Merry Christmas Eve!

Strep

I kept Sam home from daycare on Friday because on Thursday he had been diagnosed with Strep Throat.  It's been going around in his class.  When we visited sick call, to say the Dr was skeptical of our suspicions is a bit of an understatement.  He looked at us over spectacles riding low on the bridge of his nose and with a stern look he flatly stated, "He's a bit young for that." It didn't help that Sam was literally bouncy off the walls with energy - obviously forgetting one of the symptoms of Strep is lethargy, or maybe more precisely, tiredness.  And yet, after but a mere glance into Sam's mouth the Dr, with some reluctance in realizing he was wrong about his initial assessment, stated, "Yep, that's Strep.  No need to even do a culture."  So a bottle of antibiotics was on order and Sam and I would plan our mischievous adventures while wearing pajamas all day.  It helped that snow fell that evening for us to play with, and Sam to eat, to help his throat of course. 

 Sam going to town on his breakfast and snack.

 I let Grace dress herself - possibly a bad idea on a snow day.

 Sam, DON'T EAT THE YELLOW SNOW!

December Sunshine

It feels a little weird wearing shorts and swimsuits the second week of December. But we aren't complaining. The week so far has entailed sunny visits to the playground, playing in the sand, swimming pool, and bicycles. 

Sam cruising on his first pedal bicycle. 

Sprinkler fun

Grandpa hosing off the kiddos after playing in the sand

Visit and pool fun with Uncle Gregg and Aunt Suzanne

Sam checking out his new tractor, Thanks to Grandpa and Grandmuhie

Grace loves her new purse and kids handkerchief 

Visiting Great Grandma Grace

Disney World Delight

This year our annual trip to Florida fell early in December, just in time to celebrate a bit of the holiday season with some sunshine! As the temperature plummoted below 20 in Tacoma, we were blessed with over 80 degree weather in Orlando. Soon after our arrival we ventured to Magic Kingdom. Our time was filled with rides, climbing in tree houses, meeting a handful of princesses, dancing in the street parade, eating ice cream and watching the night time lighting of Cinderella's castle.

Grace enjoying the carousel

Grace window shopping for the perfect Minnie ears

As a 3 1/2 year old you can never get enough princess magic, especially if your name is Grace. She had been asking about seeing Snow White for several days (out of nowhere as she has never seen the the movie). She was excited to see her when we entered the princess fairytale hall. She conversed with Rapunzel and Ariel as well. We visited Beast's castle from Beauty and the Beast as she was picked to play "Chip" the small teacup in the reenactment of the movie by all the kids. She then got to see Belle.  

 

 

Samuel licking his first ice cream cone.

Dad and Grace enjoying a sunset rocket ship ride

The best part of the day (if you ask mom) was actually at night when they lit the castle. The Disney characters and the Fairy Godmother invite Cinderella out and with some magic "Bippity Boppity Boo" action the castle lights up. An amazing sight if you ask me.  Can't wait to visit again next year. 

The pre-lightling show

Covered in ice

The view from Main Street leaving the Magic Kingdom

Traveling Templins

Sam doesn't need his own seat until he's 2, but when you fly to FL, you don't want a 23 month old trapped in your lap for 5 hours or more. Even Sarah is getting excited about the new coloring books - that is, until we get to cruise altitude - then the iPads come out!

Aurora Australis; Get Paid

The photo is fuzzy, grainy, and even a bit blurry, but it captures the moment and reminds me of the incredible site of the Aurora Australis, the southern hemisphere's equivalent to the Aurora Borealis.  I'm in New Zealand for the third time, working as part of the Deep Freeze missions delivering cargo and passengers to McMurdo Station, Antarctica.  We were delayed for weather one day, and so, on our return leg from the ICE, we were treated to a magnificent sunset and light show.  I will not attempt to describe the phenomenon here, suffice to say, seeing it in person, it is more amazing than I have ever heard anyone describe it. 

If you look closely, in the lower left hand corner of the photo, the all black blobs are the wing and nacelle of the C-17 as we speed north at 36K feet towards Christchurch.  Did I mention I love my job?

Fall in Love

I have to admit...I love the summer sun. I get a little sad when it disappears and hibernates for several months beginning in the fall up here in the pacific northwest. But then I am reminded every year when the leaves start to turn color and the fog rolls in every morning, how much I love this season too. We have never taken the kids to a pumpkin patch before. Why, you ask? Who knows. But I was struck with the impulse to go while laying in bed last night, figuring we'd have a ton of fun, and we sure did!

If you've never been I think you'd be quite surprised, just as we were, at all you can do at a pumpkin patch. Here are just a few examples...

1) Search for the biggest, funniest looking pumpkin

2) Enjoy watching all the farm animals. Sam loved hearing the roosters "cock-a-doodle-doo" and the turkeys "gobble gobble"

3) Bake a cake in the playhouse (Grace found this much more entertaining while Samuel endlessly ran around watching the animals)

4) Turn into a pumpkin

 5) Play with the spiders crawling through the pumpkin patch

 6) Race ducks along a stream from a water pump

 

7) Splash in puddles

8) Measure how tall you are

 

9) Practice your targeting skills using the pumpkin slingshot

 10) Eat caramel apples

11) Work your muscles lifting pumpkins

We didn't actually buy a pumpkin on our visit to the pumpkin patch. I know, sacrilege.  We bought one a couple weeks ago, and lets be honest, carving one pumpkin in the presence of 2 toddlers is about as much as anyone can handle. That is on our list of activities for next week. I did love hanging out in the presence of all those delightful pumpkins, but what I fell head over heels for was the splendor on my kids faces. It's days like these that remind me how blessed we are to have such beautiful kiddos and family.

HAPPY FALL TO ALL

The Annual Photo Shoot

Many families have a tradition of taking photos at the same spot every year for their Christmas cards.  We don't do that, we like our annual mailings to change from year to year.  We do, if by accident, continue our annual family photo journalism series at the Dahlia Garden at Point Defiance Park with a late summer/early fall photo shoot.

Sarah will be putting many of the latest photos on a blog post shortly, I'm certain.  Until then, I wanted to show the progress of time; one photo from each of the three years we have been doing this.  Enjoy.