Bring on the snow...PART 1

Tis the season...we are loving the change in climate. First of all, I have to apologize about Christmas letters... I actually ran out this year...that is what happens when you leave so many wonderful people. Next year I will hopefully be able to order more and plan ahead...so here goes another monthly update. This one is chocked full of winter cheer...love to all:)

************************************************************************************* I need to do this in parts so here is part one... ************************************************************************************ So for Thanksgiving we had Kristian's family from Portland down and his mom from California. It was a great day of Thanks and we really loved the time with Grandma! ******************************************************************************** *********************************** The cousins played... ******************************** *********************************************************************** ****************************** Grandma entertained... ****************************** ************************************************************************************ And the girls hammed it up as usual... ************************************************************************************ Then December came in with a roar... ************************************************************************************ We braved the tallest peak on the Oregon coast...remember we are used to Arizona...we were freezing!! It was a good thing we went when we did though because soon after, the snow came in and they closed it down for the season... We got a new van and took a celebratory drive out to Finley wildlife refuge...it is pretty cool...yes we belong here...they have a Finley road, Finley wildlife refuge, Avery road and Avery park...could we have picked a more perfect place? Crummy picture, I know...but it captures the moment for us...and when I ever get around to making this blog into a memory book, I want all the moments I can:) ************************************************************************************ The snow hit the day Drew and Stormi were suppose to get in from Hawaii...Kristian spent several hours making it about 30 miles and had to turn back. They don't plow much here because they don't get a lot of snow...but it hit this year hard...The next day Kristian went up to Portland to get them and it took all day...it usually takes about an hour and a half to get there...so while he was gone, the girls and I enjoyed the snow...No longer my little sun babies!Our snow gear is pretty pathetic, so it was a little tough to make much of a snowman. It snowed much more than this first dusting a few days later and Uncle Drew took Avery down to the park and made a real snowman...nice and big like I remember snowmen being...ours was a nice attempt though... It snowed one time while we were in Arizona (unless you count up on the mountain)...we took Avery out and let her stand in it as it melted the minute it hit the ground...so this is very exciting for us:) I will do part 2 next...stay tuned for the Christmas festivities:)

Shiver Me Timbers...Avery turned 4!!!

And so it began with a note...

Sent swiftly in bottles...

And a pirate party was born...for a most magnificent little four year old...I must say... Pirate boats were sent to school to foreshadow the celebration... But the captn's boat was slow to be constructed, so it docked at home while repairs were made, until... It stayed up!! Hurrrraaaay shouted the boatmaker! And she moved onto the decor... The quarters seemed to be coming together... Second in command Pirate Princess Finley surveyed the efforts and declared...let the party begin! They came from near and far the princesses... And pirates... To decorate treasure chests... And pin X's on a map (sorry this was the only picture:)... to mark the treasure... And then head out on an adventurous treasure hunt of their own...to find... The real treasure!! And attempt to confiscate it...After which... Captn' Avery Claire lead her crew to the Ships quarters where they all found pirate hats waiting. They drank from red jeweled goblets and ate pirate booty while awaiting the arrival of the ship of dessert...Finally... The Spanish Main arrived!!! Complete with Sponge bob:) The Captn' took a little time out for dancing and then... Opened some really great loot!! Second in command took a moment to dive into the "water" And came up smiling as usual... And the ship wreck was mourned (only by the boatmaker that is:). When the deck was cleared, Aunt Adriane and Uncle Tiago helped Captn' Avery set up a beautiful magic garden for her quarters... And those landlubbers mom and dad came through and gave her more presents to open...It was a marvelous, memorable, adventure had by all!!!

My Favorite time of year!

This like so many of you...is also my favorite time of year. I absolutely love Halloween and everything that comes with it. This year was really a great year I have to say...here is a step into our past month and all our Halloween festivities...enjoy!

I'll fill you in on the above slide show...We actually went twice to the pumpkin patch this year. Once with Avery's school and then again with playgroup. It was such a change from last year...there is something about picking pumpkins in the cold as opposed to 90 degrees...it just feels like fall everywhere...I can't get enough of all the leaves changing and walking through them all...I didn't realize how much I have missed this time of year being in the desert for the past six falls...I love it! Anyway...back to the pictures...the pumpkin patch had great activities like duck racing, hay mazes, corn mazes, corn bins to play in, and many more...much fun! I went all out with the food this year...we made several batches of Halloween cookies for various activities. I made a Halloween dinner the night before Halloween that was pretty fun, and then made Halloween pumpkin pancakes in the tradition of my mom:) I also made Frankenstein cupcakes (see below slide) and a pumpkin roll and pumpkin pie...whew...my mixer needs a rest:) I helped at the indoor park I am involved in by creating some games for their Harvest Festival and I also hosted a Halloween carnival at our house for playgroup. We also went up to Salem to the children's museum there called the Gilbert House and went to their Harvest Festival and had a lot of fun...we have been a little busy! I love October and hope next year is just as fun filled!

So on Halloween, my friend Emily and her two kids went along with us trick-or-treating downtown Corvallis to all of the shops. It is such a fun little town...there are three main streets downtown where all the businesses load up on candy and the town comes out to have some fun...It sure beats going at night in the cold...I let dad do that round:) We then went home, put out a bowl for the visitors and headed over to some friends house where the girls went trick-or-treating and then we all had a great Halloween dinner party. It was a long, sugar filled night and oh so worth it! Happy late Halloween everyone!! Oh...a note on our costumes...Avery is of course a Pirate...she loves everything pirate these days. Finley insisted on being a baby for Halloween until a few days ago when I saw a cheap cinderella outfit and convinced her that she could be a cinderella baby. Everytime I would see a cute outfit and try to pursuade her she insisted on the baby thing. So I felt pretty good about cinderella baby...then we were shopping for hats for mom and dad and a few pirate accessories when she declared that she wanted to be a pirate baby princess...so I glued a pirate patch to her outfit and threw an oversized pacifier around her neck and Finley Halloween 2008 was born...oh well...what can you do...she looks cute in whatever, I had just hoped it would look a little less like dress up hour and a little more like Halloween;)

Goonies and Pirates...oh my!

The Oregon coast is stunning. We camped last weekend really close to the part of the coast that is in the last scene of the movie Goonies...when the pirate ship is heading out...this is of course not a picture of that...I neglected to get a picture so you will just have to take my word that it is pretty cool:)

All Aunt Adriane wanted for her 23rd birthday was a camping trip with her family. I haven't been camping in years...well since having kids and was pretty apprehensive about it to be honest. It turned out pretty well. We only met rain on the second night and even then it wasn't too bad. The girls just love camping and it is in Kristian's blood, so I think our little family will be stocking up on gear and heading out more now that we have cracked open the egg. I am looking forward to it....honestly:) Grandma entertained the kids so much on this trip she hardly had time to relax! We parents sure appreciated it, but the kids thought they had died and gone to heaven! Thank you, Grandma! Adriane was fortunate to have her in-laws, the Denczuks, in town from Brazil and we all had fun getting to know her new family a little better. All the cousins love Aunt Adriane!! Dancin on the beach at sunset! Fin's face looks kinda funny, but I liked the background:) Fin has the smile thing down! She lights up the world!

Avery is our little acrobat. I admire her fearless spirit so much! The best part, I think about camping, is the down time... The cousins had a lot of fun together...mostly:) I just love this little family! It was a little to cold to go into the water, much to the girls' disappointment, but they did have a lot of fun in the sand! Aunt Rebecca had the great idea to do a treasure hunt with the kids..they loved it! We had Adriane wait on the beach and draw a huge X in the sand, while Grandma came and told the kids she had found this map on the beach. They got decked out in pirate gear and headed off to find the loot! It was pretty cute! A huntin we will go! And the treasure is found!! It was a fun weekend and we were greatful to have the oppourunity to see more of Oregon and hang out with family.