Belbin and Agosto

Turns out Santa got their letter, and this morning they found what they were hoping for under the tree. They spent the rest of the morning, including breakfast, wearing their skates around the house, and despite the zero degree (yes, zero degree) temp our fledgling duo took to the ice.


Thanks to Mr. Steve for the PVC "skaters" to keep them off the ice as much as possible!

The new camera...and a new snowfall record.

Hey all...it's Jay. Well, to make a long story short, Sarah's parents wanted to get us a snow blower for Christmas, and Sarah, always doing things the old-fashioned way, talked 'em out of it. Despite her efforts, I'm still hanging on to our gas-powered lawnmower and a chain saw, but it's a never ending fight. Our camera had started doing this thing periodically, where the lens would get stuck and nothing would work...and it of course had a tendency to do so just at that perfect photo moment. So, we researched and read, and Hinsas helped us out with buying a new camera instead. The camera arrived during the sub-zero phase last week, and we had nothing better to do than to play around inside trying to figure it out. Here are a few of the first batch of shots...









So, shortly after we ordered the camera, the snow started to fall...and fall...and fall. Just this afternoon this officially became the snowiest December in Madison's history, and we're only 2 inches from the snowiest month ever, with 3 inches in the forecast for tomorrow night. Needless to say, our "pipes" are getting stronger by the day, and at least we have a camera to document the whole ordeal. The days below zero and the subsequent lockdown in our house somehow brought out this nasty little cough, complete with runny noses and goopy eyes for H and B, but with all the shoveling to do, we were finally able to get 'em outside for a little fresh air.


The dump truck was converted to a snow plow this morning to keep up with all the snow.

The first Frosty of the season.


And last, but not least, we have Henry...dreaming of a new pair of skates as he watches the people skating two days ago at the Shell. He and Bryn have officially asked Santa for ice skates this year...and not by sitting on his lap; they're still a little too afraid for that. Henry was almost ready, but Bryn called it off. So, we wrote a letter, and asked our mailman Frank to deliver it to the North Pole. No word yet on whether or not Santa got the message, but we'll likely find out tomorrow morning. We'll keep you posted, and also for the record...all we want for Christmas is two healthy kiddos whose noses don't run like faucets so we can make the trips to spend some time with our families over the next few days. Merry Christmas to all, and may it finally stop snowing for a couple days.

4 kids + 1 rolling pin = trouble.

Abbey hard at work on her candy cane salt dough ornament.

Sam, the detective, verifying there was nothing fishy hiding out in the butter container before we threw the cut-outs in the oven.

Thanks to Jodi for the salt dough recipe that couldn't have been any easier. And it kept them busy for awhile. Painting the ornaments, now that's a whole other story. No pics of that project since all of our hands were full of paint and glitter, in fact I still have some on my forearm.

'Tis the season

Boy does it pay to have retired teachers as grandmas. Henry and Bryn will someday realize just how lucky they are. When my mom was down last Friday she brought with her all the stuff needed to make some gingerbread houses (straight from her days teaching first grade). When I called home to check on things, my mom told me that the houses were finished by 8am!! Henry asked her if she could put his up high where he couldn't reach it since it seemed to be driving him nuts having a plate full of sweet things (his parents never let him eat) within reach. Thank goodness the frosting turned into the consistency of cement and his roaming fingertips can no longer steal a bit of icing. Bryn has also managed to "accidentally" lose some of her candy.

They are so proud of their creations; they quickly take their friends to the kitchen to show off their artwork.

You may notice that one house doesn't have a Frosty out front...... Henry ate it!

Who is the scruffy creature sitting on our table you ask..... that's Lewis the elf (brought to us by Norb and Karyl) who is supposed to be keeping them on their best behavior since he reports directly to Santa.

What now may be a tradition (now that it's 2 years running) , we have decided to forgo the endless gifts and buying for all the kids and instead let them focus their boundless energy on doing something for others. We invited some friends over and the kids went wild with all the candy canes, stickers, bows and markers and made bags full of goodies to drop off at the nursing home not far from our house. Courtney with her girls Hadley, Aidyn and Lennon, and Jill with her kids Emily and Elliot, filled our house with noise and fun and proved that it's much more fun to give than receive. We missed our friends Kristi, Abbey and Sam who were homebound with winter ills. Even though they didn't make it over Kristi dropped off cards they made that we handed out.

When we arrived at the nursing home, there were about 10 residents already waiting for us at the door. It was fun watching the residents soak up all the positive energy as the kids emptied out their goody bags. To watch your child walk up to a stranger and wish them Happy Holidays and see the twinkle they put in their eyes is just unbelievable. The residents and nursing staff were so thankful, it makes me want to hike on over on a weekly basis. All us moms agreed....this is what Christmas is about.

We all headed back here to play, eat lunch, and play some more. Emily, who is 7, is a bilingual teacher in the making. She dreamed up games for the 3 year olds to play and then gave them lessons on our chalkboard in Spanish. What respect she is getting huh?

Flower Power

This is Bryn's "going to work outfit." Wonder what her co-workers will say about this ensemble.