Merry Christmas

We hope that everyone had a great Christmas. We certainly enjoyed our holiday here in Page. Aunt Annie trekked up from Pheonix and we always have fun with her visiting. We mostly ate, drank and played every variety of card, dice and word game we could find. We are likely to play another this morning before Aunt Annie leaves, as Brian is determined to end a long losing-streak. We all got some very nice gifts - thank you to everyone. The kids are still enjoying all of their new toys, games and arts supplies. I'll likely not sign on again until after our move down the street. Our PO Box address remains the same, and so do our cell #'s.

Tree-Cutting Pics

Last weekend we went to Flagstaff for a little shopping, swimming, dining-out and strolling the downtown. It was a nice little get-away for all of us. I think the kids enjoyed the indoor aquaplex the best. On the way home, we took a detour off 89A to the Kaibab National Forest to cut down a Christmas tree. This is now the third year in a row that we've sent away for the permit. We hoped for Pinyon Pine this year, but ended up with a nice Ponderosa Pine instead. After a brief stop at the Jacob Lake Inn for a bite, the kids and I played in the snow while Brian did all of the hard work.

'Tis the season

It's been a busy set for the holidays so far. We've had two work parties (NPS and HS), the pre-school program (which we sent the babysitter with the kids as the HS party was that night), a Christmas cookie party and the annual Santa party at Brian's office. Those are the pictures from above. This year the kids are very excited for the arrival of Santa. They are trying to figure out how he gets down our chimney, since it is only a tube. Well, they have active imaginations and I'm sure they'll figure something out. Hopefully I'll post a picture of our tree-cutting soon. Last weekend was snowed-out. Just one more day until Christmas break...

Thanksgiving week

We had a few days off for Thanksgiving, and it was a welcomed break. We hosted Thanksgiving here for about 8 people - - they arrived around 1 pm and left around 9 pm (!) But that was because we were all having a good time. We had turkey and then turkey again about 6 pm, and of course lots of drinks. The next day we met up with the Klemme's for a small hike to the Toadstools. The boys ran the entire way, which is a marked change from former years when they complained it was too far. We're back into a regular routine of school and life....for now.

Balloon Regatta

It was the hot air balloon festival again. It was just as impressive this year as it was in previous years. The "balloon glow" lasts for only an hour or so,but the streets are lined with crowds milling about the dozens of hot air balloons. The flashes of light and bursts of sounds set a great background for an evening out side.

Typical school picture

Jacob in Kindergarten - 2009

Happy Halloween!

It's taken me a few days to upload these. We had a good and busy Halloween. Jake had a Halloween party with 7 of his friends (in lieu of a birthday party earlier this month). They mostly wanted to run around in costume, but we did manage a few Halloween games. Later, we went trick-or-treating. I think we had about 200 kids at our door! The kids had to give up some of their candy, to fill our coffers. They did so without complaint, and I was very proud of them! Page, Arizona does trick or treating like no other town I've lived in. (and I've lived quite a few places).