The Oregon Coast

Here are some more from that same roll...

A forgotten roll of film

The other day I found an old roll of film and was delighted when I got blueberry pictures back. I haven't posted lately because it just plain feels dishonest. I haven't felt like posting smiling, happy pictures, when in reality the kids miss their dad and I feel alone in a crowded room. So this forgotten roll of film was just the thing to post. There's nothing like blueberries for the blues.

We love the Romans blueberry orchard! It is a wonderful Oregon tradition, started when Shan worked there as a boy. I have never tasted better berries in all my life!

A day at the Phoenix Zoo

To ease our inevitable parting, we planned a trip to Phoenix when Shan left. He drove down with us, we had a few fun days, and then he flew out early one morning before the kids awoke. It was nice to have some warmer weather and the constant distraction of cousin fun for the kids. Thanks Cammacks! We love you!!!

How many kids can fit on one stroller?

A few days before Christmas, Emma cut herself some bangs. But that's a story for another blog.

This orangutan was just staring at Madeline. It was cute, but sort of creepy too. I actually think the orangutan thought she was cute- kind of like we ooh and ahh over babies.

Swensen Fam in Phoenix

While in Phoenix, we were able to see Gayle and Renny (Shan's aunt and uncle) and family. It is a very happy and fun crowd. My kids had a blast. Ryan thought he died and went to heaven with Gayle's peanut butter balls and Rhome's star wars transformers.

Gayle finally got some daughters!

Madeline's newest thing is her fake smile. I think it started out when she was embarrassed, but didn't want to show it, so she did a silly smile instead. She gets so many laughs when she does it, she keeps it coming.

Stefani and Madeline were fast friends.

Kade and his beautiful fiance. Congrats!!!

A White Christmas at Nana's

We spent Christmas eve at my mom's house, with my Eric and Jessica and baby Preston. We read Christmas stories, sang songs, and read the nativity story from the Bible.

Here, the kids were retelling the nativity story.

One of our Christmas traditions is sleeping in sleeping bags on the floor. The kids started it and won't let it go. Madeline was tickled to be old enough to be included.

On Christmas day, we woke up to gorgeous, sparkling snow. And carrots, apparently half-nibbled by reindeer, on the sidewalk. (Santa apologized for being in a hurry...)

Tortuous parents requiring their children to wait on the stairs for a picture. (I always hated that.)
The Radio Flyer Spring Horse was a hit with young and old.

Ryan and Emma were delighted to find that Santa left them wooden castles. They played with them for almost ten hours straight! They were so thrilled, they insisted on writing thank-you cards to Santa to tell him how much they loved their castles.
I have a little quirk. Well actually, I have lots of little quirks, but I'll just tell you about one today. Every night before I go to bed, I have the need to check on my kids. And that means actually going into their room, staring at them, listening to them breathe, sometimes feeling their back, head, or planting a kiss on a sleeping cheek. I'm not sure what this is, except for with my first baby, I was sure he would stop breathing at any moment, and so I have been doing it every single night since Ryan was born six and a half years ago. It has become kind of a fun event over the years, to walk in and find all sorts of crazy sleeping positions, books, stuffed animals, dolls, an entire brigade of Army men set up- you name it. On this night, I found a little princess tuckered out from all the excitement being watched over by 8 other princesses. Kids are so wonderful.

Sledding on Old Main Hill

Sledding with daddy was a definite highlight of our Christmas break. After Madeline's disastrous spill the first time, she chose to stay in the warm car with mommy and gum. But Ryan and Emma had a blast and by the end, they were not only sledding down the hill by themselves, but also learned to slide right on their slick snow pants all the way down the hill.