Kelly and Lucas take a break from Legos to mug for the camera at Tom and Penny's New Year's Day party.

Even though we brought books to Tom and Penny's party, Lucas and Abbie decide the best reading material is the Lego brochure.

Daddy and Abbie suit up for some snow fun/shoveling.

Ashley P. gets a big hug from Lucas after dinner at Don Pablo's.

Our Christmas party was delayed this year until early January. That still doesn't explain why Lucas is wearing shorts!

Abbie and friend Alex Shuck have fun searching for pennies under the kitchen table.

Our friend Chris was really patient with the kids climbing all over him during the Christmas party.

It's a kid pile! Bottom to top: Chris V., Lucas, Alex Shuck, Lana. Lorinda, Janet, and Penny act as spotters.

Now it's Tom's turn to get piled on by the kids.

Abbie and Lucas had fun one evening building a neighborhood out of playdough.

Chuck finds that green eggs and ham are pretty tasty. “I like them, Sam-I-am! And I would eat them in a boat...”

4 quarters, two dimes, 6 pennies, and 3 nickels later, Abbie finally learns how to release the coin so it rolls properly down the ramp.

Abbie's all set for the monorail ride at the MN zoo on a Daddy/Abbie day.

Takin' a little break.

Like her brother before her, Abbie is fascinated by the sharks and big fish in the giant aquarium at the zoo.

Snow day! We finally got enough snow in mid January to make backyard sledding a viable proposition, so we invited Tom and Penny over to enjoy the fun.

Wheeeeeeeeee! You can't tell from the picture, but spinning the saucer before releasing it at the top of the hill made for an even better ride!

Mom and Abbie take a run together.

Tom perfects the belly flop technique to get going really fast!

Get set...

Go!

Abbie takes a turn with Penny.

Sometimes Abbie didn't want to slide down the hill, preferring to trudge down, preferably through parts that hadn't already been trampled. No mean feat when the snow was up past her knees.

Mommy tackles Lucas before he can get up the hill again.

Here is this year's snow mound in the front yard. Taller, wider, and much shorter lived than last year -- we got some unseasonably warm weather a week or so after building this so it all melted away, much to the disappointment of the kids in the neighborhood (ours included).

Chuck and Lucas take in the dolphin show at the zoo on a Daddy/Lucas day.

Wow!

Mom and the kids play a quick round of the Uncle Wiggily game after dinner one evening.

Who would have thought the Jackson kids would gravitate to the air/space exhibit that we ran across during a recent visit to the Mall of America?

Lucas evidently enjoys the kiddie roller coaster at Camp Snoopy. Abbie doesn't look so sure about it...

Mommy gets a turn with Lucas on the bumper cars at Camp Snoopy.

Lucas always enjoys the Speedway ride.

All aboard!

Chuck's turn was the balloon ride, with both kids.

Finally Abbie was tall enough to join her brother on the Red Baron airplane ride.

No trip to Camp Snoopy would be complete without a few hops on the Frog Hopper.