kentucky christmas

after traveling for thanksgiving, we decided to have a nice quiet christmas at home. and that's exactly what it was...nice and quiet. it was nice to slow down and enjoy time as a family, in what is usually a busy time of the year. we were able to establish some of our own traditions, which was a new and exciting treat for us since we are usually out of town for the holidays.

first, we celebrated christmas with friends before they left town for several days.

we visited the train display at the cincinnati museum center

 jacob had a play date with his buddy from school

jacob built a gingerbread house out of paper. this kid has the most creative mind!

we played in the little bit of snow (jacob did some push-ups)

 kate made snow angels :)

christmas eve, we had a special dinner of shrimp, cheeses, and fruit.

christmas morning, the kids opened their presents

then we indulged in christmas cinnamon rolls, yum!

christmas afternoon we were invited over to our friends' (and neighbors!) house for christmas dessert and fellowship. it was nice to have some sort of "family" time with them on this day.

we ended the day with christmas pizzas (tomato, basil, and mozzerella).

overall, a nice family time we had!

thanksgiving in the 'burgh

we travelled to pittsburgh for thanksgiving this year. it just felt right to be with family, so that's what we did. i don't know how we escaped the weekend without taking pictures of our time with my side of the family. oh wait, yes i know how. it's called 2 dogs, 6 kids under the age of 10, 8 adults, and lots of food. it was a busy, family-filled, food-filled time.

we did, however, manage to capture some moments from the pié family visit.

cousins!

cousins with great grandma, Gi-Gi!

 typical

family shot for joey's birthday dinner

aunt rae and sweet baby charlotte. 

pretty sure jesse and i fought over her for the day, i don't know how rae had time to hold her!?

catching up

that's right, you heard me. playing a little catch up on the blog. sorry to all of those who have missed my posts- you know who you are.

so you might have to scroll all the way down to the month of may.

tire swinging

now that fall is here and the air is cooler we have spent a lot of time outside. we've ventured into the woods more than we ever have in the 4 and a half years that we have lived here. jesse and i both have fond memories of playing and exploring outside when we were kids, and we are trying to encourage that in jacob and kate. needless to say, we don't have to do a lot to convince them- they both LOVE being outdoors.
a few weeks ago, while building their "fort" in the woods, jesse and the kids found an old tire. being the resourceful man that he is, jesse had the genius idea to make a tire swing. and the kids love it!

kate is 4

we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch to celebrate Kate's birthday. this time we tried a new farm, because we got a great groupon deal. as we are traveling there, we are realizing that the country pumpkins farm is much farther away than we thought. like 45 minutes (and more) of a drive. i thought it was worth the drive, jesse did not. regardless, we had a fun time celebrating Kate, and fall, and also enjoyed having grandma and grandpa in town for the festivities. 

on kate's birthday day she requested "chickpotle"for dinner. that's my girl!

family pictures - october 2012

colorado weekend

my dad invited me out to colorado for a weekend visit this october. jesse graciously stayed home with the kids so i could enjoy some one-on-one time with my dad.

we enjoyed several hikes during the 4 days i was there.

surveyed the damaged neighborhoods from the waldo canyon fire this past june.

went for a quick (and terrifying) ride on his bike. (by the way, never again)

i enjoyed some visits with my grandma vollbracht, who turns 85 this coming march.

andrew

i don't want to forget this unique experience. i've been an andrew peterson fan since college, but my interest was recently re-sparked last december when jesse and i got to attend his Behold the Lamb of God christmas concert. what an awesome way to reflect on christmas! if you get a chance to listen to it- do it!

anyhow, i was anxiously awaiting his return to cincinnati this year for the same concert, when i noticed on his tour dates he was doing a concert for his new album in october IN CINCINNATI! (sensing my excitement?) after contacting the event location to find out when tickets go on sale, i come to find out IT'S FREE! can't get much better than that...oh wait...yes you can. throw in 2 of my best friends, a kid-free night, and you have almost-heaven-on-earth. definitely a night to remember. (including the unique location of the concert- a roomful of random couches and chairs, first-come seating, $1 popcorn and cokes- a very unique event).

a night away

jesse and i are blessed! we are blessed with great friends who babysit for our almost-monthly date nights. and there rare and wonderful occasions when the grandparents watch our kiddos so we can go away for a night (or 5).  and such was this past weekend, jesse's mom and dad made it possible for us to steal away to indianapolis for 24 hours. it was wonderful to be together, not have to worry about the kids, and to see new places. we took in some of the sights of the city, including the soldiers and sailors monument and the indianapolis zoo. lots of walking was involved!