What did Wii get for Christmas?

With Chris starting a new job on December 8 we have been very busy this holiday season and we didn't talk much about Christmas gifts. Knowing that we would have a little extra money coming in I thought I would surprise Chris and Parker with a Wii. Little did I know that they would be next to impossible to find, especially when you begin looking for them on the 16th of December. After having no luck finding a Wii I gave up the search and bought other gifts for Parker and Chris. Imagine my surprise when we came downstairs on Christmas morning to find a Wii under the tree for Parker and me.
How in the world Chris found a Wii on December 23rd will forever be a mystery to me!*

* The real story is after trying to find a Wii at several stores on the 23rd and having several salespeople laugh in his face Chris ended up at Wal-Mart. After asking about the Wii at the electronics desk (and being laughed at again) a salesperson came out of the back with a box and said, "Are you the guy that just asked about the Wii? I just found this box in the back." Not believing his luck, Chris held the box tightly to his chest fearing he would be mugged on his way out of the store.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

We didn't have to do much dreaming as it began snowing
shortly after our plane landed and continued almost
until our plane took off for our return home.

I didn't quite plan this pic, but it turned out the timing was just right

to catch the snowball in mid flight.

Helping Papa snow blow the driveway.

(I have to admit this made me a little nervous!)

Playing in the snow with Aunt Caty.

How is that coat from Iceland treating you, Caty?

The Pack

As promised, here is a pic of the 8 layer stockings.
Although they took too much time and cost too much,
I hope they will be cherished through the years.

How cold?

Sorry for the extended break in posting... I decided to sew new stockings for our family and who knew it would take ages on a 40 year old sewing machine? They are finally done (and I think they turned out pretty cute... I will post pictures soon), but now we are headed out of town for a quick trip to see the family in Michigan. Speaking of that trip, the following conversation took place today after I picked Parker up from school:

Me: Guess who we get to see on Friday?

Parker: Who?

Me: Garrett, Ryan, and baby Josie.

Parker: Do they live in Michigan?

Me: Yes.

Parker: Why?

Me: Well, their daddy and mommy work there and live there.

Parker: They might get cold.

Me: (laughing) You are right. It sure does get cold in Michigan.

It sure will be a shock to us to go from 80 degrees and humid to 30's or less and dry. I hope we are up for the challenge!

Bumbo Chair Fun!

Bumbo chairs have to go down in history as one of the funniest places to put a baby. Even Parker sees the humor in them!

Although Parker sees the humor, I am not so sure that Averie does!

Smile!

Well, one out of two isn't bad!

Halloween Fun

When I asked Parker several weeks ago what he wanted to be for Halloween he practically shouted, "Batman!" Fortunately for our wallets we had enough Batman gear around the house to create this Batman outfit.

Our little pumpkin!

We discovered last year that the local mall hands out candy on Halloween. It is the perfect spot to go for little guys. We also discovered that if you go early the unwitting store clerks hand out handfuls of candy filling a little bucket pretty quickly.

Of course we had to have a bat pumpkin to go with Batman!