Christmas Photo Shoot

As anyone with kids knows, getting that good photo for the Christmas Card is not so simple as snapping a single shot. In order to get that one shot, you need to take quite a few and see what good one(s) you can get. Here are some of the ones that didn't quite make the cut this year.

First Christmas of 2008

As usual, we had the first Christmas celebration of the year with one side of the family. Here are just a few pictures of all of the kids. The first picture is the closest we got to having a group photo of all of them. As you can see, we did not get very close - Annabella had already gotten out of the shot before anyone could get the cameras ready.

Oh well, at least they all had a good time with one another.

Merry Christmas!

I Really Own a Three Year Old??

It's hard to believe, but Sofia is now three years old. She turned 3 last Friday, the 12th, and she and I celebrated as we usually do - with a Father/Daughter trip to Tom and Joe's for pancakes. Not that the Tom & Joe's trip was insufficient as a celebration, but we also had a small party for family. It was a Fancy Nancy Party, as you will see....

Also, as in past years, Sofia still doesn't like having Happy Birthday sung to her.

Our Little Bruiser

Just in time for Christmas pictures.... Our little bruiser fell (again) and this time has the marks to prove it. She looks like a little boxer, with the nice shiner and the cut above the eye.

And, of course, she barely realizes it's there.

Fun in the Cold & Snow

It certainly was a fun day, and it certainly was a cold and snowy one. But we were prepared. The new space heater was perfect (once we got it working), and it really did provide noticeable heat. Too bad i couldnt take it to the seat with me.... Anyway, since it was the weekend before Thanksgiving it seemed onyly logical that we would have a Thanksgiving feast. We deep fried a turkey, and had all of the fixings - stuffing, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberries, pumpkin pie, etc.

And the we expressed thanks for the PSU football team, which feasted on Michigan State.

The "compound"


Staying warm in between the space heater and the deep fryer.


The "compound" interior view - looking from the dining room into the kitchen.


Mmmm....

Halloween

We went with a kids' story theme for Halloween this year, with Little Bo Peep and Little Red Riding Hood. Sofia really got the concept of trick or treating this year, as compared with last year, and Annabella just enjoyed being able to carry a basket around (she loves to carry bags and baskets).

Vacation 2008

It now has been more than a month since we returned from vacation, but I finally made some time to go through the pictures. We had a great time in the Outer Banks, NC. Going in late September meant that the beaches were pretty empty, so the girls had plenty of space to run around and have fun.

Enjoy this sampling of pictures.