The First 2 1/2 Months of 2011

This post is a long time coming. So without any further delay here we go...

We started the year out with lots of snow. We enjoyed sledding with friends and even testing the kids' dare devil enthusiasm by making several jumps along the slippery track. Here we are with the Gott family.

Church now starts at 1:00pm. That means Kris has a few hours to spend with the family before he is off to meetings at the church. His new tradition with the kids is eating breakfast with them, playing the game of their choice and reading scriptures before he gets ready for the day. What a good daddy! These are several pictures from my attempted photo shoot with Ellary. Alyson and Kourtney have school pictures, obviously in the fall, and Keegan's birthday is at the end of October when we get his yearly pictures taken, which leaves Ellary's annual birthday picture in April on the opposite side of the calendar year. I realize Ellary and Keegan are close in age (18 months) but the gap at which the kids look different ages in the individual pictures we have of them on our basement wall is severely decreasing. Now several months later, and Ellary's birthday just one week away, a new picture will shortly adorn the wall making all right on the wall.

Ellary was very patient. She also loved dressing up.

Ellary, Keegan and I took two weeks in February to visit Nana and Papa in their home in Colorado. Kris had to teach and Aly and Koco both had to go to school so they were unable to make it. My mom had a total knee replacement two weeks before our arrival, so we were on several missions. The first was to physically help them, and the second was to give them an emotional uplift. We all benefited greatly from the experience.

Keegan loved Nana and Papa's two dogs, Mataya and Honey.

Unfortunately several thousands of miles separated Kris and I on Valentine's Day.

This is a purse that I made mom. She has a friend who is very crafty with a sewing machine who came over to the house and showed us how to make them. Mom put me to work on the sewing machine. We used sample material from books she bought at a yard sale and had ourselves a good time. I think I made about 10 purses while I was there.

These are the beautiful roses Kris had delivered to me several days before Valentine's Day so I could enjoy them (I was scheduled to return to Michigan on the 16th). I shared them with someone we both dearly love.

Here they are on Eleonore's gravestone. There was about 2 inches of snow that blanketed the cemetery hillside. Ellary slid down with me and we used our hands to clear the snow away so we could find Eleonore's grave before a workman saw us slipping and falling on our backsides every time we stepped onto a head stone.

I am glad we could share the roses with Mutti.

These pictures were taken the night before we were scheduled to leave. Keegan was already in bed. Turns out our flights were cancelled and we returned home one day later than scheduled. It made leaving that much more bitter sweet.

So, while Ellary, Keegan and I were away, Kris had his hands full. However, he took full advantage of his time with the girlies and did special things with them, like grilling in shorts when it's freezing cold outside!

And baking cookies that they could share with their classmates on Valentine's Day. Can you say "Father of the Year Award"? He also watched Koco perform in a school play all documented on the video camera and he took the girls to a school dance. What fun!

I returned home just in time to see Alyson read a poem in her class. They have been studying the pioneer era and writing fictional journal entries about the lives of pioneer children.

Then later that week we watched her perform in a class play called "Anasi and the Rock". She was the narrator and had most of her lines memorized. She is a definite go getter! (Alyson is dressed up to look like a frog I think.)

This is Alyson's friend Elise encouraging Alyson to relax and play a little.

This year Kris had the opportunity to serve in a fundraiser for Special Olympics at BD Mongolian Grill for the second year running. Here he is grilling away. I'm sure most of the tips were collected when he encouraged the crowd to support a great cause...He's a go getter like his daughter! Ellary insisted on wearing her crown to the restaurant. I wonder what that says about her!

And finally last but not least, Alyson, Kris and I attended a baptism preview night for Alyson and her 7-turning-8 year old friends in church. Woo-hoo! She will be 8 in 2 weeks and 1 day. She is so excited to be baptized. We love you, girl!

Christmas Day 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas...quiet, low key and filled with tradition. We delivered some cookies to our neighbors, played family games while listening to Oma's Christmas and German music, and had a delicious Korean dinner on Christmas Eve. We also read the Christmas story in the Bible, carolled, and talked to loved ones far away on Christmas Day. Here are Kris and the kiddos on Christmas Eve. (If while looking at the pictures you wonder why I'm not in any of these, it's because I didn't like the ones taken of me, and because I'm the one creating the post, I get to decide what goes into it, right? Also, Kris took a ton of video footage, and I know that I am in it a ton, so no worries.) Kourtney made reindeer food in class and we had another package left over that Nana sent last year. The girls decorated our front lawn with oats and glitter. It worked like a charm. Santa found his way to our house!
Alyson, Kourtney and Ellary made and decorated cookies for Santa and left them out before going to bed. No wonder Santa is such a big, jolly man.

7:30 am Christmas morning and the kids could hardly wait to come downstairs.

This is a picture of Alyson and Kourtney reading a letter they got from Santa. They both asked Santa for beta fish this year. Knowing that the Allee family would be out of town for a few days following Christmas, he gave each of them a gift card to buy their own when they got back from vacation. Alyson and Kourtney each have a beta fish now. I can't remember Alyson's purple and blue fish's name. Kourtney named her white fish Sparty. She has green rocks in his tank. How many other "Sparty" pets do you think are out there in Michigan?

Random picture of Ellary looking cute.

Alyson and Kourtney saved up their money to buy a present for each other. Alyson put together a sewing kit for Kourtney and Kourtney bought Alyson some scrap booking items. Great sisterly love!

Santa must know that Kris has a good sense of humor. He put a Dilbert calendar and a big joke book in Kris' stocking along with some of Kris' favorite candy and Banangrams, a fun word spelling game.

Alyson and Kourtney were very thoughtful this Christmas. They saved up some money by doing chores around the house to buy Ellary a present-a Dora the Explorer Backpack.

I think we can almost officially say that we are a running family. It's rubbing off on the girls. You may recall a post in December about Alyson running a 5K. Both girls occasionally go on runs with Kris, and before my eye surgery Alyson ran with me two days out of the week. It seemed only fitting that one of their gifts be some running clothes-a great idea their daddy had. (P.S. Kourtney and Alyson merged their Christmas P.J. bottoms from last Christmas with their nightgowns from this Christmas. Good try, girls!)

Nana and Papa Bear got the kids each a Pillowpet. What a great gift! The kids each picked the animal they wanted, all except for Keegan. I got to choose the puppy dog for him.

Ellary loves her unicorn Pillowpet. She also loves her Minnie Mouse costume she found at Kohl's on clearance while we were shopping about a week before Christmas. Ellary is obsessed with "Micki Mouse Club House". She wore her costume for one day, then I hid it away and wrapped it up for Christmas. I love her age!

Kourtney's choice was a penguin. She sleeps with it every night.

Alyson chose a dolphin. I think it most resembles a filleted fish when it's used like a pillow. Cute but rather funny.

Keegan received this tube and a connecting tent from Santa. It kept him entertained after all the presents had been opened. It has also kept him busy many hours since then.

Later Christmas day we picked up Sister Oade (she spent Thanksgiving Day with us too) and we met some friends to caroll at a local nursing home. I regret that we didn't take pictures because it was a great experience and one I hope we remember for a long time.

After carolling we came home and finished making dinner. We stuck with tradition and Kris made a delicious prime rib roast.

Later that evening we finished the day out by watching "A Christmas Story" and opening presents with Sister Oade. She was very generous. And I think she liked the dress we gave her because she wore it to church the next day.

We had a wonderful Christmas. Thank you, everyone, who made an effort to make Christmas special. Your kind words and acts of service were greatly appreciated.

Christmas Countdown

Our Christmas countdown started rather early this year-way back at the beginning of November. Our church began preparing for a Stake Christmas Concert and asked that the Primary children from all of the wards in our area sing for 30 minutes. A lot of time and effort went into preparing for the occasion. CD's, and music were sent home and they gathered to practice 6 Saturday mornings. It was less laboring and more fun than it sounds. Alyson even performed a violin solo to "Christmas Bells" in the Church Children's Songbook. Then Aly and Kourtney sang a song together also in the Children's Songbook "Who is the Child?" Kris and I are very happy that they tried their very best to be ready and that they did so well. Preparing for this event really set the tone for the rest of the holidays and we focused greatly on the true meaning of Christmas because of it.

Alyson had a holiday party the last day of class before winter break as well. Her class made a craft, had goodies, played bingo, and then her teacher, who is very proficient at the piano, and has one in her classroom, played as they all sang songs.

Kourtney also had a holiday celebration in her class. They made reindeer food, played games and had some yummy snacks. It's definitely one of the more fun parties of the year at school.

We have some great friends who throw a Christmas party every year. This was our second time going, and it was as fun as the last year. Lots of yummy food and good friends, and Santa made a grand appearance again sharing stories about the night before Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ. Thank you, Gott family, for your hospitality.

This is our friend Kate helping Kourtney make a reindeer ornament. She and her husband throw this party every year (you may recall reading the post about their Christmas party last).

Keegan had a difficult time wanting to sit on Santa's lap. This was the best he could do for now. Maybe Keegan will be interested in the big, jolly fella next year.

All of the children got a candy cane and book from Santa, but I think they liked listening to him tell stories and sitting on his lap best of all.

Here are all the children who attended the party.

Ella had the time of her life in her little Santa outfit.