Ryan couldn't get his clothes on fast enough to play in the snow. He figured out how to make and throw a snow ball real fast!  

We woke up this morning to our first snow fall of the year. It's been snowing off and on all day. It's snowing right now.  

Jay got Ryan some nails out and let Ryan hammer the nails into a cardboard box.  

Ryan couldn't stop smiling! 

Here is a tool belt set Santa got Ryan. He loves all the tools and being handy. Jay thinks Ryan will be an architect when he grows up.
 

Madison has already had roller skates so she is an old pro at standing up on skates. She put on the blades and just took off.  

And here is Ryan right after the smiling picture. He has a little trouble staying up. Poor little guy is covered with bruises after skating.  

So Christmas came and Madison got rollerblades and Ryan got rollerskates. Here is Ryan smiling for the camera. 

Here is Madison and Ryan in a carriage at the collector's world.  

In one room of the collector's world, they had black lights on and I took this picture of Jay's Superman hat.  

A couple days before Christmas, we ventured to Downham Market to a Victorian Christmas/ collector's world display. It was so cold in the buildings, we could see our breath. It was actually warmer outside. I thought this room was neat. Crammed full of stuff, but neat all the same.  

There were more crosses than I could fit into one picture. It was so quiet there. Every one paid their respects to those who died for our freedom.  

Every where I looked there were graves. It was overwhelming to me.  

On our way back home from the Christmas markets, our bus driver took a different route and went to an American military cemetary in the Netherlands.  

Madison had a Christmas party at school and I volunteered to make cookies. I decided to get creative and made these Santa cookies. The kids liked them except for the coconut. The whole family worked together to make them. Jay was in charge of icing, Madison was eyes and noses and I was marshmallows and coconut.  

Here is a nativity scene set up at one of the markets. I think the characters are made of bronze. The cathedral is in the background. 

Here is one of the stained glass windows of the cathedral in Cologne. 

More Christmas market pictures. It was very pretty in Cologne. There were carollers singing "O Tanenbaum". Very neat!  

More Christmas market pictures. As you can see, now there are tons and tons of people there. 

Here is another Christmas market. It was a big shopping market entirely on a boat. The lines were so long to get in there, we didn't even bother to go in.  

One of the spires of the cathedral in Cologne. 

A picture of the cathedral from the Rhein river. 

A statue in the cathedral. 

Here is one of the doorways of the cathedral in Cologne. Very beautiful! 

Here is one of the 6 Christmas markets Cologne had. It hadn't opened up yet, which is why there's not a lot of people around. Once everything opened up, it was a mad house!