Christmas Day

We spend Christmas day in Forest Lake with Kip's family. The kids became "elves" and helped "Santa" pass out the gifts. They loved their new green hats. After presents and pancakes, the troops headed out for some sledding. Anja didn't last too long, but the older cousins had a great time. Kip and his brothers have a lot of fun as well! The picture at the bottom shows Gramma Pat opening a present from Gus as the grandkids watched.

Sledding

We had a great time sledding today. The kids absolutely love it!

Dowling Recess

So, when Kip and I toured schools last year, we loved Dowling! It looked like an amazing school with great teachers and an environmental focus. Somehow, the stick forts were one of the things that really caught our attention. We'd talk about how cool it is that kids build stick forts during recess. I got to witness Gus playing in one of the stick fort during recess a few weeks ago. He is having a great year and making some really nice friends.

Backyard Hockey

Our friends invited our family over to skate on their backyard ice rink (well, the kids at least). We have been thinking about building a backyard rink for the boys, so it was fun to check theirs out. The kids loved each other and had fun trying to play hockey. I'm not sure the rink will happen for us this year. The picture was taken th evening before we got 17 inches of snow. Our backyard isn't as level now - lots of snow piles!

Snow Fun

Remember that 16 inches of snow we got last week! Here's a few pictures from the day it fell (Saturday, December 11). The boys (all 3) had a blast playing in the snow, building a fort, sledding, and snowboarding (down our very small mound of snow!)

Lucia Day in Ms. Kujat's class

Ms. Kujat taught Gus's class about Lucia day in Sweden. I offered to come in and help since I've been celebrating Lucia at Bethlehem Covenant since I was very small! Gus and his friend "woke" up all of the students with a gentle touch from the Star Boy and a peppakakor cookie from Lucia. All of the students made either a Lucia crown or a Star hat and wand. It was a wonderful celebration!

A Sweet Girl at Christmastime

I just love this picture of Anja looking out the window. It was taken near the Christmas tree at Gramma's house. It really is fun to celebrate this season with children who love all of it - the tree, the lights, the birth of baby Jesus, the Christmas cookies! (Note: Gramma's cookie in her right hand might be the reason for the big smile!)

i heart faces - week 49: self-portrait

So, I decided it would be fun to take a self-portrait that shared something about myself. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE broomball. That's it. I can hardly wait for January so I can hit the ice and try to score some goals. I play on three teams and I must say that this sport is what gets me through the long Minnesota winter months. Kudos to my husband who hangs with our three kiddos while I'm out on the ice!

Can't wait to see all of the people who take pictures for www.iheartfaces.com. We are usually the folks behind the camera!! :)

Getting our Christmas Tree

I'm enjoying the sweet smell of a fresh cut evergreen as I write this post - I love Christmas! We headed over to the Richfield Farmer's Market to get our tree this year. It didn't take too long for Kip and the kids to find the perfect tree.