Holidays, In review

We didn't send out a Christmas card or letter this year, but if you've been reading this blog then you haven't missed a thing! We had a nice time over Christmas and New Year's with Brad's parents and his sister, Marcia, who came from San Diego. We got a lot of snow and had fun playing in it. We found out that our mellow dog is really a snow-lover. Gidget got out in the snow and started bounding around and rolling in it, acting like a puppy! It was such a blast to watch. Brad took her up on the Mesa recently and she did great trucking through the deep snow with him. It's good to know she likes it! Too bad we don't get more snow around here...I'm sure our Michigan and Alaskan relatives would happily send us some!

Cora loves her new sled! The weather shield is fabulous because it keeps snow from piling over the side into her lap. She loved playing "out-hide" in the "whoa" (snow). I think one morning we were out for two hours and she only went inside because we offered her hot chocolate! If anyone has an idea for how to rig the sled up like one of those nifty, expensive Bob trailers that you can cross-country ski with, let us know!
Here are a few pictures from Christmas. We put up our Christmas tree after Thanksgiving and the first few mornings that Cora woke up and saw the tree she exclaimed "Wowee! Pretty!" Then she got used to it.
One of our new addictions has been the library. Cora has always been a book fan and now that she sits through whole story books reading has become so much more fun. We borrowed a number of Christmas/holiday themed books from the library to read this year. A couple of her favorites were: Robert's Snow and A Pussy Cat's Christmas. Through reading books and Christmas decorations Cora learned who the two central characters (depending on who you ask) are for Christmas: Baby Jesus and Santa. We don't make a big deal about Santa in any way, shape or form, so I found it surprising, and almost disappointing, when Cora saw a lawn decoration we drove by and yelled out "Santa!" At least she also knows Baby Jesus, and wanted to take Jesus from our nativity scene to bed with her one night!
Our friends came to spend Christmas day with us in Montrose and we enjoyed cross-country skiing for the afternoon together. The trails we went on are a girl scout camp in the summer and they leave a little warming cabin open for skiers to rest and make a fire in.
Here is Cora with her Grandma and Grandpa Bierma on Christmas Day.
For New Year's Eve Brad, Marcia and I went out to see "Valkyrie" with some friends, then everyone came back to our place for food and games. "Wits and Wagers" is a new game we picked up. It's a mix between Trivial Pursuit and Craps, except no real money is involved. The great thing is that for those of us who don't keep trivial details in our heads very well you still have a chance to win, and you learn some interesting facts although they'll soon be forgotten anyway. Most memorable question of the night: How much more is Judge Judy's salary than all of the Supreme Court Judges' salaries combined? What's your guess?