Sonya had her 5th Birthday in December!

This year, she emphatically requested a "Ball- the boy/girl kind!" (I can't imagine what we're in for when she turns 16!) So, with a ton of help from Sonya's talented and delightful ballet teacher (Kim Simmons, p://www.facebook.com/YoungLearnersDancinSchool), we made her dream come true.

Here's a quick re-cap video of the event:

 


 We also decorated cupcakes...I love how Sonya was trying to be all proper:-)

The event was a complete hoot! I really think these kiddos would be a ballroom sensation on stage! 

Cole Becomes Part of Tradition- Verbort 2012

Ok Cole, first we get out in the rain and cold on the first Saturday in November, to go stand in a line.

Then we stand in another line.

It's worth it, you see. There's food at the end of those lines. Applesauce, potatoes, and Giant piles of never-ending homemade sausage!

I've never seen someone clean their plate...until now. Cole, you're a natural!

Super-date of the Century: Petra!

Ok, so we're going to go a little overboard with the pictures...but everything was just so pretty! You have to see it all! Petra is in Jordan, a little hop over the boarder from Israel.

It is a vast city of ancient buildings carved out of rock in these canyon lands.

You walk for about 3 miles down a narrow crevas. It is cool in it's own right: scattered carved buildings, aquaducts, caves... But then, you see this! and it makes everything else look 'not-as-cool'...

Inside the largest buildings like the Treasury and Monastary, you can see this. The colors are Awesome!!!

As you move out in the city, there are hundreds of these little houses.

The insides of these are a bit more rustic, and GORGEOUS!

After lots of giddy exploring, we made our way up a few stairs toward the top of the city.

Did I say a few? I meant a couple thousand round-trip.

So worth it! The Monestary was MASSIVE! Look at that view!

No wait! Look at that view!

People still live up here in little camps and huts...and obviously very patriotic:-)

It's possible that we played too long. It became very dark, very quickly. The light from our cellphones saved us from falling to our deaths.

We ran back to our hotel and then, first thing in the morning, we ran back to our playground!

Look! It's a jungle gym!

Hey! How did that donkey get all the way up here?!

Hey! Karren, how did you get up here?!

Oh, I see. Looks pretty dangerous...

After two solid days of hiking, we treated ourselves to some touristy fun...like buying things from Bedouin children...

And hitching a ride with the locals!

Good Times!