For the Love of All That's Good...

...I will try to keep it short and sweet with pictures and captions. Last year, I just about wrote a book. Nobody needs that.=) I hope your season has been a good one. My highlights included having my parents and brother out to visit, making more homemade presents this year, singing and bringing cookies to the nursing home with a small group of moms and children. The following pictures give a taste of some of the time.

(When I asked Hanna recently if she would like to try to feed Aurelia while I cooked dinner, she eagerly said yes. All three of us were satisfied with the results.=))


(Mid-December we made it to "A Walk Through Bethlehem" in Arvada. Last year I wanted to see it, but we didn't make it--probably due to me being busy with school and finishing grades. A church sets up the town as if it is the day/night of Jesus' birth. We, the crowd walking through, are the people who have traveled from far to be counted for the census. They did a great job giving a taste of the time. My favorites were seeing the camels, interacting with the townspeople, and finally the build up to seeing the stable at the very end.)




(I have to say...this was the funniest angel I have ever seen. In this serious moment where the angel is speaking to the shephards, I had a hard time not losing it seeing this teenage boy with big red hair.)




(We went ice skating with my parents, brother, my sister and her family indoors this year. I loved not having to drag Hanna around the rink; she was so much more independent.)


(I did take a lap with my two year old nephew, though, and I pretty much pushed him the whole way. He had a GREAT time, and I felt muscules in my back I haven't felt in a long time.=))




(Grandpa and Grandma with almost all of the grandchildren)


(A sweet shot of my sister and her family)




(Shots from Christmas Eve)






(Fairy houses that were made for Hanna, set up for Christmas morning)


(Christmas morning shots: Right now, I PROMISE I will NEVER use this gag stocking again. I vow to buy real stockings for the girls next year.=) I got this as an elephant gift this year. It just made me smile and Hanna, too.=))




(I have to admit that glowworms scare me. Maybe they scare you alittle, too? I even suggested to David that he exchange it for another toy. But Aurelia is all smiles everytime it glows and plays music. I know that's what David was after.=))


(The fairies have a home)


(Hanna with her new Bitty Twin--her cousin has the other. Thanks, Olivers!)


Look forward to hearing from you in the New Year!

Thanksgiving Vacation, Final Post (FINALLY)

Finally, traveling back to CO, we camped a couple nights at Hueco Tanks State Park, just east of El Paso, TX. This park was unusual in that you had to report daily to hike, and many of the trails were off-limits unless you had a guide. Due to over 200 pictographs found on the over 800 acres, they work hard to protect the "treasures" of the area with the tightest regulations we have ever witnessed at a park. We had to watch a 15 min. orientation video to enter. Our campsite had a gate that was always shut. We felt inconvenienced at first, but we really enjoyed our stay. We hope that we can come back and take guided tours in the future. This trip for us included many small hikes, rock exploring, and one larger bouldering hike up to a cave called Cave Kiva. The bouldering was pretty easy climbing, but of course, we took very cautious steps with the girls. This bouldering trip was well worth in that we saw the best pictographs of our trip (see the two photos below).

(notice the sign. these were all throughout the park.)


(see our truck! this is a view down from our climb to cave kiva.)


(cave kiva is behind the alligator rock on the top right.)


(the entrance to cave kiva)


(great pictographs in the cave)








(beautiful nature)


(a lot of exploring through the massive rock)


As the day of hiking and climbing came to a close, we found a loveseat to rest in. The camper was more comfortable.=)

Thanksgiving Vacation, Post 2

Our stop to see family takes us to a small town just south of San Antonio, TX. We stay with my mother-in-law. The brothers and their families come in to visit as they can throughout the holiday week. A remodeling project is currently underway at my mother-in-law's place, and David didn't waste much time giving a hand. Other than a bit of a break on Thanksgiving day and taking most of our last day off to take the girls to the zoo, David was keeping his hands dirty with plumbing and electrical work. David is happy to do it. However, he felt a bit like a stranger to me by the end of the week.=)


(a taste of the remodeling work in-progress)


It was wonderful seeing family and seeing how much the kids have grown...so much! For most of the week, the loan girl cousin (she's one week older than Hanna) spent the night with Abela so all three girls could get lots of playtime in.

(Isel and Hanna)


(When asked for silly faces, this is the best Isel would give me.=))


(all the girls)


(Isel's brother Angel Diego aka A.D.)


(The parents. Pardon the mug-shots.=) I took some family pictures like this to make a family book for my girls this Christmas.)




My eldest brother-in-law's boys are very sweet with the girls. It is amazing to see how a couple of their statures are already passing up their father's, and a couple of their hairstyles are nearly as long as mine.=)



(Tia)


(This is where Hanna liked to be, right in her cousin's lap (they're watching a movie).)


(Being with Tio was another good option.=))


(Oralia with Aurelia. Oh, yes. It hasn't been easy.=))


Brackenridge Park is the oldest park in San Antonia with over 300 acres! The place is beautiful. The day before we had to leave, we spent the day at the zoo there in the park after first taking a ride on the park's train. Childhood friends of David and their children joined us, making the trip even better.












Hasta la vista.=)