Visiting Suncadia

This was supposed to be our big tubing in the snow weekend. But you can't time out snow. Suncadia turned out to be lots of time in the indoor pool and on the waterslides. I was the official photographer and relaxer (and drinker of wine) since my finger was broken. Overall, we had a great time! It's so beautiful there - the lodge is stunning, the views are breathtaking, and the food, wine and entertainment was top notch. We'll definitely go back. And some day, we will tube!

Ice skating - a new adventure

I guess all our roller skating paid off because ice skating came pretty naturally to our girls. Elena had the help of a "walker" at times, but they both did a great job!

Mom's seat

No clearance from the doc to ice skate with my broken finger, but I got to relax by the fire.

A short skate

Skating isn't cheap at Suncadia, but apparently Elena did not care about the particulars of our finances. When she was done, she was done. She chose to spend an hour pouting and playing in the snow next to the rink. She didn't really want her picture taken, but I didn't care.

Elena turns 6

I love this expression. It's so Elena. My baby just turned 6 and she still has all her spunk and more. Elena keeps us on our toes, filling us constantly with joy. She is unpredictable in many ways, but oh so predictable in the way she loves and makes us laugh on a daily basis. Thank you God for giving us this child 6 years ago.

Mom bragging time

So I'm not going to put an obnoxious bumper sticker on my car or anything. But I am pretty proud of my little Emma.

Christine's 40th

I guess that means MY 40th is coming! Christine is my half-birthday sister. We have been great friends since the 6th grade, where I introduced myself by stepping on her toes. It was so fun to go to downtown Bellevue to celebrate her big day. Christine's sister Erica (far right) and Tracy (next to her) were our little sisters growing up. We had many slumber parties with the 4 of us. So this was not only a party - but a reunion. What a blast!

Slumber party

Lucy and Elena just had their first slumber party and they were great! Went right to bed, got along well and thoroughly enjoyed their time together as cousins.

Sweet Corban

Sad sad Santa

My dad gets an "A" for character but an "F" for wardrobe malfunction. I think the only grandchild who was fooled was Corban - the newborn.

A kindergarten Christmas

I love Elena's teacher ... for so many reasons. Mrs. Kilcup loves Jesus and she loves these kids. And because of that, she allows them to flourish in the areas they've been gifted. One thing about Elena - she always thinks outside of the box. So during her spare time, she made reindeer noses for her classmates, a sled (see box around her teacher's waste) and a Santa beard. Her teacher was all over it and encouraged Elena's idea and made a big deal out of it. I think she even wore the beard for the entire day. Elena has done many such things for this class and Mrs. Kilcup, and whatever it is - she is loved and embraced and encouraged to do more. That's the mark of a good teacher.

My baking buddy

I birthed an oompa loompa!

Elena had her first performance at the Paradise Theatre. They did Willy Wonka kids (a shorter version of the real thing). It was so stinkin' adorable! Elena told us she was an oompa loompa and understudy for Grandma Josephine. But when we went to the show we were shocked to find out she was both! I guess she was shocked too. I'll try to get some video up of this. Hard to explain how cute it was. We got her flowers one night and a Willy Wonka bouquet the next and she truly felt like a star.

Victorian Tea with The Clauses

We went to the Victorian Tea Room in Port Orchard and had a great brunch with Santa and the Mrs. Both are lovers of God and used the opportunity to teach kids about Jesus. It was pretty awesome.

Seeing Allie over Christmas

Cookie decorating

A fun tradition with the cousins!! Corban got in on the action this year too. Next year, he'll be into the frosting I bet.

Christmas smiles no matter what

Christmas was one of those lemons into lemonade experiences this year. The night before Christmas Eve, Elena's puke fest began. So all of our plans (fancy dinner with family at our house and day and grandma and grandpa's) had to be canceled. But it all turned out well. Yes, Elena still felt sick. But Christmas has a way of helping even the vomitish feel like partying. We ended up having a really special dinner for Christmas, using all the fancy decorations I had already put on the table. And then one week later, we celebrated with the entire family again - only this time, Shannon's family could join us too. So we basically got to re-live Christmas again. It worked out for the best and I'm glad we chose joy instead of moping.