all about us.

white christmas

  Right when it started to snow yesterday, ben was determined to go out and make a snowman. So when enough snow accumulated on the ground, we went out and built us a snowman!  the snow was barely covering the ground, and we picked up grass with our snow, but we didn't care.  After we played in the snow, we all jumped in the car and headed to starbucks for hot chocolate and coffee before it closed. we had a blast.  i think this Christmas will forever stick out in my mind.  It was low on presents, but so rich with the amount of joy and fun we had. 

 

adam's brother flew in last night, so while adam went to go pick him up, i put the kids to bed and settled in with some wine, cookies, and "it's a wonderful life".

   

it's a gorgeous, sunny day today, just like it was on Christmas eve!  we are going to take advantage of it.  have a great day! 

bunch-o'-pics time.

first off, it just started to snow here... and it's even starting to stick! a snowy, white christmas!!!  for us native san diegans, that is COOL.  even in colorado, it didn't snow ON christmas.

   

 

  So, yesterday, my sweet girl lost her second tooth.  it's been loose for awhile now, and it was getting SO close to falling out.  Ashlyn kept working it and working it (and even asked me if i'd tie a string around it and a doorknob---i declined. *shudder*), and pop! it came out while she ate some crackers yesterday afternoon.  She was SOOO excited.  Not only did it come out, but she didn't swallow it this time, and not only was Santa going to come, but the tooth fairy as well! we all clapped for her and she was in tears with her joy. you can see her adult tooth has already grown in behind the now-missing baby tooth.  it will push forward just like her first one did.

ashlyn writing a note to santa to go with the snack of cookies, marshmallows (for the reindeer), and eggnog.

they got a thank-you note from santa that included birthday wishes for baby Jesus.  ashlyn read the whole thing by herself... she is getting SO good at reading.

ashlyn made this adorable ornament at school.

ben got his coveted "half of lightnin' half of darknin'" car.  he has been DYING for it.

ashlyn got her hula hoop... she is SO good at it, too.

 

ben and adam have been building all kinds of cool buildings with Ben's new lincoln logs.  Ben, of course,  likes to put all of his "cars" cars in them.  it's been really cool to see the two of them building together all morning.

ashlyn has been spending the morning working on her new barbie laptop.  she's conquering addition and subtraction as i write this

since i am the official camera-woman, i don't have any photos of my christmas present from adam, but he surprised me with a wool coat that i have been wanting, and i had to go through a scavenger hunt to get it.  Every note that brought me closer, had a bunch of sweet things to say.  he's amazing to me.  here is a photo of it pulled from the website.

i don't think that we have ever spent a Christmas at home with just the 4 of us, but it has been a wonderful, relaxing , fun day.

My parents were here two weeks ago, and in true doting grandparent fashion, they brought a plethora of gifts for us.  The kids had a blast doing Christmas early with them. :)

the children with their hot chocolate.  i love that they are old enough for real mugs.

i am so blessed.

  merry christmas, everyone!

Merry Christmas!

date night

last night, adam and i went out on a date... our friend is staying with us, and offered to sit so we could get out, and we took that offer right up!

we went over the bridge to Tacoma and went to the mall.  Adam bought me a Fossil purse i had been eyeing for an early Christmas present (i've been looking for a cute crossbody... you know... so i can't lose it again, lol), and we just went through the mall and window shopped.  it's probably one of our favorite things to do together.  After we left the mall, we went to TGIFridays and had some drinks and ate food, watched a little of the football game, talked, people watched, and had a blast.  it was one of those evenings where things just mesh, you have fun doing basically nothing, and life is good.   

a recent pic that i love of us

it's gonna be a bright and sunshine-y day.

here in the pacific northwest, we have a lot of rain.  this area is known for it, and while i think a lot of people assume it's worse than it really is, it does rain---especially in the wintertime.

So, when the sun comes out (especially in rainy season), it is a simply glorious thing.  the pacific northwest is a gorgeous place with its mass multitude of huge, towering pine trees (among many other green and colorful things); Mt. Rainer a transfixing and grand presence; the Cascade Mountain range and the Olympic mountain range, sandwiching us, make their presence known on a clear day... showing us their jagged edges and snowy peaks; and of course, Puget Sound stretching as far as the eye can see... dotted with islands and sailboats, & giving us amazing harbors and inlets. Being surrounded by water is such a calming thing.  Here in gig harbor, you can barely drive a couple miles before seeing the harbor or a stretch of the Sound.  It is a lovely place whether it is rainy or sunny, but the sunshine simply makes it all glow and sparkle.  it beckons me out of my home.  The magnificent beauty fills my heart.  the Michael Buble song "feelin' good" is definitely a song we like to play while driving down the road, with the volume loud, on a day like today.

yes, this is home.

photo from here

her first school program

So, today was ashlyn's last day of school before winter break, and ashlyn's class had a Polar Express party, where they wore robes (a grandma of one of the kids made 23 robes for them!), drank hot chocolate, ate cookies, and watched the movie.  Her teacher gave them all teddy bears and a bell as well.  sooo cute. Ashlyn's teacher is just the sweetest thing... she puts her whole heart into those kids, and gets weepy just talking about them.  i really, really love this school so far. 

anyway, all the grades did a program (singing) for the parents.  My parents were out last week, and my mom bought a dress for ashlyn to wear for the program.  Ashlyn was SOOO excited for this.  i got there about 30 min before it was supposed to start, and the parking lot was PACKED.  i parked across the street at church, and when we got in there, the auditorium was packed as well.  parents, grandparents, friends, teenagers... everyone.  Kindergartners sang first, and i was in the very back.  So, i went up the isle to take some pictures.  glad i did, b/c i could tell she was searching for us.  she waved at me and did a great job singing.  at the end of the two songs, in perfect "ashlyn fashion", she did a princess curtsy and blew a kiss to the audience.  i about died.  jeez.  i have a diva on my hands. lol.  afterward, we went to Kelly's down by the harbor, for ice cream, fries, and coffee.

the two little girls on the right are her best friends, kayla (top) and grace (bottom).  sooo cute.

this seriously cracks me up.

 

vote for my photo! (shameless plug) :)

tara whitney is doing a contest of feet....  i submitted a photo, and low and behold, she chose it to be a contestant.  i'm #6.... go vote!  The mama of this foot will get the canvas if i win! (just comment your vote on her post) :)

http://tarawhitney.typepad.com/me/

thanks!!

(--the way she has it set up is kind of funky... she had a separate contest last week, and she announced those winners on the same post as the new foot contest. you can vote until wednesday the 19th!)

saturday mornings

now that ashlyn is in school, saturday mornings are way more valuable than they have ever been.  i love that i can sleep in, i don't have to get anyone dressed and ready by any specific time, and it really is nice to have her home... relaxing and playing with ben.  this morning, she said, "i'm glad i don't have to go to school, and i can hang out with everyone today". 

adam usually sleeps in a good 1-2 hours after i do, so the early morning is quiet and leisurely.  i get breakfast, i get my coffee, come down to my desk and look at blogs and whatever else, i sit on the couch upstairs and look out the window, sipping my coffee and just thinking or sometimes i read a nearby book.  The kids wander around playing and coming up to me every now and then to ask for tape or to tell me something, or asking me to come look at something.  it's a happy, lovely time.

at my desk with my favorite christmas coffee cup, and the roses adam brought home to me yesterday

my favorite place to sit

the gorgeous, sunny morning we are having... i love looking out on this everyday.

ashlyn made us all friendship bracelets :)

making one for daddy

i love...

- that he is such a BOY

-that in spite of his boyness, he has the biggest, most precious heart like his daddy.

-that he'll reach for my hand and hold it all throughout lunchtime

-that he wants his sandwhich cut like a heart "because i love ashlyn"

-that he brings me gifts of leaves and rocks when he plays outside.

-his big, hearty laughs

-how the joy of life bubbles out of him

-that face.

how do you decorate?

  i thought we would do a little interactive blog today :) 

i love christmas time, and i love going from blog to blog to see all the glimpses of people's houses and how they decorate for the holidays.  There are so many styles and color combos to choose from these days!

for us, we are kind of eclectic and casual with it.  i love muted holiday reds and greens, country/homey decorations, i love snowmen the most out of all the other holiday character choices, and we have ornaments that reflect who we are and what our interests may be (especially the kids ornaments), along with whatever catches my eye.  We have the stockings hung that my mom made.  i've had mine since i was a baby (right, mom?), and then she made additional ones when i got married, and when each baby came.  Our christmas decoration collection is small, but it grows each year!

as far as traditions in our family go, i think they evolve each year, and change as the kids get older.  Some of ours include:

-making a gingerbread house

-watching Christmas movies (for them-all the cartoon ones, for me-it's the classics)

-listening to the old crooners singing Christmas carols.

-candy canes, gingerbread men, hot chocolate, and eggnog all season long :)

-baking christmas cookies/treats

-reading the Christmas story out of the bible before opening presents

-having a birthday cake for jesus on christmas morning

so, i wanna know!  how do you decorate, and what is your favorite holiday tradition?