We had a wonderful Christmas in Seattle. It will be the last for our family as Fran and I have decided to accept jobs at HCMC in Minneapolis. Midwest, here we come (in July...)! The grandparents from Minnesota and Aunt Laura were kind enough to come join us for the holidays, trading subzero tundra for clouds, sprinkles, and temperatures above freezing. We all enjoyed great company, fun outings, and wonderful food (thanks, Fran!).
Since we haven't posted in awhile, I thought we'd back up and start at the beginning of the month with some great photos of the girls.
We headed out of the city to cut down our Christmas tree again this year. We're in for trouble next winter, as this 15 degree weather in the mountains felt really cold.
Here Fran and I take turns posing in front of the tree we chose, with some rosy-cheeked girls.
Back at home, we enjoyed December calendar treats such as Rudolph pancakes (next year my plan is to add some venison), decorating our tree, and having friends over to decorate gingerbread houses.
When it came time for holiday cards, I got some help from Cecilia. She was quality control and chief stamp licker.
We got the girls all dressed in white to sadly attend a celebration for Gely, a wonderful teacher at the girls' Spanish immersion preschool who died earlier this month. We released a bunch of purple balloons with messages from her students and watched them disappear into the clouds. Laura's flight came in that afternoon, Erin enjoyed asking her over and over if she saw any balloons out of the airplane window.
Grandpa and Grandma arrived two days later, and we went ice skating at the Seattle Center. Erin hasn't done this since last winter, but with the help of an adult or a walker, she picked it up pretty quick. Nora had a great time too.
Christmas Eve dinner was equal parts fancy and tasty. We took turns giving toasts and clinking glasses. The excitement was certainly building for Santa! First, we enjoyed a delicious homemade marionberry pie from Frances.
Then a couple Christmas carols from the Prekker family band...
And a note for Santa, who finished all his cookies and a reindeer nibbled on the carrot.
The girls followed instructions and stayed in bed until the sun came up (sort of!). Cecilia got one of the cutest stuffed animals I've ever seen.
Erin loved a couple new dresses, and had to bust out some ballet moves to celebrate.
We loved having the Minnesota Prekkers visit for the holidays. One of our best memories was visiting the beach at Carkeek Park one dry afternoon, which led to the family portrait below.
