Skate Park

 We went to the Skate Park to try out all the riding gear that we can never use on our pot-hole infested streets!

 Annie was especially excited to try out her new roller blades. She loves being active!

 She was very proud to be taller than her Daddy in her roller blades!

 We were soon the spectacle of the park. Sweet girls wanted to try out our gear!

 So fun to watch them try it out and burst into smiles and giggles.

Once again, just takes a little fun to charge and fill these hearts!

Christmas Morning!

 We have carried on the slightly awkward, but endearing tradition from my childhood of acting out the Story! Toby was our narrator this year!

 Annie was the angel!

 Jesse was the shepherd. Tim and I were Mary and Joseph, but they were too shy to be pictured! It was a lovely re-enactment, we even carried on the tradition of arguing with each other beforehand! 

 Now for the great unwrapping of gifts...Gotta love my awkward broken thumb in these pictures.

 We continue to be so thankful for our used bazaar and all the treasures we find that have been cast off by others in Western countries. If only we knew the story of how they got to us. Nonetheless, we are thankful!

 Even a waffle cone maker!

 Presents from grandparents that come in HUGE packages are especially treasured. We are so thankful for grandparents that find ways to stay connected to our kids across the miles!

 So thankful for a fun group from Flagstaff who put together a perfect package of Christmas goodies. We are so thankful to be able to use all this fun stuff!

 We found roller blades for Annie at the bazaar.

 We also found this much desired game for the boys!!! WOW!

 Annie was already giggling at this book complete with sound effects, but no scents thankfully.

 Mimi has hooked Annie up with craft supplies to keep her hands busy!

 Jesse was very excited about Furno XL Hero Factory!

 Thanks Grammy for a shirt that actually fits those long arms!!! She has officially pushed into adult sizes.

 The Jaffes came over in jammies for coffee cake and more presents!

It was a delightful morning all together. We are so thankful!

Christmas Eve Fondue

 We had our usual tradition of fondue. We invited two dear friends over to join us. It was a lovely evening of all 3 courses. I think it took us 3-4 hours to eat! Lots of time to talk and enjoy company.

 It was all so yummy and everything turned out delicious!

 We put the kids to bed, but then got them up to open a surprise early gift!!!

 Annie got a cozy robe, Toby got a fun game and Jesse got a Nerf gun vest! So thankful for cozy nights together!

Up the Mountain

 At the first sight of snow on the mountain, we made plans to go play in it! The kids were so excited to pile on their snow clothes and dig in!

 It was just a couple inches on the tops of the mountain as you can see the valley below is snowless.

 It was so beautiful and brought out the kid in all of us!

 Annie loved every second of it. She rarely gets a chance to just roll around and be silly and this was her chance to just BE. She took full advantage. I have so much to learn from her LOVE of life! She doesn't want to grow up because she thinks it will be boring! I think she will make it more fun for all of us!

 Lots of other people had the same idea as we did to come play in the snow. What is it about snow and making people want to play??! I love it.

 A cloud and a few flurries moved in on us while we were up there. 

 Who doesn't want to build a snowman?

 It was hard to capture on film, but as we were headed back down the mountain, the sun was breaking through. Long ago I had a picture of the Light breaking forth here and it starting on the mountain sides and reflecting all around like little pieces of gold. I was reminded of this again as I saw the sun refracting off the buildings and cars and windows down below. Let it be!

Our city at sunset!