Christmas at Grandma and Grandpas

We spent the afternoon hanging out with Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Mark. We shared memories of Christmases past, played some games, opened presents and had a meal together. The girls enjoyed their bouncy balls that they got from Aunt Joan and Uncle Don as well as their gift cards from Grandma Kathy's cousin, Jeanne.

Finally It is Christmas

This year school lasted until the day before Christmas Eve. It was harder to get in the spirit of the event when working all the way through so we decided to visit the house of a man who recreated the holiday tradition from the Dayton's display.

The line was long and stretched down the block as people waited to see the holiday creation. We were impressed that so many people were lovers of the holiday show. It was fun to talk to people in line about their memories of visiting Dayton's each year and which stories they remembered most. The woman in front of us said she loved Frog and Toad.

When the girls were little, we took them every year to see Santa's workshop with all the elves and magical animals getting ready for Christmas. Emma remembered the singing trees. It is hard to believe that they closed down the event almost ten years ago.

Erin still remembers going to it as a girl each year they told a different story. When she was in first grade she had a dream of a career designing the sets for all the characters. It was Dayton's display or Disney World animation that had her attention. Unfortunately teaching was the more feasible route to take in the end.

Luckily, the man who designed his house to incorporate the Dayton's display windows collected some of the singing trees so Emma got to see them once again.

Christmas Choir Concert

Emma and Analise had their choir concert this week. It was fun to see everyone come walking in with candles.

Analise's group sang, Sing of a Merry Christmas and Midwinter Snow. Emma's group sang Riu Riu Chiu and Humble. It was also enjoyable to sing along to popular Christmas Carols as the groups rotated on stage.

Skiing and Holiday Mug Making

We have received the gift of more snow in December. Usually we can't get out cross country skiing until Christmas break. We have already made it out twice to the trails. There is something so peaceful about skiing on newly fallen snow.

Besides skiing, we took some time for creativity and made some holiday mugs at the White Bear Center for the Arts. We used all of the funds from the sand castle competition wins over the years to finally take a class at the center. It was an enjoyable time hanging out and learning a new skill.

PJs and Puzzles Thanksgiving

It was a cold Thanksgiving this year. We celebrated Dan's birthday with pizza, a movie, and puzzles. We were supposed to go to Arcola Bluffs for a hike but it was too cold so we did a quick walk around the neighborhood instead.

On Friday Analise had Tessa over and Emma went to skate with Nevaeh at Central Park in Maple Grove. We spent some time at the YMCA pool and indoor walking track as well. The girls have started to decorate for Christmas and we shoveled multiple times. The next few weeks will most likely fly by.

First Gymnastics Meet of the Season

Analise had her first meet of the season. Bars are a bit tricker with her new hand grips and she is trying more advanced moves on the beam. She did well overall and scored highest of the members on her team. We ran into an old friend Sofie who was on a different gymnastics team that was at the meet. Erin's friend Yeng took at picture of the two girls after the competition was complete.

Sofie is Emma's age. Here is a photo from when they were younger. Analise was just learning to walk at that point and did not want to go canoeing. My how time flies!

Aurora Borealis

We did get to the see the aurora borealis over our house this past month. Dan got some great videos as well. It was a magical night.