Merry Christmas!

Portland has finally emerged from "Arctic Blast 2008," as the local news station called it. We're back to having green grass! After two weeks of snow & ice and being stuck in the house with the family, it's nice to know we can jump in the car with out chains and go where we want.

We did manage to venture out a few times in all that snow. During the second weekend, we bundled up & headed to the mall. There was a driving snow storm going on, but the place was packed. An ice storm was expected, so everyone was trying to cram all their Christmas shopping into one day. That made it a great day to see Santa. His line was very short, so we made it quickly to him. Delaney loved visiting Santa and takes special care to write him a nice letter every year. She had a little chat with Santa as he read her letter and even complimented her on her drawing of her & Jake on his lap. She's such a thoughtful girl, she brought Jake's newest doggie to keep him company in case he got scared on Santa's lap. And she brought along her Baby Jessie. Baby Jessie is very special, my parents brought her to Delaney the day she was born. And this past year, our 12 year old Chocolate Lab, Jessie, died, so Delaney wanted to be sure that Santa knew about her.

Jake was in awe of the whole process, from Santa's workshop area to Santa himself. We were very happy to get a picture of both kids without Jake crying. It turned out to be a fun experience. I'm not sure next time will be so much fun though. When Delaney visited Santa for the second time, she was 22 months old. She screamed and cried, only stopping when Dave & I stepped in to be in the picture with her. I felt bad for Santa and was disappointed, until I thought about it for a while. We always want our children to stay away from strange old men, but then we take them to Santa, who looks pretty strange to a baby and then leave them together for a picture, and for some reason we're disappointed when they scream & cry. After that I thought twice about letting someone she might be uncomfortable with hold her. So I'm sure next year's picture with Santa will be a family affair, and that's fine, just this time, I'll dress for the event....instead of being in my sweats like last time!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas! Ours was somewhat spread out this year, but it turned out great. It was so much fun to have another baby in the house this year. We loved watching him celebrate his first Christmas...there's nothing like a baby pulling off all the bows & trying to eat them. And it was especially fun to see Delaney help him open his gifts and then show him how to play with each toy. Thanks Santa!