Grandma's Christmas Party (from afar)

Grandma's Veggie Tales Christmas party has been a lot of fun. We're not in Michigan to enjoy it, but she has been sending us pieces of the party to celebrate at home, and we love getting the fun boxes in the mail.

Sam shows off his colored picture with Christmas stickers.

Markers or crayons?--life is full of difficult decisions.

Jack shows off his finished project.

Hard at work adding textural details with a staple remover:)

Run, Momma, Run!

"Do you like my...umm, I mean...my mom's medal?

Sam took ownership of Momma's new toy almost immediately.

The five of us at the post-race bash

We did it!

Here are a few photos from the girls' weekend trip to Kiawah to run the half marathon. What a blast! The resort took great care of us--the food, the race, the lodging, and did I mention the food?--everything was amazing. Charlotte and I beat our previous half marathon time by 6 minutes. Michelle placed in our age group, and Ashley completed her first half while 17 weeks pregnant. We came home after our weekend refreshed and proud.

Live Nativity!

The Lilly family--all bundled up!

Is that look a plea for help?

Sam blows on the "fire."


Jack gets in on the action.

The church that houses Jack's preschool has an annual live nativity. This is the second year in a row that it has been misty/rainy and oh, so muddy! (Yes, those are raindrops--not snowflakes!) Regardless of the weather, the boys love the presentation (I think because it is performed entirely by kids--I heard Jesus was a baby girl this year;). After the nativity performance, they allow the kids to pet the animals, which is a huge hit. It looked as if we had rolled in the mud when we finally got back to the car, and in Sam's case that was actually true.

Basketcase and Buddy

Hey, maybe this will get me out of going to bed...

Getting my balance...

getting an accomplice...

Ha! It worked! Mom and Dad are shooting pictures instead of weilding toothbrushes.

Basketcase (cont.)...

He's very proud of himself...

for fitting into this cooler.

Basketcase

Rick puts Sam on the top shelf of our pantry.

We got him down in time for dinner;)

Lately, Sam has entertained himself by climbing into every basket and container he can find. It makes for good photo opportunities, and he's still small enough to (creatively) make his way into some weird places.

Comfort Nation

Blankets, pillows, and is that a hippity-hop under there?

Sam thought this was such a fun game.

Jack and his accomplice, Sam, gathered every single blanket and pillow on the first floor and piled them on top of themselves. I have weird children.