Snowflakes and Smiles

This weekend held a great surprise for Jesse and I....the annual Manitou Springs Snowflakes and Smiles Parade! Maybe the corniest name for a parade ever, but is was great to watch.

Here's a glance at the band practicing before the parade began. They sounded great except for one horn player who made their sound a little... off. VERY off. Still fun :)

Our view from the balcony. It was pretty darn cold and windy, but the blankets made it perfect

SANTA!! There were a few Santas there, perhaps a little confusing for the kids.

The end of the parade- a street sweeper

After the great Saturday, Jesse and I were able to spend together, we ended the day baking Christmas cookies with our good friends Sarah and Ash. Every Christmas my mom, Becka and I spend a whole day baking dozens and dozens of sugar cookies and decorating them as best we could (Becka's are always the most creative). Since we're not able to continue the tradition again this year with my parents in Florida, Jesse and I continued the tradition here at our home. We had a blast and all the nurses at my work who enjoyed the cookies raved about them. We hope next Christmas we will be able to continue the tradition in Florida :)

"And when life gets you down, don't forget to [snowflakes and] smile[s]."
-Jesse and Kate Marble, 2008