Stepping Stones Christmas Program

Kate participated in her first preschool Christmas program last night. She was really anxious to get there, and when we opened the garage door to leave and she saw it was dark outside she said, "See! I told you it was late!" I tried to explain the difference between dark and late, but she didn't get it.

So we were there excruiatingly early. Its harder to get good seats at the preschool programs than in the GA at Allen Fieldhouse. Well, almost. Anyway, it's craziness, so it was only the 4 of us plus Grandma and Granddad. Don't worry, it's all on video.

Kate did a great job. She had no fear, and followed directions. She only played with the bottom of her skirt at the very end when they were sitting on the step-- fortunately it was long enough to cover up any potential lifting. Whew.

Here are the pics! Note Sam and his fellow alumnae Grace. Always making the moves, that Sam.

Our Tenth Anniversary

Friday was our 10th wedding anniversary. With a December anniversary and small children, big celebrations do not frequently occur. So, we had a family celebration.

The day of our wedding, Stuart and I went through the drive-thru at Winstead's in Independence (no longer there), and it's always been a favorite memory from that day. So, we decided to take the kids to Winstead's on the Plaza and then drive through the lights. They really enjoyed Winstead's, having never been there, and were more excited about the lights than I really expected them to be.

On the short drive to the Plaza (like 2 blocks), we pulled up alongside horse-drawn carriages making their way to the Plaza. The kids went crazy about the horses, begging us to let them ride. I had no plan to let them do so, but when we parked and looked at the lights, I guess we just got caught up in the excitement and Stuart said, "Let's go!" They were thrilled. It was cold that night, and of course I hadn't brought gloves or hats, but the wool blanket they provided kept us warm. We had a slow horse, Governor, and so we had a long ride around the Plaza. It was beautiful and the kids had so much fun. The driver told us that the horse liked Christmas carols, so we sang Jingle Bells and Rudolph at the top of our lungs (if that was you passing by on the street, sorry.) She also told us that the carriage was a replica of Abraham Lincoln's carriage, so Sam was pretty excited about that too.

When we got home, I surprised Stuart with a cake that was supposed to be like our wedding cake, and was close enough to make the point. All in all, it was a great anniversary.

December pics

Actually, this happened Thanksgiving weekend too, but the kids went to visit Santa at a pancake breakfast fundraiser at the clubhouse. They had lots of time with Santa, but I couldn't help but laugh at the poor volunteers ill-fitting beard. Really, we'd have great pictures if it weren't for the double-mustached Santa.

I mentioned our snow day. We had a great time making cookies. Kate cut and Sam sprinkled. Taking the picture was more of a chore, though, and Sam's decided he doesn't want Kate putting her arm around him when they take pictures anymore. You'll notice our other pictures this month have him standing behind. Very intentional.

This is a picture of the two kids looking at picture albums while we're trying to put up Christmas decorations. I just think they look cute sitting there together, like they like each other.

I took this picture Sunday morning before church to show off the kids in some of their Christmas finest. I'm notorious for having multiple Christmas dresses, sweaters, etc, so we have to take lots of pictures.

Picture Catch-up

I've been a horrible, neglectful blogger lately, so I have all these pictures saved up to post. We'll start with November pics and go from there.

This is a picture of a super-cute craft project from Kindergarten. During a parent activity, meaning Stuart was able to go up and help, they made pumpkin bread for every kid in the class to take home in this cute Turkey cozy thing.

We went to the Lake of the Ozarks for Thanksgiving this year to spend time with my mom's side of the family. My aunt has two little granddaughters, and all four kids played really well together. This is Sam and Kate and Callie, the oldest of the two. The younger one, Kori, is a little camera-shy.

After Thanksgiving, we decided to stay overnight at a hotel so that I could go outlet shopping on Black Friday. The kids thought it was a real vacation, because the hotel had a pool! Here they are settling in:

Our small group from church volunteered on a Friday night loading shoeboxes heading overseas for Operation Christmas Child. Our church was the regional hub, so we had lots of counting and packing to do, which proved excellent jobs for little helpers. Kate is shown loading boxes with Bob below, and Sam and Grant worked together well too. What a team!