Christmas 2017 Memories

Happy 2018!  I entered this year feeling refreshed and excited for the new year.  Hoping that it would be calmer and less turbulent than 2017 was.  So far it doesn't seem that it's going to be with what's been going on in the news the first two weeks of the year.  Personally 2018 is shaping up to be pretty good so far though so I keep my hope.  :)

Before we get too far into 2018, I wanted to document the wonderful holiday season we had this year.  I would say this was one of the most magical Christmas' we've ever had.  The boys are at such wonderful ages and everything about Christmas is so wondrous and exciting.  In fact, they're still singing Christmas carols on a regular basis and we're in mid-January!  Apparently this year's holiday had a big impact on them!  I tried really hard to soak up this holiday and be present.  And I think I did a pretty good job.  I didn't feel overly busy or stressed about all the stuff we had going on or had to get done.  It probably helped that I took the whole week off work before Christmas to rejuvenate and have time to finish shopping, wrap, etc.  Not being stressed really allowed me to gratefully observe the joy in our boys' eyes with all the favorite traditions around Christmas and to immerse in those things along with them.  I felt like a kid again myself! 

So here's the recap of Christmas 2017 season:

We started December off as we usually do by going to Keith & Scott Tree Farm to pick out our tree.  We found the perfect one for Cameron too!  :)

Next up was the Symphony Tiny Tots Christmas concert same as we went to last year with Nana and Pops.  It's always a sweet little show with musical instruments and catchy songs.  Perfect for toddlers who don't last long sitting in a theater seat.

Right after the concert, James and I had the wonderful opportunity to do our annual Christmas shopping date while Nana and Pops watched the boys.  This year we chose to "shop small" and spent the day on Bainbridge Island.  They have the greatest toy store, book store and cute boutique shops.  Plus it was just so fun to walk around town and enjoy the sunny day.  Unfortunately we couldn't complete our whole list and still had to do a trip to Toys R Us, but it wasn't too bad.  :)  Unfortunately I failed and didn't capture any photos that day. 

I also forgot to mention that before Thanksgiving we did another one of our favorite traditions this time of year: visit Molbaks.  I always love their beautiful holiday decor including the gorgeous poinsettias!

Our church does a really cute children's Christmas play every year.  This year Nate played a shepherd and Cam played a sheep for the Jesus birth story.

By far one of our most favorite traditions is the Santa Train through the Snoqualmie railroad.  And this year lived up to our expectations as usual complete with home baked cookies, visiting Santa, and the best part--the train ride!

One extra special treat for me was getting to volunteer for Nathan's class winter party.  I never get a chance to help out or be in his classroom with my full time work schedule.  But since I took an extra week off, I was able to finally help out!  They decorated Christmas trees for the party and I think more of the candy ended up in Nate's mouth instead of on his tree.  I stayed a little longer and also got to eat lunch with him in the cafeteria with all his friends.  Kindergarteners are hilarious!  I was cracking up!

We spent one afternoon baking and decorating yummy sugar cookies with Nana and Pops.  The boys really helped out this year both with cutting out shapes and decorating with frosting and sprinkles. 

And then that night we braved the cold and the rain and did the zoo lights at Woodland Park Zoo.  We hadn't done that for a couple of years and it was really fun!  They are pretty creative with how they create all the animals and set up the lights to make it look like the animals are moving!

Finally the main event was here!  We spent Christmas Eve with Nana and Pops picking up our Christmas danish from Nielsen's bakery in Seattle, attending their church and having a yummy beef tenderloin dinner at their house along with opening presents.

Christmas morning was one of my most favorite times.  It had started snowing the night before and we actually woke up to a white Christmas!  I've only had maybe 2-3 white Christmases in my whole life.  The boys couldn't believe it!

The boys hurried downstairs to find presents under the tree covered with a sheet (tradition from when I was a kid).  Just like my parents made us do, the boys had to have a little breakfast.  Then we read the Jesus birth story.  Finally then we did our stockings and he presents under the tree after much anticipation. 

Santa exceeded our expectations and gave the boys exactly what they asked for when they sat on his lap.  Nathan got a Lego train set that's electric!  And Cameron got a red race car that has a remote control.  Other popular items this year were Star Wars x-fighter and tie-fighter toys, Ninjago Legos, books, train track stuff, Darth Vader rain boots, Playmobil toys, puzzles, and Transformers. 

The rest of the day was spent with the Spauldings.  Together we took our time opening stockings and presents and just enjoyed each other's company and some yummy food (prime rib!).  There were a couple of big surprises too.  Nathan got to go on a treasure hunt and at the end found a real life fish!  We now have a new family member!  Batman is a betta fish and the newest member of our family.  Cameron also got to go on a treasure hunt and found a Blaze Island toy set! (Blaze is a Monster truck in a show on tv).  For both boys, Grampa found this wonderful old electric train set that he bought from someone.  The boys were enamored with it and now they ask all the time to go to Gramma and Grampa's to play with the train. 

Gosh looking back it really was a special (and busy!) month.  But so many wonderful memories and fun stories to tell.  Right now we're in the perfect window with our boys' ages--they believe everything and are so enthusiastic about everything related to Christmas.  I know these years are limited and will go quickly.  Thankfully I feel like we really soaked up Christmas 2017.  Can't wait to do it all again next year!

Thanksgiving Weekend 2017

As I've mentioned before, Thanksgiving weekend is one of my most favorite times of the year.  Sadly this year I did a poor job of taking photos.  But it still was a really fun weekend.  We randomly captured the above family photo right before the Thanksgiving meal with an iPhone.  How did we get everyone smiling and looking at the camera?  It's truly a Thanksgiving miracle.  :)

We started off the Thanksgiving day with our new annual tradition...the Issaquah Turkey Trot.  It was pouring rain this year so I didn't even get a photo.  I left my phone in the car because I didn't want it to get soaked.  This year the run was really fun because they changed up the route and we went through Downtown Issaquah.  Despite the rain, people showed up in full force with Thanksgiving garb.  Nathan ran most of the way with us this year which was fun.  He and I raced to the finish line together.  I love how our boys are troopers--even when the weather is crummy.

Back at home we warmed up with a quick snuggle on the couch and watched a little bit of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade which is one of Nathan's favorite traditions.

Thanksgiving meal was spent at Gramma and Grampa Spaulding's house this year with Aunt Jacky and Uncle Johnathin.  Such a lovely meal as always.  And we all raved that it was one of the best turkeys we ever had--so moist and yummy!

After dinner we traveled over to Nana and Pops Warner's to enjoy dessert including Pumpkin Pie, French Silk pie and Berry pie.  Yum!  I was definitely full by the end of the night.  Thank you to all the grandparents and siblings for such delicious food!!  Lots and lots to be thankful for this year.

The next day we continued our long time tradition of going to downtown Seattle to usher in the Christmas season.  We wandered around downtown and shopped, ate lunch at the Nordstrom cafe, rode the Carousel, visited the gingerbread houses (which were in a different building this year), saw the train in the Macy's window, and enjoyed dinner at Tutta Bella.  Such a treat to have Ryan and Carly along with us this year too!

Apple Cup was the next day with a very healthy UW win!  And then the weekend was topped off by our other annual tradition now--visiting Santa!  We still love going to see Santa in the early evening on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  There are no lines and it's just a really fun thing to enjoy with the grandparents.  Then we go to a yummy dinner at Red Robin.  Perfect way to end the weekend of celebrations.

It's so fun to step back and realize how many traditions we've already started as a family.  Hopefully these are times the boys will cherish for a long time and will want to continue doing...even when their teenagers!  Yeah right! Maybe I will make them do them regardless.  :)

Ryan and Carly's Wedding

With great joy on October 15, we celebrated the marriage of Ryan and Carly.  And it couldn't have been a more perfect day or weekend for the both of them. 

They got married on Lummi Island which is part of the San Juans at a wonderful place called The Willows Inn.  Lummi Island is one of Ryan and Carly's favorite getaway spots  We had never been there before but now we understand why they like to escape to there when they can.  It's a beautiful, sustainable, small island with limited population.  The inn sources as much as they can from the island itself including their very own large garden and farm.  It's a small piece of paradise. We were fortunate that Ryan and Carly rented out the entire inn for the weekend so we got to experience its charm. 

My Aunt Jackie and Uncle Tim traveled from Florida to celebrate the event with us and we loved getting to spend some time with them the day before in Bellingham and on Lummi.  It was so nice especially for the boys to get some quality time with them too. 

The wedding day was absolutely perfect weather-wise.  Staff at the inn were commenting on how they couldn't believe the weather because it's usually either rainy or overcast or if it's sunny, it's windy.  We had a gorgeous sunny fall day with no wind in the upper 50's.  But the day before and the day after were grey and rainy.  God was definitely smiling down on this special event. 

The event started off with family photos.  Then we went to the inn for happy hour and to greet arriving guests.  The wedding ceremony was near the water on the grassy area at the Beach Cabin, one of the Willows Inn accommodations.  What a gorgeous setting and such a meaningful ceremony.  I've never heard such deep, intentional, well written vows in my whole life.  Trevor Hill, Ryan's good friend married them. 

After the ceremony everyone headed back to the Inn to partake in their famous multi-course dinner.  We had 14 courses!  And some of the most interesting, but also delicious flavors I've ever had. It was a mini-date night for me and James as the boys were back in our cabin with a babysitter and we had a private table to ourselves. The evening ended with a deep lounging party back at the cabin. James enjoyed his time at that, but I was so exhausted I went straight to bed!

Overall the wedding was completely Ryan and Carly style--simple, yet elegant, close friends and family, meaningful, authentic, good food and drink, rustic, natural, and abounding in love. A day we will never forget.  So happy for both of them!

First, here are the amateur photos:

And now, some of my favorite photos from Ryan's amazing photographer:

Finally they are officially hitched!  Congratulations Ryan and Carly!!

Kindergarten

We officially have a kindergartener!  Nathan started Kindergarten on September 5.  He goes to Snoqualmie Elementary and is in Ms. West's kindergarten class.  He takes the bus to and from school every day.  It's crazy to us that he goes off every day and navigates his world on his own.  It's thrilling and pulls on our heart strings all at the same time.

James and I took the day off for the first day of school so we could both go to the bus stop and then be emotional all day together that we have a kid in kindergarten.  Before we went out to the bus stop, we gave Nate a little gift.  I found a sweet little ornament at a store of a panda bear with a backpack and lunch box.  We gave it to Nathan calling it "brave bear" and that he could hold on to him any time he felt nervous or overwhelmed.  He still carries brave bear in his backpack every day.  Although I don't think he's truly needed--it's just nice to know he's there.

Nathan bravely got right on the bus that first day.  A few tears were definitely shed by us as the bus pulled away.  And a few hours later when he got off the bus, he had an exhausted smile on his face.  First day was a success!  After a couple days that week of feeling scared and overwhelmed as the transition set in, Nathan hasn't looked back and is loving school and thriving.  We are so proud of him!

Cameron's 3rd Birthday

How is it possible that our baby boy is 3 years old!?!?  And what a source of joy, humor, adventure and snuggles he is to our family.

Before I get into the fun birthday party we had to celebrate, here is a little description of what Cameron is like at 3 years old:

• Cameron is still our epic snuggler.  Thank goodness!  I hope he continues to want to snuggle as he gets older.  He requests to snuggle every morning before he gets ready for school.  And he wants to snuggle every night before he goes to bed.  We completely eat it up.  All he has to do is ask to snuggle in that sweet way he does and we are putty in his hands. 
• His language/talking skills have exploded in the past year.  It is so fun to have a full conversation with him and to observe his growing vocabulary. 
• He is still our rough and tumble, adventurous kid.  Cameron connects through physical touch.  He's always wanting to wrestle with Nathan, wrestle or snuggle with us, climb/jump on things, etc.  It is helpful that as he gets older he gets a little more cautious and aware.  But we still have to keep a close eye on him.
• This summer he got really good at riding his balance bike.  He can pick his feet up and balance for a long time.  We think he might be ready for a pedal bike next summer!
• Cameron is in Young Preschool class at school. 
• Some of Cameron's favorite activities include dressing up in costumes, playing Legos, playing with animals, coloring, riding his bike, playing catch with a football or baseball, swimming, and taking baths. 
• Amazingly Cameron is our vegetable kid.  He'll eat most vegetables that we put on his plate which we're grateful for because Nathan won't touch vegetables with a 10 ft. pole.  At least someone in the household is getting good nutrition.  :)
• Cameron still cracks us up on a regular basis.  He is the comic relief in our family and to hear him laugh is one of the greatest sounds in the whole world.
• Something is wrong with our child.  He does not like chocolate!?!?  How did he ever come from James and me?  But he has no interest in chocolate.  He doesn't really like sweets in general like pie, cupcakes, cake, etc.  He will eat candy though and gummies.  And he has an obsession with doughnuts.

Cameron has been very into Batman this year.  So it seemed very fitting that he wanted a Batman theme party of course.  This was the first party that we invited several of Cameron's friends from school which was fun.  We had a perfect summer day and celebrated at our neighborhood park.

Party activities included playing at the park, decorating Batman masks, a Batman pinata, pin the bat on the Batman suit game, and eating snacks.  As mentioned above Cameron is not a big fan of cake.  He actually (and unsurprisingly) requested doughnuts for his "cake" at his party.  We were happy to oblige and the kids loved it because they each got to pick which doughnut they wanted.

It was such a fun day celebrating our sweet boy.  Happy 3rd Birthday Cameron!

Cameron's "girlfriend" Evelyn  :)

Dougnuts!!