The snow finally came to Yakima

After a week of weather in the single digits, we finally warmed up enough to have snow fall. We got as low as 1 degree and did not go above 20 for over a week. Then the snow came falling down. We got about 6 inches in one night and it stayed around for about a week.

We are hoping for another flurry before Christmas. It would be so nice to have a white one.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Christmas in Seattle

We got together with Rich and Cathy and the kids in Seattle this weekend. It was so nice to get to spend some time with them. Grandma and Grandpa came over too. This is the first time in a long time we have been able to have a Christmas dinner together.

Shelby and Lexi had a huge surprise.....Aunt Cathy got them the exact dolls they wanted. She did not even talk to mom about it (or so they think). We are so covert with our email and facebook that we can send each other to the exact store to buy the exact thing they say they want in November. And surprise, it is what they get for Christmas! We are so sly! HA HA

They have been so excited to play with these dolls. They have some porcelain ones, but they are afraid they will break, so they don't play with them too much. You should see them now....we say it is time for bed and they ask if they have time to get their dolls ready too. Julie (Shelby's doll) and Chrissa (Lexi's doll) have to do their hair at night so it will be beautiful in the morning.

I had to include this picture because Grandpa just looked so excited to get this doll, but really he was just unwrapping it for Lexi. I think he has a "santa" aspect to him as well. Thanks family for making this a great weekend even though it was short. Merry Christmas!

Pictures with a great big tree

The girls were able to have some pictures taken by this big Christmas tree. It was very bright and beautiful.

Lexi was dressed up for her recital and Shelby was looking festive in her green shirt and new jeans.

Shelby was very excited because she got to wear her new boots with her new jeans.

Lexi is looking all-grown-up and I don't like that very much. But aren't they both beautiful?!

Lexi's First Piano Recital

Lexi's first piano recital was today. She did a great job. She was a little nervous at first, but when she sat down to play, it was just like at home....calm and smooth.

She played one song by herself and then a duet with her piano teacher, LaSarah.

She played at the retirement village that her great-grandma lives at. Great Grandma was very proud and very happy to be able to enjoy this performance with her.

Her mouth is still a little swollen from the dental procedure on Monday, but she was a good sport to go ahead and perform. She was very tired afterward, but was glad she was able to do it.

Just another day of laughs

Okay, so here is an image not often caught on tape.....Mom is usually taking the pictures, but here she is with the love of her life. Here we are 17 years and going strong.

This picture was too funny not to include. The snow where we were was very deep. We had a friend take our picture and just as I was stepping close to John I sunk down to my knee. We were all laughing so hard, we had to get a picture of it. Oh could you imagine.....

I took this picture from our sledding spot. It just reminded me of how wonderful God is and how much he cares that we live in the beauty that He created.

Another picture of how much God loves to see us smile. I can't help but think that He put all this beauty around so I could smile day after day. Thanks Lord!

Our beautiful girls in their Christmas outfits

Okay, so these are not the traditional Christmas outfits, but this is what they wanted for this year.

These outfits are going to be worn with tights, but they each have a pair of long socks that they are going to wear on Christmas day.

They thought pictures with a ballet pose would show you how fun these outfits can be for Christmas.

Shelby is very good at cocking her head to the side for all the pictures taken of her.

Snow Trip

We had a great time sledding the day after Thanksgiving. Some friends of ours invited us up to White Pass for some sledding. It was only about 35 minutes from home, so it was a great little trip.

Here John is preparing to send the girls down the hill. They had a great time. Shelby usually had her eyes covered with her hat because she did not like to look down the hill.

A day of sledding is so hard. It must be rough to have so much fun.

Oh the joy of snow.....too tired to get up again!

Just two smiling girls.....

Field Trip to Maryhill Museum

On Veteran's Day, we went on a field trip the Maryhill Museum in Goldendale, Wa. That is about 2 hours from our house. They have a whole floor designated to Native American artifacts. We have been studying the Native Americans for a couple of months and it was great to spend some time looking at actual things that they made.

There were a ton of peacocks roaming the grounds outside the museum. It was so great, you could just walk right up and take their picture. The girls of course decided to stay inside, while mom went out and took the pictures.

This is outside the museum. It is up on a hill above the Columbia River. These hills you see in the background are actually in Oregon. It was quite windy being near the river, so the girls were pretty cold.

They also had a "metal sculpture" area out on the grounds. It was a little too cold to spend too much time looking at them.

Awana Grand Prix

Awana Grand Prix was this Wednesday evening. If you don't know what that is, it is similar to the Pine Wood Derby. Anyway, this is Lexi's car, The Weiner Dog. She was very excited to run it in the race. It was not built for speed, so it came in about 15th place, but it was fun to watch.

As you can see her, she did take a prize for "Best Non-Car Design". She took 2nd. One of the leaders asked if she put a real hotdog in the "wood bun". Dad thought that was great because they worked so hard on making it look like a real hot dog. It actually had the "seam" markings on the ends.

What....she's not afraid??

As many of you know, Shelby is afraid of just about every living thing. She is very scared of dogs, cats and has never liked petting zoos. Here you see her feeding a goat. She spent about 1/2 an hour feeding these goats. She had such a great time.

She is so happy to be by the sheep as well. She actually pet the sheep. I can't even tell you how excited I was to see her having fun instead of being scared.

She is actually petting a bunny. She stuck her fingers in the cage and everything. She wanted to spend so much time with the animals, I was a little concerned that someone had stolen my child and substituted her for someone else.

Lexi was also very excited to spend some time with the animals. She was feeding them as well.

Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Today, we went to the pumpkin patch with our small group from church. We had a great time. They had a hay maze for the kids, a corn maze, and fire pits with private party areas.

We had roasted hot dogs and made smores. It was a lot of fun. We attempted the corn maze, but after about 1/2 hour we ended up at the entrance again and we did not think we could go any further. We had a great time walking around in circles.

We went on a hay ride and the kids had a great time. They thought it went really slow, but it was fun no less. John and the guys in small group started talking about tractors with scoop hoods and dragster possibilities and the women just rolled our eyes and laughed.

They had a petting zoo as well. The girls actually had a good time feeding the goats, sheep and pigs. All in all we had a great day. The weather was good, but a little cold. It started to rain at the end, so it was a good time to go.