most enjoyable of 2010

i posted last year with the most enjoyable of 2009. we really enjoyed looking back on that so i decided to do it again for 2010. it was insanely difficult to pick one picture per month and to narrow down each month to a major event. 2010 was full and good. 

january. grey had mono for the entire month. we spent a lot of time indoors together. apparently making funny faces at each other.

february. good snow for long hours of playing and sledding followed by warm fires and hot chocolate.

march. a girls spectacular trip to nyc. just looking at this picture makes me want to go back!

april. time outside doing yard work of all sorts with the help of this little man.

may. birthdays! grey turned 3 and tucker turned 1. 

june. fun family beach trip.

july. sweet time with daddy between all of his travels. little did he (or i) know upon welcoming him home at the airport from Haiti he would receive a small box revealing his third child would be born in march 2011!

august. anniversary trip with my husband to celebrate 5 years of marriage.

septemeber. the boys' first real look at Death Valley. "mommy and daddy, i think the tigers are sleeping." i don't think they woke up all season.

october. mmm apples! 

november. lots of leaves and lots of fun in the leaves.

december. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas. Celebrate Jesus coming to earth, celebrate with family, white Christmas! What a perfect way to end 2010.

Our calendar is filling up for 2011 with wonderful opportunities in ministry and many many more exciting adventures for us.

no dreaming necessary

It's safe to declare that in my 27 years I, indeed, experienced my first white Christmas. It was  beautiful. The snow started to fall around 4:00 on Christmas day and didn't stop until noonish on Sunday. As it started accumulating I couldn't believe it was actually Christmas Day! We left all the blinds open and watched the big flakes fall into the night while we played games and laughed together. 

I stepped outside at one point to grab a few pictures and couldn't help but think about the words to "Winter Snow."

Could've have come like a mighty storm

With all the strength of a hurricane

You could've come like a forest fire

With the power of Heaven in Your flame

But you came like a winter snow

Quiet and soft and slow

Falling from the sky in the night

To the earth below

One thing that has absolutely blown my mind this Christmas season is the way that God decided to come to us. In all His glory he came humbly as a baby. The snow was a precious reminder on the day that we celebrate that our Savior came to rescue us.

The next morning Grey and Greer woke up so excited that there was snow outside! After a DELICIOUS breakfast of pumpkin pancakes prepared by Reagan, we suited up and headed outside. The snow brought out Grey's adventurous side to say the least. He had no fear. It was actually very strange to watch him in that state but made me giddy inside.

Lots and lots of snowball fights.

I had no doubt Tucker would enjoy the snow this year. He was too small last year to get into it, but this year he explored a bit. Luke was an onlooker in his daddy's arms. 

What a fun way to spend the day!

the past few days and lots of pictures

The Christmas season this year has just been plain fun. Grey has been over the moon excited for every little activity we have done and just flat out excited about Christmas altogether. Which in turn, Tucker is also excited because he follows right behind Grey. With his excitement at least. Sometimes he's the leader and that's when things get a little scary. 

Grey and I made some lollipop cookies for the children in his class at school and had a lot of fun with that. This was plan B as my original plan to make them all painted salt dough ornaments with their names on them miserably failed. 

I mailed a bunch of my free Christmas cards.

We have been taking advantage of having daddy at home a little more with the "slow time" in student ministry. He's been breaking the Tuck Man in on how to fix a good french toast breakfast. 

Grey baked more cookies and frosted them with Tuck. He made sure to smell all of them and then fan them off before they were ready to be frosted. 

Matthew and I planned an at home date one night in which he cooked me the famous Tostadas that I have never had the pleasure of tasting. (he made them as a kiddo) I might add that they indeed were delicious! We also enjoyed some sparkling apple juice with our dinner. mmm mmm! 

Also on tap for our at home date night was watching The Nativity Story. Oh my! If you haven't seen it, you need to! Though I know it is a movie produced by man, the truth that I know in visual form has impacted me in a different way. I should have watched it the day after Thanksgiving. 

The boys also did a little Polar Express watching after their nap one afternoon. Tuck sat still for about 10 minutes before hitting the ground running. 

We enjoyed a fireside picnic together with just the fire and Christmas lights. The boys LOVED this. I personally think Tucker loved it because he was free to move about while he ate instead of strapped in. Grey just thought it was really cool to eat a sandwich shaped like a snowman next to a fire in the "dark."

We decided against gingerbread houses when Matthew found this fancy gingerbread man at Trader Joes. He was huge and awesome and perfect for little boy hands to decorate and lick and play with. See for yourself...

After the sugar high the boys relaxed.

only a few more days to relish in the Christmas season together. I can't believe it's coming to an end but we are definitely looking forward to lots of time with family soon...