Sledding!

She wasn't scared at all!

One of MANY rides!

Yup, all three!

Warming up in the lodge.

Scary, but a successful ride!

My boy

A great day!

We ventured out to Pigeon Creek County Park today for a bit of fun in the snow. It was Lilyana's first time sledding and suprisingly she LOVED it!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas smiles!

Her favorite

His Favorite

Cousins

So pretty!

Wrestling with Joel...a tradition. :)

My handsome boy!

Santa was here!!

The boys in the middle of it all :)

We were blessed to spend a wonderful Christmas with the Levandoski and Baynum families. After sliding over to my sister's house on Christmas Eve, Ni Ni Dee and Pa Pa in Florida watched the kids open gifts via skype. It felt like they were really with us! They weren't quite dressed for our ice storm though...ha! I do know they missed all of the delicious goodies! And here in frozen Michigan, Ni Ni Mona hosted a very cozy Christmas with WAY to many yummy things to eat and presents galore. Max declared this the best Christmas ever with his favorite gift being a $2.99 plastic balancing bird, go figure. Lilyana was much more into the action this year and kept up with Max readily in present opening. She so enjoyed the magic of Santa. She didn't quite know what to say about it all. My girly girl's favorite gift was a little vanity for her room. We hope that you too enjoyed a wonderful Christmas with those you love.

Merry Christmas!!

A Glimpse Into Max's Mind

One of the many gifts that Scott has given our boy is his imagination. And to someone who is very challenged in this area, Max's gift often floors me. Just recently he wrote a story set on an imaginary planet called Star Village. In this gripping epic, the evil SOE takes on the most powerful salesman in the surrounding worlds. Seriously, where did that come from? When his English teacher finished reading his story she asked him with a shocked look on her face, "Did you really come up with this off the top of your head?" His recent snowmen creations also have shown the mark of his imagination. Take a look!

A rogue snowman on a toboggan runs over an unsuspecting snowman with a big bootie.

(Max's words of course)

A screaming bystander witnesses the horrible scene.

Spray paint man...Lily was a little freaked out!

A Visit With Santa and A Jingle Bell Parade

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Lilyana was quite smitten with Santa :)

I don't think Lily really understood that Swift was Uncle Richie!

Max and Bug

Ready to go!

We weren't sure if Lilyana would actually sit on the big guy's lap this year. She seemed a bit freaked out by the whole idea. At times, she's still the timid little girl we first met in China. But, the Grand Haven Santa quickly won her over. She snuggled right into him as they had a heart to heart talk about all things Christmas. Lilyana's wish this year is a black kitty. We hope that Santa brings a stuffed one of course. :)

And...a couple of weekends ago we rode my sister's bank's float in the Grand Haven Jingle Bell Parade. The kids and I were joined by Max's best friend Samuel, my sisters, and Swift the Eagle (aka my brother-in-law, Rich). A chilly, but fun time was had by all! :)

WHOOO, HOOOO!

Snow day season has begun! Bless that 5:20 A.M. phone call. Seriously, I've never been so happy to hear the phone ring. God knew that after an INSANELY CRAZY week, we needed a day to just play!

Our angel

Hangin' in the trailer...?

Mo is a weather wimp!

Lilyana certainly is NOT! She stayed out longer than Max!

So excited!

Rex LOVES the snow! He is crazy about rolling in it!

The kids

A perfect ending

Girl's Night

With Scott away speaking at an MSU education class, and Max enjoying a night at NiNi's house, Lily and I had the chance to be just the girls. I picked her up at school and ventured over to my new classroom to do some unpacking (she really wanted to do this...no kidding). Two hours later, I was begging her to leave! She loves to be the teacher and play school. Her imaginary class was a bit rambunctious, but they did manage to read chapter books, do calendar, and create with permanent markers (yikes...nothing on the Smartboard...I promise)! They also napped and had snack time. :) When I finally dragged her out of the building, we made a quick stop at McDonald's, and drove home in our first real snowfall to a winter wonderland. This girl of mine lives every single moment to the fullest...I guess she really was the one teaching the lesson today!