Christmas in Bellbrook

Our second stop for Christmas was in Bellbrook, for Grandma Barb and Grandpa Chuck's Christmas celebration. We left Ashville on the 23rd to head west to grandma's house. We left after the kids got up from thier naps and the trip was full of unexpected events. First, about 30 minutes on our way there, Reilly decides to get sick in his car seat. After a bit of cleaning up on the side of the road, we made a u-turn and a quick appointment with his Iskara (hat's off to Dr. Iskara for taking last minute appointments). We suspected strep throat and asked to have him tested. The results came back negative, however, they were sending them up to Children's Hospital for further assessment. So after some decision and dilemma, and with Reilly showing signs of improvement, we decided to head back to grandma's. By this time a cold front had dropped down (something we were trying to avoid driving through by leaving early) and was spitting out ice and sleet on the roads. What typically takes us only about 1:15 minutes, took us about 2 1/2 hours. The road was aweful, especially on I71 and 35. There were cars skidded off the road and slidng around all around us. We kept to a crawl (about 25 mph) the entire time.

After surviving the vomiting and ice storm, we finally made it to grandma's. We were just in time for presents and dinner. Of course everyone was spoiled with all the gifts they receieved. Thanks grandma and grandpa for everything!

Christmas in Y-Town

We'll it's time to start the holiday season. Our first stop was up in Y-town. Shannon and I had our last day of work on Friday, so we loaded up the Tacoma Saturday morning and headed north. We arrived about 11:00AM and spent most of the day visiting. The kids were very patient waiting to open gifts at about 5PM. One of the highlights of the trip was a special treat of Belleria Pizza for dinner. On Sunday, Shannon and I had a chance to take a quick trip over to mom's new home. It is amazing at how much work she has already done. It is really going to be a warm-home when it is done. (Don't get rid of that carpet!). We enjoyed a great home-cooked meal on Sunday afternoon. After that, we got in the car and headed back home, as the kids were getting cranky. Thanks to All for the gifts, company and food!

Kellen's Preschool Christmas Program

Kellen had his very first School Christmas Program last night at Trinity Lutheran Church in Circleville. The program was divided up among age ranges. The 3 year old went first, then Kellen's group was next (5 year olds). They sang several songs (Red, Green, White, Christmas Poem and C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S), complete with 'motions'. After the 4 year olds and Kindergarten classes finished thier parts, the entire school came together on stage for the grand finale. Afterwards, we headed to the church hall for cookies and punch. The kids were 'wired' after all the excitement (and sugar), and had a great time! Reilly had his first taste of 'punch' and loved it. Thanks to Grandma Barb, Grandpa Chuck, Pop Pop, Grandma Carol and Cate, who all made the journey down to watch Kellen for his first stage performance.

Wildlights with Grandpa

Well, we are in the middle of the holiday season now. Grandpa traveled down from Y-town this weekend to spend some time with the kids. He arrived on Friday night after some difficult, snowy travel through the Akron area. We let the kids stay up late and visit on Friday night. On Saturday, we spent the day at the house, made the kids take an early nap as to be well rested for Saturday night's visit to the Columbus Zoo, which has it's annual "wildlights". It was a particularly cold night, so the kids' tolerance was short. We got there early, before the crowds arrived after sunset. We were able to visit a few exhibits until it got dark and the real magic began. We were able to get a few snapshots of the lights after dark, then decided to leave, just as the crowds were lined up to get in. I'm serious when I say that there were cars lined up back to back all the way back to I270! We ended the night at a restaurant named Culver's, which has great "butterburgers" and frozen custard. We then parted ways. Grandpa headed north and we headed south, back home. Thanks for visiting Grandpa!

Christmas and Rock n' Roll

We'll it seems that Christmas time is here again. Last weekend we were busy putting up the tree and lights outside as well as our traditional gingerbread house. Kellen even had time to entertain us with some "live" Christmas music!

Kellen's 1st School Field Trip

Here are some pictures of Kellen's first field trip. The preschool class visited a nature preserve located outside of Lancaster, about 30 minutes east of Circleville. It was a very cold day and all the kids were bundled up appropriately. The theme of the visit was "All About Turkeys", which included eating and walking like turkeys, a video and some sing-a-longs. Of course the star of the show was a visit from a wild turkey!

Fall is our favorite time of Year

It's that time of year again. Time for fall leaf raking. Although it is sometimes considered hard work, it doesn't mean that it cannot also be fun. Although we do not have a lot of leaf raking to do at our house, Grandpa Chuck was gracious enough to share some of his!