Cookies with Aunt Ashley

And the winner.... for the best Aunt in the entire world goes to. . . . . Aunt Ashley! (applause)

This Christmas Aunt Ashy brought over bags of cookie mixes, cutters, frostings and sprinkles galore to have a christmas cookie blitz!

 Here you can see the gingerbread cookies

 Adorable cookie makers

 The three most beautiful, creative, amazing girls in my life.

 Stiring things up

 Cookie Decor 101

 Wow! What a spread! They look beautiful girls! And delicious too!

Thank you Aunt Ashley!

Building the Braid Castle - Windows Part 2

 Here is what the two windows Nathan boarded up looked like this last week. Beautiful, I know. :) 

My He-Man of a husband enjoys demo-work. 

(He works as a ninja part-time on the weekends)

"Hi - YAA!"

"What's up now?"

Installing the window in Liam's room

From the exterior (without trim)

One of the windows in the Master

THE Master. :) Looks great Sweetie!
. . . Oh yeah, and the windows look good too. ;)

Frosty

Wednesday we made our first snowman of the year (and the first at this house). When I say we, I mean me. The girls didn't want to wear their gloves (they are a a little too big - keep falling off) so I was left to build the body. But they had a great time finding rocks and sticks for the face and arms and getting her all cozy in her hat, scarf and gloves. :) They wanted it to be a snowlady but couldn't resist calling her Frosty.

Building the Braid Castle - Windows Part 1

Our new windows were delivered today! :) (all but the big ones in the living room and the kitchen) It is so exciting to know that these ugly, drafty windows from 1948 will no longer be gracing our home with their presence. Last week in preparation for their arrival, Nathan removed a couple and reframed them in so that we could get exact measurements for the new ones. (He then boarded them up for the week that it took them to be manufactured.) I am excited to have been able to buy them from a local manufacturer: Cascade Windows, made here right in Spokane. I try to keep our money here in Spokane when we are able. 

 Here is Nathan taping up the glass before he removes the window.

 Unscrewing the screws that hold the window onto the nailing flange in the concrete.

Chiseling out the brick accent on the bottom of the window.

 Kind of scary to see a hole of that size in my son's room! 

Thankfully Nathan was able to board it up air-tight so his room was nice and toasty that night.

A visit with "Santa"

 This Sunday we went to go visit "Santa". 

Grandpa has a friend who owns a sourdough sandwich shop on the south hill and had agreed to dress up as Santa for a few hours. So we took the kids and didn't tell them it was Grandpa. (We don't play the Santa game - Rosen understands that it is all pretend and that the real St. Nicholas died a long time ago). I think Rosen caught on right away but didn't say anything, just went along with it. But we got Naomi hook, line and sinker! :) She was very shy and when I asked her who he was she said (in her cute two-year-old way) "Tanta Cause". Even after Rosen grew tired of us pretending and blurted out "Santa's Grandpa!" Naomi still didn't catch on. I didn't have the heart to correct her. She can believe he's real for now. I think she'd just be very confused if I tried to explain it to her at this point. 

First Gingerbread House

The girls had a sleep-over at Grandma & Grandpa's house this weekend. As you can see they had a blast decorating this work of art. I would think that if I were responsible for such a masterpiece that I would want to keep it but all the girls want to do is eat it. :) I, wanting to enjoy it longer, told them they have to wait until after Christmas. (I'm such a mean mom)

Soon enough!

 I'm not sure what the fascination is with babies and dishwashers but they seem to be magnetically attracted to them! All my kids have played this game of climbing up onto the open door and/or pulling objects out. I don't mind it so much when they can actually help hand me things (like when they are about two years old or more) but when they are just a curious 12 month old that sees it as a wonderful treasure chest it can be a little more frustrating. I guess that's why God makes them so cute - how could you be angry at this cute face? (especially when he is so PROUD of himself for climbing up there by himself)

An angel in our bed

Every once in a while one of the girls get to sleep in Mom and Dad's bed (usually after a nightmare). On this particular occasion Naomi got to take a nap with her Daddy after he got home from work. This is how I found them when I came in to wake them up. (We had somewhere to be or I would have let them sleep)

I LOVE seeing my darlings sleeping. They just take your breath away with how sweet and precious they are. The only option is to wake them up with kisses. :) (The same way I wake my beloved)

8th Anniversary

Well, we made it through the "seven year itch" without scratching! :)

 It's hard to believe that just eight short years ago we were the youthful looking couple in our wedding pictures without children or a care in the world. It's amazing to see how God has directed and guided us along the way, and blessed us with three amazing children! Thank you Lord for the gift of this wonderfully patient man. 

The Oregon Zoo

This November we visited some friends in Eugene, Oregon and stopped in Portland on the way. We spent most of the day at the Oregon Zoo in downtown Portland. The girls really enjoyed it (Mom and Dad had fun too). 

 Here is Rosen riding the goat at the entrance.

 Naomi likes to be the baby and ride in the stroller.

 Except when sister is riding a goat! She has to do EVERYTHING big sister does!

 First stop: BEARS!

 Our little man in the backpack - his favorite way to travel.

 Loving the Oregon greenery.

 Our family getting cozy in an Eagle's Nest.

 Taking a break for kisses!

 Mama's girls :)

 Rosen: "Look Mama! An American bird!"

 (crawling through a log)

 Naomi is checking out some fish

 Our inspiration garden.

 Looking at the animals in the barn.

 WOLVES!

 Who knew a sign could be so much fun?

 Some of the locals.

 Checking out a HUGE sleepy polar bear.

 Penguins!

 I call this "Interacting with Art"

 a shy orangoutang.

 A sleepy boy.

 Looking for elephants....

 Where ARE they?

 THERE they are! :)

 Super Dad!!!

 A vulture sunning himself.

 Naomi feeling the beat with some African Drums.

 A family portrait with a special heat sensitive camera.

 A cat on the hunt. (Rodents running through the tunnels)

 A very sweet little girl. 

 MUFASA!! :) 

 Naomi's Hippo. (She claimed him) It was love at first sight.

 Naomi came back to blow kisses to "my hippo".

 Mama's favorite: Giraffes.

 Nathan's favorite: a very well endowed bat. 

 Otters.

And with that we said goodbye to the animals and took our very sleepy but very satisfied family back to the van for the drive down to Eugene. :)