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.