Annemarie's FIRST Haircut

I'm sure you're thinking how is that possible? Annemarie will be four in April and yes, this was her first ever haircut. Unlike her brothers whose hair was cut well before their first birthdays Annemarie didn't have hair for so long! Anyhow, years later it has grown in and is very pretty and starting to get very long. So, I took her to see Peter (the guy that cuts my hair) for her very first haircut. Of course she was very good and loved the whole experience. I think we're good for another year!

The pre-cut chat
Assessing the length

Time to cut

A very happy girl

Crazy for Hot Chocolate

and the audio that goes with the pictures

Winter Carnival 2012

As I've mentioned before Winter Carnival is very big in Whitefish. There are lots of fun winter events that take place and one of them is the parade. Since we're so close to downtown we're lucky enough to be on the parade route. This year we had friends over to watch. The kids love it because everyone in the parade throws candy. We saw lots of people we know in the parade including our own Aunt Erin. You'll see her below.

Annemarie is ready for the fun to begin.

Tyler checking out the parade as it goes by.

Is is a float or a boat?

Aunt Erin tossing candy.

The Whitefish Plastic Surgery float and Aunt Erin with her sign.

Will, Matthew and Jack checking out all the loot.

Turtle Sitting

Will volunteered to watch the classroom turtules over the holiday break. They are box turtles and were so easy to care for. We enjoyed having Dot (the boy who had "dots" on his skin) and Ray (the girl who looks like she has sun rays on her shell). However, they drove Gus crazy and he would start barking any time he heard them move around.

Will with Ray in the picture above and with Dot here.

Christmas 2011

This was one of our more low-key Christmases and I was thankful for that. As always there were tons of gifts to be open and the kids ended up with so many nice things! After opening gifts in the morning Corey made breakfast for all of us. Doug and the boys went skiing and Corey, Annemarie and I headed to the Larkin's for their annual Christmas open house. Later that day we ate leftovers and went to bed early. It was a great day!

Will checking out what Santa left for him.

Jack opening his first set of golf clubs.

Annemarie opening the Rapunzel doll and dress that Santa left for her.

Golf clubs and dress up...the kids looking pretty happy.

Christmas Eve 2011

Christmas Eve was busy and fun filled. This year Mom, Corey and Dad were all visiting which made it feel like a traditional Christmas (but in Montana, of course). We changed things up and had our family dinner on Christmas Eve before Mass. This year Will and Jack participated in the church Nativity play held prior to service beginning. It was very cute and I didn't get enough pictures.

The crazy kids all ready to be snug in their beds.
Our attempt at a family picture. (This was the best out of five).

Jack as a Wise Man and Will as Joseph.

Not sure who thought these guys could be serious and follow directions. Thankfully they didn't have any lines and the play was only a few minutes long.

Holiday Party & Gingerbread House Building

We held a holiday get together last night and had so much fun. Christmas time can be hectic but when you're enjoying the company of those you cherish you cannot help but feel so lucky. As an activity we had gingerbread houses for the kids to decorate. They did such a great job.

Getting started

The chef and her sous chef.

What a masterpiece!

Matthew and Laura with their house.

Annemarie, Aunt Erin and Jack

The Candy Monster returns.

School Program

The 1st and 2nd grade holiday programs were on Tuesday. Jack's was call the Incredible Reindeer (hence the reindeer antlers) and Will's was called Christmas at the OK Corral. Both were very cute and entertaining. The moment to remember would be when Will had a few lines and kept saying to the other kids (there was a microphone) "Stop hogging the microphone...I'm not hogging the microphone...you are." Somewhat mortifying as his mother but definitely a funny moment for the audience.

Will Turns 8!

It was a great day to turn eight. It was cold but the sun was shining. Will took cupcakes to school to share with his class and they dug into them before 9a. What a fun start to the day. This evening we made Will's favorite dinner...risotto (with carrots and apples on the side) and followed it up with mint chocolate chip ice cream cake.

The perfect reaction to a gift. Apparently he was excited.

Sharing AND putting together the Harry Potter LEGO set. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Happy Birthday Will!

Opening Day

Today was opening day on Big Mountain. The boys made it up there and skied a few runs. They also enjoyed the views/inversion.

Feeling Festive

A few holiday pictures to share.

Trimming the Tree

Time to decorate the tree and the kids could not have been more excited. They were very focused and didn't want any help when it came to hanging ornaments. They did a great job.

Annemarie doing her part.

Will trying to hang ornaments on the top part of the tree.

All the elves.

Our darling tree.

Tree Shopping

We went looking for our Christmas tree this weekend. We didn't have to go far. We found the perfect one in a lot just a few miles from home. The kids of course had lots of fun and were very helpful.

Will asking if we could take home a tree that was still in the ground and growing.

Annemarie and Jack looking for the perfect tree.

Doug and the kids.

Let's take it home!