Pictures with the "real" Santa

Since we are stuck inside today because of the snow I get the chance to catch up on my blog. This is the last one for today. Yesterday we made the trek to Bellevue to see Santa Claus. We have gone to see the same Santa since Hayden was just a few months old. This year was no exception but getting to the mall was a nightmare and the wait for Santa was over an hour. The kids were actually surprisingly patient and well-behaved during this process.


Right here the kids are smiling but as soon as they get on Santa's lap they look frightened. I don't have any pictures of my own because I was just focusing on getting the kids look toward the professional camera. I hope it turns out!

Snow, snow, and more snow

I am hoping this is just our once-a-year snowstorm and things will be back to rain soon. Church is cancelled for the second week in a row. But while we have snow we will definitely be enjoying it! This picture was taken a few days ago. We have A LOT more snow now.

The Nutcracker

This year my mom, Kendall, and I decided to go to the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker. After a month of anticipation the day finally arrived last Saturday. We were excited to have Shirley, Hayley and Katrina join us. We decided to make an entire day of it and started the morning with shopping at Pacific Place and Westlake.

After lunch we rode the monorail to Seattle Center for the ballet.

I thought the ballet was magical. There is no other production of the Nutracker like this one in the world. Here are some pics from before the performance. Below Kendall, Hayley, and Katrina.

Hayley and Kendall showing us their ballet moves.


Mom, Kendall, and me.


It was a great day that ended with a small adventure. When we got to the monorail to head back to the mall it was out of service. No one was wearing shoes for walking back so we had to find a bus that would take us back. After waiting in the cold for what seemed like hours, we managed to find one. It was a relief to make it back to the warm mall for more shopping!

Ward Christmas Party

Last Friday night the kids saw Santa Claus at our ward Christmas party. Hayden wrote a list all by himself containing what he and Kendall want for Christmas. I am regretting not keeping a copy of that list.

Tadj missed out on the festivities that evening since he was flying back from Orlando. He was gone for a week and I was just counting down the hours until we got to pick him up from the airport!

A day at the zoo

On a cold day last week or the week before (the days and weeks are starting to run together) some friends and I bundled up our kids and headed for the zoo. We enjoyed elephants, and tigers, and whales, oh my! We were also lucky enough to see the reindeer who are anxiously awaiting Christmas eve.

I am still working on convincing Kendall she needs to wear a coat outside.

A day at the zoo wouldn't be complete without the kids begging to ride the carousel.

Our little girl

I feel really blessed to have a little girl in our home. Kendall is the exact opposite of Hayden in almost every way. In particular, she is really dramatic. A few days ago the kids were cleaning the toy room. (I use the word "cleaning" loosely.) After hearing some bickering I went in to examine the situation and Kendall exclaims, "Mom, Hayden is ruining my life!" Seriously? This was a few days ago and I still don't understand exactly what Hayden did to make her think that he was ruining her life.

She would also rule the roost if we let her. Tadj and I have been working on replacing all the doors, trim, and baseboards in our house and the nail gun and compressor can be noisy. One day Kendall was annoyed, "Guys, can you pleeeeaaaaase keep the noise down!" So Tadj asked her why she needed us to keep the noise down. Her reply: "Just keep the noise down" as she stomped away.

Kendall is also very outgoing (most of the time). At the grocery store she usually sings "I am A Child of God" at the top of her lungs with a slight change to one of the verses: "Lead me, guide me, walk inside me." But now with it being the Christmas season, her latest song is "We Wish you a Merry Christmas." Suprisingly enough, most people actually respond "Merry Christmas". I guess we are bringing Christmas spirit to the world one grocery store at a time.

On Friday Kendall was helping me unwrap candy canes to make christmas cookies. She hooked the tops of two the candy canes together and exclaimed, "Look, Mom, it's a hooker!"

We have been joking lately that we didn't know that "Beauty and the Beast" could be one person. But we love her dearly and are so thankful she gives us many reasons to laugh.

The Great Christmas Tree Hunt

For the past few years we have put up an artificial tree at Christmas. There are a lot of things to like about artificial trees but every year I feel like I am missing out on something. I have so many great childhood memories of hiking in the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree. Now that our kids are getting older I want them to enjoy the same thing.

So on Saturday we headed to a nearby National Forest, picked up our $10 tree cutting permit, and began our search for the perfect tree. I was counting my blessings that it was raining and not snowing since our car isn't meant for snow. After a couple of hours we were drenched and cold but managed to find the "perfect" 12' Noble Fir. So much fun!

When we put up the tree in our house we realized it wasn't as perfect as we thought because of a very big bare spot. But I really don't care because we had such a great time finding this tree and making new memories.

Closing a Chapter

Tadj and I had an agreement for many years about getting a dog. I really don't like dogs and Tadj loves them. Our agreement was that when I stopped working we would get a dog. This played a small role in my working for the last 7 1/2 years. I was extremely fortunate to have a job where I could work from home, part-time and in a field I love (Statistics).

But things change. I've known since the beginning of September that November 30 would be my last day of work. It feels odd to walk into my office and not check my work e-mail. I will miss the people I worked with and the brain stimulating work. But for now I am going to enjoy every minute of being with my kids without work lingering in the back of my mind. And I am praying for the patience to endure a dog that dear old Santa may leave under our tree. And thus closes a chapter in my life.

Tom the Turkey

We hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving. We celebrated at our house this year with a total of 19 guests. I cooked a turkey for the first time ever and it actually turned out. A Thanksgiving miracle! Too bad I didn't take a picture.

I did take a picture of Hayden's school project - a turkey disguised as batman.

"I'm Tom Turkey and I'm scared as can be. I'm dressed in a disguise so you can't catch me!"

Aloha!

After 5 years of Tadj's mom watching our kids once a week we thought it would be fun for her to come along with us to Hawaii. All we needed was an excuse like a wedding to get us back to Oahu. We had a great time and already miss the sunny weather and lazy days by the beach. A week in paradise may not be enough. Here are the highlights...

Day 1

We arrived in Oahu the afternoon of November 4. Our first destination after reaching the rental house was to check out "our" beach. Bellows beach is one of the most beautiful beaches on Oahu with only one problem:

More about those little nuisances later. We then headed to Costco to stock up on food for the week. Tadj and I finished the day with moonlight stroll on the beach. Ahhh, so romantic!

Day 2

We headed up north to Laie and our first stop was the Temple. While Marj and I were inside, Tadj and the kids went to the visitors center and played on the grass.

We then spent the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. We visited here on a previous trip to Oahu and decided that once was enough but Marj and the kids have never been so we (me and Marj against Tadj's wishes) opted for a second visit.

Day 3

Beach day! We spent the morning at Bellows beach and then headed to Hanauma Bay to snorkel. We saw beautiful fish and were up close and personal with a turtle. It was awesome! I didn't take my camera with us but Marj snapped a shot of the bay.

Day 4

We decided to check out Lanikai beach just a bit north from where we were staying. The sand at this beach is so soft. We enjoyed playing in the water and building sand castles.

Tadj went a little crazy in Photoshop with these next ones!

But it was here at Lanikai beach that Tadj and I were both stung by jelly fish -- twice! Fortunately, it didn't hurt bad enough to make someone pee on the stings. I've already been there and done that! Here is what the little stingers look like.

After I was stung for a second time I was ready to leave the beach. We spent the rest of the day at Ko'Olina lagoons on the west side of the island. This is the perfect place for kids.

Day 5

Today was the day of Jen's wedding. Jen is Tadj's good friend from grad school. This wedding invitation is what spurred the vacation to Hawaii. They were married at the Halekulani resort. The wedding was beautiful.

The reception was very different (but still beautiful). I have never been to a traditional chinese reception. A lion dance is performed to bring the newlyweds good luck and ward off evil spirits. After the dance, the lions then go around and "eat" money from the people in attendance. Here is Kendall feeding the lion.


The food at the reception was fantastic. It definitely cured my craving for seafood and sushi.

Day 6

Our Sunday in Oahu started out with sacrament meeting at the church just down the street. So here I am just to prove I was on the vacation (the one taking all of the photos!) At the wedding, everyone who flew in was given a lei. I was glad I got to wear it one more time.

Since this was our non-water day we opted for a trip to Peal Harbor. This actually turned out to be one of Hayden's favorite spots.

Then we headed to the swap meet and the Dole Plantation.

The kids wanted to go on the train ride to check out the crops.

The ride wasn't as exciting as Kendall thinks it is!

We ended the day watching the surfers on the North Shore at sunset.

Day 7
We started the day at Bellows beach but there was a really strong current. The big waves sure were fun though!

After getting knocked around we decided to head back to Ko'Olina Lagoons so the kids could enjoy the water more and Tadj could snorkel. We played again until sunset.
It was a good day.

Day 8
Our final day! After we packed up Tadj took us on one more adventure. We hiked down 75 feeet to a little isolated beach.
Writing this post makes me nostalgic, especially with the rain and cold weather we've had. It was a wonderful vacation. And we are very grateful that Marj was able to join us on our trip to paradise.

Happy Halloween!

When the day is done Kendall will have attended 7 costume parties in October (6 for Hayden). I think that is a new record for us! This is also the first year we let the kids pick out their costumes all on their own.

Batman and Batgirl

Ready for some action Waiting patiently for the costume judging to end.

Kendall was awarded "cutest" costume at my parent's ward Halloween party. Celebrating with a cookie! Playgroup costume party!
And more photo opportunities await us today!

Pumpkin Patch

Last Friday we went to the Pumpkin Patch for Kendall's first preschool field trip. We enjoyed a wagon ride around the farm, pumpkin pickin', and a corn maze.

We got to the patch early and she requested this picture on the cow.

Picking out the perfect pumpkin.
Leading me through the corn maze (for the third time!)Enormous spiders!

The preschool tradition is a dad's night to paint or decorate the choice pumpkin. Since Tadj was out of town on business Papa filled-in. Kendall loved it!

School pictures

Hayden brought home his school pictures the other day and they are terrible. His eyes are slightly crossed and he has this awful fake smile I've never seen before. After considering the option of retakes which I doubt will be much better we decided to take the kids out for a photo shoot and take advantage of the beautiful fall colors. I think Tadj got some great pics.