How to have Christmas Day (without power)

Well - this will be one Christmas Day for the memory book! We had 18" of snow and no power! The day started off fairly well with a warm house, lights and a refrigerator full of food, and family coming at 10:30 AM for brunch.

Then... the power went off around 6:30 AM...

It's a good thing we have a gas fireplace, gas stove and gas water heater! We used them all to make a very nice brunch, a nice warm-ish house and we were even able to clean up the dishes!

Then... we had more family coming for dinner... and we even made dinner and had a wonderful time without the power. We made a seafood chowder that was wonderful and everyone was loving it (good think we didn't plan on cooking something in the oven!). We got power back around 8:30 PM, after everyone had left since it was dark in our house even with lots of candles. It stayed on until morning, then was off again until around noon. We stored our food in the refrigerator out in the snow, which worked well.

We will be looking into getting a generator, though. We just lose power around here too much!

Here's to NOT having a white Christmas next year!

Pizza making

We made pizza the other night and Alex helped us make it. He was so helpful in placing the pepperoni, olives and mushrooms and even helped by making sure the cheese was even! It was a really good pizza. Alex even knows the word pizza.

Merry Christmas!

So much SNOW!

So much snow (2 feet +!) and even on his eyelashes!

Painting

Alex has really started to love painting at toddler group.

He dips the brush into the paint and just loves it!

Snow suit

What a cute little bottom in his snow suit pants!

4 generations

We celebrated Myrtle's 90th Birtday at a party last weekend. She is Lance's grandmother and Alex's great-grandmother. What a treat to see 4 generations.

Alex, Lance, Steve (Lance's Dad), Myrtle, Christine (Lance's Aunt)

Xmas tree farm

We went to the Christmas tree farm in Woodinville, where we went last year, and picked out a tree. This year, I guess, we were too late to go U-cut but we found a very nice tree and it makes our house smell so good!

Guess who didn't think the tree was the best part??? A muddy puddle to splash in was much more fun!

2nd annual - Cookies and Kids party

Alex with two of the boys at the party

We hosted a fun cookie party a while ago and I'm just now getting around to posting a few pictures! Where does the time go?

We had a great time - and it goes right along with our "theme" this holiday season of spending time with friends and family, instead of being stressed buy "things" for people and SHOP, SHOP, SHOP. I must say - I had a fabulous time at the party. We invited quite a few people, but only 4 families were able to make it. I made a BIG pot of chili, and of course, everyone brought homemade delights to share and take home. We were able to have nice long conversations about what everyone was doing and the kids were having a good time, too! Since our house is laid out in a circle - they just migrated from room to room and there were always people there to make sure they were safe.

I must say that I do feel less stressed, in some ways, this holiday season and don't miss (at all!) going to the mall, wondering what to "get" people. I might really like this!

Alex had a good time with the girls at the party (Sisters Megan and Allison on either side of him). They held hands and lead themselves around the house.

Megan and Alex

General (overall) update

There are so many things going on in our lives right now that I thought I'd just do a general (overall) update of everything:

1). Lance's job search is going.... he has put in many resumes/applications and finds new opportunities everyday. Hopefully there will be some interviews in the new year. It does seem like there are jobs out there, not tons - but some. Sometimes we feel optimistic and sometimes we feel downright scared. We know we will be fine until April, but sometimes that feels like a long time away and sometimes that feels like it's just around the corner. I feel like one of those people that the candidates would talk about during the election.... going to sleep at night worried about rising costs, a spouse laid off, mortgage and taxes, etc.

2). I found a daycare for Alex! Since we had to pull him out of his daycare because it was too far away to drive to (~25 miles each way) - we've been looking for a new place that is close to home. I thought that looking for daycare for a toddler would be less stressful and emotional - but I was WRONG! It was very difficult and I even called Lance from the parking lot of one of them because it was so bad and cried (just like when looking for infant care!). The good news is I found a wonderful daycare/preschool that is ~3 miles away. It's a home daycare, unlike the daycare center that he was at before. The teacher is a Mom of 2 and she's just wonderful. My best advice to people looking for daycare has been that you just have an instinct about it - and it's very true. It just feels right. He will start the last week of January.

3). Alex said "I love you" tonight for the first time! Lance and I were shocked! He kept on saying it and we said it back to him many times. We have no idea where he learned it, but we love it!

4). We have 10-12 inches of snow at our house tonight after a day long snow storm. I wasn't able to go to work, the roads are very icy, probably won't go in Friday, either. It's just too dangerous with all the hills. Good thing I brought home my work computer!

5). Because of the snow storm, I made play-dough and covered the entire coffee table with paper so that Alex can draw on it. Although he does love to be outside until his fingers turn blue, he does have to come in a warm up sometime.

I guess that's it for now. You're all up to date!

Xmas lights - just for fun

I wrapped Alex up in some small lights and snapped a picture while trying to hold him still enough to take a picture in low light!

Santa photo 2008

Santa photo 2008

Last year was pretty easy to get Alex's photo with Santa

but not this year!

We've talked about Santa and he even waved to him as we walked in the photo studio. But, not going to sit on his lap! No No! So, we spent some time getting Alex back to happy and smiling again - and then got this photo.

(Hint - they added Santa after the fact!)

What a cute smile though!

Santa photos - 2007

Mr. Danger

When Daddy was putting up the Christmas lights - guess who wanted to do the same????

Snow day!

Today we had a dusting of snow - maybe 1-2" - and therefore it's an official snow day here in the Northwest! We got Alex all bundled up in his snow pants and snow jacket, hat and boots and headed outside for a little old fashioned fun.

I don't know what it is about my husband... he always wants his dog to pull him (or Alex) when it snows. In the past, this has been Lance on skis with his dog pulling him in the neighborhood. Now Alex is finally big enough for me to even think about this! So, Alex got his first dog-pulled sled ride by "Rock" (the dog) which I'm sure will be the first of many. I swear Lance should've been a sled dog racer ... hmmmm.... maybe a new career???

To those of you living in the Northwest - squint your eyes for the picture below - there is sun! Lots of it! We don't get to see this very often!

Lance rigged up this whole system where Rock pulls the sled and he holds the leash on Rock to make sure he doesn't pull too hard or run somewhere he shouldn't. At first Rock was pretty excited and Lance had to help him learn how to pull correctly, but then we were on our way. Up and down the neighborhood streets. All Alex had to say was...

more

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Grandma was even visiting and when Alex fell down in the snow she showed him how to brush it off his hands.

Alex did not want to come in - at all! We had to pull him in kicking and screaming every time we came in from outside. We adults would get cold, but when I took of his snow suit - I think he was actually hot! It did a great job of insulating him. We went outside twice before lunch, ate a big lunch, passed out for 2 hours, and wanted to go outside again!

Woodinville Xmas lights

Last Friday night we visted the Woodinville Christmas Light festival in "downtown" Woodinville. They had a train, ballon artist (below), face painters, puppet show (above) which Alex REALLY loved, carolers from grade school all the way up to adult choirs, and all sorts of activities. But the best was that Santa arrived by helicopter. You can imagine the wonder on all the kids faces when a Santa steps out of a helicopter. Alex just loves helicopters since our vacation to Hawaii. He loved it! We will definately go back next year. We didn't have time to make it on the train since it was getting late and the line was long - but we know for next year.

Snow?

Remember last December with all the snow? Well - Lance just had to make an 8 foot tall snoman to show Alex. And he did!

They say snow is in the forcast...

last year at this time - December 2007

crawling, pulling to stand and generally mobile - a whole new world opened up for him.

Licking/biting the coffee table - YUMMMM!

Teething and wearing a really cute hat!

Chewing on a sand dollar at the beach and that same hat!

last last weekend

Alex shoved so much food in him mouth that he got "apple mouth"

Alex learned to put his hands in the pockets of his coat.

In the weekend mornings, when Mama gets to sleep in, this is what Alex and Daddy surprise Mama with! Alex is very much into Legos right now and so Daddy made Alex's name in Legos, got the camera, had Alex smile AND took a picture. All those events lined up just right to get this gem of a photo.

Thanksgiving weekend at the beach