Stair Climber

I love firsts. Tonight was the first time Michael climbed up the entire 14 stairs in our house...all by himself. Now we are going to have to block off the staircase from the bottom, too.

Way to go, Mikey! We are so proud of you!

Roller Girl

I took Kennedy to the local tennis court today to try out her new skates. She's been practicing in the house since Christmas so we thought it was time she got outside to try them out for real. I was very proud of her. She did a super job and got up every time she took a spill. We left the park with a little scratch on her elbow... the pad slipped and didn't quite do its job.

Happy Fifth Birthday Jackson Carter!

Our little Jack-O-Bean turned five on December 26th. It is so hard to believe that he is so big - so old. He will start kindergarten in the fall. I'll begin teaching him to read soon. Where did the time go? I love his big brown eyes and his tender heart. Jack is crazy about swords, dinosaurs, dragons and pirates. All year he has said that for his fifth birthday he wanted to have a dragon themed party. Then he recently switched it to crocodiles. Now he says that he wants another camping party (also the theme for his 3rd b-day). I think the inspiration came from the camping lantern that he got from his Ge Ge (great grandma) for Christmas. The party will probably be sometime in January, so we will see.

He chose to go to Red Robin for his birthday lunch. He had a hard time choosing the place, but finally picked RR because of the free birthday sundae. He dove right into it and even shared a few bites with his siblings.


Mikey's was glad for Jack's choice. He liked his first Red Robin french fry.

Our Little Christmas Show

Okay, here it is. The unedited version of our little Christmas show. It was the gift that the grandchildren gave to their Grammy for Christmas. The older grandchildren are playing the electric guitar, drums, and keyboard as the younger ones sing along after the What Christmas is all About monologue.

It is kind of long, so it is only for those of you who are truly devoted...

Christmas Morning, Afternoon, and Evening...

I was too tired last night to blog about Christmas Day, so I finished Eve and went to bed. Now I have some time to share.

We started off Christmas morning with two little boys who crawled into our bed. They could hardly wait to get things going.

We started out the morning with cinnamon rolls (I was up past midnight making them and really, they weren't that great. I think next year I will buy the frozen kind). Then the children got to open their stockings. They usually get the same things each year; bubble bath, new toothbrush, Happy Meal toys, a little candy, a book, and something to wear. It sounds very simple, but they love it. Actually, I think they would be satisified if the stockings were all they received.

I made the mistake of giving Mikey this candy cane. I thought it would be cute for a photo. I should have know that it is never really easy, despite the cliche', to take candy away from a baby.
Hair-Bear was excited to get his sleeping bag. It fits into this carrying bag/backpack. He wore it around most of the morning.

This was Jackson's only Christmas wish - the Wild West Sheriff and Outlaw Set. He calls the rifle his "Red Rider."

Kennedy loves her skates. She hasn't had a chance to try them outside yet because of the rain, but she has been rolling all around the house for the last couple days.

After eating and opening with our own little clan, we headed down the street to my mom's house for brunch. We ate, opened gifts and celebrated my sister's birthday (Dec. 25) and Jackson's (Dec. 26), too. Kennedy had gotten a roll of tickets on Christmas Eve from her other grandmother, so she handed them out for the Christmas Show. It was the second and final performance of our little version of Charlie Brown's Christmas.

Grandma Karen and Grandpa Terry's Tree

Karsten and Kelly, cuddling together.

My mom made Kennedy this adorable Christmas dress. She felt so beautiful in it. I thought she looked like the Christmas Princess.

The little elf and his helpers

Happy Birthday Jack and Angie!

We left Grandma Karen and Grandpa Terry's house and it was snowing! Big, chunky, fat flakes. All the way home, we kept telling the children to remember this day because it might be a very long time before it snows again on Christmas day in the Seattle area. The last time we could recall was about nine years ago, long before our children were born. The snow didn't stick, but it was a lovely ride home, drivin' in a winter wonderland. We came home for rest time before heading out again for our final Christmas celebration.

My brother, Kris, and his wife Michelle, hosted Christmas in their lovely new home. There was plenty of room for all of the extended family to celebrate Christmas. The food on the menu was scrumptious; Kris' goat cheese stuffed figs and banana & honey sweet potatoes were delicious and unique additions. Santa even stopped by with gifts for the children.

Kris and Michelle's tree

Santa visits!

I love this photo of my little guys and me.

Jack usually takes a while to warm up to dogs but once the gets there, he loves to play with them. I was glad that he made friends with Ellie.

Even though they are about the same size, Mikey was the bravest child when it came to little Ellie. It seemed that he was more annoyed with her though, than interested in playing.Like father, like son. It wasn't even planned, but they look so cute in their matching "outfits."
Aunt Janice and Cousin Jacquelin enjoy little Karsten.
Oops, the cake slipped off the tray and scraped against the counter, losing part of the decorations. Neither birthday kid seemed to mind the frosting mishap or the candle improv.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

We did have a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with our families this year. On Christmas Eve we went to Olympia to spend the day with Dad's fam. His sister's family is building a beautiful home on an amazing piece of property. It was so fun to be with the grandparents, siblings, and nieces and nephews (11 of them!) in such a peaceful setting.

We walked down the road to visit some horses and sheep.

You know you're a redneck if...all the husbands and young men get together on Christmas to shoot guns in the back woods.

Kennedy, Ava, and June loved their nutcrackers from Grammy & Papa.

Harrison got the pop gun, rubber knife with leather carrier, and coon-skin hat from his cousin. He loved them! The Super Man robe was a gift as well. He only wanted to wear it backwards though, so that he could see the "S" emblem.

The Welcome Committee made sure that Michael felt right at home.

Uncle Dando proudly held the two newest O. boys in his arms.

It was a cozy celebration of our Savior's birth. Thank you Steve, Becky & boys for welcoming us all into your home for Christmas Eve!

All I Want For Christmas Is...

Kennedy wants a pair of skates

Jackson wants a 3-pack of plastic guns he found at Big Lots

Harrison wants a sleeping bag

I love that they have such a simple wish list. Not only was it easy to shop for them, but I am glad that they don't expect a lot of stuff. After all, that is not what Christmas is all about.

To help keep the focus on Christ this year, our children have been practicing their own version of Charlie Brown's famous Christmas movie. Harrison plays Charlie Brown, with his one and only line, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is all about?"

Then Kennedy enters as Linus and tells what Christmas is about from the paraphrased version of Luke chapter two from the Bible.

Jackson is the tech guy who shines the flash light on Kennedy when she calls, "Lights, please!"

Will our children actually go through with the little skit for the relatives on Christmas? Hard to say. I will have some candy canes on hand for bribing, but if they do get stage fright and refuse to do it, that's okay. We have had a great time practicing and reviewing the real meaning of Christmas together in this creative way.

First Day of Dad's Vacation

Today marked the first of 11 vacation days for Ken. We decided to start it out right by surprising the kiddos with a trip into Seattle. Ken took Kennedy ice skating - something she has been asking for all season. Kennedy was the poster child for determination and perseverance. Each time she fell down, she got up, brushed the ice off, and started again.

I took the boys to the Children's Museum where Ken and Kennedy later met up with us. Both boys had fun dressing up in fire-fighting gear and driving the big red engine.

Ken worked on a family project with the children in the Dunn Lumber sponsored portion of the museum. Together they built a table and were quite proud of the finished result.

Don't lean on it too much, Kiddos!

Making Peanut Bars

Gram and Cousin Jessica came over yesterday to make peanut bars. It is a recipe my Gram has enjoyed since her childhood. She remembers her mom making them around Christmas time in the kitchen of their small trailer back in North Dakota.

It is a sticky process; frosting small squares of a very dense cake and then rolling them in ground peanuts. But the reward at the end is so worth the mess. Gram calls lefse-making a "labor of love" and I would say the same of peanut bars.

It was a sweet time of sharing our lives, stories, and current events as we continued on with the tradition of making peanut bars.

Peanut Bars (also called Peanut Croquettes)

Cake

2 C boiled milk

2 T butter

2 C white sugar

3 C flour

6 tsp baking powder (yes, 6 tsp)

2 tsp vanilla

Boil milk and butter in microwave. Add to the other ingredients. Mix. Pour into a 9 X 13 pan. Bake 25-30 min. at 350 degrees.

Cut into small squares. Spread with frosting, roll in ground peanuts.

Frosting

1 1/2 lbs powdered sugar

1/2 C softened butter

1/4 C or more milk

1/2 T vanilla

What Christmas is All About

Click on the underlined message below for a fun treat.

Linus Christmas Monologue
from Peanuts-A Charlie Brown Christmas. Linus tells us "what Christmas is all about"....Peanuts Christmas Linus Charlie

Mikey's First Birthday

Hooray! I am back on line and ready to share again. We recently celebrated Michael's first birthday. Here he is with his first cupcake!

It was nice having family together to rejoice in this little guy's life.

Cousin Karsten will soon be big enough to race around with Mikey.

Serious Technical Difficulties

Dear Blog Readers,

I regret to inform you that my computer has CRASHED. I tried to download photos from Mikey's birthday party on Sunday night and that was the end of our computer as we know it. I took it in to Costco's computer shop and the prognosis is not good. We may have lost everything on our hard drive. Everything. Photos, documents, files, EVERYTHING. Did I back anything up? Nope.

So don't bother checking the blog again for a while. We probably won't have another computer until after the new year. It wasn't quite in the Christmas budget, so we will see what happens.

Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. And remember to back up your files!

The Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker

This is the third year that Kennedy and I have gone to see the Nutcracker together. Can we call that another tradition? This year we went to see the ballet with two of her friends and their moms as well. It was in Seattle at McCaw Hall. The sets were lovely, costumes beautiful, and the orchestra and dancers were fabulous.

Erica, Allison and Kennedy all take ballet lessons, so it was especially fun for them to go to see the Nutcracker.


We mothers couldn't resist posing with our lovely ballerinas.