Christmas Cabin Fun!

We had a wonderful and peaceful Christmas this year. It was great to be cabin bound with the family (though with all the snow at home, we would have been home bound there too!) The kids LOVED the snow and Christmas morning was pretty darn cute!! Jake was in heaven with all his Star Wars stuff and spent most of the day doing his new LEGO sets. Grace served everyone tea with her new tea set and called several people on her new phone that came with her first purse (she's such a little girl!!) We missed my sister and her husband this year-- they're in Baja kiteboarding until May!!!!

I'm now looking forward to a fresh start to a new year. I feel like we have a full year under our belt as a family of 4. It seemed to take longer to just get in the groove of being home with two kids and adapting to two totally different schedules-- I have a napper again and one in school and activities. Not that it will ever be perfect, but I'm feeling out of my "cloud" and ready to tackle a new year!!!

Happy New Year!

Stringing popcorn and cranberries for the tree.

Our Christmas Eve walk
New jammies-- this is such a classic Jake/Grace interaction!
Getting ready for Santa.
Calling Grandma on her new phone.
Busy at work with new Star Wars Lego sets.
I know I'm cute!
Snowshoeing with Grandma at Lake Wenatchee

Family photo at the lake (Grace passed out in the backpack!)
A little cross-country skiing in front of the cabin.

Let it snow!!!

Well, we have been hit by quite the snowstorm this past week. One we Pacific Northwesters haven't seen in decades!!! It's been fun and beautiful, but a bit restricting in terms of trying to get out and finish the last of the Christmas shopping! This year, my family is packing up the car and heading over the mountains tomorrow to spend a quiet Christmas at a cabin in the mountains!!! We've filled our last two weekends with extended family Christmas celebrations, so come Christmas day, it will just be my family and my parents. Nothing like a back to basics, simple Christmas to celebrate Christ's birth!

So, we wish everyone a VERY Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!! Enjoy this holiday season.

And I leave you with some cute pictures that my friend took of the family the other day. I think she did a pretty fantastic job. :)

Tis the season to be crafty!

Well, I got the crafting bug this Christmas. My motivation was to save some money this year... but it ended up a lot of fun and I think I'll be continuing the craftiness. It's been a nice outlet for me. :) Jake even enjoys sitting next to me while I sew, etc... and makes his own "crafts". He informed me that he wanted to make a bumblebee doll for Grace and said that Grandma would knit the body and then we'd do the rest. We went to the fabric store, picked out yarn, felt, thule, etc..... it was pretty cute. :)

(I have found some pretty fabulous crafter blogs that share tutorials, patterns, etc. for their projects. I've listed a few down in my blogroll.)

sewing on the wings

The finished product
Grace's doll and one for my cousin's daughter

tile necklaces-- the blue Africa one has a little crystal where Ethiopia is. :)

These are art clips-- I just glued little chipboard shapes to mini clothespins and then you can hang your child's art work with these clipped to a yarn/string line attached to the wall.

Go Congratulate.......

Our friends from church, the Savages, just heard today that they passed court and will be traveling on Dec. 27th to pick up their VERY cute little man, Elijah!!! Grace can't wait to have her buddy home to play with at church. (and we know he won't be wearing his princess sleeper once he's home. :) )

God is good!!!

Love this!

I saw this poem on one of the "story people" prints. I switched the boy/girl around so it would fit my two kiddos. I have ideas swirling in my head as to what I want to do with it. I LOVE it!!! :)

(I know it's more for "couples" but I still think it's perfect for my family.)

"There was a girl with skin as dark as the earth and a boy with eyes as blue as the deep and they loved each other so well that people could not tell them apart, for in their hearts, there was no difference between them."

Finally!!!

I think Grace is finally starting to get the "smile for the camera" deal! She takes cute pictures, but I really haven't been able to capture her true smile, where her eyes light up and sparkle! When the camera comes out, that smile seems to disappear. But, this morning... she actually posed and smiled for me. So, of course, I had to share! Jake's a great smiler for the camera.... now the trick is to get them to smile at the same time!!!!

Not a fan of Santa......

This is my first "crying child" Santa picture. I think everyone needs at least one of them. :)Things got better with a candy cane and sitting on a stool.

And of course, there's always lots of love for brother.

Best buddies!!!!