Beautiful Sunday Afternoon

Last Sunday we made our way to the park in our neighborhood. The kids grabbed the kites for some fun. After the little ones wore themselves out running around trying to keep the kites up Christopher and Marissa had a chance to really fly them. They flew them as high as they had string.

Allison, Jacob & Kathryn had fun playing with all the branches someone had left at the fire pit.

Thom recruited our good friends Connie and David Atkisson, who's back yard bumps up to the park, to help him untangle his kite. Thanks to some patients they finally got it done and up!

It was really a pretty day...maybe a stretch to call it rest, until we got home and all the wiggles were out, then there was rest!

So Shy...

So here at the Hall's we have a really shy bunch...lots of people watching them just put them right back in their shell...but when it's just them and mom...sometimes they come out. This was one of those rare times!

I know...total shocker!

A Late Discovery...

So I looked out on the deck the other day (about 5 days past Christmas Eve) and I found this...

They had endured a few cold nights. I'm not sure how Rudolf, Comet, and Dasher missed this thoughtful offering. As you can see (or maybe not, since they are starting to turn black from the frost bite) they were even peeled. I couldn't stop smiling. Kids are so darn cute!

Gingerbread houses!

Kathryn reminded me this Christmas, that last Christmas she made a Gingerbread house with her favorite Aunt Tricia. She wondered if she was going to do it again....so we called Aunt Tricia and asked if she'd be willing to come to our house and do it again this year. She, of course, was happy to oblige...what a good aunt she is!

They had a great time, and as you can see, there was no help from me. Tricia really is a good sport!

Christmas Eve...trying a new twist on an old idea!

Doing the Nativity every year is always interesting...never knowing for sure how it will pan out, like the year one of the kids used his staff as a weapon and started taking out some of the other shepherds and wisemen. Or even the year when we couldn't find a good stand in for baby Jesus, so they grabbed up the dog...we weren't sure it was okay to laugh! Well this year, my ever creative sister-in-law sent out the call to all adults. We would be doing the nativity for the kids....fun!

So Cherlyn made her post as the director...

(pending picture)

4 simply celestial angles! (and that's not even taking into consideration their singing!)

3 very well dressed wisemen (have you ever seen a wiseman with so much chest hair?)

2 perfectly aged Joseph & Mary (with an extremely quiet Jesus, who had a stong resemblance to a doll I use to play with)

1 brightly shining star (beautiful as always!)

and last but not least...3 very handsome shepherds (if we had know sooner we could have had a nice looking shepherdly beard)

We did give the kids the job of music and they did a great job!

Just thinking...

...how good life is...

...have a great day!

LOTOJA!

...that is LOgan TO JAckson!

These guys started just before sunrise in Logan Utah, to go on an all day ride. Allison and I, the official support group (which also included Thom's mom and dad this year) meet up with them in Preston, ID...Montpelier, ID...Afton, WY...Alpine, WY and then at the finish line in Jackson Hole, WY. We have a fun time and love being there to make sure they have plenty of apples, yucky drink mix-in, and butt butter :) They have enough fun that they always seem to want to do it again. We always love the stop off in Afton, where we get a little extra cheer from Tara and Kamryn. This year Kamryn decided it looked like so much fun she wanted to join us for the remainder of the ride and hopped right in to the official support vehicle and off we went for more fun! These guys really are amazing!

We are looking forward to lots of excitement and fun next year!

Love ya honey!