Wheels and Candy on New Year's Eve

Here at Hendrickson Manor, we rang out the new year . . .

. . . lounging around the apartment (OK, I admit it--I just threw this photo in cuz my baby's cute), . . .

. . . polishing roller blading skillz, . . .

. . . and decorating a gingerbread house using a kit Aunt Terry gave us.  Joy and Daniel each got to decorate one side of the roof.  Note that Joy's side is orderly and symmetrical . . .

. . . while Daniel's is totally random.

Watch out! That zombie followed us home from the mountains.

Socks, Straws, and Crepe Paper

 One of the highlights of our cabin stay was a "Minute to Win it" competition Mom and Dad arranged for last night.

We started out knocking down water bottles with tennis balls in pantyhose attached to our heads.  It's tougher than it looks.

Daniel agreed to put the sock on his head, but decided that swinging it around was out of the question.

Uncle Sean rocked the "Straw and M&M" event, . . .

. . . then we threw crepe paper around the room as fast as we could (I even tossed a roll over the antler chandelier).

Ah, good times.

Woo hoo!!!

A Walk in the Woods

It hasn't snowed much in the local mountains lately.

A snow man was out of the question, but Anna and I managed to make a snow smurf yesterday (complete with acorn cap hat).

The weather was great for a walk, though.  We strolled along the stream . . .

. . . and threw a few rocks in (it's easier to achieve proper tossing form if you have a little parrot on your shoulder).

We found a pixie in a tree.

Beware - there are zombies and ogres in this forest, too.

Group photo!

Legos, Wheels, and a Foosball

We headed up to the cabin last night for a few relaxing days in the mountains.

Joy helped Daddy assemble a Lego Star Destroyer . . .

. . . and Daddy helped Joy get rolling on her new skates.

Anna went for a short hike, . . .

. . . then this evening the big kids teamed up with the uncles for a foosball game.

After it was over, Daniel decided to play a few solo rounds.  It takes a truly skilled player to defeat himself.

Christmas Gifts

Merry Christmas!

I'm pretty excited about my new camera (here's my first picture--kinda want to frame it, doncha?).

Phillip's excited about his new tire inflator.

Joy's excited about her new roller blades . . .

. . . and the Magic Tree House books we gave her.

Grandma thinks Todd's the best gift we received this year.  I have to agree.

California Snowballs on Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at my parents' home this evening.

Mom's dining room table looked festive, as usual.

We sang a few carols with Phillip accompanying, . . .

. . . the kids played with Grandma's nativity set, . . .

 . . . and played Snowball Toss (the only way you can in Southern California - with felt snowballs).

"Nice toss!  Gimme five!"

Colors

We've been having fun with colors around here lately.

Daniel and Joy collaborated on an art project today: Daniel cracked nuts to eat, and Joy painted their shells.

Joy picked one of her colorful carrots to snack on . . .

. . . and was surprised to learn that the inside of a red carrot is still orange.

Nothing makes you feel more like a super hero than a colorful costume.

Colors are awesome!