Thanksgiving

Matt engineered a DIY-snow maker.  Pretty cool job he did of it!  Bring on the snow forts on all those cold, but not-snowy winter days.

Luke's Thankful Journal

A couple cute excerpts. "I am thankful for my parents because they take care of me, buy food for me, and they lay with me at night."  All the essentials:)

"I am thankful for Joey because I've known him since preschool."

Thanksgiving at the Baranko's house this year.  Starting the festivities with some warm apple cider.

Justin & Sara's kids Orrin and Lila get along really well with our kids.

Stayed at the lake house

Frank's Diner for breakfast in Kenosha, in an old train car, so cute and so delicious!

Picking out our Christmas tree

Christmas decorating, woo hoo!!

At the Lake Forest tree lighting ceremony.  This was an ice sculpture.

Ice sculpture with a computer screen inside!

The tree in Market Square is lit!

After the cold ceremony, hot tubbin' felt nice

Claire was an ornament machine!

We really enjoyed trimming the tree together this year.  As she matures we are finding more and more fun things to do together that we both enjoy.

The angel on top!

At the Gowski's Polish Party.  It was a hoot!

Super delicious Polish delicacies were served.

We had our front planters professionally done again this year, they look awesome!

First year we put up TWO trees!  A fake tree in the family room.  We all love it there!  More Christmas to enjoy.

Went to Grandma and Grandpa's house over the weekend and helped them with their decorations too.  It was Christmas decoration mania!  Claire has the Mackus stamina for ornament hanging.  

Those eyelashes.

Strike a pose to drink her last sips.

A little early morning Monopoly (Golf Edition"

Baking Christmas cookies with Grandma

Sampling...yum

Time for learning some card games with Grandpa before we had to leave a little early to beat the snow.

We have Luke's polar express train around this tree now.

Snow really came down!

Snow day on Monday!

Love it when it sticks to all the branches on the trees.  Ahwahnee looks so pretty.

What a cozy house.

Matt packs the kids' lunches, snacks and water bottles, feeds them breakfast, combs Claire's hair, gets backpacks ready by the door and generally keeps everyone on schedule every single day while I am getting ready for work.  I come out from getting ready, pour my coffee (he makes the coffee too!) and then I simply walk out the door with the kids by 7:45.  I take the kids to school and then go to work.  Teamwork makes the dreamwork.  Lucky to have such a great parenting partner.

Tablet time snuggles one night.  I like when they share the blanket and sit by each other by choice.