Christmas Fun

Our ward did a really neat Christmas party this year. It was called "Come to the Inn" or something like that and it was all bethlehem themed where they tried to re-enact the Christmas night. The halls of the church were decorated as Bethlehem shops...one being the fabric store where everyone in the ward was given Bethlehem garb to wear. The gym was closed off and decorated like the inn. They served an authentic type dinner and asked Erich, Jake and I to be Mary and Joseph. Halfway through dinner we came and asked for a room...they of course told us it was full but there was a stable available. After dinner they announced that the baby Jesus had arrived, so the ward went outside where they had decorated a live nativity scene complete with goats and a mule and a manger. We sang Christmas songs out there around the nativity and then went inside for dessert.

It took a lot of work from the activity folks I am sure, but it was such a neat and spiritual experience. A perfect opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. Jake was a good sport and did an excellent job as baby Jesus...being very peaceful through the whole program.

Anyhow I just love Christmas and am so grateful to have such good family and friends to help celebrate this wondrous time of year.

Although this is a little late in posting, here are some pics we took coming home from seeing Erich's family. Traveling with a newborn demands you slow down and stop along the way...so we tried to make the most of our stops. Here's a detour to some waterfalls and to the river.

One Last Chance--Private

Okay, I thought that I would give everyone one more chance to send us an email before we make our blog private. Please leave your email address in our blog comment if you would still like to see our blog. Thanks! Erich and Kara

Duck Slaying

Here is a picture from one hunt 2 weeks ago.

4 snows, 10 Greenheads, 1 hen, 6 Canada Geese

Jake pics per the grandpa request :)

Erich got me a new camera for our anniversary but I waited until black Friday to get it. Anyhow I LOVE my new camera and have had lots of fun taking picture after picture...Jake is my typical target. Here are my favs. This week I got Jake to giggle for the first time and it was the cutest thing I've ever heard. I've tried to get him to do it again, like for his father, but no such luck!

Making Blog Private

Hello everyone! I am going to make our blog private so we can block everyone in the world from viewing our blog, just for safety reasons. So, could all of our friends and family please email us so we can add you to the list( erich_gleck@hotmail.com). All I need is your email logon address. I will give everyone a week and then I'll be blocking it. By the way, go Sooners!

Erich and Kara

Out and About

Erich has made lots of improvement these past days...he's now almost off the crutches wohoo! It's so nice to feel a little more mobile as a family. We took advantage of the mobility this past Wednesday and went crusing around the mountains near Grangeville in hopes of scouting out some good hunting spots. Unfortunately we didn't see too many animals, but we had a good time nonetheless. It's so beautiful around here. Jacob was very compliant with the outing...thankfully he loves his carseat, his backpack, and the fresh air.

Now that I am not working I've been able to join some ladies in the ward who do the Power 90X workouts. For those of you who know me, you know that I am very excited to be working out hard again. And for those of you who need a good workout, I definitely recommend P 90X--it pretty much kicks my trash. I also joined a ladies volleyball league which I am absolutely loving. I hadn't played volleyball for so long I had forgotten how much I LOVE the game!

This week I also hosted a Fondue/Game Party as part of my attempt to get some special interest groups started in enrichment. We got in a lot of laughs and calories which made for one fun filled night. Anyhow as you can tell I am loving this stay at home mom life and am trying to take advantauge of this opportunity.

As for a Jake update..I really dreaded him growing bigger and older--I didn't think he could be any sweeter and cuter than he was as a little newborn, but now I know I was wrong. This past week he started smiling and cooing and really kicking his arms and legs in excitement. It's hard to capture with a camera, but it's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen! This is such a fun stage and we're sure enjoying it.

And speaking of Jake thanks for all of you who gave us great binky advice. I appreciate the input and feel much better now about letting him indulge in his binky love!

Jake loves to sleep in this "touchdown" pose with his arms and legs outstretched. It looks awefully uncomortable to me, but it is hi typical sleeping position. Anyhow we think it's kinda cute and random so we thought we'd post a picture of it.

Out and About