Christmas!

I think that I really only need to put one picture on here that would describe Christmas at our house. We are so unbelievably fortunate and the kids are currently wading their way through all of their new stuff. Cayden got a boatload of legos (quite literally). He put together one yesterday and is working on another today. After that, he has two more legos to go! He also received the 4th Harry Potter book and will be starting on that shortly. I got an awesome new camera that takes great pictures and Jeff's biggy was a laptop. The first two things he loaded on there were itunes and a basketball stat. program. Go figure.... Bryce got dinosaurs and puzzles (and tons of other stuff). It is hard to describe in words how thankful and lucky we are.

Christmas Eve

In the years that we are in Oregon on Christmas Eve we are lucky to get an invite to the Smith's home. Aside from an amazing pot luck dinner (this year was an Italian theme and Jeff made his famous homemade pizza), the night is spent anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. Yes, really, Santa Claus! He brings all the children pajamas and we have a fun filled evening eating and playing!

Bryce and his buddy Dan. He loves Dan!

Jeff got his turn on Santa's lap. He was trying to convince Bryce to do it. No luck.

Bryce took his gift and ran the other direction. I really wish that I could've captured the look on his face when Santa came in the house though. It was pure astonishment.

Finally at the age of 7 Cayden will sit on Santa's lap.

P.S. You will notice that Cayden and Bryce are wearing OSU shirts. They were a gift from our wonderful friend Corey who started college there in the fall. Cayden loves his shirt because he is a Beaver fan. However, Bryce, for some reason is a Duck fan (U of O) and was convinced that his shirt was a "ducky shirt". He went around all night saying, "go ducks go! Win, win, win". And, in a house with a bunch of OSU fans that did not go so well.

High Desert Museum

On Christmas Eve Jeff went fishing and I decided to take the boys to the High Desert Museum. We have a membership there and they have a butterfly exhibit that I have been wanting to take the boys to visit. Bryce loves to see the bobcat too! I didn't get many pictures because as hard as it is to believe, the butterflies stayed still longer than the kids.

Look at that Snow

After Thanksgiving we went sledding in the Ochocos with the McLean family. While there, we decided to look for our Christmas tree. We knew it would be a little early but with the amount of snow already in the mountains we figured we better get it while we still could.

Cayden was already in the truck with his shoes and socks off.
Lots of snow

Macee not wanting to sled. She spent the afternoon eating snow.

Jeff and Bryce on their first run down. They blazed a trail through fresh powder and got some snow in the face. That didn't make Bryce happy but he was ready to go again.

Post Thanksgiving

Cayden and Erin Crofcheck had a Cupcake decorating contest for Thanksgiving. They each came up with a design and had some people judge to see whose design was the best. Erin won but both designs were good. Cayden had done a better job on his "practice round" a couple weeks before.


Here is a picture from earlier Thanksgiving afternoon. Bryce and Cayden were watching Nemo when we came around the corner and there was Bryce - snoozing away. If only we could get him to eat turkey every night before bed.

This is a kid that isn't what anyone would call a "sleeper" and here he is in the middle of the day zonked out watching a movie. It was truly a first.

Our Thanksgiving Tradition

I posted last year about our Thanksgiving tablecloth tradition but thought I would post again. Each year for the last 5 we have taken a fabric marker to a white tablecloth and have written what we are thankful for. Cayden's list the last two years was VERY long (which I think is a good thing). I think we have a couple years left before we will need to get another tablecloth and a new set of markers (Bryce has given the colors quite a beating the last two years).

P.S. Bryce's list includes family and Corey (his babysitter and MUCH more) and Hogan (Cayden's BFF). The "are you happy" is what Bryce asks us when he has been in trouble. He will say, "mommy, are you happy?" Sometimes the answer is yes and sometimes it is no.

Happy Thanksgiving

Jeff enjoys a traditional Thanksgiving meal and it is a good thing he likes to cook so that he can have it. I have never attempted to cook a turkey and I remember early in our married life I suggested we have lasagna or pot roast for Thanksgiving and he looked at me like I was crazy. From then on, he has made the turkey and much of the fixin's. I certainly have that to be thankful for EVERY year.

At dinner with Bryce enjoying his turkey leg.
The boys with "the spread". Jeff smoked the turkey this year -YUM.

Great picture of the boys. Bryce is drooling as usual.

Cayden is waiting patiently. He is "soooo hungry".

Bryce sampling some vegetables.