Zoo Lights!

Jeremy and I surprised the girls and spent the evening at the zoo. There is an amazing display of lights. The girls enjoyed the train ride and the baby elephant the most.


These wolves were completely fascinated with Ally. She would move from one side of the viewing area to the next and they would follow her. They are beautiful animals, just glad there were a fence between us!

Our Christmas

Our morning was wonderful. Ally awoke at 6:30am announcing that Santa came "come on mama and daddy you've gotta get up...Santa came!" She woke up Kaitlyn and Kaitlyn sprang out of bed. This were the gifts that arose the excitement. Kaitlyn got a Liana barbie and was devistated when she didn't get a dress like Ally (Santa's grandma elf made it), but was thrilled about the unicorn she got (and Ally didn't!). We were able to enjoy our morning at home and left for Grandma and Grandpa Kanooth's around noon.


Little Westin (can't believe how big and adorable he is) and of course, Kierstin and Wes were in town for the holiday. The family was thrilled that even condisering the weather conditions we were all still able to gather for Christmas dinner (though we all missed Rachel & Leif who were in Spokane)


All the grandkids enjoyed doing their gift exchange and being together. In the drawing, not one child drew a siblings name.


Grandma and Grandpa seemed very grateful to have everyone together, espcially after having being home bound for 10 days.


The girls were thrilled to present their gifts to Grandma and Grandpa and cherish the moments they get to spend with them also.


On our way home we were able to see Great Grandma. We were thrilled to get to see her and she was SO happy to get to see her sweet girls on Christmas day.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Can you tell the girls are thrilled that Christmas is tomorrow? They were so excited to be at Grandma and Grandpa's!


They were ecstatic to have Grandma and Grandpa open their presents (which the girls made). This year the girls have truly learned the importance of giving than receiving. They made sure Grandma and Papa opened their gifts first....they couldn't wait. Not to say they weren't excited about opening their gifts also!


Not very often we get to see a pic of Mom & Dad ALONE. I couldn't help but take this pic as we were leaving for the evening...the snow, the lights and loving parents....who we're extremely grateful for!

A Winter Wonderland

Another FUN day in the SNOW!!!

Jeremy has never had a better hunting dog than Camo. They are buddies and have a lot of fun together.


Camo is so good with the kids!





Kaitlyn didn't seem to enjoy riding or sledding as much as the rest of us, especially after daddy dumped Kaitlyn and I yesterday. Today, she enjoyed stomping on the ice-covered snow so that she could throw the ice. While we would sled, she would run up and down the street watching, giving high-fives and trying to keep up. She was having a blast in her own little way...it was cute.

Riding

Yesterday it snowed ALL day. "The Fam" was able to get out and enjoy a day of riding, sledding and sipping cocoa. Jeremy and I had a blast going deep in the woods riding a 4-wheeler with snow tracks...it was amazing how much snow was at the top of the hillside. The ride was beautiful, but very cold. I was riding behind Jeremy and the snow piled so high behind me that I had a backrest by the end of the ride and my legs were buried under 6" of snow. I became extremely grateful for the trees in the Northwest...without them we wouldn't have been able to see where we were going, for EVERYTHING was white!

The Snow Finally Came!

After our 5 day let down of NO snow....it finally came this morning, of course, after the forecast called for rain. Now it's expected to stay and we have already had much enjoyment from it! I can't help but post them all, for the girls & I had SO much fun! We kept texting Jeremy and tempting him with pics...hoping that he would come home from work early and play with us. Kaitlyn even pulled Zack (our cat) on the sled...he was too quick or I would have got a picture of that also. Ally commented to Kaitlyn and I: "you're not being very nice to Zack when you do that" (very seriously). The girls toes were frozen quickly so hopefully we'll get back out there again later today.

One of Our Family Traditions

For the last four years I've made Christmas Bread. It's from a recipe Jeremy's mother made each Christmas throughout Jeremy's childhood. It has become a family favorite and it's something that Ally and Jeremy have been pestering me to make since Thanksgiving. Last year, I made three separate batches (this year, I didn't want to start too soon...for fear I might repeat last years calorie intake).

Once the bread was done, Ally and I got out the special Christmas dishes. Daddy surprised us by decorating the bread with cherries (a festive touch). Kaitlyn couldn't remember what the excitement was all about, but was excited because Ally was excited (last year she didn't care for the bread too much...we didn't tell her that). We sat at the table. It was so peaceful and many blessings were recollected as we sat and enjoyed the sweet moments of the season and sharing our family tradition together. Kaitlyn now loves the bread as much as Daddy and Ally.

Christmas Bread

Combine 2 packets of active dry yeast with 1/2 cup warm warm water; let stand a few minutes; stir to blend; Stir in 1 1/2 cups luke warm milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 t. salt, 1 t. ground cardamom (inexpensive if you buy it in bulk at Winco), 2 eggs beaten and 2 cups of flour. Beat smooth. Add 3 more cups of flour; beat until smooth. Stir in 2 cubes of melted butter. Add enough of the remaining flour (3 cups) to make a soft dough which can be handled. Cover. Let rest 15 minutes. Turn out on floured board; knead until smooth and elastic. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover with damp towel. Let rise in warm place (85 degrees) until double in bulk, about 1 hour. Punch down. Cover. Let rise again until almost doubled (about 1/2 hour). Turn out on lightly floured board. Divide into 3 parts to make 3 separate loaves of any shape. I usually braid mine, this year I also made one teddy bear shape. Candy cane twist is fun also. Last year I did a candy cane and topped it with frosting and crushed peppermint candies. Once you've shaped your loaves, bake at 375 for 18-25 minutes. Prepare powdered sugar frosting (1 cup powdered sugar, 1/4 t vanilla and 1 T milk). Frost the loaves as soon as they come out of the oven. YUMMY FOR OUR TUMMIES!

A funny: The first year I made this I skipped the part that said to divide the dough into 3 separate parts. I had one GIGANTIC loaf that took an hour and a half to bake...I was wondering what the heck happened, until I called my mother-in-law and realized what I had done! Jeremy laughed hysterically....it was another comment that I still get occasionally...."that's not how my mom does it".

Jeremy and I both have many special childhood memories that we treasure. They are important traditions (to us) that we enjoy passing on to our own children. It's so much fun!

Our Little Angels!

We had a great time attending the Festival of Nativities this evening. There were many beautiful displays. It's been a few years since we've attended. There were several signs posted "please do not touch" on tables where the main display was. I don't know how many times we had to remind Kaitlyn about the signs and asking her what they said...it was cute because all she wanted to do was touch baby Jesus. Eventually it got to the point where she only pointed and we were grateful for her obedience....patience, patience. When we went to the children's area and saw all signs marked "please touch", we were extremely grateful. The girls had a great time...they loved making their own baby jesus ornament. They also enjoyed the opportunity to dress up as angels and take part in a manger scene. Ally loved the stories that took place in a tent with beaded doors and Kaitlyn loved holding baby jesus. We are really enjoying this Christmas Season, it's so nice when we all recognize the real reason for the season.

Beautiful Sunset!

We were amazed this evening, when we looked out the window and saw the beautiful sky. I ran out as quickily as I could to take a pic for the girls. We are all so blessed for the beauty of this earth!

Thanksgiving 2008

We went to my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Ken's house for thanksgiving. It was a fabulous dinner with all the favorites...this year I made a broccoli casserole (recipe from the show "Good Eats"). It didn't turn our quite like I thought it would, but most seemed to enjoy it. It was a small crowd this year: Grandma, Mom, Dad, Peggy, Ken, Christopher, Dana and can't forget Bandit (who Ally fell in love with). It was really nice to see everyone. When dinner was over we headed out for yummy dessert at Jeremy's parents...another small crowd: Grandma Martin, Mom, Dad, Lairen, Becky, Steve, Sydney and Tori. My camera's battery died or I would have attached pics....the kids had a good time playing with cousins and we had a nice visit. We're thankful to live close to most of our family and that we are able to visit both sides..we're very fortunate (even if we don't act grateful at times).

The Pillow

Here's "The Pillow" I talked about in the cross-stiching memories entry. It was lots of fun and I'm hoping to do another kind of like it soon.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Kaitlyn creates a new piece of artwork in her pre-school class each day. These are all of the Thanksgiving related pieces we've collected over the last couple weeks. She just loves to show us her surprises each day.

I'm So Cute!

Jeremy took this picture of Kaitlyn. Each time we take a pic, Kaitlyn asks to see it. Her comment: "OH! I'm so cute!" She was singing her little heart out!

Memories of Cross-Stitching

Okay so growing up mom cross-stitched ALL the time. It is a great talent that she picked up on her own and she does a fantastic job at it! There are some pretty large and quite detailed projects she's done through the years, but has had to give much of it up since loosing some feeling in her hand and her eyes being not as good as they used to be. When I was younger, she showed me some simple stitches and had me do a couple (very small) projects.

Mom's birthday was last week. When I was on the search for the perfect gift...I walked passed an isle with thread and an idea came to mind. I traced the girls hand on material (can't remember the specific name of the cross-stitching fabric) and had the girls help me cross-stitch their hand print (this really tested my patience...I poke the hole, the girls pull it through....ahhhh!)...I really thought it wasn't going to take very long....it was going to be a simple project (just their hands), put it in a hoop and be done. Well....the hoop wasn't big enough and Sunday was approaching fast (couldn't get to a store)....mom's birthday was on Monday. I had to be creative...but have to admit I almost gave her an unfinished gift (actually, two, but that's another story! lol)

I came across a quote..."There's No Place Like Home, Except Grandma's!" I had to add the quote!!! But I would have to come up with my own letter template and place every letter just right...another time consuming task. The girls and I then decided it would be neat if we could make Grandma a pillow...they were so excited (I was too...but how in the world would I do that without mom's help!). I had made a couple quilts last year (that too without mom's help)....I decided to try and was able to piece a few extra fabric scraps together to border the stitchery. Once that was complete, I didn't have a pillow that would work quite right so I made my own pillow form with extra batting I had (that could have worked, but the form wasn't big enough and it looked pretty bad).

Mom's birthday was here. Did I mention, Ally got sick the night before? The picture above is her finishing the pinky finger all by herself! She came down with Strep throat and was miserable. We were unable to see mom on her birthday and had a couple extra days to get this project done. Ally was a great helper and I was glad it helped keep her mind off of how miserable she felt. I stayed up until midnight (after getting the right pillow form from the store) and the whole thing finally came together. Unforfuntely, I don't have a picture yet, but I will get one soon and will post it.

It was a great flash back: to recall all the moments watching mom put together her pieces of art...that have gone to so many friends and family throughout the years. It's through example that others come to do what they do. Thanks Mom! I know this was a gift to you...but this is also a gift (that's been in waiting) from you to me.

Snuggling with Daddy

Kaitlyn and Sydney

Kaitlyn got to go to Grandma and Grandpa's while Ally and I were at the theater and daddy was off hunting. Kaitlyn had a great time! Sydney and Kaitlyn were taking pics of each other....this is one of the pics (not sure who took this one...but it sure is cute).

Mama/Daughter Date Night

My wonderful friend Arica surprised me with an early Christmas gift on Ally's birthday, 4 tickets to the Children's Theater/James and the Giant Peach. Arica already had tickets and took her mother and 2 of her 4 daughters. Jeremy wasn't too interested in going and Kaitlyn was a little too young for that particular story line. So I decided to take our friends Jen and Hannah (Jen's daughter). We are very fortunate to have Jen's mother living next door to us, therefore the girls get to play quite often. Ally and Hannah loved getting dressed up and having a girls night....so did Jen and I (didn't get dressed up, but enjoyed the evening). Everywhere we went the girls were smiling and told everyone how they were on a date with their mama. It was a sweet experence. Just wish I would have got a picture with Ally and I that night (and at the theater).



We were able to take the girls on the boardwalk next to the river while we waited to get into Beaches Restaurant. The girls loved going to the treasure chest when they were through eating (the mask was one of the treasures they received).



Ally and Hannah came out and surprised Kaitlyn and I with a concert the other day. They were so pleased to be playing their instruments and to be singing Jingle Bells (yes, our family is already getting in the spirit of things).

Helping Sister!

This morning, Ally was making her bed as fast as she could ....but needed to move to the next task before leaving for the bus stop. Kaitlyn decided to help Ally by finishing the bed (by herself)...she placed all the pillows and stuffed animals on the bed. She put a BIG smile on Ally's face. Ally likes the new way to place the animals on the bed and made the comment "boy, she sure did decide to be nice today". We both think Kaitlyn did a great job!