Christmas

This Christmas was perfect.  It was so laid back and peaceful, we were able to really focus on spending time together instead of stressing out over holiday preparations.  Christmas Eve we went to church.  I dressed the kiddos up and I put a dress on, possibly the first time I've worn a dress in a year.  The church service was so beautiful, filled with Christmas and worship songs.  Since this was a "family" service, the kiddos joined us and I was worried they would have a hard time sitting through the entire hour so we sat in the back right on the aisle in case we needed to slip out.  They were angels though, sitting still the entire service, clapping along with the music, and listening to the message.  I was amazed!

Cash and I made cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve.  I can say that Santa loved "his" cookie and milk we left out.

Cash made out like a bandit this year.  He's been asking for a combine for the past 6 months, which Santa brought him in addition to the John Deere tractors that Mommy and Daddy gave him.  Millie is still too little to understand what is really going on but she loved looking at her brother's matchbox car construction tractors and playing with the boxes.

Christmas afternoon we had our good friends Bob and Carol Spinney join us for dessert then in the evening we loaded up in the car and headed out to look at Christmas lights with popcorn and hot chocolate in hand!

My cup runneth over

 In light of last week's shooting, I'm feeling especially fortunate to have my beautiful kiddos.  I hug and squeeze my kids a lot but I can't love on them enough lately.  My heart breaks for the parents who lost their little ones not much older than Cash.  I get a lump in my throat just thinking about it.  It's hard to sweat the small stuff when what's really important can be taken away so easily.  Today I'm spending quality time making cookies with Cash.  Our holiday preparations are almost done.  This week I'm going to spoil the kids a bit.  I'm going to make pancakes for Cash every morning if he wants them.  If Millie wants to shred some of my magazines, I'm going to let her go for it.  I know it can sometimes be hard to not worry about the extra time and effort these things take but I don't want to look back on this season with my little ones and realize I was focused on the unimportant daily grind.  Here are some highlights from this month so far.

I recently took photos for Cash's preschool website.  I witnessed Cash leading his class in the pledge of allegiance.  It was possibly the most precious thing I've ever witnessed.  I felt so much pride for him at that moment.  I hope one day he'll know the true meaning behind those words. 

 Cash's school went on a field trip to Storybook Land in Albany.  I forgot my camera so I only have these sad looking pictures from my phone to show for it.  It was so cute though to watch Cash tell Santa that he wanted a "huge combine" for Christmas.  He stretched his arms as wide as they would go so Santa would really understand how "huge" it should be!

Just a cute picture of Millie that I had to include.  She smiles with her whole face, not just her mouth.  Her eyes and nose wrinkle up, it's so adorable.

Yesterday Cash's preschool had a little Christmas program.  He was one of the Wise Men.  He did a great job singing, we were so proud of him.

This weekend I drove to Boring, Oregon to pick out our new puppy.  She actually ended up picking me, not the other way around.  While her six brothers and sisters were busy chewing on my shoes, she walked to my side, sat, and patiently stared at me until I picked her up.  Her name is Chelby, she is 6 weeks old and is a Bernese Mountain Dog.  We'll bring her home the week of Christmas.

 I will try to post Christmas photos on Christmas night so you can see the present opening chaos.  Love you all.

Where did November go??

This month completely got away from me.  I haven't posted in a few weeks so I'll try to play catch up a bit.  At the beginning of the month we went down to Bandon for Cranberry harvest.  The sun actually showed up which is a rare occurance.  I was happy that the kids and I could get outside with Josh a little.  

 For Thanksgiving, we rented a house at the Running Y Resort near Klamath Falls.  Cash ate almost an entire can of olives by putting them on his fingers.
 

 The view from the deck overlooked the golf course at Running Y and we had two huge bucks walk within 10 feet of the house.

 We enjoyed playing at the resort's sports center.  They had a wading pool for Millie, a big pool for the boys, and a hot tub.

Blowing bubbles with Cash

Nana and Papa watching a movie with Cash

Running Y also has a big ice skating rink.  We bundled up and Josh sat under one of the heat lamps with Millie while I took Cash out on the ice.  It was a first for both of us and by some miracle I managed to keep us both upright the entire time without holding onto the wall!  Forgive the quality of the pictures, Josh was behind the camera and shooting through the glass on the first one.

Harvest carnival

As most of you know, we don't do the Halloween thing.  Instead we go to a church harvest carnival that helps kiddos have a Christ-centered fun time on October 31st every year.  There are bounce houses, carnival games, balloon animals, puppet shows, and a cool petting zoo.  There are churros, popcorn, hotdogs, and candy which are all bonuses for me.  I was willing to share though.  This year Cash wanted to be a fireman so I got a Dalmatian costume for Millie. It was probably the last time I'll be able to pick out her costume without her input so I figured, why not force her to be brother's fire station dog?

How many pumpkin patches are there in Oregon?

This month we went to three corn mazes.  That's right, three.  I love the whole experience, the pumpkin patches, the hay mazes, the slides, the hay rides, and the petting zoos.  I love watching Cash experience it every year.  The first time we went was opening weekend at Lone Pine Farms with the Smith family.  Audrey and Cash are good buddies.  Audrey and Garth's mama, Lorraine, even gave the kids a wheelbarrow ride!

Take two...On the spur of the moment I decided to get the kiddos out of the house on what was probably our last sunny day of the year.  This time we went to Airlie Hills Farm close to Monmouth.

Last one...We live, literally, around the corner from Muddy Creek Corn Maze.  It's pretty basic, with just the maze, pumpkin patch, and a cow train ride.  It's plenty to keep Cash entertained though and so we met one of his little preschool buddies there for a play date.

She's One!

Millie turned one on the 25th!  This year has gone by so fast!  Millie has taken a few steps on her own but still prefers to walk while holding onto things.  We had a party for her on Sunday.  We had some family and friends over and I attempted to make the cake.  As usual it didn't turn out as planned, I ran out of time and my original plan had to be simplified.  I did manage to make the ladybug cake topper though so it wasn't a total disappointment.  At least I didn't have to resort to making cupcakes like I did at Cash's 1st birthday party.  Millie was a little shy at first eating her cake, only sticking one finger in the frosting but then she decided to go for it.  Here are the pictures we managed to get during the party.