Halloween through Christmas...

These round bales of hay at Nana and Papa's house made a fun obstacle course for the kids to run across, hide in, jump (fall) from...

Our pumpkins. Julianne's is the biggest (fittingly), Caleb's is the middle sized one, and Madilyn's is always the "tiny" pumpkin that she can carry from the store to the car.

For Halloween this year:

-- Luke was the cutest dalmation ever

-- Caleb was a firefighter (whose costume I decided sew myself and not waste money on the cheap plastic firefighter costumes that tear 2 weeks after being worn. I took a shortcut and bought a black, fleece outfit, sewed yellow ribbon on and spray painted a local firefighter helmet--it didn't turn out so bad!)

--Madilyn was a ladybug (ladybud, as she pronounces it)

Luke on Christmas Day all bundled up. We planned to take off on Christmas day to Herman Park in Houston and go for a nice family bike ride, it being 65 degrees all week. Christmas Eve welcomed a freezing, windy cold front. We went to Steve's house instead to ride bikes at their neighborhood park. It was still extremely cold! Ismari had some delicious food made and that's where she and I parked our rumps most of the night! haha.

I think this should be the next "Ten Over" model...

Christmas pics in front of Nana and Papa's tree in Dallas. Is there a setting on my camera that can make children smile naturally? If anyone finds it please let me know :-)

We had a good Christmas. Every year we make gingerbread cookies for Santa. This year Caleb insisted that we add 9 carrot sticks for the reindeer. Mark always picks out the biggest and best cookies for Santa! This year Caleb got a new bike. Madilyn got more bike accessories, such as a basket, new bell, and a kick stand (She thinks it's a completely new bike...we just go along with it). Luke got a....what's the name of it?? A spinning thing you sit on indian style and you hold on to the middle to spin yourself. You know, that thing! This year Mark and I successfully got each other DIFFERENT gifts, unlike last year when we just got each other one small gift, which both turned out to be the same movie" Dumb and Dumber".

More pictures and videos to come...