Happy Fourth of July!

Alexa won the watermelon decorating contest for our neighborhood!

Christmas 2015 and Winter Fun

In December, we decided to try out some family ice skating.  Alexa loved it and was really pretty good at it.  My ankles made it about 2 1/2 minutes and I was done but it was definitely a fun experience!

We had a good time getting together with the Chamberlain clan for Christmas.  This group photo was a hit!

We also celebrated with Grandpa Tom, Grandma CeCe and Uncle John.   I forgot to get a group picture of us this year.  Ooops!  I did get some cute ones of Uncle John and Alexa though.

Then we celebrated Christmas just the four of us. Love this picture of the kids.

We also got together with Paul's parents, Serina and her kids.

We also traveled to Kansas to see Paul's grandma, Lois, and Taryne and her family.   While there we spent some time in Kansas City and then we took Alexa snow skiing for the first time at a little ski slope not far from KC.   It was a great new experience for her.   

The kids also had fun in the snow back home.

We gave Parker a bowl full of snow to play with from the warm indoors.   He wasn't sure what to make of it but did enjoy smashing between his fingers and then he ended dumping the bowl out on top of his head!  Silly boy.

Alexa really got a kick out of these big icicles!  

SNOW much FUN!

2015 Easter Fun

Easter is my favorite Holiday.  There are so many family traditions and time for fun together.   And, of course, it's very special to teach our children that Jesus has RISEN!!

Christmas Celebrations and Memories 2014

We were very busy this Holiday season and have celebrated with five Christmas get-togethers so far.  The Dorn cousin Christmas will be coming a bit later.

I LOVE this time of year and really enjoy spending so much time with our wonderful family.  I also love passing on family traditions and even creating new traditions with the kids.  I think traditions make way for wonderful memories.

An activity Alexa has wanted to do every year is make a Gingerbread house.  I'm pretty sure this is a new tradition for us.  Let me just say I am so glad they make kits for this sort of thing as making one from scratch is so much more difficult! 

When I was a child, one of our family traditions was that we would go look at Christmas lights on Christmas Eve and while we were gone Santa would come.  I  wanted to keep that tradition alive so I asked Santa if he could still find us a bit early and he agreed!  Thanks, Santa!

We, of course, left Santa homemade Spritz cookies and milk as this is another tradition passed on by my Grandma Leona's side of the family.

Making (and eating) Spritz

One other tradition I grew up with is that we always read about the birth of Jesus in the bible before opening presents.  It's special and a good way to remember the real reason for the season.

So on Christmas Eve, Paul, Alexa, Parker and I read the bible story and then opened gifts from each other and from Santa.

Alexa got a Barbie who is also named Alexa!

Paul made Parker his very own therapy swing for the basement.  It is a hit!

Then on Christmas Day we celebrated with my parents and brother John (and the dog, Nara).  Nara is the most photogenic dog I've ever seen!!!

On Friday after Christmas, we celebrated with Paul's parents.

On the Sunday following Christmas, we got together with the Chamberlain clan which is my Mom's side of the family.

Then the weekend after New Years, we traveled to Kansas to celebrate with some of Paul's extended family.

It was really nice to see everyone and get so much family time this year.  However, it was also sad when the Season was over.  

When we got in the car to leave Grandma Lois' house Alexa was feeling really blue.  She said, "We wait SOOOO long for Christmas to get here.  Then it comes and goes so fast."   

Then she cried.  

I told her we'll just have to come up with more reasons to all get together more often.  Maybe that should be a New Years Resolution this year.  

To spend more time with family.  

Just because.     

Sounds like a good tradition to me!