Winter Wonderland

We arrived in Oregon on Friday, December 19th for our two weeks of Christmas vacation. Saturday morning we awoke to freshly fallen snow which continued throughout the day. Now there is about 8 inches of snow on the ground. Another 6 inches is predicted over the next 1-2 days. Nothing slows down the pace of a vacation more than being snowed in - we are grateful for the focus on family time that this time is affording us.

Lauren's 5th Birthday

Yesterday, our little girl turned 5. I'm not sure where the time went...it seems it was just yesterday that she was toddling around, saying all her words wrong in the cutest way, with her little lisp. And now she is eloquent beyond her years, taller than everyone else her age and more independent than I'd like to admit. But, with her age comes new and fun activities we can do together, deeper conversations and spiritual growth. So, I guess I'll embrace this new phase of life as she becomes a little young lady and cherish the memories of her younger years.

To celebrate her 5th birthday, we had a Tea Party at our house yesterday. 10 of her closest girlfriends came dressed up for high tea, crafts, presents and cake. It was quite the ordeal to prepare, decorate and "self-cater" this event! But, I had so much fun doing it and Lauren was very appreciative of the finished product. Here are some pictures of her special day:














I had to have 3 tables because every girl we invited came!!














We had flower-shaped pb&j sandwiches, chocolate-dipped strawberries, petit fours, butterfly-shaped crackers, pink lemonade and, of course, raspberry tea!














The cake I baked for her














The placecards I made for each girl














Lauren & her friends

Fun in St. Louis

We were so blessed to get the opportunity (and invitation) to go to St. Louis for Thanksgiving vacation. My sister-in-law’s parents invited us to come to their house and stay for the week. Originally, we thought we might drive and make it a fun road trip…but then we came to our senses and realized that a 10-hour drive with an infant and a 4-year-old would be insanity! So, the hour and a half flight would be much easier.

We left Monday afternoon and stayed through Saturday evening, but still it went by a little too fast. We had so much fun shopping and baking and playing games…and the guys even went shooting and to a gun show! They also got tickets for the four of us to go see the Transiberian Orchestra, which was incredible. It was a big deal because it was the first time Lauren and Nolan have ever had a babysitter. (I was pretty proud of myself for only calling twice to check in!)

Amidst all the fun, Nolan managed to get an ear infection, so he was pretty miserable for a couple days until the antibiotics kicked in. But, after that he was back to his normal self and having fun practicing pulling himself up on everything in sight. He even figured out how to climb up the stairs – yikes! I definitely have my hands full now with him all over the place!! Oh, and he also got to try some mashed potatoes (which he didn’t like) and pumpkin pie (which he loved).

Ryan and I agreed that it was one of the best vacations we have ever had as a family and we are so grateful for the amazing hospitality and generosity that they showed to us during our stay! Here are some pictures from our trip:









Lauren & "Nana"















Nolan in the tub













Learning to make Nancy's famous fudge













Helping Nolan master the stairs