Table for 5: 2009

Santa Delivers...

December 26, 2009

Merry Christmas! Santa sure delivered this year (even delivering all the way from Germany....thanks Scott & Jula). Hope your day was full of much joy and laughter and at some point during the holiday you had the pleasure of seeing a little one have their "best day ever"...priceless!!

Some highlights:

Preparing Santa's snacks

(*sorry the video gets so dark**)

Nothing like the taste of wrapping paper

Cars...what a surprise!

Carsten's toy (all the way from Germany)

Can we open this thing, Dad?

Carsten looking for more....to eat that is...

The jeep!

A book on cars...another big surprise

Of course they got this "monster traction jeep" and all they want to play with is Carsten's little red car...go figure

(**notice she drives just like her mother**)

Grammy & Grandpa's surprise (glad that portrait session is over!)

yummy...

Another portrait session attempted...why?

he's off...

Take the picture...quick!!!

ALL CHRISTMAS PHOTOS

December

December 21, 2009

Finding a tree, decorating a tree, a trip to Germany (for Chris), baking some peanut butter balls, watching about a foot of snow fall, cleaning up about a foot of snow and all I had to do was take pictures of it all. Not too bad for a week in December. Nana & Poppy visited last week while Chris was away and as usual helped out a ton! The timing couldn't have been better...someone needed to make sure Santa delivers later this week!

Making Peanut Butter Balls with Nana

The snow begins to fall....

Putting the kids(and Chris) to work....

It's not all work

More DECEMBER Photos

Baby Steps...

December 21, 2009

You suddenly realize exactly how they came up with the phrases "baby steps" and "standing on your own two feet" especially when you have a 10 month old. For some reason I thought it would be different the third time around, maybe not as exciting but I couldn't be more wrong! It has been such a joy watching Carsten "let go" and just stand on his own. And then to watch him move forward not realizing what he is even doing. I think he may even have been frightened a few times over all the clapping, shouting and excitement from all the rest of us. The only difference the third time is that there is a bigger audience. Grace and Jack watch in amazement, congratulating him every time he takes a step or stands on his own. They make sure to tell me every single time he does it (in case I missed it) and they each have their own individual way of showing how proud they are of their brother, but it usually ends in a "Good job, buddy!"

He is on the move now and there's no turning back. Every day he is getting better and better and is becoming more adventurous (if that's even possible) and it's such a thrill to be there to watch him...

A Very Important Day!

November 28, 2009

Today was a very big day on the calendar! After a very relaxing and tasty Thanksgiving, we had to hurry back to make a wedding! Grace's 1st grade teacher got married today and invited all her students to the ceremony. She enjoyed every minute and it was such a treat watching her face the whole time. Here are a some pictures....

A chicken, a candy corn and a UPS guy...

October 31, 2009

I realize it may sound like the beginning of a bad joke...but it was actually the kids halloween costumes this year!

After having had to celebrate a "German" halloween the last 2 years, in which we had to send out a letter to the families in the neighborhood several weeks prior to halloween, explaining what it was and asking them to get back to us if they would be willing to participate, and still getting some strange looks as we knocked on the door....this year was a BLAST!!! The kids went crazy and didn't notice for a minute that it was even raining! From watching Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin" to throwing all of the candy on their bedroom floor and trading it with each other, they truly got the full experience!!

Happy Halloween!