I am so behind, it's hard to even know where to start! I'm going to attempt to summarize the past six weeks of our lives in this one post. Suffice it to say, it was a busy holiday season for us this year. And, we wouldn't have wanted it any other way!
Thanksgiving Weekend
We spent Thanksgiving this year in Monmouth, and enjoyed our first Thanksgiving in one city. Normally, we try and cram in two Thanksgivings, and with our families living on separate sides of the state, five hours apart from each other, it was just getting too hectic. We had a nice time pigging out on Thanksgiving, watching Chloe and Quinn play together like never before (they were such cute little buddies on this trip, it was so fun to see), scouring the ads for the best Black Friday deals, shopping till we dropped (on several occasions), and celebrating Lora's pregnancy and baby Delaney while the boys played golf. It was a lovely weekend. Here's a few of pics from the weekend:
Benjamin liked to be part of the action
Chorale Weekend
The following weekend, my parents came up to visit and attend the events surrounding the Redmond Chorale. I was asked to join this start-up non-profit community choir as the accompanist by one of my local friends this summer. Being eager to have an obligation on the side (aside from my mommy role), I happily accepted. Then, I got my Kindergarten teaching job! This choir isn't a huge time commitment, but we do meet weekly for rehearsals, and it takes rehearsal time for me at home as well. Things were a little busier than I had anticipated this fall, but it was a wonderful experience, and I agreed to accompany the choir again for their next concert in March. Anyhow, the first weekend in December the choir had three different performances, one at Redmond Lights, one church service performance, and a Sunday evening concert. It was great having my parents there because they were able to watch Quinn for two of the performances, making it so we only needed a babysitter for one evening! Thanks Mom and Dad!
Anniversary Weekend
When I dreamt of a winter wonderland wedding, I'm not sure I had thoroughly thought through what that would mean for future anniversary celebrations. In the same breath, Christmas time has an added layer of depth for me, as I reflect on how lucky I am to be married to such a great guy! This year Pat and I celebrated five years of marriage, and thought that it would be appropriate for us to pause, and just really enjoy a weekend together, with no hustle and bustle. So, we packed up the car, dropped Quinn off with Grandma Cathy, and enjoyed 24+ hours in Lincoln City, just the two of us. We napped, we ate, we shopped, we relaxed; it was everything I was hoping it would be. I just couldn't stand spending two nights away from our precious Quinn, so we headed back to Grandma Cathy's for the last night of our weekend getaway.
It's the Oregon Coast in December, so naturally, it was a little (okay, a lot) wet! Cathy bought us matching rain coats which really came in handy. Shelby, I know you'll get a kick out of this beach experience... :)
Christmas in Monmouth
The following weekend, we packed up the car yet again and drove back to Monmouth to celebrate Christmas with Pat's family. School had just ended, and so I was officially on Winter Break, hallelujah! We had our traditional clam chowder Christmas Eve dinner, spoiled the kids (and each other) with gifts, celebrated the reason for the season (Quinn is starting to sing along at church a little, and it's adorably hilarious), ate way too much good food, and just enjoyed our time together.
Quinn and Chloe working on a puzzle amidst the chaos.
TV/bink sharing time.
More box fun with Auntie Riah
Christmas in Walla Walla
Pat had the whole week off in between Christmas and New Years, and so we were able to spend some extended time in Walla Walla. Believe it or not, we hadn't been there since September, and so it was so nice to have some time after all of our traveling to stay in one place! We were able to spend Christmas Eve in LaGrande with my mom's side of the family (our annual tradition), Christmas morning with my immediate family, Christmas afternoon with Pat's family, and then Christmas dinner with my Dad's side of the family. It wasn't as busy as it sounds. It was actually quite relaxing. Quinn enjoyed opening gifts, but his favorite part was climbing on boxes, standing up and shouting (with his hands in the air) "ta da!" He's such a ham! Our time in Walla Walla was spent eating copious amounts of food, being entertained by Quinn's energetic personality, and relaxing!
Cutie pie, getting into something he's not supposed to, I'm guessing.
My littlest love.
He got into the unwrapping. This kid loves to climb, as you can get a glimpse of here.
'Sock monkey basketball. Funny boy.
Yes, my son got a microphone to use with a recycled karaoke machine for Christmas, and he loves it. I told you he's a ham!
New Years
For New Years, we were still in Walla Walla. During the day we relaxed and played in the snow. For dinner, my mom made her famous lasagna (Quinn's new favorite food), and Lora, Matt, my Nana, and Aunt Diane all came over. Afterwards we had our annual "game night" playing cards. Games are my favorite way to kick off a new year!
This is Quinn saying one of the new words he learned over the break, "sssnooow."
Attempting a snowman. We didn't get very far. :)
Well, I'm thoroughly impressed if you managed to hang in there through this entire post! We hope that you were able to spend the holidays surrounded by those you love and that your New Year is off to a great start!
Matching blue raincoats...classic! I love it. When will you come back here for a visit? You know the warm water is calling your name. It's your turn. ;)
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