Christmas 2010

So I feel I have been slacking lately with my posting.  I am not sure who all really reads or looks at my blog. And really it doesn't matter too much as a big purpose for this blog is for me to somehow keep track of what happens in my life. I have hopes someday to print this entire blog out into some kind of book or journal so someday my kids or grandkids and page through it and remember all the times we have shared.

  So when I don't get a few postings up for awhile, I may get a little upset with myself.  I get over it though, as I know life is busy and lately I just have not been it the mood to deal with drama of digital pictures: uploading, downloading, editing, sorting, saving, posting, ect...  But I did want to get some Christmas 2010 pictures up so they are now coming several weeks late, and when I finally do print my blog... these Christmas pics will be the great beginning my 2011 blog year instead of the sweet end to the 2010 blog year... I figure ahh, that's ok, as long as they get here right? 

So here is Christmas 2010 with the Marty/Terri Malecek close and extended families. 

 We start off with the Christmas goodie making. Gracie and Zach are (as always) big helpers.

 Then we have our family Christmas which started the day with Gracie's very 1st Sunday School Christmas program at Church.  I was so proud of her, even though she didn't really sing any of the songs.  I was just proud to see her up there in front of church and being such a big girl already.  I tell you sometimes these emotions just hit you at the wierdest times.

 So this photo is Gracie and Zach after the Christmas program. 

They are dressed to the supreme and are adorable.

 Then we attempt to set the timer on the Camera to get a family photo... which was quite an ordeal, and then just when we get it all figured out and the kids are all in the right spot at the right time when the camera was going to click, wouldn't you know our dear dog, Willie, has to walk by!!!!!!

 So I guess we did end up with one sort-of decent picture of us all.

My handsome Zachariah.

 (I feel he needs his full name when he looks this sharp!)

All the grandparents came for our Christmas gathering, so above is Grandma and Grandpa Sohre with the kids and below is Grandma and Grandpa Malecek with the kids.

 Time to start opening presents....

 ELMO slippers for them both!

 Barbie dolls and Legos.

 Zach gets some underware and wanted to model them.. only he didn't want to then take them off.

Now we move to Christma Eve at my Mom and Dad's.

 Gracie all dolled up ready for Church.

 Above: Zach and Cousin Margoe. Below: Jesse, Zach, Kate, and Joe.

 Below- all the Sohre grandkids.

 My Grandpa Sohre.  Isn't he a handsome man at 95 years old?

 Zach giving Grandma a hug for one of his presents.

Now onto Christmas Day at the MALECEK house.

Above:  The grandkids for the Malecek side.

 Zachy getting ready to sing his song to get a present.

 Marty so proud of his new jacket that he got.

LOTS OF GOOD HOLIDAY FUN!!

The days always go so fast. Can't wait for next year.

2010

Well, I thought I would copy a friend of mine's blog and do a review of 2010, so here it is:

 The Malecek's 2010
January:  Marty and I decide to start training for our first Marathon in May. We had a great time with family over the holidays. 
February:  We have snow, so we are doing some playing outside.
March: Our runs are getting longer and longer... we are approaching the 20 mile training run. I don't know if we did much else this month.
April:  Gracie turns 3! My she is growing up fast.We are still running.
May: Marty and I run the Pittsburgh Marathon with Marty's sister, Lisa and husband, Mick!! We both finish around 4 1/2 hrs and it rained pretty much the whole time. We got to spend a few days as a couple with no kids... to bad it takes running a marathon for us to get some alone time.
June:  We spend a few weekends at my Mom and Dad's new lake cabin. The kids go swimming. Lots of fun. We go to Willmar Fest events and Marty runs the Foot Lake 4. The kids get to enjoy their first parade.
July:  We go for a week vacation with most of my family at Lake Vermillion.  We again have lots of good times.
August:  I spend 10 days at Camp Ripley for National Guard. Gracie starts Preschool and loves it! I miss her first day because I am at Guards.
September:  Gracie starts Sunday School and she loves this too. Zach and I get to spend Monday mornings together while Gracie is at Preschool.
October:  We get a visit from my brother Darrin from Washington DC. Marty and I run the Twin City 10 mile at the beginning of the month and then at the end of the month Marty runs the Mankato 1/2 Marathon and I run the Mankato 10K. I accept the Manager position of my Diabetes Center I work at. Gracie starts Ice Skating lessons.
November:  We celebrate Thanksgiving with the Malecek's. We get our Christmas Tree up and decorated. I am in an accident with our Honda Pilot due to poor road conditions and it needs major repairs.
December:  We get more visits from out-of-state siblings, Lisa, Mick, and Darrin.  We get lots and lots of snow and have a blast building snow forts, making snow angels, and going sledding.  We spend Christmas with our families.

Christmas Tree Hunting

So it is Christmas tree hunting season.  We did this I think the weekend after Thanksgiving.

We went to the tree farm just west of where we live to hunt for our tree this year. We haven't been to this place before so it was a new adventure. We get to go out and drive around and pick out our tree.  Then we make Daddy cut it down!!  We had gotten a little snow, so that made the experience even more Christmasy (is Christmasy a word?). Anyways we had a great time.

The kids enjoyed walking around checking out all the trees.

So finally we find the 'perfect' one and put Daddy to work with the saw.

And then he hauls it to the truck.

.

The kids even had ornaments ready to put on that pretty tree

And a day later, we have our beautiful tree already for the Christmas season.

Winter Fun

 Over in our neck of the woods we finally got a snowfall that decided to stay.  In the cities and in central south MN they already had snow staying... but we had lucked out for a couple of extra weeks. But I think it is now here for the long haul... so we might as well go out and enjoy some of it. 

The kids gets so excited to put on boots and snow pants and scarves and hats and two pair of socks and mittens and winter jackets and it feels the list goes on and on and on... oh, I can't wait until they can dress themselves!!!  I think we were bundled enough for our outing. Some of the Malecek family were visiting, so they came out with us.  We had lots of fun.  The kids cry when I say we have to go back inside.  I remember being the same way as a kid.  I don't think I ever admitted that I was cold when we were having FUN!

Gracie and Zach making snow angels.

Below is the finished masterpiece.

 The kids wanted to be buried... so we gave them what you wanted.

 Gracie

 Rochelle

Zach

Sebastien

The sunset on this Winter day from the back of our house.

Do you think we could have snow... without all the wind and ice and bitterness?

Oh that would be nice.

Open Skate

(Click on the PLAY button to watch the video)

The day after Thanksgiving I decided to take both Gracie and Zach ice skating at the community center rink where Gracie has her lessons. It was open skate so we also talked Auntie Denise and Cousin Rochelle into coming as well. 

I rented skates for my crew, myself included. I have only skated once in my life and that was about 15 yrs ago.  So here we go, Gracie, Zachy, and me out on skates and our helpers Auntie Denise and Rochelle.

Gracie is able to stand and move around so I just kinda let her go, but my Zachy... needs some help. Lots of help. He couldn't stand at all, and then me on skates holding him.  Lets just say an interesting situation.  We managed pretty well though.  We saw someone else pushing these blue things around, so we thought we would try that and it helped quite a bit.

 

I like to have adventures with the kids and this was definitely an adventure!!

Rochelle was actually really good, and I think she has only skated once before.

Pushing the blue thing around, Gracie got pretty confident and started to get some speed.  She pretty much does a running type of move and hasn't really started to glide, but her teacher says that will come.

I was able to catch some videos too (remember I am on skates too!).  Be sure to watch them both, (just hit click on the PLAY button).

 Too bad I didn't take a video when Gracie had her first lesson, because she really has improved very nicely.

I think I am going to have to invest in some skates for my little kids and maybe me too!