Arctic Blast '08

Discarded strollers make excellent snow toys. Who knew?
This is Andy's second winter to play in the snow, but probably the first time he's really enjoyed it. He was so upset when we had to go in. Sorry, fellas. Mama is freezing!

Pausing for a photo op

We bought this gingerbread house kit at Costco. Luke got bored quickly and Andy only wanted to eat the candy, so we called it quits fairly early. It's a sparsely decorated house, but fun nonetheless.

We enjoyed our first winter storm over the weekend. Unfortunately, the freezing cold temperatures appear to be sticking around. It's too cold for school, too cold for outdoor play...the boys decided to make life interesting and come down with colds this afternoon. Ugh.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Nancy

Luke, Emily and Allison
Grandma opening her presents

Celebrating with cheesecake

We had a little party for Grandma Nancy over the weekend. She celebrated her 59th birthday (wink, wink). She didn't want to cook for her own birthday, can't say that I blame her, so Heather pulled together a little feast and we chipped in with the dessert. Thanks to the nice ladies at the bakery, we enjoyed a plethora of cheesecake. The kids had a good time together. It's always nice to come over and see what kind of toys the cousins have on hand. I was on a mission to collect some cute pictures for holiday gift-giving. I was somewhat successful, I suppose. Happy birthday, mom.

Steve and Luke's big trip

Luke/Darth enjoying the cousins' Star Wars paraphenalia

Getting ready to cheer for the home team, the Carolina Panthers

Sending mama a nice "hello"
Luke and Steve are on their way home from a week in North Carolina, but I thought I would post some of the photos they have sent. I just spoke to Grandma, she says they all had a wonderful time. I think they'll be exhausted, but I'm glad Steve and Luke were able to make the trip. Andy and I have enjoyed our time together, once we got over the weirdness of it all. He's had some monster tantrums today, so maybe he's ready for his family to be back together. I'm ready for a sense of normalcy, myself. I'm not ready for the sibling rivalry to resume, however.

Gobble Gobble

This is Andy, celebrating Thanksgiving in Eatonville. He is a happy camper this week, as his brother has gone away for a few days. Andy is playing with all of Luke's toys, messing up his stuff, watching whatever he wants...Steve and Luke went to North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Andy was a bit of a party pooper last year, so we decided to keep him home this time. We enjoyed a quiet and calm Thanksgiving at my parents' house. Today I am tackling all sorts of projects while half the residents are out of the house.

An Early Feast

We went to visit Grammie at her new assisted living place today. They were having a Thanksgiving feast for friends and family. The food was delicious, although I don't think they were prepared for such a large crowd. It was my first time to visit her since she moved in. My parents have been several times. I think it's nice and the staff seems very helpful and attentive to her needs. Our boys were total squirrells, so I didn't have a chance to take any pictures. I didn't feel sad until we went upstairs to see her room. I heard her say, "this is where I have to live now, Luke" and I nearly lost it. It seems to be the best option for everybody and she is in good spirits, but it is still really difficult to wrap my mind around. Is this really what getting old is all about? I will be going back more frequently as there are many more events to attend between now and Christmas, as well as some birthdays to celebrate. I hope it gets easier each time.

Who Dunnit?

We attended our first murder mystery dinner party over the weekend. What fun! It was an Italian theme, the murder victim owned the italian restaurant. We all played roles that connected us to the victim, also making us possible suspects. I was the widow and Steve was my son/aspiring pro soccer player/waiter. It was hysterical! Our friends did a wonderful job playing their parts and providing delicious food. I highly recommend the murder mystery game.

Cute Little Fellas

Luke says this is Seattle town.
"cheese!"

These pictures were fun to take, I couldn't resist their cuteness.

I'm not biased at all. Not even a tiny bit.