Christmas Day

Poor Isaac has been running a fever since Friday, so his Christmas has not been very jolly.  He's temporarily happy in his new Christmas pajamas, while under the influence.  His brother and sister had a fun Christmas morning, though.  Santa picked good toys this year, as all the gifts were popular.

Christmas Eve

Dinner was sausage, fried potatoes, and vegetables.  We hardly ever have sausage but it is Ethan's favorite dinner at Grandma's house, so it seemed a good idea for Christmas Eve.  After dinner we played some games and made sugar cookies, before reading The Night Before Christmas and the birth story from Luke. 

After they were in bed I wrapped the last two presents (this year I had the foresight to start wrapping weeks before, and did not have to stay up until long past midnight), filled the stockings, and left evidence of Santa.

At the Christmas Breakfast

At the children's Christmas breakfast last week, the kids could get their picture taken with Santa Claus.  We did not think Isaac would approve, so only Ethan and Abbey posed with him.

Abigail doesn't like being put on the spot and asked to smile.  But Ethan likes Santa much more than he did in previous years:

2011

2010

2009

Abbey, Isaac, and Ethan

Late birthday present for Abigail: she bought the tent with her own saved money and some birthday cash.  All three of them thought it was marvelous!

Mommy and Isaac

Happy 5th Birthday to Abigail!

December 4, 2012

Daddy and Isaac

Fall Fun

The same day as the sprinkler photos: fun with leaf piles.

The pumpkin carving was a few days later.

Sprinkler fun in October

We had some very unseasonably warm temperatures in late October: hot enough that the kids begged for the sprinkler! 

Morning Time

Very early in the morning, I think.

Cheers!

From October 7: enjoying cider, I think.

Dress-up

From October 1

Blocks for everyone

Fall Smiles

This one was taken on Sept. 30, so all of them (but Isaac especially) are two and a half months older by now...

All the Anderson first cousins

The kids are with all of their Anderson first cousins here.  Ethan looks a little goofy, but at least he is looking at the camera.  Can't see much of the tree with all those big boys!

Annual Christmas Photo

                                  Taken at Kids Christmas Breakfast at the college last Saturday. 

Ethan looks handsome with a mustach!

Painting

Painting is fun!

Being read to by big brother

                                                Ethan is teaching Isaac about dinosaurs

                    This computer work sure makes me sleepy!

Playing with Blocks

Isaac enjoys being with the older kids and they enjoy it too.

Brave Sir Ethan, with an assist from Princess Abigail

This was taken just a few nights ago: if you listen carefully, you can hear Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" playing in the background, which seemed especially appropriate. The camera was sitting unobtrusively on my lap, so I was able to get the kids without them noticing.

Although I was impressed that Ethan did not ever hit anything with his sword, I did retire this sword the next day and replace it with a couple of Nerf swords. :-)

Isaac and his smile

Everyone loves Mommy

New wading pool

In the midst of a very hot summer, this seems appropriate, though it was actually taken at the end of May.

Potawatomi Zoo

We took the weekend to make a trip to the Potawatomi Zoo in South Bend.  We planned to drive down the night before so that we could get to the zoo early and have plenty of time there before anyone got tired or hungry.  The kids had a great time in the pool, staying in the hotel, and eating the hotel breakfast.  Then they had to hang out in the hotel lobby for three hours while I got a flat tire fixed.

But other than that (and Debbie did a great job keeping them entertained), the day went well.  They had fun at the zoo and even more fun at the playground next door (all the way through the zoo: "Can we go to the playground now?").  Ethan's shoes got wet at the hotel, were removed to dry, and then were forgotten, so he had to run barefoot through the zoo and the playground, but he didn't seem to mind (we remembered to pick them up on the way home).