Ice! featuring Merry Madagascar

Our Christmas season kicked off with a visit to the Gaylord Texan resort, for the Ice! exhibit.  The theme this year was Merry Madagascar, and it is just amazing that artists can carve and color ice to look like all of these characters.  The boys enjoyed the art but mostly loved the ice slide (of course!), and also enjoyed seeing the life-sized Gingerbread house inside the hotel, along with the stilt-walkers and all the other festivities. 

 

 

Donning the parkas in order to enter the freezing ice hall:

 

Alex the Lion:

 

Josh, Lucas, and King Julian:

 

Marty:

 

Gloria:

 

The penguins!

 

 

 

 

Lucas on the ice slide:

 

Josh on the slide:

 

Ice nativity scene:

Other festivities at the resort:

 

This gingerbread man photo is one of my favorites!  I love the happy faces on my boys!

 

 

Santa!

We finally made it to see Santa.  Josh and Lucas were very excited and gave a lot of thought to their wish lists this year. 

 

 

Josh even helped Santa read Lucas's list.  (Lucas has learned to write letters but has not learned to spell.  Reading his list is a real skill.)

Jingle Bell Jog 2012

It's that time of year again!  This morning we ran the Jingle Bell Jog, and as always, we had a great time. 

 

The morning started with a visit with Santa:

 

 

Then it was time to line up for the race.

 

 

Josh ran alone, because none of us are fast enough to keep up with him.  John got a picture of him recovering after crossing the finish line.  Josh came in 6th overall with a 7:15 mile, right up at the front of the pack!

 

 

Lucas ran the whole way (and in fact had to leave me at around the halfway point, but I could stay close enough to keep an eye on him as he ran ahead and finished).  He finished 61st overall with a 10:09 mile, which was in the top third at least.  He was ahead of a lot of people. 

 

Lucas with his finisher's ribbon:

 

And Lucas with his BLUE ribbon for winning the kindergarten division!

Josh won a blue ribbon too -- his fourth in two years, after finishing first in his division in consecutive Turkey Trots and consecutive Jingle Bell Jogs!

 

My fast runners!