Pre-Holiday Smorgasbord

Christmas and the New Year has come and gone, but now I finally have a bit of time to document what busy fun we were up to. 

Up first, the decorating of the tree: 

Hattie just sat here, ate snacks and directed where things should go. 

Not bad if I do say so myself!

Next, was Noella and Hattie's daycare Holiday Singalong. I should note that Noella was afraid of Santa, yet again; however, she rocked her songs! Sang loud and clear up on the top row. So proud. Hattie, on the other hand, was crying pre-show, which meant that I had the pleasure of holding her on the stage while her teachers sang the songs and she chewed on jingle bells.

Hattie enjoyed Santa's cuffs. 

Poor Noella. She was so excited too. Had her list and some cookies all ready to give to him. 

Hattie's performance.

We have started a tradition of decorating gingerbread houses with our friends, the Gobershocks. Ruthie and Noella have gotten more independent this year, and needed minimal assistance. Very fun!

This is what the babies did instead. 

And finally, we tried our hand at the horse-drawn carriage ride through the Christmas light display at Eagle Creek Resort. Somewhat fun, a little slow and Adam had to get out and walk with Hattie the last half. Glad we did it, but we don't feel a need for next year...

Riveting.

It was a fun Christmas season for sure. Noella was buzzing with excitement for weeks before Christmas. So amazing to go through this with children. Four years old (and 9 months) is fun!

Holiday Singalong: Take Two

So, this is only her rehearsal. But in case we have repeat of last year, I wanted to make sure you all were able to see her in her glory. She told me today, "Mom, am I a good singer? I think that's what I want to be when I get big".


Here she is, polishing her act. Notice the vibratto at the beginning of her song. When she sang it for me earlier in the day, the whole sounded like an exaggerated version of that. I asked her about it and she said, "Yeah. That's when I want to sound like a mom".

I sing like that all the time, by the way.

Here are a few recent photos.

The sweetest

The silliest

Many Thanks.....

It was a blessed Thanksgiving this year.

We were lucky to have family out here over the holiday. It had been about 5 years since that's happened, so we were fortunate for that. David and Liza joined us and were such great guests. In so many ways. Not only did they willingly and genuinely play with our children, they helped cook, CLEAN and go along with basically whatever we asked them to do. We love you guys! Thanks for coming. 

Below is a photo journey of how we spent our holiday. Prior to Thanksgiving, we cooked our pies, did a bit of downtown strolling and eating and finished their first full day in Bend by hiking in nearby Shevlin Park. 

David and Liza

Take two.

Amazing homemade rolls. Shaped by Mr. Ruether  himself. 

Hattie Bird. 

Me and Hattie Bird. 

Take two.

This kid. 

Table. (Thanks to David, for often stealing our camera to take pictures. That is why I actually have some pictures to share).

Artsy. 

See? Genuine. 

Turkey juices. Man-work. 

Noella dug the turkey leg. 

I mean, she OWNED it. 

And continuously grossed me out. 

See? Washing the dishes!

The pies were nothing short of amazing. French Silk and Grandma Mary's Pumpkin. 

Friday: Smith Rock

Hattie needed a bottle about 3/4 of the way through this hike. 

Noella hiked a great deal of the way. Somewhere around 5 miles. 

So very very thankful these days. I know it sounds cliche, but I guess we all need reminders to be thankful for what we've got.

Speaking of, now that I write this I realize that the day these pictures were taken (friday after Thanksgiving), is the 7 9 year anniversary (shit, where did the time go?) of when Adam and I first connected. David was also a part of that night. How thankful am I for that? A lot.

Hattie Lately....

CARHARTT REPRESENT!

We are just so in love with her!

This little smiley, drooley bundle is starting to scoot around. Her preferred method is rolling and turning, but she is able to if it seem worth it enough for her.

See Hattie scooting here. You'll see in the video, she gets one scooch in, and then stops, looks around like "is this worth it? I mean, here is a pretty fun toy right here, but I DO really want that cell phone cover..."

She also has 2.75 teeth (that top bugger just is killing me!), can say da-da-da (in varying pitches. her favorite: an octave above soprano...), bbbbbbb (raspberry like), ma-ma-ma (when she's very sad) and sometimes na-na-na (when she's mad). She snorts when she laughs, loves squeaky toys and books. Boy is she a delight. She's a good sleeper and eater and LOVES to watch Noella whatever she is doing (no big shocker there. this totally helps to boost Noella's desire to perform). Did I mention she's already SEVEN MONTHS OLD?!