Its been a while...

Yes, I know. I really slacked on blogging over the Christmas break. 

I wish I could say I was just too busy traveling the last few weeks to blog, but I can't. I just enjoyed the quiet quality time with the family. We watched movies, played games, hung out with friends, made lots of cookies, and enjoyed playing with the kids' new toys. 

This Christmas was seemed so different from the ones spent in North Dakota. First of all, there was no snow. Santa even brought the kids sleds this year. But no snow. It wasn't even cold. The time difference also made it super weird. Instead of calling family back home first thing in the morning we had to wait ALL day to call. But while we waited James and I put away all the new stuff, broke down all the boxes, and cleaned up the living room. This is probably another first for us. I think that stuff usually lingers around for at least a few days, but when we were done it looked like Christmas didn't even happen yet. I also didn't take many pictures. I hate looking at whats happening through a lens, so this year I took a couple of pictures and then watched it all happen without a camera. 

Kylee got a bed for her American Girl doll, and Lexi found it to be very comfortable. 

James and I decided to get a big gift for the family, a Wii U. This new system is SO much fun for the whole family. I'll post a little bit about my review on the Wii U later this week.

Here are some of my favorite ornaments this year:

Obviously we needed an ornament to represent our First Christmas in Germany. 

While this ornament is from our First Christmas as husband and wife, this Christmas was our 10th Christmas together. We celebrate our 10th Anniversary January 31st. And we have a special trip planned for that! 

I had to take a lot of our breakable ornaments off the tree this year. Lexi knocked it over once (it wasn't really all her fault), and three ornaments broke: Wyatt's first Christmas, one from the kids, and one my Mom gave Kylee. But this one is one of my favorites my Grandma and Grandpa got me years ago when I was a kid, is not breakable and looked beautiful on our tree. So it got to stay. 

The ornaments on our tree tell a little story. Each year the kids get a new ornament to represent something: either their current favorite hobby, a character they love, something we did, or a new place we went to. We collect them through the years. And just like my collection of ornaments since I was born, I hope the kids will enjoy looking at them and remembering what they represent years to come. 

Stay tuned tomorrow for the NYE in Amsterdam post. Lots of fun times.