Live Laugh Love

Gingerbread cookies!

We try to do some type of gingerbread activity each Christmas season, but this year we just couldn't get it done before Christmas so we did it this week.  It was extra fun since Cole & Wes spent the afternoon with us and were here for the decorating!  As you can see, they all put some serious effort into their gingerbread men (or woman as in Emma's case)!

We were pretty impressed with the results:

Wes's Medusa-looking guy

Emma's pretty gingerbread girl

Nathan's cool guy

Cole's has a Colt's emblem of course!

They even made a special one for Grandma!  (Each kid decorated a certain part of the cookie).

The kids with Grandma's cookie

More Christmas!

Phase two of Christmas at Grandma's as the rest of our family arrived today!

Samuel... content to just hang out

Some of the gang

Nathan buried in gifts

Emma & Cole

And Samuel ate REAL green beans!  Yeah!

He's so serious about his food!

Christmas morning #2

Nathan was with us today so we had our second Christmas morning!

3 kids eager to open more presents!

The boys checking out Nathan's gift from Santa

Nathan focusing on Mindflex

Stocking time!

Emma helping Daddy open... (note the new hat)

Bears fans?

A new shirt for Mom!

Samuel's little Bears backpack!

Christmas Night

In the afternoon we went to Grandma's. 

A few more gifts + good food + time with family = HAPPY HOLIDAY

"Are you sure this BIG one is for me?"

Grandma & Emma opening a gift

"Thanks Grandma!"

One of our favorite presents!

Rachel & Jenna taking another photo of themselves :)

Spoiled by Grandma

Christmas Blessings

Our Christmas card

8 months!

Wow!  Samuel turns 8 months on his first Christmas! 

Loving everything about Christmas!

Christmas Eve

We had a very nice Christmas Eve beginning with a surprise visit with some good friends!  It was GREAT to see them!

Ed & Ava with Emma & Samuel

In the evening we had a yummy steak dinner and then got ready for a special candle light service at church.

Ready for church!

Waiting to light our candles

Samuel was mesmerized by the flames

Emma holding a candle, briefly

Back at home, we had a little birthday celebration for Jesus with some nativity cookies we made:

"Daddy Joseph", baby Jesus, "Mama Mary", and the angel

Happy Birthday to Jesus

Emma picked two special cookies for Santa and we left him some Candy Cane flavored milk which is a favorite around here this time of year.

Ready for bed now!

Cookie baking

Nathan & Emma enjoyed baking Christmas cookies with Grandma yesterday.

Emma & Grandma hard at work

Nathan taking a break

Emma all "floury"

The put sprinkles on a few before baking them, but we didn't get around to really decorating the rest until this evening:

A dash of green...

A squirt of red

A proud cookie decorator!

Emma goes sledding!

There is an awesome sledding hill near Grandma & Grandpa B's house.  This year, Emma had her first real sled ride!

Ready to roll!

She liked it but didn't care for the face full of snow she got when we hit a bump so that was it for her.

Emma prefers this kind of ride (just being pulled around)

Nathan went down a couple of different hills on a couple of different sleds and had a great time

Master sledder

Snow!!!

While in Wisconsin we had a wonderful visit with Grandparents and even played in the snow in their yard!

Our family with Grandma & Grandpa M

We didn't get a photo of it, but I rode the snowmobile with Brian and loved it!

The kids posing- Emma didn't actually ride

Nathan taking a turn with Daddy

Got snow?

Emma "bathing in the snow"

Three cool kids

Nathan about to be nailed by Daddy's snowball