True Oregonians...

To celebrate my sister's 18th birthday, we took a trip to Cannon Beach. It was a typical winter day at the coast...meaning lots of rain. But did that stop us? I don't think so! We are true Oregonians. The kids had been looking forward to swimming in the ocean so much that nothing was about to stop them. I'm personally not a fan of the freezing Pacific, but I had a hard time getting them to stop playing in the water.
Here they are, still in dry clothes...

That did NOT last very long...

Yes, I know that I am probably a terrible mother for letting my little girls put shorts on in the rain, in February, at the beach, and go into the Pacific....but they were soooo happy!

Finally, all dry and exploring the town of Cannon Beach. It had actually stopped raining at this point. Afterwards we topped it off with ice cream at the Tillamook Cheese Factory. It's hard to go to the beach without stopping there!

Minnesota Christmas

Christmas 2009 was an adventure! We loaded up the van, set up the portable DVD player, and prepared ourselves for a very long road trip to Northern Minnesota. It was 1800 miles one way and took about 30 hours out on the road. On the way there we stopped overnight in Coer D'Alene, ID and then for a second night in Dickinson, ND. The kids loved staying in hotels. They were really excited to "go see the beds". The hotel in ND actually had a swimming pool with a water slide that twisted outside of the building. It was crazy going swimming while it was 4 degrees outside! Although the kids aren't really fans of deep water, they loved just splashing around after a long day of driving.

We were lucky enough to have mostly clear roads for the duration of the trip, and we arrived in MN on a Saturday afternoon. Although there was some snow on the ground, we got most of the snow over the next several days. For the first week, temperatures were nice at about 20-23 degrees. We played outside a lot! Sledding was a huge hit with the kids. There was a perfect sledding hill just across the street from my grandparent's house. The first few times there wasn't enough snow to use the snowmobile, so Chris had to pull Grace up the hill every time. That was quite a workout I'm sure.

Another fun activity was taking walks on the frozen stream. I was a little nervous about it at first, and so was my sister Bree. There were about 6-8 inches of ice, so it was safe to even drive the snowmobile on. We walked up the stream until we reached a beaver dam where the ice started to thin. I never thought I would ever walk on frozen water. I am a big chicken, but I did it. We even used the ice to play broom ball, which is a version of hockey with brooms and a ball. They shoveled the snow off of the ice to make it good and slippery. Everyone had a really great time!

We also had ice fishing on our list of things to do. The day that we went was really cold and a bit windy. We all bundled up really well and drove over to the nearest lake. My dad used the ice auger to drill out small holes for fishing. I was more nervous to be out on the middle of the lake. The stream was so much smaller, and much more shallow. It too had plenty of ice, and we were just fine. Unfortunately, we didn't have much luck with the fish. David, Bree's fiance was the only one to catch anything, and all he caught were small tiny carp. Oh, well. At least we can say we've gone ice fishing once in our lives. In one of the pictures you may see some shacks out on the lake that look like outhouses. Those are fish houses, complete with a stove usually to keep warm while fishing. It's too bad we didn't have one of those!

On Christmas Eve night the boys lit a giant bonfire with brush that had been collected from the summer. It was pretty huge. Grace was super excited to "go see fire". Chris also always enjoys a good fire. We brought out hot dogs and marshmallows for roasting. The kids loved cooking over the fire and eating their "creations". Claire even mentioned that the fire was a good idea so that Santa would be able to find us easier. True, true.

Christmas morning was fun. We woke up to find tons of presents under the tree. We exchanged gifts with each other and then we trailer folk (us, my parents, Kee, Bree, and David) all walked up to the house to exchange more gifts with my grandparents and my Aunt & Uncle and their kids. It snowed most of the day, and we all just relaxed and enjoyed each others company. Dinner was yummy. We had ham, turkey, wild rice, yams, stuffing, irish stuffing, rolls, salad, ginger ale, mashed taters, gravy, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. It was all good though.

After Christmas it started getting really cold! It was about 5-13 degrees during the day. We still played outside, but it was harder to stay out for very long. It's amazing how different 10 degrees feels from 20. We went to see 2 movies: Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. Both were really good, although I liked Avatar more. We took rides on the snowmobiles and on the four wheeler. The kids loved going for rides. They cried when we made them go back inside the house, even while their little cheeks were turning purple. We also had enough snow so that when we went sledding, the snowmobile could take people back up the hill. That was a really nice change for Chris!

The drive home was done in 2 days. We stayed in Billings, MT overnight, and then made it home the next night. We were very lucky to again have great traveling weather and clear roads. It could have been miserable, but it all turned out really well. The girls did great in the car. We really can't complain. They handled it all extremely well. The night before we left we all went to a Pizza Hut for dinner. Grace had an accident that made it impossible for her to continue wearing her pants. I had also left the diaper bag at the house along with my purse, where I always stash one extra diaper. Luckily we were able to find one freezing cold diaper hiding in the van. Poor child had to ride home pantless in 9 degree weather!

Overall, we had a really great trip! We all had a blast playing in the snow and arctic cold temperatures. It was nice to see my grandparents again and spend time with them over Christmas. I'm sure they were exhausted from taking care of all 17 of us that were there. They did so much to make sure that we all had everything that we needed. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a great Christmas!

Busy Time of Year

The last few weeks have been crazy busy for me. I was in charge of planning our ward Christmas party, getting ready for a ROADTRIP to Minnesota this week, going to Dr. appointments for myself and the kids, finishing up the gift purchasing, and all the while feeling sick to my stomach and extremely tired. Yep, I am pregnant. It really does complicate things. I just feel like laying around or sleeping, but there is so much to do.

Our ward party went really well. Even with a few setbacks, we pulled it off. We had plenty of food for everyone, and the kids' crafts went really well. We've had great feedback so far, so thank you to everyone who helped bring food, or with cooking, or with just coming and supporting us.

Tonight we went to a small family pre-Christmas get together. It was complete with turkey and potatoes. It was fun to exchange gifts with some of the people that we won't get to see on Christmas day, but it made it all very real. Christmas is not very far away! It will be here before we know it!

This week we have one other Christmas party, but other than that we will be preparing for our super long roadtrip. I will probably be taking another break from the blog until we are back. I'm just so glad to no longer be a stressball.

To all of our friends; we wish you a very Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year! We are sad that we won't be around for fun get togethers, but we look forward to many more next year.

Happy Anniversary

On Monday we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary! It's really hard to believe how fast time seems to fly by these days. It doesn't seem that long ago when we were just poor college students trying to eat, sleep, study, and work. The journey through has been so much fun! I wouldn't trade it for anything. Back then I wouldn't have been able to imagine where we are today: good jobs, a nice home, and 2 beautiful daughters. We have been blessed.
We had planned to celebrate by going out to dinner on Monday night. I even arranged a babysitter. To my surprise, when I woke up, Chris had left me a note telling me to pack my things and get the kids ready to spend the night at grandma's house! He also had bought me a pearl necklace, which I have been wanting. We had such a great time! We were able to do some shopping without the kids, we had a fancy dinner at OCI, and stayed downtown at the Hotel De Lux. We even went out for breakfast the next morning. I was really surprised! It was a great anniversary! Thanks sweetheart! You are the best, and I love you lots!

It's your party...

Turning 2 is pretty exciting, especially when all your family comes to your house to celebrate. It's even better when you are in baby doll heaven. A new stroller, baby carrier, bottles, diapers, dress up jewelery, Abby Caddaby, and a little people airplane were all very exciting. So much so, that mommy had to drag you back to open each present. You were just too excited to play with everything. Please forgive us for not cleaning the pizza sauce off of your face better for the pictures. You were just having so much fun! After opening all your new gifts, we had cake and ice cream. You even blew out your 2 candles all by yourself! You are getting so big now!

Trick or Treat!

On Halloween this year we decided to check out Grandma & Grandpa's Trunk or Treat activity. After attending our own last weekend, the girls knew what to do! They had a great time going trunk to trunk and filling their buckets. Grace really figured it out. She wasn't shy about walking up to people and sticking out her bucket. If they didn't respond fast enough, she would reach into their candy bowl, and take a handful. I was especially proud of her for choosing good chocolate options when given a choice. After the trunk or treat, there was a small carnival inside the Church where we decorated cookies, fished, and played games. Claire really liked making a bat that fit on her finger. Afterwards we hit up McDonalds for a quick dinner before heading out into the cold to a 2nd trunk or treat in the area! We were lazy bums...although I have to say it was really nice being able to walk around a couple parking lots for only a couple hours. The kids didn't freeze, and their buckets were loaded! We will be enjoying their spoils for the weeks to come.

Two Today!

It's hard to believe that Grace was born two years ago today! Time has gone by way too fast. She is no longer a baby. Each day she becomes more and more of a big kid. She no longer sits in her highchair, she is giving up her crib for a toddler bed, she uses a big girl cup without a lid, and she likes to "go potty". Even with all of these changes and some new displays of her independent spirit, she is still my sweet baby. Grace loves to cuddle, and will often want to sit on my lap wherever I am. I try to enjoy this as much as possible while I still can. She is such a sweet girl, and we are so lucky to have her in our family. Happy birthday Gracie Pants! We love you so much!