Everyday Moments

Dear Santa

All I want for Christmas is..............................

 

Last Saturday night we bundled up in our winter coats to brave the ICE COLD temperatures and wind in hopes of spending a little time with Santa.  We drove on down to the Santa House, a building dedicated for one purpose only and that is to grant the wished of good little boys and girls for a few weeks each year.  After Chrismtas it is locked up tight waiting in anticipation for the next Christmas season.  They have music, animated displays, trains going all over the building and even SNOW falling every 10 minutes.  It was well worth the long wait of 45 minutes outside and another 20 in.  Of course by the time we finally got inside, we didn't care how long the line was as it felt so good to be out of the freezing temperatures (it was about 12* I don't know what the windchill factored in at.)

After seeing Santa, we headed down Main Street to Daddy-O's for Deep Fried Pickles, French Fries and Onion Rings!  YUMMM

 

December Daily

In November I joined a social group here called the Midland Newcomers.  It is a group that meets every other month of people new to the area, although what I found out is that most people have been a part of the group for years and would no longer be considered new to the area!  Anyway, they offer lots of different social activities like bowling, board games, card games, crafting, walking and scrapbooking.  I decided to give the scrapbooking a try and while I didn't really hit it off with anyone (I'm missing my crafting friends terribly) I did get an entire project done in the 6 hours I was there!  One of my oldest friends Michelle (not old in actual age, although she is turning 40 next week!) is a very busy wife, mom and employee.  She is SUPER creative but doesn't always have the time to sit down and do fun crafty like stuff so i thought it would be fun to make her a December Daily album.  It is an album where you just document everyday happenings for the month of December.  It is usually such a crazy busy time, that we often forget the little things...for instance I was looking back at mine from last year and totally forgot about a little performance jessie had at school...but looking back in my album, I could remember all the fun details of it!  Anyway.......I forgot to take pictures before sending it to her....so last night she sent me a couple of pictures.  She promises to send more as she completes it so hopefully down the road I can show you more. 

I also made one for me, but have been under the weather for several days now and just haven't taken pictures....hey....I'm lucky to even be getting the documenting done!  But check back later today or maybe tomorrow and I'll have some of mine ready!

Here's Michelle's!

 

 

This album is made by taking apart a vintage children's book. (It's probably the same age as you and I and that is now called vintage-----so sad!)

SNOW DAY! SNOW DAY! SNOW DAY!!!

it's all smiles around here as we have another snow day! 

Holy Cow......we HAD about 5 inches of snow from the previous snow fall.....we got about another 7 inches over night and it has pretty much been snowing on and off all day.  I think our total accumulation thus far is about 14-15 inches....and we are still under a winter storm warning until 1:00 am. 

 

 

If you look closer, that would be my son measuring the snow in his shorts and snow boots.  That was his outfit of choice when he heard school was closed!

 

This is crazy Maverick.  This was in the snow yesterday, before we got all the additional accumulation.  He loves the snow but can hardly even get around in it!  We try to get him to walk in the area where we have made a path, but he likes to burrow his nose down in the deep stuff!  He is so cute!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland..............

Apparentlly for us Oregonians, we didn't realize that the snow last Monday was just a teaser........because the "first big storm of the season" hit last night.

it has been snowing since about 4:00 pm yesterday and we have about 5-6 inches so far with another 1-3 inches predicted for today.

The kids are thrilled to know that flushing the ice and wearing the PJ's inside out worked today.  They are on day 6 of "no school" as this snow storm was perfectly timed to back right up to the Thanksgiving break.

 

Tree's in our front yard

 

 

live tree's are certainly different here in Michigan than they are in Oregon.  The varieties are completely different to start with and there are very few tree farms.  We did manage to find one but we had to pay $41 for a tree we would have paid about $18 for back home.  Sadly we did miss one of our most favorite holiday traditions of cutting our tree up in the mountains of Oregon while playing the day away in the snow.  We have packed turkey sandwhiches and drove to the mountains in search of the perfect tree for the last 9 years on the day after Thanksgiving.  And the permits for that are only $5 bucks by the way!!!!

None the less, we did find a tree, loaded it up and took it home.  Strangely it sat in the garage for two days before we brought it in to decorate.  I think it was just hard for all of us and we weren't exactly feeling the Christmas Tree mojo being away from everyone and everything we love.  We did finally decorate Sunday night but not without lots of tears.  You see each year the Grandparents on both sides get the kids an ornament.  Each one is marked with the year it was given and that was really, really hard on Jake.  He cried as he read each and every ornament.   He was really missing home and that just breaks your heart in ways you didn't even know possible.

 

 

Thanksgiving day dinner toast..............(the kids are drinking giner ale.....)

 

The kids had friends over last Wednesday....they got the day before Thanksgiving off too....... so naturally they thought they might work on the igloo Jessie and Jake had started the day before.

 

Jessie and her friend Megan.  Megan didn't bring any snow clothes over so she had to borrow Jessie's...that meant Jessie borrowed Daddy's jacket...something she has been loving lately is to wear her daddy's jacket.  It is the little things like that - that warm my heart!

 

Jake and his friend Zach........bringing in the snow for the girls to build with!