The last of 2012...

I'm afraid to say that I did not capture a single picture of Christmas day this year, except for Makenzie's note to Santa!  We enjoyed our holiday to the max, which means I was too lazy to worry about the camera.  My parents were able to come down from Chicago for a week.  The kids were happy with their presents and we feasted on all our favorite holiday snacks.  Tyler has been working in the Emergency Department.  He luckily had Christmas Eve and Christmas off, but other than that, he has been a working fool.  My dad was so kind to complete a long list of small home repairs that I've been saving up for him.  Thanks, Dad!    The stomach flu also hit our house, so we weren't able to do as much as we wanted with my parents around.

The first snowfall arrived on Friday, Dec. 21st.  It was only a dusting of snow though.  The kids were so ecstatic to see the white stuff!  They had school that day and I was afraid the snow would be melted by the time they got home, so I encouraged them to go out and take a couple rides on the sled before they caught the bus.  It was blistery cold, but they didn't care!

Luckily we got a real snow storm a week later that left about 4 inches.  You bet they were out there in a heartbeat! 

Here is their snowman.  

It's hard to see with all the white.

  Ellionna and I hung out on the couch and watched out the window most of the time.  It was great seeing pure happiness and hearing squeals of laughter come from my kids.  Snow can be very magical!