Shooting Rockets in the Park

Today we decided that it was finally warm enough and still enough to shoot off the rocket we've been working on over the last couple of months. So Morgan, Emma, and I (Daddy) loaded up this morning and headed out for the park at Abel Jr. High. As you can see the rocket was hand painted by Morgan and Emma and they also helped assemble it. We had three successful launch/recovery cycles each initiated by a countdown chorus that had other picnicking families looking on suspiciously. Lots of fun!

Building Projects

I know it's been a long time since we posted; things have been pretty uneventful around here I guess. But I thought I'd present a small collection of pictures of recent building projects. Morgan has been building away with wooden blocks, Legos, and whatever else he can find. And on Saturday, Matt helped him with his first real woodworking project. Morgan called it a "dog house" for his new stuffed dog, but it's become more of a mini playhouse.

Viola's Portraits

We got Viola's 1 year portraits made this week, and they turned out great of course. Baby V is just as photogenic as her older siblings. Grandparents, let us know which prints you want.


A

B

C

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E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

Happy Birthday, Baby V!

Baby V turned 1 last Thursday...not such a baby anymore. My mom came down for our little family party. I made the traditional Motz family 1-year-old cake. I don't know why I didn't make it for the first two kids. This time I had to do it since it was my last chance.
Viola loved her cake and even tried to imitate us singing "Happy Birthday". But I think her favorite thing was the cheerio necklaces made for her by Morgan and Emma.

Christmas Time is Here (and Gone)!

I just realized yesterday that I hadn't completed the Christmas blog! Another holiday has come and gone. This year we spent Christmas in Abilene. We returned to Midland on the 26th and hosted the Griffin grandparents the next evening. Thanks everyone for a special celebration!


Ahhh...the classic fit in front of the Christmas tree...

...a tradition started by Jansen and carried on by Stefan, both of whom finally know how to pose for a picture!

Opening the stockings

Baby V's first gift...Pat the Bunny book and stuffed toy.

She fell in love with her new bunny.





Memaw C. as Santa Claus.





Oooo...presents....

Christmas with the Griffins

Baby V's adorable new bib

GiGi as Santa Claus



Another fit in front of the tree...

The Belle costume...glorious.

Total Lunar Eclipse

Ashleigh and I were up in the wee hours of the morning on December 21st to watch the total lunar eclipse. We were fortunate enough to have clear skies and a good camera. These photos were taken with my Canon 7d on a 18-200mm lens.