An evening with long time friends.....

We enjoyed a wonderful evening last night with our long time friends, the Rapers (Tim's neighbors and  friends from childhood). Tyler was happily entertained by Chad's two Vizsla dogs. Vizla is the name of the breed. We also had a fun time with adorable baby Annabelle.



Three generations!

A Boxing Day Stroll at the Broadmoor

Every year at Christmastime the chefs at the Broadmoor participate in a gingerbread house contest. This year's theme was fairy tales. Here are a few of the creations that we saw when we visited this grand hotel on the 26th.
Goldilocks and the three bears.....
Rapunzel
The princess and the pea
 
The three little pigs
We also encountered a very curious and tame squirrel who should have been hibernating for the winter. Judging by his plumpness I think he he was faring too well from tourists handouts to be holed up somewhere sleeping for three months! Sadly, we had nothing to feed him but a handful of snow. He was not impressed.

Christmas Day

We enjoyed a very relaxing Christmas Day - dinner with just us four. We missed having Luke at the table with us. Meanwhile he is experiencing a Christmas like no other in the rainforest of Guatemala!
(I brought home live ponderosa pine branches from our pre-Christmas hike to decorate the table)

The best LEGO invention ever!

I saw this Lego set advertised in WIRED magazine recently - it was in their Christmas issue and was on the magazine's wishlist. I knew that Tyler would love it. And so I had to order it for him for Christmas. I have to say, it is probably the most ingenious Lego creation that I have ever seen! I think Tyler agrees. This VW camper has so much intricate detail - you have to see for yourself. Check out the roof that expands, the table inside that folds down into a bed, the curtains in the windows, the fire extinguisher, faucets, "4 on the floor" stick shift, the motor in the back of the bus, a rear view mirror, and even a German license plate!
This Lego set comes with 2 instruction books which is an indication of how long it takes to assemble. Tyler and Jen stayed up until 3:00 in the morning building it! I think is going to look pretty sweet on display in his room back at college, don't you agree?!

 

Celebrating on Christmas Eve

Sushi on Christmas Eve

This year we traded our Christmas Eve tradition of pizza fondue for sushi. Tyler and Jennifer love sushi and they wanted Tim and I to give it a try since we had never had it before. It really was a pleasant experience, and I am happy to have survived eating raw fish!
Notice the chopsticks in the last picture. They are woven (tied) together at the top to make them easier to use - for beginners like me!