Our Christmas Card Photo

We got all dressed up in our formal clothes (Mom and Dad bought them for the Jaycee banquet, pretty sharp, eh?) and had our photo taken in front of the Christmas tree for our Christmas cards. Don't we look great?!?!

Thanksgiving / Christmas

We'll be in Montana for Christmas this year, so we celebrated the holiday a bit early this year - by combining it with Thanksgiving. It was tons of fun, and we got lots of great presents we loved! Plus there was family and friends. (Did we mention the presents?)

Just a couple of monkeys

Maia "hanging out" with Dad on the couch.

Baking with Grandma

Maia (in her Dallas Cowboys apron) making goodies with Grandma Sindy.

Chicken Pox

Saturday afternoon, Cameron came up covered in little red spots. Surprise, surprise, we have our first case of chicken pox in our house!

Biker babes

Ella learned to ride her two wheeler! The kids celebrated by taking a ride around the yard and the block on their bikes.

Red Ribbon Week

It is Red Ribbon Week at school, and every day the kids get to dress up as something different and fun. Today was Pajama Day!

Missoula Children's Theater

Maia and Ella performed in the Missoula Children's Theater production of "Rumpelstiltskin" today. Maia was a villager (and an adorable one), and Ella was a bumble bee. They did a great job, and were SO thoroughly adorable!

Ella is third from the left.

That is Maia in the middle, of course, with the huge grin for the camera!

Ella and the other bees buzz, buzz around the stage.

Maia and the wizards perform a magic trick.

Maia and Jamie

Maia and her friend Jamie hanging out, taking photos.

Maia

Jamie

A day at the park

We had some fun at Spring Lake Park today with Mom and Dad, Uncle Justin and Grandma and Grandpa Fladland.

Picnic

A little roadside picnic on the way to the Wisconsin Dells for a family vacation.

Roadtrip

Back in the car, Ella reads to her doll.

Jamestown

A stop in Jamestown, North Dakota to see the world's largest buffalo and check out the pioneer village. We were on our way east, heading to the wild roller coasters and waterslides of the Wisconsin Dells.

Maia at Louis L'Amour's typewriter.

Pose? Me? Oh, OK...

Don't worry Maia, I'll drive. I've seen it done on TV!

Hidatsa Indian Village

We made a stop at an Indian Burial Village and checked out the museum and the other sights, and the kids took advantage of their favorite thing at National Parks - the Junior Ranger program.

If I were an Oscar Meyer Weiner...

Ella had some fun across the street at the grocery store while the Oscar Meyer Weinermobile was in town.

Teddy Roosevelt National Park

We went for a hike today in Teddy Roosevelt National Park, about an hour from our home. Don't we live in a beautiful place?!?!

Grace

Pitch, Hit and Run

The kids took part in the Jaycees Pitch, Hit and Run today, and had lots of fun.

New Town

We took a little trek to New Town, just because. We had a picnic and played in the park.

Ella's latest painting

Ella has been taking water color painting classes a few times a year for about two years now, and wanted to share her latest painting with everyone. The scan doesn't do this piece justice AT ALL, but you can sort of get the idea. She is really becoming quite good!

The classes work like this - there are two sessions, one where they start the painting, and a second session where they finish it. They usually do three sessions in a row, and today she is starting the final class for this round.

Pageant Princesses

Maia and Ella took part in the Little Miss Williston pageant today - don't they look gorgeous?

Halfway down the stairs...

Ella recited a selection of poems by A.A. Milne, including "Halfway down."