That Time of Year...

 The EHS Christmas Banquet was last week, and EskDale is kind of a buzz of activity getting ready for that as so many people are involved. I helped for a couple of afternoons with putting together the centerpieces and then setting up tables on the days of the banquets. (Cary, Kenneth, Crystal and Sharon made the wood boxes)

 Some day maybe we'll actually go to one of the performance nights, but for now we'll be happy to see the dress rehearsals.

 I just think this girl is kind of cute. She has a couple rounds of breakfast if I don't get it cleaned up quick enough.

 Cary and the kids making cookies.

Somehow Ella fell of her bike and whacked her forehead, it was a pretty impressive goose egg she had.

 Someone learned the magic of stools and reaching things on the counters...

Clara all of the sudden decided that she wants to talk and is saying lots of words now.

Our winter has been pretty warm, and we've not really had any snow. I think we had over a week at the beginning of December where we were in the 60's and the poor plants were so confused. My lilacs were budding out.

Britton is a busy boy as usual, the day I took the picture of the lilacs, Cary was on the roof cleaning out rain gutters, when I came back in the house and looked out the back window Britton was up on top of the ladder. He saw me and hurried back down to the ground. ☺

Hanks Family Winter Gathering

For our annual Hanks winter gathering, we met at the Courthouse again. The last time we were there I took a few pictures of the actually building, but it's kind of funny that this time since I'm in "renovation mode" how many of the details of the old building I noticed this time around. I'm in love with the 12" baseboards, transoms over all the doors, high ceilings and the moldings around the windows and doors. 

I took my camera along, but didn't actually pull it out, so all of these were taken with my phone, and they are embarrassingly bad. (But at least I took some!)

I started a fire in the stove, but the wood was pretty wet, so John and Josiah had to help me out. ☺

 Breanna was annoying her dad by taking macro shots of his beard. ;)

I had Sharon take a picture of our family

Group shot taken by Janille.

We didn't do a group shot last year, and it was the last time Grandma will probably ever make it to one of these, so the last group shot with her was at the courthouse two years ago.

Preschool 2014

This is most of the preschool class this year. I know one child is missing from this photo, but can't remember if anyone else is. ☺ 

Gretchen took these pictures in October, and I can tell that Britton already looks more grown up. 

Thanks for the photos, Gretchen!