JANUARY 2009...BRRRRR!!!

It has been an extremely cold beginning of the year.  With wind chill warnings out, schools have even been closed for a few days!  Here are some things we have been doing inside to entertain ourselves......

Daddy taking some time out to read to us.

Splish! Splosh! We LOVE baths!

Coloring!  Those "Color Wonder" markers are great!

Reading to our friends.....

Santa Was Good To Us This Year!

Christmas Morning!

THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS....2008

CHRISTMAS EVE at Grandpa & Grandmas Carter's

Zach's new reading material.

A new baby to feed!

RyAnne anxiously opening the next present

She REALLY wanted a WowWee Alive Tiger!

Dakota wasn't too sure about it though....ROAR!

CHRISTMAS 2008

Our 2008 Christmas card...Wishing you a wonderful holiday season...with all the trimmings!  Pete, Julie, Zachary, RyAnne, Dakota, and Bailey

RyAnne and Santa -  2008

Here she is in 2007

HO HO HO

The babies favorite toy - BLOCKS!  They love to build tall towers.........and then knock them down!

Notice Dakota's Santa hat - he has become obsessed with Santa!  He runs around and points at every Santa he sees and then shouts a hardy, "HO HO HO!".  Last Friday we were at Culvers where he saw a Santa on the wall.  He of course points and starts shouting, "HO HO HO!".  The high school girls at the table next to us got a real kick out of it!

TREE TROUBLE

Dakota and Bailey love to look at, or I should say touch, the tree.  From the twinkling lights to the dangling ornaments it is hard for them to keep their little hands off.  Here Dakota is noticing Santa and an elf climbing up the tree.

And Bailey found an interesting ornament she would like to see.

Spanish Class

RyAnne has been learning a lot in Spanish Class.  She is a very good listener and the teacher even commented on how well-behaved she is:-)  Hmmmm....do you think having parents as teachers might have something to do with that?

SANTA visited Aunt Carol & Uncle Terry's House!!

Bailey wouldn't even let Mom put her down!  She wanted nothing to do with him!

RyAnne is no longer scared of Santa.  She was telling him secrets and giving him kisses. You know that camera commercial when the parents keep missing the good shots?  Yep, this is RyAnne kissing Santa - at least what Pete got of her kissing Santa!  

This is as close as Dakota would get (see lower right corner).