New Years Eve

What a wonderful way to close out our year.  Family.  We spent a lovely afternoon with 

Scott's parents.  Jean finished her last round of chemotherapy this week and, thanks to many prayers and tender mercies from our Heavenly Father, she will leave all that behind in 2014.  I am humbled and grateful to note that despite all Bob and Jean had going on this past year they continued to show our little family a great deal of kindness, generosity, and love.  The older I get the more I realize that it is people that matter most.  It is people that give us meaning and purpose.  It is people that draw us together.  I am so glad that we are part of Bob and Jean's  "people."   

Armed and Loaded

My kids LOVE LOVE LOVE to play on my phone morning, noon, and night.  I found these pictures a few weeks back when Kal was playing on it.  I think these are keepers!

Fun Friends

How I love this girl!  We have been friends for over 20 years and we still actually like each other.  She is my "person."  You know, the one who you can call int he middle of the night to get you out of any jam and you know with out a doubt she'd be there. We have cried together, we have laughed together and continue to do so. We lived together for 2 years in college and those were some of my funnest years!  Getting together now is just as much fun, especially when she makes me dinner, let's me eat her treats, and provides hours of entertainment for my kids via her kids. The Williams family is the best!!

I'm not sure what these 2 cuties were doing but the end result was pretty fun. 

Date with Dad

What a fun time these boys had today!  Scott took Kal to the WAAAM museum this afternoon for some male bonding time.  Kal was in heaven!  He loves all things that move with a motor. This Christmas Kal asked for, and expected, a motorcycle he could ride along with a plane he could fly.  He was quickly informed that those items would not fit in Santa's sack.  Scott just mentioned to me this afternoon that while they were at the museum Kal was a dream.  He followed directions and was a great listener over all.  These are the moments of light that we are seeing more frequently with this little man.  The older he gets the funner it is getting.  Wow, we love this little guy!

Family History

I caught the bug.  The Family History Bug.  I started taking a class at church in September and have truly enjoyed myself.  My dad tried to "light the fire" years ago but honestly, I could have cared less. Now however, I'm enthralled!  I have been focusing mostly on my mom's side of the family as very little has been done.  I have ordered 2 birth certificates, and received one thus far, from England.  That little envelope was the best piece of mail I got the entire month of December!  

I love this picture of my mom and her older sister Janet!  The look on my mom's face is priceless. 

Christmas Day 2014

Oh what a joyful day we have had!  It was a day that we just got to BE.  We played with the kids.  We watch movies with the kids. We let the kids eat whatever and how much they wanted.  Watching our kids open and then enjoy their gifts was so gratifying.  A few highlights:  Kal, waiting to open any gift until he knew who had given it to him.  Avery, waking at 7am and organizing all the presents into piles for the family before coming to wake us and her siblings up.  Lincoln, loving her doll and stroller so much that she did not want to open any more presents.  Also, this is the first year Avery consciously made and gave presents.  It was so fun to watch her excitement as she watched you open the gift she had made for you.  I was the recipient of a beautiful hand made necklace this year.  I love it!  

I love this holiday because it is all about families.  It reminds me of the families importance in our lives both individually and as a country.  Families it where it happens.  This is where we shape the nation, not in schools, but in our homes.  This is where our kids learn kindness, patience, self control, and love.  

Man I love this family and I am so blessed to be the mom and wife!!   

For Kal, it was the year of the shark!  

Burning some energy before Christmas dinner.

Gotta give that baby one more kiss before she gets off the swing!

Grandma brought over a fun activity for the kids.  In the afternoon when the A-Dubs were starting to get a little restless Grandma made and decorated sugar cookies with them.  It was a great reminder of how kind and generous my parents are to our family.  They are always willing to help our kids and are always there for a kind word along with a hug.  Grandparents are so wonderful!

Even Grandpa got into the action!  He saved the sprinkles from being dumped on the floor or on a single cookie!

Honestly, our house is TRASHED!  However, it can wait for morning to be picked up.  Our house today repesents a day of happiness and contentment.  It represents a day we stepped out of the world and just focused on one another.  The house can wait another day.

After all the A-Dubs were tucked into bed I finally got to sit and watch my first and most likely last holiday movie of the season.  I never tire of the music and dancing of White Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Our family tradition on Christmas Eve started years ago when Avery was small.  I love those kind. . .the kind where your kids don't know any different.  We spend the day sledding and follow it up with hot chocolate.  What started out as 2 tiny families has morphed in an open invitation to whomever would like to burn some energy prior to the onslaught of Christmas festivities.  Our family LOVES it!!  However, we ran into just a tiny snafoo this year.  There is NO SNOW!  No Snow = No Sledding.  As a result Plan B came into a effect.  We did a waterfall hike with 3 other families.  Wahclella Falls in the Columbia River Gorge is beautiful!!  We could not have asked for a more enjoyable time with friends in such a beautiful part of the world that Heavenly Father created for us to enjoy.  Avery and Kal were able to hike the entire way and Lincoln did a great job and hiked about half of it.  

Post Hike.  No official nap and Pre Christmas Eve Dinner at Uncle Kyle and Lee's House.

Our Grammy is in the middle of Chemo right now so we had to post a "with and without shot."

**Hope you don't mind Grammy. . .we think you look beautiful!

Nice Hair Avery!

We ended up getting home pretty late from Portland but it was not too late for Avery to get out the cookies and water.  She thought he may need a little hydration.

Dear, Santa

my my brother and sister have trride our hardest to be good

please give us our Cristmas presents and a merry Cristmas to you

hope you like the cookies and water

Love, 

Avery

Ahh. . .it is done.  

We have spent the day really just, running all over the place and it has been highly enjoyable. My husband and I love the Christmas Spirit and our kids love it too.  We have a great time talking about Santa and being good so, he will bring you gifts.  We even have Sam, the elf, who reports back to Santa nightly.  It is fun, but not what Christmas is about.  Not really.  

This past week I had a patient tell me that it really wasn't  feeling like Christmas to him.  He told me that if I really wanted to see how Christmas is done I needed to experience it in Europe because, "That is where Christmas started."  I almost wanted to laugh.  That is where CHRISTmas started?  I just can't agree with that. I believe that it started over 2000 years ago with the birth of baby boy.  In a manger.  In very humble circumstances.  I am forever grateful for that birth.  I testify that Christ was born so he could die for my/our sins so we could return to a very loving and kind Heavenly Father.  I am so grateful for Christ, for the life of service and love that he led.  He showed us how to be  happy and experience true joy.  Just follow HIM!  Christ, is what Christmas is all about.

A Date Night

Wait. . .What. . .a Date Night?  Yes, we finally celebrated our 17th Anniversary tonight!  Dinner at Stonehenge (if you have never been it should most definitely get put on the "to do" list) and a movie followed by the last minute run to the store before Christmas.  My favorite part of the evening was, the calm.  You know, the quiet before the kids go all "crazy people" from excitement and anticipation.  Scott is always my favorite person to do just about anything with.  Love that guy!!

Whirlwind

I had so many grand plans for today.  You know, the kind where I bake all morning listening to Christmas music and my kids are playing nicely in the back ground not making a mess.  It sounded so wonderful to me. . .then I got out of bed.

It has been raining for like a bazillion years.  Not just gentle sprinkles but hard, get you soaked as you walk to your car, rain.  So, when we woke up and looked out the window I was litterly shocked to see blue sky and the sun shining in.  In that small instant I knew all my grand plans were shot.  There was no way I wanted to stay inside baking nor was there any way I could keep my kiddos inside all day.  It would be torture for all involved if I tried.  Thus, we decided to go for a walk down the road.  It is about a 2 mile walk, Kal started off on his bike but ditched it less that a 200 yards from our house.  Avery started out roller skating but quickly realized that her skates are getting to small so ended up walking most of the way only to end up on the front of our double stroller.  Lincoln was content to ride in the stroller for about half of it but,  then wanted to run the rest of the way.  That would have been just fine by me but she insisted on running down the middle of our road which was unusually busy today.  I also kept thinking it was Saturday not Monday and was so annoyed with all the people out and about driving down our road.  So, again our sweet walk took on a slightly different nature that involved a lot of "loud talking" to "keep up," "stay out of the mud puddles," "stay out of the road," "a car is coming,"  "if you can't keep up you will have to get back in the stroller," " you need to be a good listener."  This was not one of our finest hours needless to say.  

Avery, for the most part, is a great sport and very patient with her little brother and sister.  I am so glad for that and for her!!

Walking in roller skates is so much easier than actually skating. . .who knew?

Would you guess any less?  He was soaked all the way up to mid thigh by the time we got home.

Lincoln just wants to do whatever the other 2 are doing.  They climbed that rock so she MUST do the same.  "By My Self!"

After my afore mentioned blissful morning of baking  and Christmas music listening  Avery and I were to go out for a date to get our nails done and shop for Scott.  A Christmas gift from Avery.  Which, we did and had a great time.  It is amazing how easy and enjoyable 1 seems when you are used to having 3!!!

Our final product, This picture is not a great representation of Avery's Christmas Pride.  Green and Red look great on her cute little fingers.

With our shopping complete we ended up at Doppios for delish hot chocolate.  I love hangin' with this girl.  She is a hoot who doesn't stop talking unless she picks up a book!  Plus, she still likes to hold my hand when we walk anywhere together.  Can I say just how much I LOVE that!!!  Secretly, I hope she will never stop doing that. . .even as an adult I would love to hold hands with this lovely girl!

To end our evening we took the treats we made to our friends around town. It was pretty fun and the kids really got into it.  Lincoln wanted to go up to all the doors so she could say, "Merry Christmas."  Kal just wanted to get out of his car seat and Avery loved playing Santa.  Every year we like to make a variety of treats to put on plates to hand out.  This year our plan was foiled as my oven heating element bit the dust and will only heat up to about 300 degrees.  After failing to successfully make banana bread (completely raw in the center,)  chocolate mint cookies (I had to use the Broil setting to keep the oven warm enough and ended up walking away to help the kids with something and burned the first batch,) and over cooking this peanut butter candy (I claim I was distracted by my kids, not that I am a bad cook,) I gave up on all baking that involved an oven and stuck to the stove top.  Seriously, I was so annoyed because I wanted to eat all those yummy treats plus for all the work I did to get ready I had nothing to show for it. That is what drove me the most crazy!!!  Scott said I should have just used the treats/cookies and called them "Obamacare Cookies,"  a lot went into making them but I had nothing good to show for it.  Perhaps. . ..

Mr. Sick

So, Scott has been sick and had  a temperature for the last 7 days with only one day of reprieve.  3 of those days he was flat on his back in bed, something in our 17 years of marriage I have never seen.  This afternoon the right side of his face started to swell.  The lovely black line is to see where the swelling was originally  to determine if it was getting worse.  If it did indeed get worse (if it crossed the line)  then he was off to the ER to have it evaluated tonight.  If it didn't then he is off to the MD tomorrow to figure out what is going on.  So far, 3 hours later, no change. . .whew!  It's a good look right?

A Reader is Born

This cute girl has become quite the reader over the last few years. We are so glad she has developed a love for something both Scott and I cherish.  I love a good book that wisks you to far away places with grand adventures or to provide you vast amounts of information. Oh how I love to read and that Avery shares this same love!

17 Years

Honestly, I almost forgot!  We got married 17 yrs ago today.  As it is, Scott is coaching in White Salmon tonight.  I am home with the kids instead of watching the game because Lincoln is sick.  We are hoping to at least get to dinner some time in the next week to celebrate.  Despite all the craziness of life there is no one else I would rather experience this all with than Scott.  He's my best friend!

Holiday Class Party

3rd Grade.

 Last day before Christmas break + Pizza party + Snacks and treats + Art project + 26 

VERY excited kids

Equals:  Tons of Fun!

I got to spend a few hours in Miss Avery's class this afternoon.  What a fun group of kids she has in her class and what a fantastic teacher to manage all of their energy.  

Final Art Project.  Avery like it so much she is making another one here at home as I type!

Mr Nathan Smith with Miss Avery.

Avery has worn her Santa hat EVERY day this month.  I know all kids love Christmas.  This kid adores Christmas.  She has been talking about it for months.  She is one of those kids that truly embraces the Christmas Spirit is word and deed.  This is one of my favorite qualities in her.  Avery has a great deal of enthusiasm for all things.  What a joy she is!!!