Christmas 2004 and more

I know it has taken awhile to update the site. This last Christmas was a busy one. Far more than we anticipated. Dan was in the Christmas play at the church and Madeline and Spencer were both in the Childrens portion of the church program. They all had a grand time and it was such a blessing because Grandma Lu and Grandma Tom were able to come up for the weekend to see the show. Then the kids and I piled in Grandma Lu's van when they were heading back to Oregon on Monday December 20. What trip! Poor Grandpa was listening to the Chipmunks Christmas album in his head for the entire week after returning home. All I have to say is 7 hours...6 people (3 under the age of 6) and the chipmunks on repeat! scary! Dan came down on Thursday the 23rd to catch up with us. The trip home was so much fun. We had really good visits with our friends back home and families. Like I have said in the past it has been getting harder to say goodbye when we return to Spokane...and it is still true. I thought it would make it easier if Dan and I went to a movie with my mom and dad the day we left. thinking a funny movie would lighten the heart. We watched Meet the Fockers. It was hillarious! Laughed the whole way through...the whole way home and still cried my eyes out saying goodbye to my parents. I have finally come to realize that is just the way it is going to be. Which is a good thing. Keeps the heart tender and also makes me realize how strong the heart strings are between us. After returning home I am always so happy to be here. We are absolutley loving it here. Especially this last week. The snow has finally come. It snowed for four days and it is really cold. The kids are loving it. We took them sledding the other day and I am thinking that Dan and Neue had more fun than the kids....they actually went back at 10:00pm for a second run down the bigger hill. They are crazy. The kids did really good. Madeline and Spencer went by themselves and Sophia went with dad. It was a really great day!. except for the poor little boy that somehow didn't see Madeline coming and she wiped him out, giving him a bloody nose. I am still not sure why he was walking up the middle of the hill where everyone was coming down. He was probably lucky it was little Madeline who wiped him out and not one of the many adults that were sledding. I have more pictures of Christmas to put on the site, hopefully later today. The ones below are of some presents from Uncle Neue and some that Neue's parents had sent up for the kids. Since we had our Christmas in Oregon it was kind of neat to be able to have some to open at our home here too. That's it for now. Will post again soon.