It's been forever...

I read blogs all the time, but find I don't have time to do my own. So it's been forever since my last post, but I wanted to get a few things on here. Since moving into our house last December, we've done a ton of work. Up front, most of it was those pesky little things you just have to get done...building a kitchen, installing floors, painting over the primer...you know, the basics.

Well after doing all that, I found my energy for decorating just wasn't there. Until recently. Somehow the desire to create a home that is ours surfaced from the depths of wherever it had been hidden. Perhaps somewhere in 'It's not that fun to buy a fixer home-dom'. But regardless of where it went, it's finally come back almost 8 months later. And here's what we've done.

We have this cute little sleeping porch on the back of the house. In preparation for some weekend guests, I finally got around to finishing it...at least a little more. And here are the before and after pics.

At least it was white and crisp to start

But add a splash of color and voila!

The paper lanterns where a perfect addition...and they make great night lights!

A nice place to sit and read with a cup of tea or that morning latte!

Next project...the dining room. I've got all the ideas...now to find the time!

December 2008

December was a typical holiday month packed with fun activities with family and friends. We started out December with a trip to Leavenworth, Washington with our friends Dustin and Kristy and their kids Abby and Andrew. We stayed in a cozy little lodge just on the edge of town. Before our trip...we prayed and prayed for snow, but no luck. It was dry, but VERY cold in Leavenworth. It ended up working out well because it was easy to take the kids to and from town. We stayed from Thursday through Sunday and had a wonderful time exploring the town, seeing Santa and watching the annual town lighting while singing Christmas carols. We were all tired at the end of the weekend as we headed back to Portland.





















The day after we arrived home, Kelan had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics he was on for his ear infection and I ended up taking him to the Emergency Room. He had broken out in a rash and was feeling awful. Thank goodness we got his medication changed and he improved within a few days. I'm definitely not looking forward to doing that again any time soon.

The following weekend we decided to go get a Christmas tree. That journey came to a quick end when we were nearly at the tree farm and Kelan got sick in the car. Sean pulled over, we both jumped out and had to strip the poor guy down outside to try to clean him off. Needless to say, we didn't get our tree that day. In the end, we decided to just decorate the little trio of artificial trees we had on display next to the fireplace. The boys were happy with that idea and we had an enjoyable time decorating and taking pictures.


















About a week after we arrived back in Portland, the snow we had been praying for finally hit...and hit...and hit. It snowed for over a week. School was out most of the week before Christmas break and we ended up with about 12 inches of snow in all. It was so much fun playing with the boys in the snow. One night, Oweghn and I walked down the road to the big hill and sledded in the dark along with a couple other neighbors. We were equipped with all our winter gear, including goggles. It was snowing so hard that night and we could have stayed out for ever. I hope Oweghn will remember that for a long time!























Most of our Christmas activities ended up being canceled and we nearly missed our Christmas at Mom and Dad's place. We packed up the car with our gifts and headed out...only to get stuck in the snow at the end of our street. Someone came along and pulled us out and we made the rest of the trip just fine. It was amazing how much snow was on Hwy 26. You couldn't even tell there was a hwy there. It was a big blanket of snow everywhere. We arrived at Mom and Dad's only a little late and the kids were very excited to jump into opening gifts. After that scramble, we decided to go outside and play in the snow. This brought back some great childhood memories. We got the 3-wheeler out and pulled the sled around. The kids loved it. It snowed all day long and our car had another 6 inches of snow by the time we left that evening. We were beginning to wonder if we would make it to Seattle for Christmas as planned.
















Tuesday we headed out for our Seattle Christmas. Sean, Susan, Oweghn, Kelan and I made the trip up north. It was amazing to see parts of 1-5 with only two lanes open due to snow pack. The drive was beautiful. We arrived safely in Seattle where we stayed with Richard and Michelle (aka: Grandma and Grandpa Seattle). There was lots of family there and it was so cozy and relaxing. We celebrated Christmas morning with Richard and Michelle and some of Michelle's family and then in the evening Jenn, Noah and Susan joined us. The boys were so excited to be there. We even got to play outside in the Seattle snow. We built a HUGE snowman that Oweghn and Kelan were both very impressed by. It was a wonderful time.























We celebrated New Years Eve the following week with a group of friends at the Domreis' home. Both boys stayed up until midnight. They were very tired by the time we left. We all were. It was a nice way to end the year.

2008 was a wonderful year for us. We have been so fortunate. Looking back, the time just seemed to fly, but we lived in the moment and enjoyed ourselves and each other. We are looking forward to a fun, peaceful and prosperous 2009.

November 2008

It only seems appropriate to start November off with some election talk. To say we were excited about the election might be an understatement. We decided to have a party for election night...just us...the 4 of us. Oweghn and I went to the store to buy cupcake supplies and Sean picked up Pizza and Beer. We picked through our stash of M&Ms that Sean and Oweghn brought back from their trip to NYC to find all the red, white and blue ones. Oweghn and I made and decorated cupcakes and we retreated to the basement to watch it all on CNN. Shortly after the west coast polls closed, CNN gave their projection that Obama would be our new US President. I loved the way Oweghn threw his fist in the air with a big "YES"! His excitement reflected all of our feelings about the outcome. Yes We Can. 2009



A few days later, we celebrated my birthday. Grams babysat for us and Sean and I went out for a Pedistone foot treatment and dinner. Little did I know Sean had bigger plans. When we arrived downtown for "dinner", Sean pulled into the Marriott on the waterfront where we had a room for the night. Very Romantic. But best of all, Grams brought Oweghn and Kelan down for a little birthday dessert and champagne. After a little family time in our room, the boys went to Gram's house for the night and Sean and I walked up the street for a late night Sushi dinner. What a wonderful birthday!












We had quite a few 'no school' days this month, so Oweghn, Kelan and I had some fun family time. We discovered the indoor play parks and spent some time at OMSI and the Children's Museum. We also had a few other events including the baptism of our newest niece Kenzie and the celebration of the 100 Year Anniversary at St. Francis Parish. Aunt Shelly was in town this weekend for the Baptism so it was great to see her.




















Later that week we had Oweghn's first Parent-Teacher conference. It was great to talk with his teachers. He is doing wonderful in school and is really enjoying it. Both his Japanese and English teachers had wonderful comments about him. Not only does Oweghn do well at school, but he is such a great big brother to Kelan. Kelan absolutely adores Oweghn and Oweghn loves Kelan just as much. I love to see the two of them together. We couldn't have asked for more. Kelan is really enjoying music and loves to sing the little Japanese songs from his book. I must admit, it's pretty darn cute the way he sings along. He wants to copy everything his big brother does, and Oweghn wants to help him. We feel so blessed.

Late in the month, we celebrated a fairly quiet Thanksgiving out at the farm with Mom and Dad, Brian and Amanda and their boys and Dan. Gramma was out for a while as well. It was nice to see her. The family Thanksgiving was a good start to the busy holiday season. We always love our family time.

October 2008 - More Autumn Family Fun

October has been a great month. Fall has set in, the trees are beautiful with their changing leaves and the mornings seem to get cooler by the day. This is such a wonderful time of year to be outside. It's like the calm before the storm. It's too early to worry about the holidays and there is a sense of peace in everything you do.

A new baby Elephant was born at the Oregon zoo. Sean got to visit one day when he volunteered at an event and after his review, Oweghn and I were sure to go visit. He's very cute! Check out the photo.










A big milestone for Kelan this month, he had his 18 month doctor appointment (although he turned 18 months last month). He weighed in at just under 26lbs. He's growing like crazy. He was excited to go to the appointment and he loved the bubble machine, however we didn't leave as happy as we arrived since he was scheduled for a few immunizations that day. Ouch. Poor little man.

Kelan's personality continues to develop. He is putting 2 words together to make little sentences. My favorite is "Thank you...Mama" with a nice pause in between. He has become incredibly verbal and he loves to sing. It's amazing how he picks up on songs after only hearing them once. He love music. He's got a few good dance moves too.













Oweghn is continuing to play soccer. He's scored a few goals this season. He can get distracted out there, but he's playing well and having fun and at 5, that's what it's all about. Sean is still coaching the team and Oweghn loves that. When Kelan isn't trying to run onto the field, he loves to play on the sideline while Oweghn is on the field.










Oweghn also had a dentist appointment this month. He loves going to the dentist because he likes wearing the sunglasses. And doesn't he look great?













Oweghn continues to enjoy school and says that he likes "both his English and his Japanese class just the same because they are both so fun". We're so glad he's enjoying it. He still likes taking the bus, though once in a while he likes to have Sean or I drive him in so he can rest in the car. On Fridays, Kelan and I like to hit the Waffle Window on Hawthorne after dropping Oweghn off. See Kelan enjoying a fresh pearl glazed waffle.











On the 11th, Sean and I headed down to Eugene with the Millers to watch the Ducks game. We tailgated just like when we were younger...ok, probably not just like that, but it was fun and we all had a great time watching the Ducks win.

Later in the month, we went to Lakeview Farms pumpkin patch with the Janssens. Myla, Kaiden, Oweghn and Kelan all had a great time riding the boat and train and playing in the hay maze. We followed up the trip with a little dinner at our house. The kids were exhausted after the trip to the pumpkin patch and playing all evening. It was great fun!






















Oweghn had a few 'no school' days this month so we took advantage of that time and had playdates with the Weselaks. On one of those days, Katie, Matthew, Luke, Oweghn, Kelan, Beth and I all piled into their car (thank goodness for minivans) and went out in search of a great fall activity. We found the cutest little pumpkin patch and walked around for about an hour. The kids had a great time and it was a beautiful day. It was a great contrast to the overly commercial pumpkin patches we'd been to before. Back to the basics.










Kelan and I signed up for Gymboree Play and Music classes this month. This was such a great memory when Oweghn was a baby, so it was fun to spend that special time with Kelan. Kelan did seem a little nervous at first, but when he finally realized I was staying there with him and wouldn't be leaving him with strangers, he had a great time.




















Bob the Builder came to the Children's museum this month, so I took the boys to see him. There was a big exhibit and then Bob himself showed up. Kelan ran in and started yelling, "Bob-o, Bob-o", however when Bob showed up he wanted nothing to do with him. Can you blame him...check out the size of that head. Oweghn was "too old" for Bob the builder, however he loved the exhibit and when Bob did finally show up, he decided that he would like to have his picture taken with him after all. After meeting Bob, we played at the Children's Museum for a while. The boys were pretty cute playing together. At the Metro West Ambulance exhibit, Oweghn needed a patient and Kelan was a willing participant. Look at the cute pics.













We also had our second winery tour of the year late this month. Uncle Brett, Aunt Erin and baby Claire were in town for a long weekend and 11 of us headed out to wine country and enjoyed some nice Oregon wines. We were fortunate to have a beautiful day for our trip, free of rain and actually quite sunny. We were all thankful for the beautiful day.

Of course we ended the month with Halloween Festivities. We started out at Richmond where Oweghn's class had a parade and party. Oweghn in his Skeleton Pirate costume and Kelan looking as cute as could be in his dinosaur costume walked around the school with the rest of the K-2nd graders at the school. We then headed to Intel where the kids trick or treated around the offices. Oweghn loved looking for the pumpkin signs which indicated that someone was handing out candy in their cube. Kelan wasn't really sure what was going on, but soon discovered that he liked it. We finshed off the night at Uncle Dan and Aunt Susan's with all the Oregon cousins trick or treating around their neighborhood. It's an annual tradition and Oweghn always looks forward to hanging out with his cousins for the night.









All in all we had a great month. It was enjoyable and not too hectic, but still very busy. That doesn't seem to change, but we do take time to enjoy the little moments whenever possible. It's hard to believe that November has already arrived.