Christmas 2005

We started Christmas Eve with the traditional big Subway sandwich.

It's always fun for the kids to see if Dad can actually fit his piled-high sandwich into his mouth. He hasn't disappointed us yet.

Abby was Mary this year for the nativity, Adam a shepherd, and Madeline an angel.

Next came our yearly "Secret Santa" project.

Christmas Eve jammies came next. The girls cooperated with the photographer and had cute jammie pictures taken in their matching pink flannel nightgowns. Adam, however, had to be tricked into getting a photo of his Snoopy "Jingle Beagle" boxer shorts. Here, Lyle was giving him a hug so I could sneak in for the photo.

Another tradition from the Vern and Carole Beck family--the pyramid. I'm sure it was more impressive with 8!

On Christmas morning, Santa was good to Adam and brought him "Electronic Snap Circuits". He's built all sorts of interesting things--alarms, lasers, radio, etc.

Madeline worked hard on her K-Nex ferris wheel. Here, Lyle is helping her with the batteries. She did a great job.

Abby had only one thing on her list--A "floating Kelly doll" set. She was pretty thrilled.

We're excited to have little Maya here with us next year.

Carting

Lyle drove down to Oregon yesterday and purchased a new toy for Charlie and Olaf. Olaf's breed is known for their carting abilities, so we primarily got it for him. When we hooked him up he did quite well, but he still has a little too much puppy energy to be a calm cart dog.

Charlie, on the other hand, thinks it's absolutely wonderful. This photo is of his first unassisted pull. Madeline was a little worried he'd head off into the woods with her along for the ride--hence the helmet. You use mushing terms "gee" for right and "haw" for left and "whoa" for stop.

Charlie came back and sat perfectly for Madeline to get out. The cart is suprisingly easy to pull. It's meant for an adult person to ride in, so when it's just one of the kids, we have to put a weight in the back so it can be balanced. Our neighbors all want to give it a try. When Olaf gets more mature we can hook up both dogs. Lyle wants to be able to go jogging with the dogs and give Abby a ride at the same time.

Dave requested "a really nice picture of Olaf" to be added to the website. Lyle said, "like a glamour shot?" Anyway, we haven't had his picture professionally done, but hopefully this is o.k.

Olaf wan't too into the photo session. He sat nicely for me but he looked pretty bored with the whole thing.

Thanksgiving

The night before Thanksgiving, Adam made a delicious apple pie crust. We knew he'd been cooking not only by the heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen, but by the flour on the counters, on his face, and....

yes, the dog too!

The wishbone contest is taken pretty seriously in the Beck household.

Here Adam is looking understandably triumphant. Madeline could not be found for comment or photo.

The kids loved seeing cousins Sophie and Blake and Aunt Cari and Uncle Tony. Blake is a BIG 3-month-old! Madeline may need a little chiropractic.

Olaf's paws are so impressive. I've been trying to get a good picture that shows their size, but unless you have something to compare them to, they really don't look all that large. In this photo, you can see that one paw is about as big as a preschooler's torso. Cari couldn't believe how big Olaf was when he came inside. Outside, with the backdrop of the Olympic Mountains, Olaf doesn't seem so imposing, but inside, as he looks down on your dinner plate, he appears a tad larger.

Halloween, Etc.

Adam also took this photo of Abby, which I love. She's the only one in our family with blue eyes. It's nice to have a little variety.

Madeline looks close to tears in the picture because Lyle and Adam were going to go as "Lewis and Clark" and she of course was Sacagawea. Unfortunately, Lyle was delayed at the office and didn't have time to get his costume together. Adam felt that Lewis couldn't possibly go without Clark, so it was just Madeline and Abby trick-or-treating this year.

Madeline turned 9 on October 25th and was thrilled with her new bike. Before, on her little bike it was hard to keep up with the rest of the family on bike rides. Now she can really move out.

The Arbor

Abby riding Mike through the arbor. Lyle looked at several different arbor designs and then sat down and drew out what he wanted. I love what he came up with. His measurement skills amaze me--the pieces always magically fit together!

We love the arts and crafts light. The yellow stained glass creates a really cool glow at night.

Here is a photo of one of the stained glass windows, looking toward the guest house. Lyle found the windows at an antique shop here in Poulsbo and incorporated them into the design. He made cut-outs in the benches to match the diamond designs in the windows. We still need to cover up the wire and do some touch-ups.

Paperchase

The paperchase. I think this picture says it all.

The Barn

Lyle and his dad spent many long hours building this barn! They used ideas from a few different plans and came up with a great design. I love the sliding side door and the window boxes.

The hay storage loft can fit many bales and the kids love the pulley "ride" to the top.

This is the pasture-side view of the barn. I love the dutch door.