2013 Christmas Season, ..... Part 2

Pardon me, but this will be a bit long.
So, here are a few of the things that kept us busy this month......

First, our regularly scheduled life came to a halt when we got a snow day. Despite being in Northern Idaho, snow can be hard to come by because of our low elevation. We often get rain instead, when everything around us gets snow. So a few inches of snow meant sending the kids (the only two at home that day) out to play!

Emma loves making snow angels, and..... throwing snowballs.

Then came building the snowman. Emma thinks she did it herself, with Darcie. Let's just say that Darcie was a major constructor this time. But Emma helped....

We won't talk about the part when mom broke part of the grill while retrieving coal piecesfor the snowman's features. Whoops. Sorry, sweetheart!

 

(only baby carrots were in the fridge -- guess he has a small nose, huh?)

 

 

We tried a number of hats, but ended up with this one. Taking photos made me late for work that day, but it was totally worth it.

 

This season, we also had a cold snap here that was pretty intense for our little valley. No snow with that one, but it was bitterly cold. Single-digits. So, we delayed the familytrip to our lighted park because we didn't want to be miserable there. It was still cold, but not knock-your-socks-off cold.

 

 

(I love that picture of Cameron!)

 

Here's Emma, ringing the bell on the train:

 

(Emma loved the park. I love the wonder in her eyes.)

 

Darcie explained to Emma [again] about how the pressure-sensitive lightpad works with the lights on the tree in front of them:

 

 

.... under the arches...

 

And we always stop at the nearby McDonalds for eggnog shakes and ice cream.

 

 

Emma's preschool is sponsored through a local Lutheran church. It's a very good program, with a very energetic teacher, and one of the nice bonuses is that since it is through a church, the Christmas program also features the nativity story, acted out by the kids. It's not just Santa and winter and ho-ho-ho.

 

Here's Emma waving at us during one of the songs:

 

 

The "Reindeer Hoky Poky":

 

And the kids after the nativity play. Emma was Mary -- which wasn't a speaking part, but very high-profile, right?

 

Four of the kids actually are members of our church, and this cutie singing next to Emma is one of her friends from Primary.

 

This was one of the events that we brought a platter of Christmas cookies to -- I'll betyou know where at least SOME of those cookies came from !