The Keene Family

On the first day of Christmas , we went to the Warm Beach Lights of Christmas with our friends the Schmalz family. I have wanted to go for some time and it is a distance from our house. But it is just ten minutes from the new Schmalz home, so it was a perfect time to head up north and visit. It was cold and rainy but we stayed cozy warm in our jackets and hats, and enjoyed the beautiful lights. We spent the night at the Schmalz house and left around lunch time. So on the second day of Christmas , we drove directly to Grandpa and Grandma Cole's house to enjoy some more Christmas fun. When we arrived, Grandpa Cole had an activity planned. He and JT have been working on building and understanding circuits. JT proved that he remembered lesson #1 by drawing a complete circuit on his own. Then Grandpa gave him supplies and he built his own circuit to light a bulb. It was pretty awesome! Haley learns how to use a volt meter Finished circuit It works! Then we started...

This morning we woke up to just over an inch of snow. Okay, so that's not much, but in this area sometimes that's all we get. We have to capitalize on the moment. We pushed back our shopping trip plans to the afternoon and got ready for fun in the snow! My kids were so excited. We ate a quick oatmeal breakfast and got ready... Then out we went. I ziptied the outdoor ski handle (the one we leave on the deck for playing with) to one of the sleds, and that kept us busy for quite awhile. Let me tell you that pulling both kids two full blocks, running, got my heart rate up! Then we built a snowman. Right before the picture, the head fell off. I said, "Haley, look surprised!" and this is what I got. I'm cracking up! We fixed it, and then my nice neighbor came home from some errands and saw us working. She came over and offered to take our picture as a group because, as she said, you just never know if this will be the only snowman this wint...

This season's show at Seattle Children's Theater is James and the Giant Peach. JT and I went to see the show last night and had a great time on our date. We were late to the show due to the NCAA women's volleyball championships at Key Arena and the crazy traffic in the area - along with lack of parking and closed streets. Lots of families were late to the show as well. JT was super easy going about it. We talked about how there was nothing to do and so it isn't worth getting upset about. A good life lesson for all! Also this week, JT had a playdate followed by a birthday party. His social calendar is really filling up. :) So Haley and I had a date night for pizza at home, followed by frozen yogurt out. I have such a great time with my sweet girl.

This week, our senior pastor at Antioch Bible Church passed away after a long battle with cancer. We have been so blessed to have his leadership at our church. We are thankful that he is now rejoicing with the angels at the feet of his savior, and look forward to seeing him again someday in heaven. Click here for a biography and service information .

Finally, finally, a gymnastics class fit my requirements: 1) fits our schedule, 2) close in proximity, 3) reasonable cost. By close in proximity, I mean within twenty minutes' drive. I don't think I'm being unreasonable here... but it has been really tough to find a class for Haley. She has asked to join a gymnastics class and we would love to let her. Finally, one worked. It is five minutes away Tuesday mornings. It is really Toddler Tumbling more than fully gymnastics, so I was a little disappointed at first. But - and here is the most important thing at age three - Haley was NOT. She beamed at the teacher, Mrs. Courtney, the entire time. She bounced and twirled and did forward rolls and backward rolls. She learned throwing a frisbee and how to move her body and balance. JT and I were there for support, and it was really fun to watch her. There are only other little boys in her class, and I have to brag for a moment to say that Haley was the only child who could do all...

Our annual women's Christmas dinner was this weekend at our church. For the past few years, I have hosted a table. It is a lot of fun. There is great food, beautiful table decorations, a fabulous speaker, good music, and yummy dessert. This year, for the first time, Jim was my table server! The men of our church volunteer to serve the tables and they do a great job. It was really fun to have my man there to serve our table. My mom and mother-in-law usually attend as well. They help me set up the table and my mom brings lots of dishes for the table. It is so fun to have this annual tradition to celebrate Jesus' birth. That night, we celebrated a rite of passage as we signed JT up for Little League T-Ball starting this spring. Since Jim's parents were there, we had them join us. It's the beginning of an era! We also got to go to Portland last weekend and celebrate Grandma Hall turning 85. Most of the cousins were there, with their children, and it was...