A visit with (part of) the family

The weekend before Christmas, most of my family came to our house for a mini get together. My brother and his wife from Arizona were able to come, which was great since we rarely get to see them. My oldest sister and her family came from Bellingham, as well as my Seattle sister. We mostly played with and took care of the four kids, but also ate some great food, opened gifts, and played a few games. I wish we could all get together more often!

This series of pictures cracks me up...I think between 4 cameras we took at least 30 pictures, and I'm not sure there's one with all four looking and even a couple of them smiling. Still cute, though!

Travis received a "Go Fishing" game from the Engman family. Not only did he talk everyone in to playing it that very day, but we've played it every day since!

Fun in the snow, part 1

Time to play catch-up...December was really a busy time, and I had little time nor motivation to keep up with the blogging. Anyway, those of you who do not live around here may not know that we received a TON of snow in the week before Christmas! It was so much fun! I won't try to guess how many inches fell or accumulated, but suffice it to say that it is definitely the most we've had since Steve and I have lived here. And because it stayed cold, it didn't melt. So we bundled up the kids for some fun! Jayna was definitely leery at first but eventually enjoyed herself. The view from Jayna's room. Except this was after only one day of snow...lots more came later. This picture requires explanation...this was when the snow first started falling hard, and sticking on the ground, but before we were able to venture outside. Travis was in awe. So at naptime, he apparently decided to open the blinds and turn his big bear around so that he could lay on it and watch the snow fall. So sweet.

Jayna's initial reaction. I think she didn't like that she couldn't move very well with all the layers.

Eventually her favorite thing was to stand in one place and pick up small handfuls of snow and throw them in the air.

Daddy teaching Travis how to make a snowball.

Travis insisted on having lambie zipped inside his coat.

Christmas!

Yesterday was the official beginning of the Christmas season in our house. In the morning we went to a Christmas family breakfast with Santa down at the police station. The kids had no interest in Santa (actually, they were afraid of him), but we ate good food, won a door prize, and had a fun time!

Then we set off to find the perfect Christmas tree. We decided to just go for a drive to Orting and find a tree farm...it turns out there are at least 10 to choose from in Orting. The first place was not so great, but we found success at our second stop. I don't have a ton of great pictures, but I do have a few. We had originally planned on going with some friends last weekend to find a tree, but I ended up playing piano for a memorial service and Steve had some work stuff to get done. But we had some really great family time doing things on our own, so it all worked out. The kids were happy and enjoying themselves all morning, and then went down for naps as soon as we got home.

I love Christmas! It is so fun to begin traditions with our own little family and re-create some of the memories that are so dear to me from my own childhood. Steve will be hanging lights tomorrow, I'll be finishing putting out the decorations and sending out Christmas cards, and in the next couple of weeks I'll be baking and shopping and visiting with family. There is really nothing about this season that I dislike!

I wanted to use this picture for our Christmas cards but it's a bit blurry. So we used the one at the top of the page.

If you saw our tree right after we finished decorating it, you'd see 90% of our ornaments within about a 2 square feet area. I did some rearranging:)

A glimpse of baby #3!

Can I just say that I LOVE ultrasounds?! I wish it was standard to have them every month! On Monday afternoon, Steve and I had our 20 week ultrasound and saw the amazing details of our newest baby's body. It was so fun! It really is just as cool the third time around. After the technician had finished checking everything she was supposed to, she took several good profile shots. At one point, she held the wand in one place and we watched the baby in real time...it was so cool to see the baby move it's hand around, suck and swallow, and even turn it's head toward us.

Anyway, the baby is as healthy as can be, and definitely a boy a girl, though we don't know which:). It was tempting to find out, especially knowing that the ultrasound technician, doctor, and nurse all knew. But the anticipation is so fun, and maybe will give me extra incentive when it comes time to push for who knows how long.

This baby is definitely our most active yet. I've been feeling him/her for several weeks now. It's hard to believe that I'm already halfway done with this pregnancy. I've been having way too many headaches, but other than that I feel great. Here are a couple of pictures...

Daredevil

Steve needed to make a small repair in the attic last night, so he had the ladder out. I was downstairs, but soon I heard Steve calling me to come get Jayna. So I went upstairs, and there's Jayna on the third step of the ladder! Curious as to how she was going to proceed, I watched her...climb all the way to the top! (Don't worry--I was standing right behind her with my hands ready to catch:) She even tried to get on the very top, but I wasn't going to let her go that far. After Steve came down, I had him "spot" her so I could document her amazing feat. 17 months old and no hesitations! (Of course, Travis wanted to have his picture taken on the ladder, too, but got scared after the third step...I do love my cautious boy!)

Halloween-a little late

We were cheap this year and put Travis in the same costume he used last year - a rooster. And Jayna was a little horsie, complete with sounds! We went to a harvest party at a friend's church, then did a bit of trick-or-treating around our neighborhood.

Mixed feelings

The election is finally over, and I'm feeling many things...

Relief. I am soooooooooo happy for an end to political ads, no more signs everywhere you drive, an end to political debates and whining (or at least less of this), no more wondering how it's all going to turn out. Seriously, this had to have been the longest election in American history.

Heavy-hearted. I am not pleased with many elections results, on both the state and national levels. At all.

And yet, I'm still very hopeful. Believe it or not, Barack Obama is no one's savior. All hope for this world lies in Jesus Christ, and He is the one I will continue to trust in.

Convicted--to pray! If you are a believer, you need to be praying, regardless of your place on the political spectrum. I am guilty...I remember to pray for our nation and our nation's leaders at certain times (election, July 4th, whenever the pastor reminds me to, etc.), but I need to be praying for these people on a consistent basis. And for all of you who are unhappy with our new president, you especially should pray! God will hear your prayers, and it will soften your heart, too.

I'm sorry to sound so preachy...after this post I'll get back to "family" stuff. And in the meantime, I get to watch TV political ad-free! Now THAT is something to be excited about!

P.S. Edited to add...the latest song I added to our blog (playing now) is one of my new favorites, and it is a perfect representation of the hope we have in Jesus. Listen to it!