christmas - where did it go?

Who knew something anticipated for long, can go by so quickly?

Well, I guess Christmas is almost over...already...man, time flies I guess. We were blessed this morning because Taylor stayed in bed until 8AM...she decided it was too early when she woke up so she read in bed for a while to let us sleep longer. I know, she's pretty cool.

We started the morning by reading the story from Luke's gospel about Jesus' birth, then the present opening began. We each opened everything we had one at a time. It was a lot of fun to watch each other open up something we had spent so much time on.

After we spent most of the day enjoying what we got for Christmas, we went and hung out with some friends for a few hours. It was a lot of fun to be able to play some games, and visit with another family (4 other families actually). We were with Lake's extended family (Taylor's friend) and one other family. We definitely enjoyed ourselves.

Some pictures of the event are below...what a great day this was.

to all my friends and family

Who knew this day was more than a Hallmark Holiday?

celebrity

Who knew reading our community activity guide would be a good thing?

Actually, J did - this is our favorite magazine because it shows us what activities are being offered by the township for Taylor - we have done basketball, ballet, other dance, soccer, etc.

As we were flipping through the book this time, we saw our new celebrity on page 4...yes, that is Taylor at cheer camp...

christmas play

Who knew it would be so much work and yet totally worth the effort to put on a Christmas play?

One week ago today we had our first ever Christmas play at our church. Despite getting 10 inches of snow that morning, we still had the event - and all of the kids showed up. There were actually quite a few people in the audience as well and the play went off really well. It was amazing. Hearing the people in the audience laugh, comment, and enjoy themselves was great. The play they did was called the Fear Not Factor which was about the angels in heaven being given the assignment to talk to Mary, Joseph, and then the shepherds about the coming of Jesus. It was a very funny play with a strong message at the same time - perfect for their first time.

We also had a small refreshment time after the service where we had some snacks out on the wood floor and people were able to talk to the 'actors' face to face. What a great way to spend a Sunday morning - I'm sure the organizers didn't enjoy it as much as I did, but were glad it went so well.

Here are a few pictures of the event.

The snow we woke up to that morning...

The entire cast of the Fear Not Factor.

Cloe (Taylor) and Ellie (Royale) delivering lines.

Mary and Joseph.

Gabriel (Lake) and Michael (Jessica) in the middle of a dialogue.

Refreshments afterward.

fun in the snow

Who knew making snow people could be so fun? I kept putting it off thinking of being out there in the cold, but finally gave in yesterday...and am glad I did. Taylor and I had a great time making 2 new additions to our front yard yesterday.

fake bowling

Who knew bowling was such hard work???

This is a video of Taylor playing video bowling at Gameworks in Minneapolis. I thought it was pretty good...

minnesota

Who knew another trip to Minnesota could be a blast?

These are some pictures from our last trip to Minnesota. Always a good time out there - feels like visiting family...

Jeff showed us his new 'toy' - that was a suprise. He had just picked it up a few days before we arrived.

Nadia, Jeff and I playing hoops at Gameworks downtown.

All of us playing the bowling game.

Taylor and J pod racing - one of our favorite games.

Jeff and Tay pod racing.

Skee-ball - always a favorite.

Taylor and Bryan playing air hockey.

Jeff talking trash to the boxing game.

Bryan knocking the opponent out.

Taylor next to Boba Fett in Lego land at the Mall of America.

fall festival

Who knew our first Fall Festival at church would be a hit? Actually, I did. Had complete faith in my wife...

Here are some much delayed pictures of the event.

The amazing magician.

The magician wowing the crowd - and shocking J. The card she is holding secure in the middle of her hand switched places with the one on the top of her hand when he snapped his fingers...

One of his incredible baloon creations.

Grace, Donnell, and Hannah enjoying the show.

Taylor and Megan posing in the picture area.

The can smash game.

Our street sign - Vineyard Blvd South and East - a great addition to our scenery.

The putting game.

One of the candy stations - all of the offices were decorated and used for handing out candy.

The santuary set up for the event - games along the rear (bottom of the picture) and right side, Magician in the middle (front of the stage), and face painting and picture taking to the left.

Face painting.

Hay maze - set up with 4 dead ends...comment from one of the kids was, "Best maze ever." Made it worth transporting 100 bails of hay.

Lanterns (like the one on the ground to the left) were placed throughout the maze.

Our huge moonwalk...held quite a few kids all at once.

Our spread of food.

All in all, it was a wonderful event - better than we had hoped for a first time. We had 11 games, 6 candy stations, a moon walk, hay maze, face painting, and the magician - not to mention all of the food. Next year will be even better, and easier - now that we know what to expect. It was a great jumping off point - and I think the kids (and all of the adults) had a fantastic time.

Costume

Who knew Taylor would look good with pink hair?


This year for Halloween, Taylor decided to be Lola Lufagle (character from the Disney TV show Hannah Montana). Here are some pics of Lola, and then of Taylor...