Dance 'recital'

I'm sorry about the poor quality of these pictures. It's definitely one of the few weaknesses of our digital camera. Inside pictures do not always come out well, especially in the school gymnasium from a distance.

Awyn joins in...

Awyn is so jealous of Sam's dance class that she had to join in on one of the dances they did. Sam apparently can do a very nice somersault. (no flopping, he tucks and rolls and controls his body all the way through) Awyn tries, but she just flops, so I'm not encouraging it yet. Maybe next year she can join the dance class.

Sam really does love dance. It's really a combination of dance and yoga geared at 4 year olds. He's the only boy, but he doesn't care about that. Neither do I. As long as he enjoys it, I will keep signing him up for it. He goes two times per week, and I only pay $25/month. It's a total steal; his instructor is worth her weight in gold.

Stretching

Sam's dance teacher invited the parents to watch on the Tuesday before Christmas. I did not get to go, but Eric took lots of pictures. It's hard to show what they did in pictures, so maybe I'll get off my duff and post a few videos. Maybe. It takes rather more effort than simply posting pictures.

They are adorable when they sleep!

Note the pile of kitties Awyn needs to go to sleep...

Awyn still adores bath time

Introducing Cottontail

This is a very special kitty. We named her Cottontail. She's very easy to care for and doesn't mind the kids at all. Amazingly, Eric's not too allergic to her. Right now her favorite place is under the tree, but she'll settle for a nice chair or under one of our tables in the living room. She was a 'dirty santa' present. Eric traded off his Texas Bingo game to aquire her. I got two bottles of wine. The kids are in heaven, and like to tuck her in. She'll sit in their laps if they are quiet and hold still. If they get rough or noisy, we take her away.

Awyn does not like to share our Cottontail kitty.

Awyn holds Cottontail

Awyn loves our new kitty.

Sunday School was too exhausting for Awyn

Search for the Fantastic Family Photo

For the last three years we have ordered photo cards to send out at Christmas. We decided that this would be a great way to show our family off as we each get a little older, and also this fabulous place where we live. It's not an easy task. I set the camera up on a tripod, set the timer, and dash into the picture. Sometimes the results are comical. It can be fun to watch the progression of pictures in each location, as people appear and disappear from the scene. We drive to multiple locations, and keep trying until the kids have had too much. In this case, Sam decided he was done, and simply refused to cooperate. I didn't think we had anything usable, and actually took an inside picture at the last minute, to try to capture us in a good moment.

Well, here are some of the many rejects for the family Christmas photo card. Enjoy.

Yes, we even tried an indoor picture since Eric and I were all dressed up for a party. Awyn looks wasted, and Eric looks, well, just a little too happy.

It's always something! In this case, Sam and his fingers in his mouth.

OK, so Eric and I look fine, but the kids don't. This picture taking thing can take all day, and use up every ounce of patience that all four of us might possess.

So what's wrong with this one?

A Great Picture

This one is adorable, but only the kids are in it. It was our fallback choice if we couldn't get one of the whole family.

Ok, so I didn't make it into this one, but Awyn wasn't in the mood for pictures.

The kids look great, but Eric and I have some issues.

Door hangers

Sam and Awyn make door hangers. Sam actually spelled out his whole name, Samuel Lee on his.

Sam checks out his Bear

Almost all the kids got Teddy Bears from Santa. Each bear had a key around his neck with a little poem. The keys are to be left out so Santa can get in to leave presents, since none of us have fireplaces here in Big Bend National Park.

Candy Cane!

The kids really enjoyed a children's Christmas party on Saturday. There were lots of arts & crafts, and some good snacks, and best of all, they got to see Santa.