a week in winter

We've spent a lot of this week on the inside looking out.

We came home from church last Sunday to discover that Caden was running a fever of 102. I'm fairly certain he had the flu, since the rest of us had been vaccinated, and no one else came down with it. It was weird to see him motionless for several days. By Tuesday he was back to his usual -running countless (seriously) laps in his superhero cape.

Tuesday evening, Dee Dee and Monie came over for dinner (Grandpa Jerry, the chef, was out of town). She was lucky enough to shake Obama's hand before leaving. That night an ice storm rolled through, which meant no school for either of the boys on Wednesday.

On Wednesday late afternoon, Will enjoyed watching the snow begin to fall. Daddy came home a few minutes early - it was a nightmare commute for many in our area.

It was an extremely wet, heavy snow, which meant a huge amount of power outages. Ours flickered several times, and was out for good around 9:30pm. Our older two are used to sleeping with the sound of an air purifier, so didn't like how quiet and cold it was. Caden ended up in bed with us a majority of the night - a first...and hopefully a last. That child is a mover.

We put on layers and huddled by the fire for breakfast. I managed to enjoy a warm latte thanks to Miss Moka and a gas stove ;).

Andrew snuck upstairs to watch a show (under several layers of blankets) we had downloaded onto the ipod for the airplane.

It was a sweet morning to cuddle under blankets, play games, listen to music on the laptop. We were expecting to be out of power for several days, since our neighborhood typically takes a long time. I packed up the contents of our fridge and freezer in garbage bags, and buried them in the snow. Our last piece of firewood was burning out, I was beginning to pack up clothes so we could flee to friends/family with heat when our power CAME ON! It was a wonderful surprise, and a perfect opportunity to clean out our filthy refrigerator ;). The upper part of our neighborhood didn't get power for another 2 days (Saturday).

We canceled bible studies Thursday night since our roads were still a mess, but enjoyed having some fun new friends over for dinner. We cooked up some tasty Guinness beef pot pie - I can't recommend this recipe enough (thanks Choi's): http://http//www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/JAMIE-OLIVERS-STEAK-GUINNESS-AND-CHEESE-PIE-1257390

School was canceled the rest of the week due to messy roads and power outages. Our days were lazy - think pj's until noon, hot cocoa and marshmallows, countless board games...

and attempting to teach this little one on the move to stay away from the dog bowls (he was a little bewildered to hear me say NO).

By Friday, the morning seemed to be a non-stop stream of bickering. Then came a needed respite, and this. Bags packed for a trip to see Grandpa and Grandma in Seattle. This is a regular part of pretend play in this household (as well as unpacking the bags in "their" rooms at Grandma Kathy's house).

Friday afternoon we got a bit of snow time at the Choi's - they had a BLAST on this sled.

Such teamwork.

That night we enjoyed having these dear out-of-town friends in for dinner.

Saturday morning they planned a birthday party for Owl. Party hats, and a cheerios/milk/orange juice cake, baked in the oven and prepared with love ;).

And that night we loved having the Choi fam (including Nai Nai and Guma!) in for dinner.

A cozy week at home. Full and sweet - moments that we'll likely look back on and miss someday. As for now, I'm looking forward to resuming a bit of normalcy tomorrow.

Excitement

We've had much to be excited about this past week!

FIRST, there's a new Andrew in town! And a Choi, none the less :).

Andrew Haig Choi, named after his Grandfather a week after he went to be with Jesus, born on his Grandfather's birthday (Jan 14th). Such an incredible day.

It was so fun to be at the hospital when this precious family of 5 first met.

Our boys got to meet him a few days later. Here, the two Andrew's meet. Our Andrew couldn't be more thrilled.

Caden was an old pro, remembering right away the importance of helping with the paci.

Over the weekend, a movie night with fun friends. The parents (and grandparents!) enjoyed a mostly uninterrupted dinner in the dining room. I LOVE how they huddled together on the sofa.

Catching bad guys is a daily occurrence in this household. This particular "get-up" was one of my favorites.

Will is up to a little excitement of his own. He's started talking a bit more, waiving hello and goodbye....

pulling up to both kneeling a standing, and finally.....

CRAWLING! Yes folks, it's finally happening. This little dude is officially on the move. SO exciting.

Snowy Day

How sweet it was to have a slow, snowy day together on Wednesday. Just 1-2 inches, which was perfect. A late start day meant no school for Andrew or Caden. We snuck outside while Will napped, I snuck back in and did some toy purging whiles the boys continued to play. The rest of the day was filled with hot cocoa, having quality play time with some of the newly arrived Christmas toys, and having many opportunities to work on sharing and using our words (instead of fists) over said toys ;I.

Divin in.

So happy.

Andrew was all about climbing through the bushes.

A new backyard to explore.

Addy loved it too.

A wonderfully lazy day.

Settling In

It's hard to believe we've been back 2 weeks already. We've been settling back into routines, getting re-adjusted to early mornings, potty training, and catching up with friends. Right now the snow is falling outside, which I HOPE means we'll have a slower day tomorrow. Pics of that likely to come soon, but for now...

Our first evening back we gathered at Chris and Ginnie's for the OC's Christmas gift exchange.

Cute boys. I have no idea what Caden is doing with his finger.

Andrew was super excited about (and has been LOVING) this art set - thanks Tia.

The scene.

We took advantage of a string of days at home to dive into potty training. One afternoon I heard the front door open, and went outside to find this.

They were apparently waiting for the polar express =). And potty training is going well - he's even insisted on wearing underwear for naps and bedtime, and we've only had a few accidents here and there. For a boy who consistently insisted that he would use the potty when he was 4, we're very happy.

Andrew's school Christmas concert was canceled in December due to snow. The make-up was last week- super precious.

Christmas in the Northwest

We were so blessed and excited to be able to spend Christmas (and the week leading up to it) out in Seattle with my family. Countless pictures were taken, so I've done my best to narrow it down here.

Our first morning there (this may have been midday...we were a bit sleepy), Will enjoyed playing with Grandma and Uncle Josh under the enormous Christmas tree. I woke up that morning with what seemed like double pink eye and strep throat, but turned out to be a crazy virus. It slowed our pace, in a good way, and it was nice to be able to rest when I needed to.

Uncle Josh is so amazing with our kids - they all had so much fun with him.

One of the major incentives for making this trip was being able to meet our precious nephew, Baby S. He's adorable.

We enjoyed many slow PJ mornings.

Andrew

Happy Will

Relaxed Mom

One of many meals with the cousins - a small portion of the huge tree in the background (sadly, we never took a pic of the whole tree).

Will hangin with his newest cousin.
b

A must stop at one of our favorite coffee shops - Victors.

We met up with Bryant and Ann - dear YCF friends from DC, now living in CA, who were visiting family in Seattle.

They were roasting their own coffee.

That night we went downtown, had dinner in Westlake Center, and rode the monorail to the Space Needle.

Will loves his Uncle.

Andrew and Caden were beyond excited. A major highlight was having the chance to blow the train whistle before it took off.

There's no one like Grandma Kathy :).

At the base of the Space Needle.

Riding the carousel back at Westlake.

A quick family shot.

On Thursday we headed up North to see Great Grandma Dot.

We then stopped at this little country cafe in my parent's tiny hometown for lunch.

We were very surprised (and excited) to see Santa walk in. He apparently LOVES bacon.

Enjoying milkshakes with Grandma Kathy.

We loved meeting up with my cousin Steve, and two of his boys. On the table you can see remnants of my meal. I ordered an omelet with a side of two pancakes, completing forgetting that one of their pancakes in the size of the large oval plate. Wow.

Next we ventured North a little further to visit with my cousin Barb, and her family. She has elves every Christmas who throw presents out her bedroom door. Here, Andrew is waiting excitedly for the elves to throw the next present.

This year the elves threw out makings for these fun treats. Sugar cones, frosting, and marshmallows/candy/cereal for decorating. Such a fun, easy Christmas activity.

Andrew with his creation.

Their beautiful view.

Cousin Haylie playing with Will.

The next morning (Christmas Eve day) my dear friend Tiffany came over with her two boys. Will had fun playing with Baby O.

These three had a blast.

Christmas Eve Uncle Chris and Aunt Julie Anne had us over to their place for a delicious turkey dinner. Uncle Chris made a birthday cake for Jesus :).

The pre-present excitement.

Will, sporting his new ride.

Caden wearing his cousin's work goggles - awesome.

Grandma and Grandpa with their six grandsons.

Christmas morning, Stocking time.

Christmas morning.......

they took may prisoners.

Will with Grandpa Jack

Later that day, dear friends joined us for dinner. Will liked Sandy (who doesn't).

At the end of the day, my three sons.

Wow, Will is orange :)....much more so in pictures.

Dinner with the cousins one last time.

Reading Tickle Monster before bed with Grandma Kathy.

Meeting up with one of my oldest, dearest friends for drinks/dessert.

An extremely delicious breakfast at Salish lodge with my husband - a sweet Christmas present from Chris and Julie Anne. We savoured every moment.

The lodge overlooks Snoqualmie falls.

All in all, a wonderfully fun, relaxing trip. We are so grateful!