if a picture speaks 1,000 words, here are about a million...

the four! on our way to being the christmas season...that is to say we were making our yearly pilgramage to menards to pick out our tree!

this is the ONE.

getting it all decorated!

sophie and ellee just loved these sparkly bulbs.

sophie was very particular about where her favorites went on the tree.

i could eat her up.

nora got a good ol' handful of casey's hair and yanked. love her face.

our littles.

nobo. (as in nora-bora...why are all of our children's nick names so awful? soph, eb, caser and nobo. nice.)

sophie took this. (i cannot believe how tired we look. not so good.)

nora at meal time. she looooves meal time.

minnesota weather is absolute crap. here's an example.

we hosted the dixon christmas eve party! it was a blast - about 20 of the best people ever filled up our lil' yellow house. too fun!

getting ready for a fierce game of 'dice'.

me, heather, mom, and john.

santa came!

love the excitement of a chuggington puzzle!

these are two of my gifts. :)

christmas morning tradition - sweet rolls!

ellee loves her early morning diet coke.

mac matty.

heather and allison at the whalen christmas partee'.

gramps.

this is nora. looking rough after a hard nap. wowza.

looooove these faces.

momma time.

grandma and grampa from michigan came and dolled out even more love on to the schans family!

we were blessed with an amazing christmas season! wishing you a 2011 filled with abundant blessings.