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 Jeff turned 37 and the kids are more into Dad's birthday than Dad is. Ryan was very excited that everyone was going to wear his pirate hats that were part of a Christmas present. 
 Ryan's cub scout den toured the local police department after dinner. Officer Stoy showed the scouts the different items on his uniform including the badge, walkie talkie, mace, retractable nightstick, and hand cuffs. Ryan modeled the bullet proof vest and later, all of the kids got a chance to sit in the front seat of the police car. 
 It snowed about an inch on the day of the inaugural ball on the 19th. We had a few flurries here and there, but this was the first time the kids took out their sleds this winter. The flowers are already sprouting in January.   
 We attended the Illinois Inaugural Ball at the Grand Hyatt in Washington DC. It was fun to get dressed up, rent a limo, and have a night out without the kids. The age of the attendees ranged from around 18 to 80 and everyone dressed in style. We met two couples that night from State Farm Insurance who gave us an extra pair of tickets. Apparently the near freezing temperatures were going to keep some of their coworkers away. 
 The free tickets we were given the night before got us this close to the podium for President Bush's inauguration for his second term. Although we are a ways away (left photo), the 300mm telephoto lens and throwing away 5.6 megapixels of a 6 megapixel photo was able to get pictures this close (right photo). We dressed like we were going skiing and kept warm despite the snow on the ground and 34 degree temperatures. See the photo album for more. 
 Ainsley started her first gymnastics class and LOVED it! 
 We had our second snow of about 3 inches on the 22nd and received another 3 inches on the 30th. The largest hill in the neighborhood is a few houses away. By all of the deserted sleds at the top of the hill, it looks like we missed the other kids, but that gave us an opportunity to try out theirs. See the photo album.
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