Imperial Walker

Thanks Bumpa for the Imperial Walker! Luke and Daddy had a great time spending TWO DAYS putting it together!!!!

Christmas Morning

This is what our house looked like for Christmas, after Santa's visit. There is something so magical about the way the house looks on Christmas morning, first in the still and then as it comes bustling to life. I have my own childhood photographic memories of Christmas mornings in the Aphena house... sneaking out in the middle of the night, past the booby traps my parents had set, and into the living room to breathe it all in... awesome!

A Mouthy Milestone!!!

Luke lost his first tooth just in time for Christmas! The Tooth Fairy came for a visit and left 5 bucks- lucky guy!!!

The Packers

This fall, Luke played flag football for the first time, and loved it! He was on the Packers (and has since become a huge Packers fan), and his coach, Coach Mike Borda, was great! The practices consisted of lots of "keep away" type games, where kids would run with the football while the guy in the middle would try to rip flags.

Flag football is helping me to appreciate football even more, too. What was different about flag football from other sports? Everyone on the field has a different job- it's not like soccer where they're all chasing after the ball at this level. And it's not like baseball where you do a ton of waiting. Football is fast paced and interactive. Luke loved blocking and playing defense. He took this role very seriously. On offense, he got to be the center, which he also enjoyed.

As the Altenbergs always say, we can't wait for football season to come again!!

Fun with Frosting

Nate and I tried out this new craft when we hosted our TGIF this month! We made these Christmas trees out of ice cream cones, green frosting, and candy. This was a fun and easy project- and so yummy!!!!

Joy To The World

We're getting in the Christmas Spirit!!!!

Sleep Sack

Nate loves his sleep sack. From infancy he was zipped up in one for bedtime and naps, and when he outgrew the sack, he was not ready to part with it. Sleep Sack is a "she", and Nate prefers her cold. Often he will open the back door and carefully arrange her on the back step so she can drop her temperature by a few degrees. If this is not an option, he will rub her against his bedroom wall in an attempt to cool her down. Several times a day, he queries, "Mommy... Where is my Sleep Sack?" and I always know this means he wants some down time. A definite lovey, Sleep Sack goes in the car, takes Luke to school, plays in the backyard, and often watches Nate's favorite show, "Dinosaur Train", on the couch.

The Gingerbread House

The Gingerbread House is a tradition in our family. I'm surprised it even got made this year, with Daddy and Nate scarfing down all the gumdrops and tiny candy balls!

Christmas2010

Joy Dots Green Christmas

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

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Risky Business

For several weeks, Nate has been extremely thrilled by the act of sliding across the wooden floor on his knees. He likes to wear his footie pajamas for this activity, so it is often difficult to get him dressed in the morning. He's a daredevil- and so hilarious!!