Happy NEW YEAR!!!!! 2009!

It's 2009!
Harlan and I would like to wish you &
yours a very Happy New Year.
"May God keep you in His tender care
'til He brings us together again. "

Sons-in-law are gifts our daughters bring to us

Har and I have been blessed to have 3 amazing sons-in-law. Each one of them has brought a new texture to the fabric of our family. All of them are hard working men that aren't afraid to pitch in with whatever is needing to be done. Whether it is in the house, outside or with one of the"kids" they are there to offer their hands and hearts to accomplish the task.

Jess came into the family 6 years ago. He is quiet, thoughtful and a great guy. He is very much like the Carhartt jacket that he likes to wear. Dependable and high quality.

He is a hard working dad with 3 busy busy children. He was very diligent in moving snow during our big winter event over Christmas. He cleared all the sidewalks so we could have Christmas Eve service at our house.

Logan married into this clan 3 years ago. He loves adventure whether it is personally challenging himself or encouraging others to join in on some project or game, life is never dull with him around. He is a great cook and always complementary of a meal well prepared for him.

He is also a great dad. Little Rowan is a chip off the old block in a lot of ways. He and his dad have a huge tender side to them. He is also very giving of himself and his stuff. (Thanks for letting us drive your car this week)

Kiel married Cherise in August of this year. He is a go getter. He gets people motivated to get things accomplished. He is an organizing dynamo and not afraid to jump in and help where ever he can. We appreciated his chauffeuring during this recent storm. He took people out with his wonder jeep whenever the need arose. He also took a turn at the shoveling job.

He also knows his way around a kitchen and has volunteered and been of service in many capacities there from food prep to clean up.

Our younger kids are better people for having these men in their lives. We have "partners in parenting" though we are the Mom and Dad, we look to our older kids for support in lots of areas.

So thank you, Rich & Jane, Allan & Kathryn, Steve & Carol. You have reared some amazing men. We are grateful!

"I'm dreaming of a white..." Birthday?

Alyssa accused me of dreaming of a white birthday. I must have because we definitely got a bunch of snow for it. Lyssa took a photo of me so here I am... one year older.

Joylynn and the kids braved the snowy, icy roads to come to wish me a Happy Birthday. Only Simon was missing. He will be here for Christmas so all of the grandkiddos will be in photos then.

Rowan and Danika are so fun to watch. They have such distinct personalities.

Genevieve visiting with Aunty Krystle.

Danika and Rowan "high five".

Wyatt being his silly self.

The boys had a great time in the snow without leaving the yard.

Launching from the steps.

Rowing down the slope.

Who says we don't have snow blowers in Portland.

It was still coming down last night.

Max played outside with the kids for a long time and he was snuggled down for a long winter's nap.

One of the chickadees has arrived.

We are expecting all of our kids, the sons-in-law and grandkids home for Christmas. Rylan is here already; Alyssa and Rowan are here waiting for Logan; Jess and Joylynn and kids will be motoring from the Rock Creek area; Kiel, Cherise and Courtney are coming from La Grande and Krystle arrived today.

She is already downstairs watching "Big Wolf on Campus" with her brothers and Nicole, eating pizza, chicken wings and drinking YooHoo.
She looks pretty spiffy in her uniform hey? It's good to have her back for a visit!

Chillin'

After a one day snow delay, Courtney was finally on her way to LaGrande to spend some much deserved time with Cherise and Kiel. Way to get through your first quarter at PCC, Courts!

The uncles playing with Rowan at Fred Meyer this morning.

I'm amazed none of the boys wanted to be my Christmas elves... at least they didn't want to dress the part.

It is hard to resist the call of the snow and snowballs were lobbed at bushes and poles.

Even Rowan got into the act once we got home.

Max is so happy to have people back home. He has a little doggie panic every time we head out the door with out him.
Snow is still coming down though it is supposed to turn to rain and then freeze solid again over night. Fun stuff!

Let it what? Snow! Snow! Snow!

Portland is not a winter city. It is under a winter storm advisory at this time. In fact traction devices are required in the metro area.

We woke up to a dusting of the white stuff that fell overnight. Enough that Har had to scrape the van and the slider door was frozen shut.
I dropped Har, Courts and Hayden off at church and made my Fred Meyer run.

This is my purse after walking from the store to the car.

It must have snowed over a 1/2 inch in the half hour I was in the store. The roads were getting to be awful. My van wasn't getting traction at stops and wasn't stopping well either. I was heading home to get Cam and Ry and decided after sliding to the side of the road on a turn and almost hitting a tree that I wasn't going back up the hill to church. Har and the rest will have to get a ride or walk the couple of miles home.

My window cling snowmen seem happy to have snow sticking to the laurel hedge outside.

Hayden early this morning filled the bird feeder so our little friends have something to eat in this cold weather.

It is "beginning to look a lot like Christmas"!

ZOO lights- Part I

We took some of our kids and went to Zoolights with friends.

Here is the first stop. The traditional picture in front of the animals.

Harlan came on the Max straight from work. Courts is wearing her new down jacket that is going to keep her super warm in LaGrande and possibly Walla Walla this month. Cam is wearing a cool pair of glasses that make all of the lights look like they have a snowflake halo around them.

Here is our main reason for going tonight. Molly is in a middle school choir and they had a little concert there. Fun stuff.

Here are Tom and Kim with most of their kids.

Here we are with the kids that we had with us. Rowan loved the train ride around the zoo. He got a lot of fresh air today and is a tired little guy.

When we were getting off of the train Har asked if we thought it was a shorter ride than normal. Nope. Time just flies when you are having fun.

Sweet and Innocent?

I have tried to toddler-proof my house as much as is needed. Mr Rowan is a very busy guy. He has discovered that Gramma and Grampa's house is vastly different than his house.

Could any face be more innocent looking?

He isn't mischievous to be destructive but he is more curious than all our cats put together. There are so many things to experiment with. "Do Christmas balls off of the tree bounce?" (We now have only unbreakable ornaments on the bottom third of our tree.) "Where can this roll around chair from the computer be pushed to?" "Can I carry this 1/3 full gallon of liquid from the front door to the kitchen without dropping it?" "Doesn't this empty paper towel roll look nice on the tree?" "Mice are fun to play with (computer mice that is)." "Look how many keys I can press on this thing." etc. "This room is a great one.... there is a roll of this white stuff that spins and then comes off and rolls. It's super fun!"

"Mom doesn't think it is a good thing. I am banished from the fun room."

Two trees - almost decorated

Well the trees are in the places they will reside for the rest of the season. The family tree in the living room (below) is pretty much done with decorations.

Most of the stockings are hung.

I have a tree in my dining room that I usually trim with Victorian ornaments. This year it is trimmed with my angels (two of my favs are above) and snowflakes and a few satiny white balls. I haven't decided if it is finished yet. But it's pretty close.

Each tree is in a different location from previous years. I like the change. What do you think?

Tree hunting

I think this is the 4th year that we've gotten our tree from the same place. A young man named Tyler planted trees as a way to earn money for college. It is located south of Gaston and is a beautiful area to drive to. He puts an ad on craigslist each year. It is easy to find and well worth the trip for a $10 douglas and a $15 noble.

Our noble is the one at the right of the picture.

It happened to be Civil War weekend so Ry is listening to the pregame while he lends a hand.

Tree hunting attire.

It was a balmy day with temps in the high 50's

One 9ft tall noble and one 9 1/2 ft tall douglas ready for the trip home. We stopped and ate Chinese food in Banks, Oregon. Have never stopped in that town before so it was one more adventure in our day. They also have a nice Thriftway.