Christmas memories.....

Christmas is over and I just put away the last of the Christmas decorations.  It is a bit sad!  It was a very special Christmas season!! Sweet family memories were made!  Here are just a few of those memories:  

A couple of the kids pitched in to help me make my yearly Christmas cookie gifts for the neighbors.  There was a lot of chocolate again, but if you know me, you'd know that is just how it has to be!!

The kids were eager to open all their presents! It is so hard to wait! 

 Asha got some classy leather boots (I'm a bit jealous...maybe since she is almost my shoe size she will let me borrow them).  Ha ha! 

 Lana got some some fun Converse!  Pink was her theme this year! 

 Surprise...Luke's new Wii game!  

 Jeffrey is in Lego Ninjago heaven! 

  Gift Card to Forever 21! Guess a trip to the mall is in order! 

 Duct Tape craft kit...this is a new craze! 

 Luke loves his new Crocs...these even have warm fuzziness on the inside! 

 Lana and I made this duct tape purse together!  What a fun craft & gift! 

Those were just a few of the treasures God provided this year for Christmas!  So fun!! 

 On to Oregon... Christmas Day at Opa & Joyce's house!  

 Cousins are super special!! 

 The cool couch...(I didn't add the picture I took of all of them texting on their phones)! Hee hee! 

 So thankful for time with family...and for Joyce opening her home to us! 

 Can't forget our Christmas tree!!  It was a beautiful Noble - tall and skinny - just how I like it! 

Last but not least...our family had a blast putting together this Christmas puzzle.  I think this will be a new Christmas tradition! 

Jeffrey turns 8!!!

Having a birthday close to Christmas is always a bit challenging, but we try to make Jeffrey's birthday extra special each year!   Jeffrey is someone who is easy to love and enjoy!  We are very grateful for his life!!!! 

The special birthday boy on his big day! 

 Asha and I took Jeffrey out for a treat at Starbucks.   

 Jeffrey was super excited to get a new firetruck Lego set. 

Here he is working hard to put it together...so serious!  

 Finished and perfect!!  

He also got a really fun bow & arrow from his cousins. The boys are having a lot of fun with this....nothing has been broken yet!!  

By his request, I made him ice cream cupcakes (brownie on the bottom)...with wafer cookies on the top!  Easy and delicious!! 

Thank you, Jesus, for Jeffrey!!!    

Jingle Bell Run

On December 8th two of my friends and I got in the Christmas spirit by running in the Jingle Bell 5K Run in downtown Seattle.  It was a bit crowded and very very cold, but we had a lot of fun!  I  especially enjoyed seeing one of my friends succeed in her first running race.  Here are a few pics!  

Delores & Amber 

Amber & I 

Wall to wall people....but maybe that was helpful in keeping us warm!!  Brrrrr~

Thanksgiving

“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts.” 

― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This Thanksgiving I'm thankful for the small (yet really not small) things.....

 time with my family, 

 a warm cozy home to gather, 

a great brother-in-law who carves the turkey every year, 

abundance of healthy food, 

 a big happy family, 

 my wonderful sister, 

and lots of good memories!!  

Halloween

This year Halloween was on the day we were at our Homeschool Resource Center.  We had a lot of fun dressing up...and parading around the school with our friends.  

 Lana was a Hawaiian Hula Girl...and her friend the Purple Minion.  

 Luke was Harry Potter (I think he looks pretty handsome in those glasses).  

 Three Harry Potter fans! 

 Jeffrey was the tall scary ghost!  Boooooo!!! This is what he really wanted to be, but it didn't work well when we went trick or treating....he couldn't see well through the holes!!  oops! 

 Asha and Abby were twin magicians! They worked hard to make these costumes just right! 

Who is this hip mom (or should I say hippy mom)??!!  

Peace out!!  

The Great Wheel

I'm so grateful for Asha's friends!  They are fun, accepting, and beautiful inside and out!  I had the privilege (with another mom) of taking them all downtown to ride Seattle's Great Wheel to celebrate Abby's 13th birthday!  It was a perfect night....clear skies with the sun setting over the mountains.  Wow!!!

True Friends are a gift from God!!  

Pumpkin Patch

I love the Fall season...it means carving pumpkins, pumpkin spice lattes, colored leaves, pumpkin desserts, fire in the wood burning stove, and the pumpkin patch!!  This year we took some of our friends from school to our favorite pumpkin patch...Bob's Corn and Pumpkin Farm!  Here are some pics.....

The kids had a ton of fun feeding and playing with the horses on the farm.  They were super friendly ...even gave Luke a big kiss!  

 Fog was mixed in with the hills and pumpkins....beautiful!  

 Luke cleaning off his pumpkin. 

 Asha and her friends...

It was loads of fun!!!