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!

Find some inspiration with CJane's Blog

I want to share one of my favorite blogs with my readers. C Jane is a mom from Utah who has experienced tragedy in her family this year. Her sister and brother-in-law were badly injured in the crash of a small plane in August. She is caring for their 4 small children, in addition to her own baby, while they continue on the long road to recovery. She posts updates on her sister and brother-in-law, while promoting a charity in their honor on her blog. I love reading her stories about her baby and hearing of the exploits of a mom who has taken on so much in support of her family. Her posts are both funny and inspirational. My prayers are with her and her family. I hope you click on over to her site for a little inspiration too!

A beautiful day to find a tree

Saturday was beautiful here!

We started out bundled up in coats, gloves & hats, but then as it got warmer, we were able to take off a few layers. I took tons of pictures of the kids, hoping to get some (or even one) good enough for a Christmas card. In the end, I got a lot of good pictures. Of course, they're my kids and I think they're the cutest kids on earth...just like every parent does.

Looking for a tree was fun! We wandered around the farm, looking for just the right tree, pretty tall (about 9 ft or a little more) and skinny at the bottom (or skinnier than most), but also nice & full. Boy, I'm hard to please! We needed a skinny tree this year, because we decided to put it in the dining room and people will still have to sit at the table to eat, at Christmas dinner anyway. This is my way of babyproofing, putting the tree as far from the living room as possible and hoping we can catch Jake crawling toward it before pulls it over on himself. So far so good, but we've got three more weeks to go. I keep my trees up until New Year's. I just love Christmas and its decorations, and I try to stretch it out as long as possible.

Thank goodness we picked Saturday to get our tree. It poured down rain on Sunday! And we were the lucky ones, inside putting on the lights & decorations. Laney loves decorating the tree, so she unpacked all the decorations from their boxes & wrapping, while Dave & I put on the lights. One of her favorite traditions is putting the angel on the top of the tree before we start putting up the decorations. Dave always holds her up while I take her picture. This year, the tree was so tall, Dave had to put her on his shoulders and climb up on the step ladder so she could get the angel to her rightful place. I got the shot! A cute picture of Laney gently placing the angel atop the tree.

Now I've got to print my pictures so I can start on some fun Christmas layouts. I'm not quite sure which paper collection I'll choose. I need to look at the pictures first. Maybe next week, I can look through the store & see what inspires me. I'll share it here when I'm finished.

Oh, I just had to share this one! Laney is such a great big sister, always so patient with Jake. She never yells at him or complains when he hits, pinches or pulls her hair. She certainly tries hard to avoid all those things though. With all the pictures I took, it's hard to believe this is the only one like this!

Jake says, "Thanks for putting up with me sis! I love you!"

Where has the time gone???

I found myself wondering today...what happened to that little baby who couldn't sit up much less cruise all around the living room ripping everything off my coffee table and throwing it to the floor. Where is that beautiful, spotless cranium?

In less than a week, my house has been destroyed by a small monster with bruises all over his head!

OK, he still is the cutest little boy on Earth! I just need to find a way to slow that Earth down a bit, it's spinning out of control and my baby is disappearing...only to be replaced by a BOY!

Things are changing everyday around here! I just don't know what I'll do when he decides to "explore" the Christmas tree we're getting tomorrow.

But for now, I'm happy he's sleeping! I did finally post my Acrylic Album class on my scrapbook store blog, http://www.whimzeesgirlsonline.blogspot.com , so check it out when you get a chance.