Through the eyes of a 3 y.o.

Montana

After a much-anticipated countdown to our Christmas in Montana -
our visit has now come .. and gone :(


But we have lots of great pictures
capturing much of the fun we had while there.

Elijah loved doing everything all the "big kids" were doing,
including sitting in big chairs all by himself
with a plate and spoon!

there was no question that Eman and Papa were a dynamic duo...


(well, and Auntie was special too!)

and gotta love those storytimes with Mimi!






and spoilin' from cousins.

I think the most agreed-upon "favorite" of the trip was our sledding outings.







Hannah wasn't so sure about it at first
(but as you see the pictures progress, she is right in there with the rest of them)
A true, miraculous transformation!

(thanks Cousin Meg for helping Hannah come out of her sledding shell!)

We all took turns doubling up, and taking single rides...
as well as group runs...

including belly-runs...

the smiles and new-found confidence was evident
that this is going to be a repeated tradition
with our winter visits to MT.

Goodbye hugs are never fun....

but we know summer will come and we'll get to come back
and go on new adventures together!

Until next time... love you guys!!!!!!!

holiday break pasttimes

These pictures don't accurately represent our Wisconsin landscape right now, since we had a couple of 40 degree days and major melt-off....but, it was fun to have snow over holiday break!

Here are just a couple pictures from our play-date with Nicholas.

Elijah could not join us because of fevers and a boo-hoo Christmas flu he was trying to recover from, but he sure didn't seem to mind taking it all in from the kitchen window :)

Last weekend we had some very special guests at our house!

Auntie Jess, Nick and baby Tyler came over and spent the day with us!
It was our first time meeting baby Tyler,
and oh is he a cutie!

so quick to smile.
Mommy misses that stage.


They came in full attire to cheer on the Packers.

I think they were in the house for a matter of minutes
before Hannah had him on her lap and was feeding him
(very similar to what we see on a daily basis with her dollies).

I got a few turns as well...

but I had just as much fun bonding with him and watching football.

cheering on the Pack...

discussing game strategies...

Ty opened up some belated Christmas gifts...

ate some more...

(After looking at these pictures, you would think that baby Ty
would be a linebacker - since every other picture we have in here
has a bottle in his mouth!)

cuddled with Hannah...

and then, well...

I'm not sure if Tyler was telling us
"I've had enough of these little people"
or if he was really getting tired....

Thank you friends for coming and spoiling us with sweet Ty!

MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas day was a nice blend of crazy excitement,
simple yummy food,

and restful family time.

Surprisingly, we let mom/dad sleep in til 7am plus.

I woke up first, with a little struggle to wait for the others...
but it was all worth it!

First were the stockings...

then the santa gifts...

the mimi and papa gifts...

and the big smiles for my bro and sis!

followed by immediate, energetic thank you hugs!

Next came -

playtime!

Mommy feels ok so far with "tricks" being done on the carpet!
Not so sure she'll feel the same way when springtime comes
(a.k.a. pavement!)

We took a little break to go outside and try out our new hats -
help daddy shovel away the pretty dusting of snow
that fell over Rudolph's footprints....
and get some use out of Noah's new sled.

Elijah was a little under the weather,
so he stayed inside and gave us lovin through the sliding door.

don't feel too badly for him (well, ok - you can, but...)
he had enough energy/spunk to be a little rascal and
spend the day testing his sister by playing "toy thief"....
as he enjoyed the new dolly accessories almost as much as she did!




Noni and Papa got us this awesome table/chairs set,
which we broke in right away
with a popcorn and movie night.

Despite all the pictures of gifts and toys -
we reminded each other throughout the day,
by singing happy birthday and thanking God
for giving us his ultimate gift - Jesus!

Tomorrow or next week the stockings will be tucked away,
the Christmas tree will be at the curb,
and the lights will come down...

BUT - Jesus is our gift the whole year round!