New Year's Eve!

For New Year’s Eve, we met at the Quockert abode, played some games (surprise:  Tracy laughing at Jason!), and enjoyed some good food (another surprise!) and had some great experiences with family. 

What a chance to look back on a year full of blessings for the Woodward family, and cherish the abundance of God’s goodness.  Happy New Year!

Ice on the Pond!

After some crazy cold days, we have ice on the pond – at least on the edges.  Grandpa Barrie used his drill (and strong boots) to check the ice levels and deemed it safe for the kids to get to walk on the ice. . .at least around the edges.  Now all we need is some snow!

Visit with Aunt Kaye's Family

We had a great time getting to visit with Aunt Kaye’s family, many of whom had come from Oregon.  By the end of the evening several interesting things had happened.

Rania was challenging an All-State nose tackle in football to arm wrestling (even using her whole body wasn’t much of a challenge). 

There was a big group hug in joy of getting to see each other after many years.

Tracy was doubled over with laughter from Jason’s antics. . . wait, that isn’t much of a surprise!

Upper Classmen Photo - of the second cousins in two different states beginning with "O" (Oregon & Ohio)

 And, of course, cute kids all around!

Dinner Out

 

How nice to get to celebrate a dinner out.  We went to a wonderful Italian restaurant (memories of the last time we were there. . . just as the US was getting eliminated by Belgium in a World Cup extra time thriller).  It was so fun to get to spend time with the other adults, all while enjoying a delightful dinner. 

Sunrise!

How glorious to see the winter colors and beautiful colors from the morning sunrises.  With the shorter days, it also isn’t crazy to be up for sunrise, now that jetlag is fading.  We are reminded of the glorious creation and being witness to the spectacle of beauty, all around us. 

Ice Skating

We got to visit the open skating session for ice skating, which was a good challenge for all of us.  Reeve was pretty amazing in picking up the skill and getting better and better in just under 2 hours.  He was also confident enough to help Ethan!  It was so fun to improve our ice skating skills while in a cold climate!

TCS Alumni Basketball

One of the traditions on the day after Christmas (usually) is to have the TCS Alumni Basketball game.  This was our first chance to see the new gym – which is massive and fun!  We got to watch Uncle Jason’s team make it to the finals, but the “oldest generation” ended up coming up short against the second oldest group. 

During the breaks, Reeve got to invade the floor and get some shots in. 

ColdStone Creamery

We certainly have not been short on sweets, but getting good quality ice cream is always a treat.  The Sandlins (and some nice coupons) let us into the secrets of ColdStone Creamery – and some delicious ice cream.  Yum!

Vacation Life!

It has been fun to have a bit of vacation time.  Doug has been working on getting out Christmas cards (it’s been a while since we’ve tried that!), the kids are enjoying reading books and visits to the local library have brought in lots of books, as well as, of course, some ridiculously good food, thanks to Grandma Julie.

And having some cool weather – what a treat for these tropical kiddies!

Christmas!

Of course, there was a bunch of food and guests dropping by on Christmas afternoon.  It was great to have Barrie's son, Brandon, and his kids, Jenna and Brandon Jr stop by - and hear about the skills of being on the diving team in Ohio. 

There were also a few more gifts, as well as the fun of getting to spend even more time with family. It is amazing how delicious some of the goodies are, and having buckeyes and marshmallow, chocolate brownies.  Wow! 

Christmas Morning

It was a delight to get to celebrate Christmas morning.  And what a haul from Santa!  With the warmth of the fire, a wonderful Christmas tree and lots of smiling faces, it was quite a delightful Christmas morning for the Woodward family and grandparents.

The kids were pretty excited to find some super fun gifts from Grandpa and Grandma Woodward - new games and a load of new Rubik's Cubes to test Reeve's skills. 

Merry Christmas! What a special day to remember Christ's birth!

Christmas Eve!

It was a delicious feast, beautiful setting and good times with family for Christmas Eve. 

After dinner, Doug read the Christmas story from Luke, Jacob played his trumpet (with Reeve holding the sheet music on his iPhone), and a funny reaction from Ava. 

Attempted pictures with the grandkids included one with a very cute (but slightly grumpy) child, and one without.

We then played some games, drew some pictures some long white paper.  Of course, there were presents too!

Jetlag Fireworks!

With jetlag hitting with a vengeance, Grandpa Barrie got a couple of the kids out into the cool night air to stay up a bit later. . .than 6 pm.  When it gets dark so early, overcoming jetlag can call for extraordinary measures!

Yet another reason Grandpa Barrie is so amazing!