Let's just start at Christmas...

Well, I tried to start with Christmas, but the new uploader from Blogger is different - I've been away so long! So, the pictures are a bit jumbled, but they tell the story anyway. :)

This is Lauren ready for Christmas Eve service - for which we all had to sit apart from eachother because we were not early enough! We do laugh that we live within walking distance of our church, yet we are always late!

Skipping now to Montana...we actually left the day after Christmas when the roads were clear enough to get over all the mountains. Not my favorite time of year to travel, but we love those folks over them hills! :) Here the girls got in on some craft time with Great Grandma Ruth.

 Then with all that snow, we had to ski. The girls were very excited and remembered quite a bit from their lessons in Germany. They don't complain about the cold either, I was impressed!

Lauren was so fast I couldn't get any photos of her on skis, but here she is (barely) with Uncle Gary in the ski shop. Uncle Gary thought she was ready for a little more advanced hill....then he was thankful for the netted gates at the bottom of the hill, because Lauren went whizzing by and he couldn't catch her!! She landed safely but decided not to attempt that hill again.

And, now we're full circle back on Christmas Eve as Ali looks over the railing, anxious for presents. 

 It was a lovely time, but looking at these photos, I'm so glad it's now warming up!