advent

we have an advent calendar...otherwise known as "the count down to christmas" since we hold no religious affiliation.  the kids open the little door everyday...sometimes there is a little chocolate treat, sometimes some lip balm (their little lips are so red from the cold!), sometimes a note to call and sing 'jingle bells' to a grandparent (i think the grandparents each secretly all hope their name is on the note every year), and often time there is an 'advent activity'.  the advent activity is something that we traditionally do as part of the holiday season like 'breakfast with santa', or 'hood river tree lighting', but one of the kids most favorite advent activities each year is the candle light bubble bath.  its my favorite too....so sweet!

ho ho ho

a few pictures of our holiday happenings.....  the kids all snuggled on the couch to watch 'rudolph the red-nosed reindeer'

 .....getting our tree, the kids cut it down this year.... we didn't touch the saw!!!

 

.....zoo lights!! and it wasn't raining this year!!

 

.... fa la la la la!!!

happy hanukkah

we celebrated hanukkah at our good friend steve and janet's home. they live just down the street from us. both todd and steve were 'stay at home' dad's so our kids have basically been raised together (and really behave more like siblings....it's quite sweet).  they are a close as we have to family in this little small town of ours.  anyway we celebrate hanukkah at their house every year....the latkes are amazing.  the past few years they have expanded to include neighbors and friends and its really turned into such a wonderful celebration.  the kids helped light the menorah and steve leads us all in prayers. the kids enjoyed a game of dreidel.... which looked more like gambling that anything else...but who am i to say.  lovely gathering to celebrate the festival of lights.....it is a highlight of the holiday season!!

thankful in breckenridge

we traveled to colorado for thanksgiving, and actually spent the holiday up in breckenridge.  we shared a big house with todd's family and todd's sister-in-law's sibling's families (did you follow that?). they were all from the south with those accents and charm.....very lovely people.  we played games and relaxed, chatted and of course ate and drank (a lot)!!  todd and i enjoyed revisiting our breck memories from those pre-kids days.  all and all it was a holiday to be thankful for.    unfortunately we have very little in the way of pictures to show for the event.  certainly did not capture the group at large but managed to get a few shots of us with todd's mom and aunt and uncle on the day we left. 

we have so much to be thankful for....health, family, beautiful children, so, so much. hope your thankgiving was delightful as well!!