Howdy Cowboys and Girls!

Nick and Ellie picked out new cowboy hats and boots while we were out in frontier country and wore them for the rest of the trip. Nick kept busy "shooting" at cow rustlers (or birds, cows, insects, small animals, etc.) while Ellie preferred to dance in her new attire.

The Tucson Zoo

We decided to forgo the crowded shopping malls the day after Christmas and seek out some wildlife instead.

Merry Christmas!

Santa was very generous to the kids this year! Nick received everything he had asked Santa for and then some! The Shake and Go racetrack with Lightning McQueen cars and assorted other "Lightning" paraphenelia were the big hits! Ellie only had eyes for her two favorite toys, the Lucky Ducks game and an Ariel doll.

Playing Rudolph with Grande

The kids had fun singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" with Grande on Christmas Eve. Made all the more real by the actual red nose! Nick even knows the hand gestures to accompany the song, courtesy of his school Christmas recital!

My Loving Children

It was refreshing to see the kids celebrating this season of peace and love by not only getting along but actually embracing spontaneously! A true Christmas sight, and luckily I had the camera!

Photography Studio, Take 2...

Nick has finally recovered from all of his ear and sinus infections and strep throat, yeah! So it is his turn to play willing subject for Mommy's photography studio. Merry Christmas!

The Blizzard, Day Two.....

The snow continued through the night, we ended up with between 24 and 28 inches depending on which source you believe. Due to the wind, we have snow drifts that are 4 or 5 feet high. Especially in front of all the doors for some reason. We are hoping to be plowed out sometime on Saturday. It will definitely be a white Christmas around here! When we moved here this summer there were record breaking high temperatures not seen since the early 1900's, and now this winter we have a record breaking blizzard to rival the one in 1913. We are truly honored that the Coloradans are welcoming us to their great state by sharing such "amazing" weather with us Michiganders!

Blizzard!!!

Well, we are halfway through our first Denver blizzard today. As of dinnertime, 17 inches had fallen and we are expecting 8- 10 more before we see the sun again! Paul spent an hour in a futile effort to clear the driveway despite the 35 mile per hour winds and 6 foot snowdrifts. This is the view from our front door, a snow drift up to Paul's chest!

What to do with stickers.

The kids were having fun creating masterpieces today. Unfortunately the art project continued onto their faces.

Nick's Christmas Concert

Nicholas' preschool had a Christmas concert for the parents. Halfway through singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", Santa himself walked in! Nick's eyes were as big as saucers! All the kids had a chance to sit on Santa's lap. Our little chatterbox kept talking, and talking, and talking to Santa until his teacher came to get him off of Santa's lap. Then Nick came to find us in the audience and reassure me that Santa can in fact find all of the toys he asked for this year. So he's not worried anymore.

Mommy Plays Photographer...

I discovered a new feature on our camera and Ellie was a willing (for once) subject for my photos. Merry Christmas!