The biggest "kid" with his new skates… which weren't a surprise, but no one could have predicted how much fun he would have with them.  The "ice rink smile" has actually gotten bigger.   None of my pictures really capture the magic of Christmas morning… but my short, dark video does – so I will…

Sugar cookies "Operation Secret Santa" (aka neighbor gift drop, which inadvertently became "secret" when all the gift tags got soaked and fell off due to all the hiding in the snow…) SPRINKLES!!! Fondue,  The "First Gift of Christmas!" (jammies all around); sharing my Bethlehem experience, watching "the Nativity", tracking Santa with NORAD, hanging up the…

A pile of Christmas cards and Reese's seasonal trees… yep, it's the most wonderful time of the year!  

Salt Lake City, that is.  Thanks to Nate's parents, we were able to spend 4 fun-filled days in Utah having holiday fun with family.  Here are some highlights of our trip!   Grandma Adams' iphone…                   "pool balls"…           Christmas bingo with the…

This is the first day (after many days of Nate working on it) that the ice was skate-able… and everyone absolutely loved it.   It was no small job… but it has become Nate's pet project and his pride and joy.  I just love the smile on his face whenever he gets out there…

Dear friends and family, For those of you with more on your Christmas to-do list than read our entire blog to find out the year's highlights, here is a quick update on our family.  We are still in Minnesota, in year 5 of 6 of Nate's oral and maxillofacial surgery residency program.  We have decided…

Pancakes.  And if it's December:  Santa pancakes.  Beware… some look much less like the Big Guy than others!

With our trip to UT starting before school got out for the holiday break, both Zach and Emma had to miss some fun class activities.  The one Emma was most disappointed about was making the classic kindergarten gingerbread houses with graham crackers on an old milk container… so we had arranged to have her teacher…

  16 + inches of snow. 35 mph winds. 3 crazy kids who never seem to get cold. 1 snowblower (thank goodness!) and a couple of good helpers with shovels. The flag on the sledding hill completely buried by the snowplow… after trying to console crying children and then digging for half an hour in…

Things I love about visiting Santa:   1.  we get to eat dinner at the food court 2.  we do our "toys for tots" shopping and donating that night. 3.  what the kids ask Santa for is often not what they put on the list or what they've been talking about.  (Carter is the notable…