skiing!

Instead of a lot of toys for Christmas this year, the kids each got one thing from Santa and then we did a ski weekend as a family present (I don't even want to think about how last year, after opening all her presents Annie, put them all in a box and shoved it in her closet. Sigh.). We headed up to Snoqualmie Pass on Christmas day and spent 4 days reading, sledding, watching movies (on laser disc!), eating, skiing, and to top it all off, pushing the car back up the snowy hill.

Annie and Jonah had 2 days of ski school and they both had a great time. We were a little concerned about Annie because she a) doesn't like sports at all and b) doesn't like to be cold. Our fears turned out to be unfounded as she wound up on the chair lift on her first day and had a ball. Jonah loved riding the "Magic Carpet" and working on his turns. He was excited to find out today that he moved up to the next level so he'll get to go on the chair lift next time. Zeke loved having Joel and I all to himself and discovered the joys of sledding. He even mastered the "more" sign while sledding - after he would get to the bottom of the hill he would giggle and then do the sign frantically until we pulled him back up. They are already begging to go back up...


Looking super cute in their matching Helly Hansens.


Not too happy about the snow suit...


But much happier going down the sledding hill by himself.


Ready to walk up to ski school.


Annie coming down the hill.




Riding the Magic Carpet.


Working on his turns.

a very happy christmas

The elves left jammies out on the porch on Christmas Eve. Jonah was excited.


Annie learned the truth about Santa this year and was very excited to stay up and help set out the presents.


Zeke was very excited about the Teddy Grahams in his stocking...


and Annie's Fur Real Kitty.


New suitcases packed with ski clothes.


Annie and the Fur Real Kitty.


Christmas dinner at the cabin we rented up at Summit Central.

jonah says

"I thought we were friends. But I guess we don't like each other anymore!" (Said when I told him he had to eat some more of his eggs.)

"Jesus is the biggest, the baddest, and the awesomest!"


Listening to the new Muse song and practicing his air guitar.

sunday morning nap

Zeke took a good nap at church this morning...

we love a parade

Really, there's not a lot of things that are better than hopping on the ferry at 7:05 in the morning, finding a good piece of sidewalk in downtown Seattle, warming up with a cup of hot cocoa, and watching the Day After Thanksgiving Parade. It's cold. It's crowded. It's what we do. Then we spend the day in the city, eating, finding a toy store, watching a movie (this year it was Fantastic Mr. Fox), and ending it all with the Westlake tree lighting and fireworks. It's always one of my favorite days of the year.


Waiting for the parade to start.


Here comes the parade!


A clown gave Zeke a balloon and he couldn't have been happier.


Waiting for the light rail.


Walk in Columbia City...the day was beautiful!


Jonah showing off his new treasure - a glass rhino.


Waiting for the fireworks.

chillaxin'

i spy

I spy with my little eye...a piece of chewed gum in jar of animal crackers:


(Exactly what you would expect to find when you get out the snack, right?)

nap time

Evidently a day spent with just Joel and the big kids was just a bit too much...

one

In case you missed it, Zeke turned one. What the what? How did that happen already? None of us can believe that Baby Z is officially Toddler Z now. Here is how his big day unfolded:


The day started with a trip to the park and a cookie...


...which Joel tried to steal.


Then some swinging time. His favorite park activity.


We got "booed" by some neighbors that afternoon. He was pretty excited about the candy. (Have you noticed his shirt yet? Aren't I crafty?)


He had mini bathtub cakes since that is his very favorite place to be.


And, as you can tell, he was pretty excited about his cake.


Still excited.


Not so sure yet about his cool new car.


There we go. Now he's happy.

Happy birthday, Zeke. We think you are pretty awesome!

party time. almost.

We're getting ready for the big It's a Birthday Party! It's a Halloween Party on Sunday. We've invited a lot of people. A lot. And a lot of people are coming. A lot. (And you can't blame them, really, because it's going to be quite a shindig.) So, you would think in preparation for this big party, to which a lot of people are coming, we would be cleaning. But no. We're not. In fact, the house is getting messier. I like to believe there is a reason for this. I have come to the conclusion that we work best under pressure. Sure, you might say we are procrastinators. Maybe that is true. But truly, give us a deadline of oh, say, 24 hours and we can get things accomplished you couldn't begin to imagine. There's the enormous pile on the desk, and on the floor next to the desk, and under the desk. By tomorrow it will be all tidied up and put away. There is the half-painted magnetic wall by the desk. By tomorrow night it will be finished and nicely decorated. There's the pile of random things that had been piled up in the living room, that is now piled up in our bedroom. By tomorrow it will be safely hidden in the basement. There's the dining room floor that hasn't been mopped in, oh...a long time. By Sunday morning it will be sparkling. And we'll be ready with soup, and a cheese platter, and crafts, and goodies for the kiddies.

I thought about posting pictures, but it's probably best if you don't see what the house really looks like. So, I'm off to Bunco night, Joel and the boys are getting ready for a "camp out" in the living room, and Annie is having a sleepover at her best friend's house. And the mess will wait until tomorrow when we will become cleaning machines and get everything ready.

Or hidden.

pancake breakfast

I think this is one of our favorite island traditions. (It is definitely my fave since it involves pancakes.) The fire department has a pancake breakfast with fire truck rides every fall. It's so great. We always try to go early to avoid the crowds, but it's crowded anyway which is always OK because you see everyone you know. The fire truck ride is the highlight for the kids - they get to ride on top and they take you out on the streets and use the siren. What could be better?


Annie and Jonah with Annie's best friend, Corinne, who had a sleepover with us last night.


Waiting in line for the fire truck ride with our friends Aiden, Caleb and Corinne.


Zeke and Joel on the fire truck. Zeke was a little unsure about his first ride...


But, he did enjoy climbing on the trucks.


The kiddos. One of them looks a bit bored with the whole thing.

trouble, part 2

Zeke has figured out that he can push the little chairs around to get things off the table, desk, and counter. He's quite proud of himself. Oh, and the blue tape on the wall behind him? We're not painting. We had to put it over the outlet because he likes to pull out the outlet covers that are supposed to keep him from electrocuting himself.

trouble, part 1

Zeke is quite the climber/explorer. This is where I found him this morning:

happy birthday uncle jed

Dear Brother,

We are sorry this is late. We did want to call you on your birthday but heard that you had back to school night. So we made you a video instead. Then I couldn't find the camera cable. Then I forgot about it. Then I remembered after you called tonight. We hope you enjoy your post birthday greeting. Zeke used his new binkie in the video because he thought you would like it. We love you!

funniest thing ever

Seriously. It is. In fact, you should go use the bathroom before you watch this because you might pee your pants laughing. Don't say I didn't warn you.

soccer season

Jonah is finally old enough to play Parks & Rec soccer. He has been dreaming of this day. Joel is the team "coach" which mostly involves a) rotating the boys in, b) trying to convince them do more than just stand on the field and c) reminding them to kick the ball into the correct goal. Here are some pics from his first game.


This is my favorite picture because it completely captures his feelings about soccer.


Team huddle with Coach Joel.


Half time.


Post game crash.

first shoes

Zeke's been "officially" walking for about a month now. He got his first pair of shoes on Saturday. We're working on getting a video of him walking but he's refusing to perform...