I haven't taken this many pictures in forever!

Our "quiet" holiday break has been very busy. Lots of family visits. Lots of presents for Esther.

Patiently waiting for the Christmas cookies to bake.

E helped me decorate by generously shaking the sprinkles on. More of the sprinkles ended up in her mouth than on the cookies, I think.

Daddy and Esther waiting for our friend, Karin, to show up to her surprise birthday party. Esther did great even though it was past her bedtime.

Karin's "Stumpy" characters were part of the theme. These cute masks concealed our identities for the surprise.

Having fun with Daddy.

Sharing is something E is still trying to learn. Here she's deciding which of her game systems her 2nd cousin, Dewey, can play with. It was a hard decision and one she kept changing her mind about. Dewey is very patient.

Nana Marilyn made Esther a cute coat for Christmas. She added robot patches on each arm to make it extra special. Our little angel promptly exclaimed that she didn't like it. Nice...and embarrassing! Sorry Nana, if it's any consolation, I think it's pretty darn cute.

She has since warmed up to the coat, and really likes the robots.

We got to see our nephew, Bela, for the first time since he moved to Alaska 2 years ago, while he was visiting his dad in Bellingham. So we went bowling...and Esther loved it. Of course the bumpers helped (all of us).







The two cousins.

On the way home from B'ham, Nana Carolyn and Esther had a good time, laughing and carrying on.

A few days later we got to see our niece, Halie, who has been up in Alaska with her mom, too.

Esther trying her hand at driving. Uh oh, looks like she's driving through the forest.

Joy! Bring on the presents!

She got a lot of robots this year. First robot Plex (from Mommy and Daddy).

Next, Wall-e (from Nana C).

Hanging out under the tree.

Hey, there's a robot dump truck, that talks and dances (from Santa).

She also scored big on the dinosaur front (not pictured) as well. She got two robotic dinosaurs from her aunt and uncle. And some little dinosaur figurines. All in all, Esther made out like a bandit.