorite)
  
• ice skating (the girls are doing great already and start lessons on Mon)
  
• flying Riley's plane (or at least trying to)
  
• playing wii
• watching movies
• baking bread
• cooking breakfast together
• hanging out with friends
• creating Jamie's inventor fair project
• working on Riley's scouting merit badges
• printing coloring pages for Sidney
  

We have enjoyed repeating the above activities multiple times. Reality will hit quickly and we will soon be back to our normal routine, but this fun holiday 'stay'cation was just what we needed!

We wish you all a Happy New Year!

Trying out our New Toys!

Christmas Day

We are truly blessed and so grateful this Christmas season!
We have especially enjoyed the opportunities we have had
to share our home with many friends and loved ones.
We rejoice in the celebration of our Savior's birth and
love the sights, sounds and joys of this season.

Here are some glimpses of our fun Christmas day.
Thanks to all of our loved ones who remembered us,
we loved your thoughtful gifts.

Santa was here!

Family Home Evening Board from Uncle Nate and Aunt Lindsay!

Warm Fuzzy Blankets from Mom and Dad!

Wii games, books, motion plus controllers and AG gift cards from Papa Jim and Grandma!

Fun Slippers, Groovy Bags, U of Kansas hat, and Wii game from the Lewis family!

Christmas Cash from Great Grandpa and Grandma Wakefield!

Popcorn Popper and...

Wall Projector from Grampa Barry and Grammy Su!

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve started with a wonderful dinner with our cousins the De Lay family. We spent the evening playing, singing and enjoying the anticipation of Christmas. What a wonderful blessing to have them live so close to us!

We then opened a few chosen presents, some Christmas jammies from Grampa Barry and Grammy Su and a beatiful family Bible from Papa Jim and Grandma.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Snow Storm

Our Christmas Eve started with a beautiful gift from Mother Nature. The kids played outside and built an amazing snow cave/tunnel while Brent dug out the driveway with his still running ancient snowblower (thanks Anselmos!). Then, since we were all bundled for the elements, with our pajamas on underneath, we loaded in the car to venture out to our favorite secret sledding hill. We had a blast for about an hour on some fresh, untainted snow. We finished off the morning with a quick stop for some yummy hot chocolate!