Christmas in Albuquerque

We were excited to spend Christmas break in Albuquerque with Kim's whole family. We flew to New Mexico on Kim's birthday (December 20). In this picture, Ian wonders, "Do I get to try the cherry crisp as I celebrate your birthday, Momma?"
We played countless games during our time together. A new game called Carcassone ended up being one of our favorites.
Ian was fascinated watching Aunt Amy tickle the ivories. Matt and Kim were very impressed to hear Amy play the organ for the entire church service on the Sunday after Christmas. This was her Albuquerque organ debut ... even though she plays in Montana often.
Maybe we should have given Papa a glasses strap for Christmas to protect his glasses from Ian's inquisitive ... and lightning-quick ... reach. Here, Papa dodges Ian's grab just in time. Unfortunately, though, the homemade BBQ sauce sitting on the kitchen counter wasn't so lucky. Neither was the young girl sitting in front of Ian during the Christmas Eve service. Her long red hair was just too tempting to pass up.
Ian's face says it all: flying through the air with Uncle Andrew as your catapult is really fun!!
Whoa....horsey....whoa!!! Uncle Jason got Ian to giggle quite often during our time together in ABQ.
Either Ian is upset that the snow he just touched was really cold OR he isn't happy that Momma and Daddy decided on the red and orange clothing combination.
Ian had the opportunity to see his first snowman (thanks for building it, Grammy) and make his first snow angel while in Albuquerque. Bottom Line = Ian was not thrilled with these activities (probably good we live in southern Texas and rarely see snow and ice).
Papa brought home a set of nativity finger puppets for Ian. Immanuel distributed these puppets during the object lessons during the Advent church services leading up to Christmas.
Lighting luminaria on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve are traditions for many ABQ residents. Good lighting form, Uncle Andrew!
Grammy is holding the plastic light-up candle that Ian used during the candlelight portion of the Christmas Eve church service. Many Immanuel members commented on how cute it was that Ian was able to join in during that part of the service.
What a good looking group!! It was very nice being together for Christmas worship this year. Apparently Ian missed the memo to look at the camera for this picture.
Even though we had put the turkey through the food processor and had mixed it with some sweet potatoes, Ian did not enjoy his first ever bite of meat. Oh well....
Ian enjoyed opening presents while wearing the Christmas vest that Grandma Schleicher made for him. The elephant shape-sorter from Aunt Amy and Uncle Jason was fun to look at, and it will be fun to use in the months to come.
Momma and Ian try out some of their new Christmas gifts. Momma received a nice scarf from Andrew and Sarah while Ian got this nice striped fleece from Amy and Jason.
Ride 'em horsey!! Uncle Jason not only gives horse rides on his lower leg but even doubles as the crawling horse himself. Ian will not need a spotter for much longer--his balance is getting better with each passing day.
"Ok, guys, let's look for Papa by the grill. You've been telling me that he spent time preparing several wonderful meals on the grill--whatever that thing is." [Ian Schleicher]
Grammy and Papa treated us to a feast at a Brazilian grill near church a few days after Christmas. Jason was clearly pleased with the seasoned brisket one of the many meat-servers brought to the table.
Ian settled in on Daddy's shoulder for a nap at the end of our Brazilian feast of meat.
Daddy has just launched the frisbee during the third Frisbee Fiesta competition. Jason (foreground) is starting to close on Andrew (not pictured) en route to winning the compeititon for the third time.
We had fans at the Fiesta this year! Papa and Grammy won the award for the most boisterous cheering.
The ladies used the den as their work-out room a few days after Christmas. Go girls!!!
Sarah put the finishing touches on the elaborate table prior to the murder mystery dinner. Amy and Kim found a murder mystery game advertised on the Internet that featured eight suspects. Sarah not only made sure the table looked great but also took most of the pictures displayed on this blog from our time in ABQ--thanks for your artistic eye, Sarah.
Chris Lester, "Big Bill" Bradford, and Robert Carter engage in small talk prior to the murder mystery dinner.
Kim played Jason's wife (weird...), while Sarah and Amy were mother/daughter during the mysterious evening of fun.
Well, it turns out that Mom Walquist was Dad's secretary for the game. Can you guess which one of these two actually was the murderer? It was a fun evening.