Christmas Eve

After dinner and a quick reading of the story of Christmas,

the pandamonium began! Presents being opened at a breakneck

pace, leaving trails of ribbons, tape and torn paper all over the room.

Each Christmas eve, Grandma Schenk gives pajama pants to the

grandkids, and each year, we make them put the pj's on and

trot them out in front of the tree for the traditional

"cousins in matching pajamas" pictures.

The boys tend to get a little sillier every year.

Hunter assured Grandma that his pj's fit just

fine, this is how they are being worn these days.

Bringing the new family members into the tradition.


Girls and their Grandma.

The guys just chillin.

Christmas Program

On Christmas Eve day we had our little family program.

Everyone participates with a stories or music. This is the

highlight of Christmas for me. The kids put a lot of effort

into finding just the right stories to share. And the music

of Christmas really sets the tone for the Christmas spirit.Devin sharing thoughts about the light of Christ and the lights

of Christmas.
Josh is our appointed piano player. It's wonderful to have
great music in our home!

Diane shares a touching story of a boy who sacrificed his

Christmas gift for a much more needy family.

We Three Kings! A Christmas classic. These guys can sing!

Mom joined us and shared the story of the Christmas Geese.

This was a powerful story illustrating the important mission of

Jesus Christ on the earth.

Eric started the day considering playing the saxophone for us,

but switched to guitar. Very nice!

Dennis shared a story of the kindness and generosity

that can be shared even by relative strangers to those

really in need.

A mixed quartet singing Silent Night.

Keith enjoying the warmth of family.

Katie and Josh started and finished the program with

two beautiful numbers sung acapella.

Thanks for your sharing your love and talents everyone!

Nothing says Christmastime like Snow!

We're on our way! Wednesday was the allotted day for

skiing and we really lucked out. The weather was

beautiful.

The mountain greets us with it's glorious views.

Me and my boys! They are so much fun to be with.

These guys love to ski together. They are both very accomplished

skiers, and challenge one another all day long. They had a great day.

Josh and Dennis hangin out on the slopes together.

Enjoying the Mountain

This was Dennis' second time skiing. The weather this day was

significantly better than his first day here at Mount Baker.

Last time it was snowing, very windy, and white out

conditions at the top. They shut down lifts early that time

the weather was so bad. But this day was beautiful,

clear, no wind, great visibility.

Josh and Katie enjoying the day. Josh was glad the chairlifts

were running. Last year they stopped a few times with us

just sitting there, unsure how long we'd be stuck. It was

usually around 10-20 minutes! Bummer!

One of the best reasons to ski is the beauty of the mountains

that you just can't see any other way then by actually

being on them.

There are so many mountains surrounding you, and the

view changes constantly throughout the day as the sun

and clouds change positions in the sky. It's truly amazing.

Picture of the day!

Mount Baker

When we pulled into the parking lot that morning we saw

Scott, Brittney, Carson and Hunter. We ran into them

again at lunch.

We had the best table ever on the 3rd floor. It was big enough
for our whole family, all our hats and gloves and food, and Scott's

family as well. It was fun to run into them on the mountain.

After lunch we broke into different groups and skied with them.

The best ski lunch is simple, quick and full of carbs. Bagels

are our favorite.

Chips, yogurt, lots of water!

Apres Ski

Katie and Josh. Josh had his best day of skiing yet.
All the equipment felt good, and he looked very
relaxed on the slopes all day.


Puttin the gear away.

Diane and Dennis. Dennis got better and better

as the day progressed.

Katie and her fancy boots. It takes alot of work getting in

and out of those things. Josh came around and helped her out

of them. How nice.

Devin had a great day skiing. He drove his truck up since we

no longer have room for everyone in one vehicle.

Diane and Eric. They're out looking for Dennis, who is looking

for Devin's truck, but he's not going to find it because Devin's

truck got moved closer to the lodge when we finished skiing.

It's a Wonderful Life

After a fun day on the slopes, we headed home for a nice

spaghetti dinner, listened to carolers who came to our door,

ate the cookies they brought, and settled in for a relaxing

evening watching our favorite Christmas movie,

It's a Wonderful Life.

That show always makes me feel more gratitude for my

family and all the good things in my life.