Christmas Tree

We returned to Mott's Christmas Barn in Vicksburg this year to get our tree. A little bit of snow on the ground translates into a snowball fight every time!

Happy holidays!

We hope the holidays find you happy and healthy and full of the joy of the season!

The Baker Boys' Christmas Concert

Aaron was traveling (to Whistler, in British Columbia, poor baby) for a sales meeting, so I recorded the boys Christmas concert for him. I edited it down, but even so, it was the shortest Christmas concert I had ever been to, the perfect amount of time. The boys were too cute, and I think they were actually singing this time! My favorite part is when Connor is done singing, he looks around for me and starts to get sad because he can find me. Then he realizes I am in the front row!

Meagan and Jared

Just a couple cute pics of Meagan and Jared before the Winter Formal at K-Central.

Flow Yoga Holiday Parade

Today the Flow Yogis made an appearance in the Plainwell Holiday Parade. It was a blast! Betsy and I, some of our students, Sheila, our friend and instructor, and the boys all marched down Main St. in Plainwell, throwing candy and handing out coupons. The boys hadn't been too excited about it, but they did a great job and managed to score a bunch of candy from the other floats that passed by after we were done!

Connor and the Fire Station

Last week we took a trip to the fire station with cub scouts. Riley decided he didn't want to go, so it was just me and Connor. He got to sit in the fire truck and try on all the fire gear, including an air tank that weighed almost as much as he did!

Thanksgiving and stuff

We made the trip to Louisville for Thanksgiving again, it was Rachael's first time to the 'ville. The boys wrestled Uncle Eric, played LOTS of Wii at Grandpa Rob's, and Rachael convinced us to go to the mall on Black Friday. We also got to see our friend Walter and his fabulous girlfriend Becca, and my good friend, not only my good friend, but my FIRST Kentucky friend, dating back to good ol' 1991, Jennifer Bergant, I mean Brey. We had lunch with her hubby Darren and the smiliest baby in the whole world, Calvin. Unfortunately I neglected to get a picture of said baby, so you will just have to use your imagination. I am not sure what happened, but I generally neglected to take pictures of just about everything on the trip. What kind of photographer am I?

Look who can drive now!

Riley's Haircut!

After growing his hair for more than a year, Riley told Aaron last night that he wanted it cut. Just like that. My little surfer dude is no more, but still adorable.

Portland!

I love this place. Aaron and I just got back from Portland for our friends' wedding, and this is the second time I have been there in two months. In August I went to a yoga training in Hood River, Ore. and spend two days just poking around Portland, one of them on a bike. It was awesome. Here are some pics from both trips, including the Rose Test Garden and Japanese Gardens. On this last trip we went on a hike around Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in Oregon at 620 feet. The hike was wonderful and we marveled at the size of the trees, the view of the Columbia River Gorge, and all the other smaller waterfalls we encountered along the way. After our hike, Aaron took me to Mt. Hood, which he has been to many times, both skiing and climbing. It was huge and impressive, even without much snow. But since he refers to climbing the mountain as the "Stairmaster from hell," it doesn't seem like something I want to attempt!

First grade!

Here are the boys on their first day of school. I can't believe they are in first grade already. They are in separate classes this year, which I think will be good for them. They will both have their own opportunities to shine.

Lemonade, anyone?

So the other day the boys and I were at the grocery store, and they started begging me for lemons and oranges to make lemonade and orange juice. I thought they just wanted an excuse to use the juicer, but they really wanted to set up a lemonade stand. Connor made a sign, and they set up in the front yard. Since we live basically on a dead-end street, I didn't think they would sell any, but I forgot about the cute factor. Even though they did sell a cup to me and one to Aaron, and a couple to the grandparents, they sold out in a few minutes.
Now I know who will be supporting us in our old age. Our little entrepreneurs!

24 hours of heat, caterpillars, and bike racing

Aaron always complains that I write posts and never mention him. Well here you go honey, a post just for you!
We cruised up to Boyne Mountain ski resort this past weekend so Aaron and our friend Chris P. and six other guys could compete in the 24 hours of Boyne, a mountain bike race on a really hard course that goes up the side of a mountain and back down again, 1200 feet of elevation gain in a 9.3 mile loop. Basically the members of your team take turns doing laps, as many as they can, for 24 hours. Now, I am not this crazy. I was content to help make food and take the kids to the waterpark while the guys sweated and cursed their way up the hill. Aaron set up a sweet spot on pit row, with two easy-ups for shade and a big tent for naps. It was a pretty sweet setup, except for the thousands of caterpillars which crawled all over everything, including your feet if you stood still too long. Aaron's 4-man team took first place in their class and I think, despite all the complaining, everybody had a great time. I am so proud of Aaron, he did 5 laps on the really hard course, even going out one more time after insisting he was done.

Here's a little video that I put together courtesy of my new camera baby, the Canon 5D Mark II:



After the race, we headed over to Drummond Island for the night. The next day we took the boat out, and the water was not as icy as we had expected. Still not warm enough for me or Meagan, but the boys took a dip!

School pics

Just a post with the boys' most recent school pics.

Science Fair

I am pretty sure I never once did a science fair project growing up. Now apparently they have kindergarteners doing them! The boys' school, Winchell Elementary, did a science fair for the whole school. The boys had a good time doing the experiments, Connor's was baking soda and vinegar, and Riley tested things to see if they would "melt" in water - sugar, salt, and pepper. I had the boys write everything for their displays themselves, messy handwriting and all, because I thought it was important for them to do the work themselves. Either there are a bunch of parents in their class who do not feel the same way, or there are an amazing number of prodigies who can not only type and print on their own, but also cut neatly and even glue little decorative borders on their writing. All in all, the boys had fun, and they both got really good evaluations. Connor is really quick to point out that he got more "Excellents" than Riley. The competition continues!

Riley's supplies



Stirring in pepper