Mustache Tatts

I guess we are a little late for Movember

but Mel sent us these mustache tattoos that go on your finger.

So. Fun.



Lots of Gifts!

How thankful I am!

To be able to give gifts to our children.

To be spoiled with gifts from our loving families.

Christmas morning was filled with squeals of delight.

Dylan wanted to wear everything immediately.

"i put it own"

At one point he had on about 5 shirts plus his super and bathing suit.

(the bathing suit was not even new but he just had to wear it)

We were thrilled to receive some hadmade gifts from

Carolyn Lewis Designs.

 

After all the presents were opened.  Abby gave us a fashion show.

My sisters and I used to do this, too, Christmas morning, seeing if everything fit

and trying to decide what to wear to Mimi's house.

The rest of the day was pretty chill.

Abby and Joe were engrossed in their new games while Trek and Dylan ran around crazy.

All in all, a wonderful day.

Thanks to the fam for all the goodies. 

Sorry we couldn't be with you in person but you were with us in our hearts!

Christmas Eve Tradition

Our Christmas Eve tradition is comprised of celebrating the arrival of Jesus

at our church's Christmas Eve service and going out for...

This tradition evolved our first year in Cali.  Trek was born a week before Christmas so we knew we wouldn't be traveling back to Alabama to spend it with our families.  What to do.

The church service was beautiful.  It ended with candlelight being passed from person to person while singing Silent Night (just like back home).  But while we would have eaten a big dinner with some family members in Alabama after church, now we were looking for a restaurant that was open on Christmas Eve, preferably not McDonalds.  We ended up at Chikara's and a tradition was born.

 Christmas Eve 2007

Christmas Eve 2011

Sunny with a Chance of Ice

December has been beautiful!

Lots of sunshine and no snow.  A win win for me.

The temps have really been dipping at night though. 

The other day down in camp we discovered this little ice pond.

The kids find it fascinating to break the ice.  I like to look at it.

So, I made them let me take pictures before they started harvesting ice.

Where we live there is at least a 10 degree difference between the shade and the sun.  This was a new phenomenon for me--a girl from Alabama.  Where I grew up there wasn't any place to escape the heat in summer, or late fall, or that one time we had an eighty degree Christmas.  The humidity just soaks up that heat and shares it with all the spots, shady or otherwise.

The temp difference happens in the winter, too.  There are spots on the mountain that stay in the shade all the time and so the ice or snow has a hard time melting.  Some neighbors down the road take advantage of this in order to create some amazing ice sculptures.

The sculptures are always changing and I never know what I will see when I go down the hill.

It's difficult to pullover on this winding mountain road of ours but Jono was with me this time so I attempted to get some pics.  I probably look pretty strange to people driving by (but then my sisters would probably say I look pretty strange most any time).

Me, I'll still search out the sunny spots first but this was a gorgeous piece of shade.

I hope you are enjoying the weather where you are.

Holiday Truck of Forbestown

All dressed up for the holidays!

You can see the pumpkins in the background left over from Halloween.

And Batman needs green lips?  Really?  I didn't know.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Good Things Come in Cold Packages

We've got steaks!

My dad sent us an edible Christmas present.  Love it!  Don't even have to worry about Christmas dinner now, just have to fire up the grill!  You would think that would be exciting enough but it was a double present because the steaks arrived on DRY ICE!

Joe is my scientist in training and he wanted to lead us in some dry ice experiments.  We quickly googled it to see what we could do with the supplies we had at the house.  We knew that you can pour water over dry ice to make some thick, Halloween-worthy smoke, but here are a couple other tricks we tried out.

**Safety note:  DO NOT TOUCH DRY ICE WITH YOUR BARE HANDS.**

#1  Mysterious Vibrating Quarter

Take a quarter and hold it vertically against the ice.  When it has melted down just far enough to stand alone you let it go.  The quarter starts vibrating like it is coming to life!  It only lasts as long as it takes for the quarter to freeze.  You can warm the quarter back up and try this trick again and again.

#2  Bubbling Gurgling Smoke on the Water

Add some dish soap and food coloring to a bowl of water.  Pour over the dry ice.  You might have to blow the smoke out of the way to see the bubbling, gurgling action going on.

It worked best with the ice completely submerged.

And when you pop the bubbles, smoke comes out!

This was completely entertaining.  I--I mean, the kids--loved it. 

Who needs cable?!

Thanks, Dad!

We're going on a Tree Hunt

What a beautiful day!

We're not scared.

(because we have tools and we can pick up large sticks)

We're going on a tree hunt.

Everybody found a different one they liked the best (of course).

There was the tall one with the poof on top like a palm tree in a cedar tree's body.

There was the short fat one.

There was the teeny tiny one.

And there was a rather large normal looking one.

No one could come to an agreement,

so we had to draw straws/sticks.

The large normal looking tree won.

Everybody takes a turn with the saw.

Then we take it home and annihilate it with decorations!

We have the big colored lights this year.  Love it!

No full tree shots yet.  But I'm sure it will work it's way into some other Christmas photos.