It's Christmas!

Christmas morning pictures...Abby was sooo excited to open presents and is very happy with her new Snow White princess dress and her cowgirl boots from Papa Art and Grandma Clare.

Playing in the snow!

Doug, Joy, and Michael did get to come over to play last weekend. Joy brought over chili for dinner and Bill actually ate some, which he hasn't done in about 2 years. Abby and Michael got to go outside and play in the snow and here are some fun pictures of them.

Carnage.

On Christmas Eve-Eve, as I was drifting off to sleep, a large branch, overloaded with snow and ice, broke off one of our Doug Firs, and crashed down the back side of the house, setting Dads dog to barking! I barely noticed, and went right back to sleep.

Surveying the wreckage today, it's not so bad. With the exception of one fence board broken off the gate, and branches all over the yard, we came through it unscathed.

A looonnngggg Christmas Eve.

Dad and I were up and out of the house by 0800 yesterday, heading up to the MLK Loaves and Fishes center. We'd be delivering all our routes meals through the weekend, so it was nice to have both of us to carry all the food. Dad got word that Elizabeth's daughter Franne would be flying into PDX at 1:15, so we were hoping to get our route done in time.

As it turned out, things went very smoothly: We were able to get our route's food about an hour early, (rather than 10:30,) which allowed us to finish by 11. Then we headed over to St. Johns to pick up Mom, and then headed down Lombard to the airport.

We had lunch at Sharis, and Franne called us just as we finished, good timing! Picking her up was less of a hassle than I feared, and I-84 through town and I-5 to Haines was great! South of that though it was still very rutted in some lanes. I got off at Carman, thinking that 72nd would be a better idea. Wow was I wrong! Suffice it to say that I went back to the interstate. After dropping me and Mom off at the house, Dad and Franne headed south to meet Elizabeth in Salem. That trip, all 43 miles of it, took them two hours. Dad hung out for a while, hoping traffic would die down a little, leaving Salem at 6:00. He made it home about 9:30!

-Bill

Last minute shopping.

On Tuesday, I headed back to the MLK Loaves and Fishes center, only to find out that they weren't delivering meals that day, so I drove back home.

Kricket had been cooped on in the house with the girls for quite few days, so on the 23rd, Mom came down to watch Abby and Libby, and frost up some Christmas cookies.

Kricket and I headed south to Wilsonville on Boones Ferry Rd., thinking it would be an easier drive than I-5. We were right, up until we got to the police cars and the ambulance. We never did find out what happened, as we ended up on Norwood across I-5, and eventually made it to Costco/Target, where we finished up here last minute shopping.

On the way home, we decided to try I-5. That was a mistake. Very slow and crowded. When we got to the 205/I-5 North merge, there were three cars spun out on the side of the road: A 4x4 F-150, a Saturn sedan w/chains, and a Volvo wagon. We pulled over to help, as I'd already attached the ARB tow-strap we got for the Alcan rally. In fact, I'd already used it to extract a Suburban that day, and a Tacoma the day before!

The Saturn driver and the Ford driver didn't know each other, but were helping each other out. We hooked the tow strap to the back of the Ford, put it in low range and got him out on the first tug. Then we pulled out the Saturn. I checked on the Volvo, but since he was on summer tires and didn't have chains, I didn't want to pull him out, and was relieved to here that he had help on the way.

The beast has been very good during this snowy/icy weather. I've been doing the meals on wheels up in NE every day, (save the weekend,) since the 16th and haven't gotten stuck.

...and more snow!

We woke up this morning to another inch of snow at our house. At 9:00 it started snowing again, and it is still coming down.

Doug and Michael may come over later to play in the snow.

Some pics:

Visting Santa!

We took Abby and Libby to see Santa today. Probably due to the weather, there was almost no line. Yay! Libby, like a good baby, slept through the whole experience, despite my best efforts to wake her. Abby had a good time and told Santa what she wants for Christmas (a baby doll that uses the potty...yuck.)

Let it snow...

It's still snowing...here's Abby making a snow angel after a walk with her Grammy earlier this week.

Christmas is coming!

Last week, we went out in search of a Christmas tree and attempted to get a picture taken for our family Christmas card. Here is Abby with our tree at Lee's Farms. Lee's is also the place that we went for the pumpkin patch with all the rides and face painting. She was not very happy that the rides were not going this time.














Our family Christmas picture. It takes a miracle to get a 3 year-old and a newborn in the same picture at the same time and have it turn out well.
















Here are some of the attempts we made to get a picture of the two of them by themselves. Hehehe. They won, we finally gave up.

Meals on Wheels

Abby and I did some delivery driving for Meals on Wheels today. While we were picking up the food, a news team from KOIN 6 asked if they could follow along. They stuck with us for 5-6 deliveries before heading off to cut it up for the 5:30 show.



-Bill

More Snow Pics!

Abby bundled up in her new bear mittens and bear muffler, and of course, a green hat.



Her Peg Gaucho goes really well in the snow! We tried the Barbie jeep, but with its smaller wheels, it just sat there and spun out.




Kricket got a few more pictures as it started to get dark.






Fingers crossed for too much snow tomorrow so I can stay home with my babies!

First Snow!!

I woke up this morning to our first snowfall in the new house. It's really starting to stick! One picture for now. Later, we'll take Abby out to let here drive her Power Wheels around.


Happy Birthday Delphine!

Thanksgiving, (with pictures past and present!)

On Abby's first Thanksgiving, I thought it would be funny to place her in our biggest pot. She was three months old at the time and she fit perfectly. I did it again that next year, and just finished up taking this year's picture as well.

2005


2006


2007


2008

Elizabeth comes home.

After destroying my back sleeping on the pullout couch in Kricket's birthing room the first night, I got wise: sleep diagonally across the largest section. I felt almost good the next two mornings! If you have the option, I recommend Legacy Good Samaritan as a great place to have a baby: the nurses are great, and the rooms are huge. Seriously. The room we had this time is bigger than some studio apartments I've seen! That comes in handy when people come over to visit.

Elizabeth and Daddy on the pullout couch:


When we brought Abby home from Good Sam, it was over 100 degrees outside, and by the time we got her home, she had a little heat rash. Not a problem in November! Delphine came to help us get all our gear out of the hospital, and brought Abby so she could ride home with us.

Elizabeth's first car ride:


Kricket's Aunt Kathy and Uncle David, cousin Carrie and her son's Brendan and Jacob were at our house when we got home. Kathy and Carrie had brought some great new outfits for the baby. After a long day, we were all pretty tired.


Libby is doing well. Sunday night was loonnnggg, but last night was much better. My boss was nice enough to let me work from home this week, so I can help make bottles and whatnot as Kricket is still on the mend.

Libby has a host of outfits, and we're going to do our best to let her wear all of them!


Stay tuned for our annual "Thanksgiving baby in the pot" picture!

-Bill

Some more pictures!