Laken's Dance Recital (and Heidi too)

We hope you enjoy this little snippet of Laker's first ever dance recital. It lasted approx. 15 minutes and the kids kind of did what ever they wanted, while the moms did the moves. It was fun!

Old Time Hockey

Building a rink is as much dad's little winter hobby as it is a winter recreation spot for the kids and their friends. Through the fall Brad planned how the boards would go, what plastic would be used and how to make a 'warming house'.

After one false start-Brad inadvertently put holes in the plastic while trying to keep them stapled to the boards. We got a new piece of plastic and widened the rink to 30x40 ft.

The weather has been perfect-cold. We already have a fully functional rink. You can see the kids use it a lot and Braeden is trying his parent's old position, goalie.

Braeden as Bobby in 365 Days of Christmas

Sheperd Preston

ECFE Holiday Open House

We attended the ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) open house. As, you can see from the picture my children are not big fans of paying a visit to Santa. Preston bolted as soon as the picture was snapped. Laken whispered her wish, which has remained consistent-a dancing princess. I am not sure exactly what that means, but my guess it is an American Girl Doll that she loving looks at every time the catalog arrives. Braeden was the only brave soul to talk with Santa. He told Santa he wanted a nerf gun. Then, each child receives a gift of a book. Their favorite spot, however, is the cookie decorating station. We are so blessed to live in a state that is passionate about Early Childhood Education.

Tree Decorating

The kids had a blast decorating the tree. The have each received gifts of ornaments over the years, so the boys particularly were excited to find their "own" ornaments to place on the tree. Laken likes rearranging the ornaments. After the tree was decorated she declared, "It's christmas! Now we can open presents." And, she proceeded to try to open one of her gifts wrapped under the tree. Needless, to say I've had to put the wrapped gifts away. She doesn't get the Advent Calendar concept, either. Everyday she says, "But, it is Christmas." Oh, life through the eyes of a toddler.

Madeline Sleeps Over

We brought Madeline to our house the Wednesday before Thanksgiving for a sleepover. She didn't even cry when she left her parents to go in the Durango. I think it was due to the fact that I had cheetos and a movie in my vehicle. It was so much fun for Laken and Madeline to spend time together. And, she called me Mom which I got a total kick out of. Here the girls are participating in a Meier Family Favorite, Painting in the bath tub! Our only glitch came when Madeline decided to get up at 4:00 am on Thursday and basically stayed up. I think she was ready for Black Friday a day early.

Preston Builds a Bear

Preston had his turn to Build-a-Bear! Meet Ruffy the dog who wears Viking uniform and helmet. He was able to build this bear thanks to Gammy and Chrissy's gift certificates! Chrissy needs to forward me the family photo at Build a Bear so we can add it!

Searching for the Perfect Tree

We traveled to a farm west of Ellendale, MN where an older couple runs a Christmas Tree farm. This is our 3rd year of finding the perfect tree here. It is an awesome spot that always feels like Christmas. You see the old shack where they sell the trees. The family walked the whole tree farm, only to come back to where we started to find the right tree.

Braeden found out how to use the timer on the camera and you see the result with a great family photo (durango hood in foreground).

3rd Grade Performance

Braeden's 3rd grade class (Dr. Eichman) performed several plays in front of 60 parents/grandparents at Washington Elementary School. Above, Braeden (yellow) spinning on stage helping turn the main characters in and out of reality. The next photo is a scene change and Braeden is moving a chair.

Beautiful Barber

Laken thought it would be a great idea to cut her own hair. So she decided to clip a swath off the front of her bangs. Heidi was mortified; Brad laughed. She now has a semi-mullet, just in time for hockey season!