Christmas

Logan was very into Santa this year. I think he got all his facts from the Tim Allen Santa Claus movie he watched with Auntie Kenny.  After that, he stared intently at all the houses as we drove to and from school each day, looking for their chimneys to make sure Santa would be able to get in. For those houses that did not have chimneys, he decided Santa would squeeze down their ventilation pipes. We went to see Santa at a local church, and the room we were in did not have a fireplace. He was pretty concerned about where Santa would park and how he would get in. 

We were lucky to get to see both sides of our family at Christmas this year. With families on opposite coasts, that doesn't happen very often. My mom, Andrew, & Maddie were here the first week, and then Karen & Marshall the second week.  We got in some good Grandmas/Grandpa time, ice skating, skiing, sledding, and even a home improvement project. Mark & Marshall installed recessed lights in the living room ceiling (thank you to Mark for crawling through attic insulation and to Marshall for bearing the brunt of the home improvement project induced anger!), and now its hard to see how we lived without them.  With the new lights, its a little easier to find the million tiny lego pieces that are scattered all over the room.  I think I only step on them 5 times each day instead of 10.

Here are some pictures from the weeks around Christmas. 

Meeting Santa.  Logan was out of there in 30 seconds or less, after getting in his request for a Batman remote control car and Paw Patrol guys.  Amelie just cried.  My kids have never much liked seeing Santa.

Decorating the tree

Amelie helping me make the eggplant for Italian Christmas Eve dinner

Reading with Grandma Z

Ice skating at Evergreen Lake.  This was one of the few days of Christmas break that wasn't freezing cold.

Auntie Kenny and Amelie at Evergreen Lake

Andrew & Maddie at Evergreen Lake

LoLo and Maddie.  LoLo proclaimed Maddie his favorite Aunt, much to Auntie Kenny's dismay.

Sledding on the golf course next to Evergreen Lake. We got going really fast! 

We carried on the Colorado version of Aunt Susie & Uncle Al's traditional Italian Christmas Eve dinner.  Maddie gets credit for all of these pictures. Thank you Maddie!

Zimmerman side of the family

LoLo, Lucian, and Quin doing some construction work

Amelie with her Auntie Kenny & Nate

Dance party

Grandpa Z reading the Night Before Christmas

And then Christmas morning...

Uncle Andrew took LoLo sledding at Meyer's Ranch

It didn't go so well.  Logan got a face full of snow on the first run and was done.

Christmas Day we headed down to Colorado Springs for dinner with the Andersons and Jakulewiczs. Despite how nice the weather looks in these pictures, snow moved in that evening and we drove back to Denver in a snowstorm.  There were tons of cars stranded along the road, especially on 285, but Mark got us home safe and sound with his mad skillz.

Christmas Day at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs

Garden of the Gods walk

A eating snow

Daddy & A exploring caves

 The week after Christmas we spent skating, sledding, and skiing with Grandma & Grandpa A. Since Maddie was not here I do not have nearly as many pictures!

A sledding with Daddy.  She was not impressed.

Amelie playing with Grandpa and her new baby doll.  She is inseparable from this baby now!

Tea with grandma

New Year's Eve fireworks at Skate the Lake

Skiing at Copper.  It was freezing in the morning, but warmed up enough by afternoon to make it a pretty fun day for our once every 5 years ski trip. (But not enough to convince us to go more than once every 5 years:)).

Merry Christmas everyone!