Da Bears

We headed into the big city with our good friends Baden and Ilse just a few days after Christmas to check out the Leonard Bearstein Orchestra’s holiday show.  Besides just hanging out with our friends, though, the big hit was where they took us for lunch—a noodle café where we had some yummy pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) on this chilly winter day.  No pictures of that part of the day, but it’s a good memory. 

Christmas Day!

It was another memorable Christmas day, full of joy and wonder.  On Christmas Eve, we attended our family church service in the afternoon and then went out for Chinese food as we have for years with our good friends the Miners.  That night, we checked out the holiday lights on our drive home, read some Christmas stories together, put out our cookies and milk for Santa (plus carrots for the reindeer), donned our new Christmas Eve pajamas, and all went to bed early.  Christmas morning we were up with the sun, opened the goodies from our stockings, ate breakfast, and then continued on to open the big presents.  It’s always wonderful to see the beaming smiles and hear the shrieks of joy that tell you the kids got exactly what they were hoping for, or better.  These are our Christmas traditions.


{this ornament came from my grandmother’s house.  my mom had bought a german ornament to look like each of us and gave them as a gift to my grandmother.  this one was me.}









The gifts the kids specifically requested this year, for Ella a longboard and for Jack a bow and arrow set, came from us.  Santa’s big score was some big LEGO sets.







Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Trees

We didn’t make it to Gingerbread Lane this holiday season to check out the gingerbread house competition and we didn’t decorate a gingerbread house.  The kids seemed just as happy, though, to decorate some “gingerbread trees”—they also seemed to enjoy eating these more.  This was on the eve of Christmas Eve.

Nana + PopPop’s Holiday Visit

The weekend before Christmas we had a wonderful three-day visit from Jonathan’s parents, a.k.a. Nana and PopPop.  On their first day here, Jonathan had the great idea (although I admit I was doubtful considering it was December) to go on a wagon ride at Lazy 5 Ranch to feed the animals.  It was a little brisk, but an otherwise lovely morning and, to the kids, having thermos’ full of hot chocolate made the day.  As not many wagons go through the ranch during the winter months, the animals were very excited to have the chance to be fed—I’d never seen so many animals approach the wagon (we’ve been to Lazy 5 several times, although, not for a year or more) and it was definitely a first to be that close to zebra.  It was a fun, and sometimes funny, day—good pick, Jonathan!











{love nana’s expression here.}


{the ostrich would steal your buckets if you weren’t careful. }




{this is before the wagon guide told us not to feed the zebra.  apparently they like to steal buckets, too.  luckily jack had a good grip on his.}


We also celebrated Christmas a little early with Nana and PopPop.




We had another exciting outing—this one more for the adults, although the kids did enjoy some German pretzels—during Nana and PopPop’s visit.  We all went to The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery to enjoy some beers in the Brauhaus and then a brewery tour.  The beer was so crisp and fresh, and the company was great, so we had a grand ol’ time hanging in the Brauhaus.  Can’t wait to head back.




And, of course, there was plenty of Nana and PopPop cuddle time while they were here.



Great visit—looking forward to seeing you here again soon!