Christmas Time

Christmas Morning flew by like a flash this year. It wasn't until the morning frenzy was over that I realized that neither I nor Landon had taken any pictures! My only saving grace is that we had the video camera set up and taped (yes, we are still living in the ages of taping) the whole event. So, my short synopsis will have to suffice.

Ella is getting old enough to really be in to Christmas. She loved talking to Santa this year and seized every opportunity to do so. She went to bed with all kinds of visions "dancing in her head" I'm sure. The morning came earlier this year than Christmas morning has in past years. For some reason, in the past she has slept-in on holiday mornings. She didn't sleep-in this year! Don't get me wrong, she wasn't up with the milk man, I'm sure she's saving that for next year. When she woke up and came into our room, it took less than 5 seconds for her to remember that it was Christmas. It was all we could do at that point to keep her in our room long enough for us to get dressed. Then, the frenzy began. Addi was loving all the excitement. She was dazzled by all the lights and paper. We tried to give her time to open her presents, but her big sister was quite the helper.

After the morning excitement we donned more suitable clothing for our traditional Christmas breakfast at Elmer's. When we were all full to the gills, we returned home to pack the car and head to the hills! We wanted to spend this Christmas with just each other, and we wanted no distractions. So, we booked a condo in Bend so that we could do just that.

One of the reasons we chose Bend for our little family excursion was . . . SNOW! Landon and I grew up where we enjoyed white Christmas's and we want our children to enjoy them too.

Addi enjoyed the snow, but it was Ella that played and played and played. It was a perfect day.

We returned home 2 days later, and as you can see, we had a very satisfied little girl.

We love Christmas and all the joy that surrounds the season. We want our family to cherish this time of year for the true reason for the holiday. As we center the holiday around our family, I believe we grow closer to Christ.

A Christmas Visitor

A special visitor came to our home last night. And as you will see, one of our girls was overwhelmed with joy (I'll let you be the judge of which girl it was : ).

Each girl received a new pair of pajamas to sleep in while they await Santa's return.

Merry Christmas!!

Welcome Family and Friends

Welcome to the Winter Family Blog. I have opened our blog to anyone who wishes to view it this holiday season. If you would like to continue sharing in our family adventures, please leave a comment at the end of this post telling me so as well as leaving your e-mail address to that I can add you to the list of readers. I will be securing our site again mid-January, so please, let me know soon. We'd love to share with you highlights of the Winter Family life.

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

We'd like to wish you all a . . .

This is such a joyous season with all kinds of festivities that can be enjoyed as a family. I am going to share just a few of these festivities here. First is Storybook Land. This is similar to a Festival of Trees, the difference is that they are using the trees and lights as a backdrop for the storybook displays. There is a display for everything from the nativity, to teddy bears, to Little Miss Muffet, to The Grinch. Ella's favorite was the Peter Pan display . . . because of Tinkerbell, of course!

Here are the traditional photos with Santa. Ella has visited Santa at least a half a dozen times this year. She wants to be sure he remembers what she wants. : )

This was Addi's one and only time to visit him, however. And as you can see, once was enough for her.

Now, we move on to the annual Choosing of the Christmas Tree.

Ella was especially helpful. She participated in everything, including providing the background music.

Now on to two of the most important people in my life, Ella and Addi. I decided, this year, that I would make Christmas dresses. I wanted ones that would match, and I enjoy sewing, so I thought it was about time I start this tradition.

As I just mentioned, two of the most important people in my life are my girls, the other is my wonderful spouse, Landon. Landon and I decided that this year will be a Christmas dedicated just to our family. And so, we will be staying "Home for the Holidays."

We hope you all are having a wonderful and happy holiday season. We love you all and hope you keep Christ as your center this year. Merry Christmas!

Over the River and Through the Woods

Before I go into detail, I need to say thank you to my sister Elizabeth for sharing these photos with me. She and my youngest sister, Christine, were the photographers for the following photos.

In the five years that Landon and I have lived in our home in Albany, we have never had family with us in our home for the Winter holidays. My parents and Christine decided that this was a tradition that needed some tweaking. And despite a case of H1N1 that was compounded by pneumonia (my dad was nearly admitted to the hospital), they made it. Yes, my dad's health improved enough just days before the planned excursion. To make it even more exciting, my sister Elizabeth and her family decided to come at the last minute.

Because this was to be a family filled Thanksgiving, Landon and I decided to try some new things. I decided to make the pumpkin pie from scratch. Mmmmmmm scrumptious.

Landon decided to fry the turkey. He made all the arrangements for the fryer, set up a cooking area in the back yard, and supervised the whole cooking process. It was delicious!

Here is the highly anticipated feast. I hope it was enjoyed by all who traveled to our home to share in it with us. It was definitely a memorable week for us.

You Might Be An Oregonian . . .

We needed some work done on our oven due to a "Failure" that was occurring every time we turned it on. It was a process that extended over a week-and-a-half. First was the recommendation, then the exploratory diagnosis, and finally the repair; all of which were house calls. All the parts that were needed for the repair were delivered in boxes directly to our home. When it was all complete and the repair man was gone for the final time, a distraught Ella said, "Oh dang it! We forgot to tell him to put the box in the recycle bin!"

The Face of the Flu

For all you science lovers, like myself, here's a look at the H1N1 virus.

Now here's a look at what it can do to you.

Despite all my efforts to keep my family healthy this year, I have been defeated. My little Ella "doesn't feel very good." It breaks my heart to hear my little girl say those words. It was a sleepless night as we made trips to the bathroom as she vomited all the soup, toast, and water that I was able to get into her last night. I am in need of making a trip to the store to purchase more children's Tylenol. And it's time Ella soak in a tub in an effort to get her fever below 102. My only plea at this point is, please may Addi stay healthy.

Halloween Fun

Halloween is a dream come true for every princess, fairy, Jedi, or clown at heart. In the case of my children, Ella was Thumbelina and Addi was a kitty cat. Happy Halloween!

I'm Going to the Temple

Landon and I had a few errands to run in Portland, so we decided to make a day trip with the family. The highlight of the day, going to the temple. We don't get many opportunities to take our girls to see and walk the grounds of our "local" temple, so this was a big deal. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon. As we were exploring the grounds, we were able to see a new bride. Ella was smitten. She began begging us, "I want to get married!" This turned into a wonderful teaching moment. I began by telling her that I too want her to get married in the temple and that when she is older and finds a boy that she wants to be with forever, we will return to the temple for her to be married. She looked up at us and said, "I want Daddy." I again smiled and told her that I was so happy that she wants to be with Daddy forever, but that she can't marry him because Mommy married Daddy. But because Mommy and Daddy got married in the temple, we are sealed as a family forever, and she gets to be with her whole family . . . forever.

.

Hey Pumpkin!

A few weekends ago, we took our annual hey-ride out to the pumpkin patch to select the perfect pumpkins. It was a beautiful day and both girls loved being outdoors.

The corn box was a hit! As you all know, Ella is my digger and was in absolute heaven. Addi was a little unsure at first, but warmed up quickly. And as soon as she was sure she was safe, she dug her fingers into that wonderful substance beneath her legs, grabbed a handful of that wonderful stuff and shoved it into her mouth. Unfortunately, that ended her time in the corn. : )

This final pic is one of Addi's most common expressions. It's so funny to see each child's individual personality.

A Day to Puree

In my ward, several of us women had babies this past spring and summer. It was fun to enjoy our pregnancies together, and later, swap labor stories (isn't that what all mothers do?). Well, one ingenious mother decided to invite us all to get together and make baby food. Now our poor infants won't have to suffer through a months worth of squash before moving on to pears. It was a fun morning that concluded with a yummy lunch together.

No, we didn't eat the pureed delights.

No Use Crying Over Spilt Milk

In our case, spilt paint. Ella was so excited to paint her pumpkin tonight. The actual painting process went off without any problem, it was the cleaning up that brought about the mishap, . . . but what can you do? . . .

Hug the daughter who was just trying to help, take a picture, and clean it up.