Photo A Day...for a year?

I set out in January with big goals and high expectations.  I thought it would be fun if I concentrated and took just 1 photo each day.  Wellllllll, I made it about two weeks and then realized I would NEVER keep up with this.  It turns out January is SUPER boring and I lost my inspiration rather quickly.  But I'll share what I did manage to take.  I call it..."The Struckmann Ordinary".  There's a little bit of laziness, some game playing, some extra love for our furry friend and even some brotherly love.  Nothing too exciting, but this is us!

New Years Eve

We spent New Year's Eve with some of our closest friends and their offspring.  Our New Year's Eve celebrations have changed a bit over the years, but I think they have changed for the better.  We get to spend time with our friends while we watch our children form friendships as well.  Something I hope we experience for years to come.  I mean of course there is still room for the occasional Jaeger Bomb, and an inappropriate game or two, but in the end it's about celebrating the end of another great year and the beginning of a new one with some of our most favorite people.  Mission complete.

Cookie Design 101

Well what would Christmas be without a little cookie decorating fun.  Of course these are MY BROTHER'S favorite cookie, so my Mom makes plenty FOR HIM and makes us all decorate them.  Okay okay, it's kind of fun but I still have to give my Mom trouble for it.  It's kind of like a tradition at this point. Anyway, Bennett was totally into it this year and Nolan decorated enough to eat one or two and move on.  My Mom, Sharon and I were the last at the table to try and have a little contest of who could decorate the best cookie.  If my memory serves me correctly, I won.  And if it doesn't serve me correctly, it's my blog and I can write whatever I want.  I do make a mean mitten and Christmas Tree if I do say so myself.  Also, if you're wondering Bennett really likes icing and sprinkles.

Christmas Day

My Dad was in town this past weekend and he yelled at me for my lack of blog posts, something about it being the longest dry spell in Skipping Rocks history.  Well, I'm busy Dad but I do hate to disappoint.  I'm currently on a five hour trip to Chicago so I'm about to make it rain blog posts!  I might hit Christmas and Easter all in one day!

First up, Christmas Morning.  We had my whole family in town this year.  We ate Jesus Eggs, opened presents for hours on end, played some games and even got in a little ukulele practice!  Pretty well rounded for a Christmas Day I would say.  We were pretty busy, so busy I don't think we even got out of our pajamas until 5:00ish.  That = success in my holiday book!  This year I think the big hits with the kids were the iPod touch for Nolan and probably the hockey pads for Bennett (even though Nolan is the one sporting them below).  The scooters were probably a close second.  Of course Bennett HAD TO HAVE a remote control dinosaur that I do believe he has played with once...on Christmas Morning.  But Santa came through like he always does, not matter how much he disagrees with the request.  We had some happy boys on Christmas Morning, and some pretty happy Parents and Grandparents too.

 

Every year at school they have a "Santa's Workshop" where the kids can go and buy presents for their parents.  Most definitely our favorite presents of the season come from this activity.  This year I got a candle and a "Mom" necklace, and Chad got a screwdriver set and a FABULOUS tie.  Not only does it look good, but it sounds good too!