It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The tree is up, and we've had our first proper snow!
Here's a shot from the front window:



And from the back window (please note the crazy overhanging snow on our roof):



Jack is experiencing the Christmas tree for the first time as a toddler, and it has been hilarious. He points and tries to name all the things on the tree, but (thankfully) has done really well with not destroying it!





And what do we do when it's all snowy and cold outside? Why, play with Tupperware, of course!



Oh, and we also do crazy Michigan things like going with a family from our church to help pick out their live Christmas tree. It was a beautiful, "White Christmas" sort of experience! Where's Bing Crosby when you need him?!











All this outdoor goodness evidently inspired Jack to write a song about trains:



Here's hoping you get at least one "silent night" between now and Christmas!

Giving Thanks

Hello Darlin'. Nice to see you. It's been a looooong tiiiiiiiime! (For those of you not familiar with American country music from the dark ages, please ignore that comment, and "Welcome back!")

I know you would probably like to see pictures of our trip to Prague and Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, they're still sitting on the memory card in the backpack beside me on the couch. Instead, how about a few shots of Thanksgiving and Jeff's birthday?... Okay! Okay! We had a GREAT trip, and I do promise to get the photos up at some point. Considering there are nearly 1,000 of them, I'm assuming you'd prefer it if I paired them down a bit, though.

We spent Thanksgiving in Michigan (where it is currently cold and snowy - proper Michigan in December weather), with Jeff's family. It was great to have Drew in for a few days from New York.



It was also great to have three (yes THREE) turkeys. Mmmmmmmm......





And how great is it that Jack gets to play with his cousins?! Here he is with Bryson, planning future world domination by virtue of cuteness!



Jeff's birthday couldn't go by without a cake (although he also got free fried ice cream at the Mexican restaurant at lunch - not fair, but at least he shared).



And, of course, no birthday of Jeff's would be complete without me saying that he is the person I'm most thankful for in the whole world (but it's a close one, with Jack)!



Finally, in spite of the lack of sleep the night before, and the fact that we'd all eaten waaaaaay too much, Vince insisted on snapping a family photo. Here we all are! (L-R: Vince, Kendra, Drew, Doug, Jeff, Paula, Me, Jack - Front Row L-R: Bailey and Bryson)

Finally, here's one from this morning. Jack came home from Nana and Doodah's house with a much bigger vocabulary, and a much better grasp of farming. Here, he tells us what sounds the farm animals make, and also gives a repeat performance of his tractor imitation.