Christmas Traditions

Christmas Traditions I LOVE:

1. Advent Calenders
2. The Elf on The Shelf
3. Thompson Lane Christmas Lights
4. Christmas Cookie Decorating
5. Gingerbread Houses
6. The Nutcracker with Liv at Temple Hill
7. SF Christmas Tour
8. The Christmas Train
9. Watching White Christmas (although it will never be the same without my sister...*cue sobs*)
10. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life"
11. Watching "Mr. Kruger's Christmas"
12. Watching "Elf"
13. Reading a Christmas book a day with the kids

It is #8 that I am going to blog about. My Mother-in-law started the Christmas Train tradition last year with the kids, and this year I decided to tag along. My experience in one word: magical. This is one tradition that I will carry on every year. There is something so nostalgic about trains; the sounds, the lull of the train bumping along the tracks, combined with the Christmas lights, music, and aromatics, that is pure heaven. Next year, Jake will take the day off and we will all go together.

Our trip in pics:

The Christmas Train of Lights takes off from Niles and is part of the Transcontinental Railroad. They decorate each car on the outside and each car on the inside.


I am pretty convinced that there is not one Santa in California with a real authentic beard. I think that these Santas only exist in colder climates, like Chicago, Utah, and Oregon. I have yet to see a Santa grow a real beard out here. Maybe our *balmy* Winter Climate of 60+ degree weather combined with the Palm trees makes our Santas think that they can get a way with a synthetic beard.















A note about how Grandma is dressed. She kept calling me on the phone telling me about how many layers of clothing that I would need to layer on myself and the kids. I just checked the weather: 70 degrees. With a high like that, I wasn't about to layer anyone. When she arrived at the house she told me that she was sweating because she had her THERMAL UNDERWEAR on! On the drive out there it got up to 74---and we turned on the air conditioning (for her sake). To her credit it did cool off quite a bit, and we were in need of a light coat and scarf.









So, if any of you live in the Bay Area you must look up the Niles Canyon Railway and put it on your list of things to do during the month of December. It will no doubt put you into the Holiday spirit. And, if any of the Willdens are reading this, wouldn't it be a fun thing for all of the cousins to do together next Christmas? Just sayin.' You should totally make the trek out here next Christmas.....pretty please? :-)

What are your favorite traditions? (I am always looking for more)

'Does This Bread Make Me Look Fat?'

The kids had Fall Break the week of Thanksgiving and one of those days we took a walk along the pond to feed the ducks. The little guy, or rather BIG guy, pictured above, walked right up to us with expectant eyes and practically begged for bread. You can call us enablers, but we gave the guy some bread--you can actually see it in his hands. Wouldn't you have?

The kids are a little skittish around ducks ever since the trip to the Duck Pond we took while we were in Oregon over the Summer, where the ducks charged you and literally goosed you to get the bread out of your hands. That trip ended in tears. Now, whenever Livy sees a duck she says: "Is that an 'Oregon duck?'" So, on this particular trip, as the ducks started making their way out of the pond to get a closer position to their potential food, this is what my kids did


They look *vicious* don't they?

After the duck pond, I of course tried to capture the kids in some of the 'Fall scenery' before I forgot another year.



In my efforts to take better pictures of people, I am trying to become more aware of the ways in which people pose; where they put their hands, etc., before I take the shot. That didn't happen in this picture. After I snapped this shot, it wasn't until I got home that I noticed that Oscar had his arm behind his back. Everyone needs a one armed picture of their child, right?







At the end of our "pond walk" we saw our pond's celebrity: Puff Head. It was good to see her again.....I am assuming that it is female, I do not think a male could rock that hair.

Liv and Oscar, Oscar and Liv

Ten Little Known Facts About Livy:

1. She is ALL about Christmas
2. She likes to blame Dad for every off smell that wafts in her direction. Example: Yesterday morning as I was getting ready for church I hear a conversation that goes a little something like this:
Livy:"What's that smell?"
Oscar:"I don't know"
Livy:"Oscar, come here I think Fredo (our cat) tooted, it really stinks."
Oscar:"eeewwwww."
*scamper of little feet down the hallway*
Livy:"Mom, daddy tooted."
Me: "Liv, daddy is at a meeting at Church, he did not toot. I heard you say that it was Fredo, now why would you blame Dad?"
Livy: "He tooted at church. You can smell his toots from really far away. His toots are really powerful."
Me: "Livy, when are you going to give your Dad a break?"
Livy: *smiles devilishly, turns on her heel, and runs off*
3. She loves to follow me around, I mean LOVES. Do I love it? You guess...... Example: The other day I told my shadow (Livy) that I needed to go to the bathroom and if she would please excuse me and give me privacy. She proceeded to follow me to my room. I closed the bathroom door and locked it. Out comes four little fingers out from under the crack of the bathroom door and a little voice....."mom, can you see my fingers? I'll wait for you until you are done." *Great*
4. Livy is ALL about American Dolls. I blame her Auntie Katie. ;-)
5. She is a craft-aholic, no doubt, a trait that was inherited from her Grandma Frann. She thinks the world is a much better place with a little bit more glitter. I am so glad that I discovered "Pinterest" so that I can attempt to satiate Livy's crafty desires.
6. Livy loves to cook with her Dad....and Jake has the patience of a saint to include her in all of his cooking adventures. One of her favorite pastimes? Playing 'guess that spice.' She closes her eyes and Jake holds a spice jar in front of her and she guesses the spice. She is getting surprisingly good.
7. She aspires to be a Cheerleader. It is her life's dream at this point.....She is very excited to turn five because this is when you can start cheering on a team. Cheering for what you might ask? Good question.
8.I don't think that this whole "dramatic phase" that she is going through is a phase. I think it is who she is. It is equally aggrivating and entertaining.
9. Livy is quite the photographer. She loves to grab my phone, and take hundreds, I mean hundreds, of pictures. Thank heavens Grandma Kathie has an extra camera lying around her house for Livy to have, because it can sometimes take an hour deleting the number of pictures she puts on my phone.
10. Liv is a board game geek. This girl never tires of sitting down and playing a game, or two, or three......





Ten Little Known Facts About Oscar



1. Oscar can tell you the height, weight, and on what page to find every Marvel Hero, DC Comic Hero, Star Wars guy, and Star Wars the Clone Wars character, from his 4 beloved DK Character Guide Books. I can only tell you on which pages I used a sharpie to cover cleavage, abdomens, and add straps and leggings to immodest female super heroes. In what world is it OK for a seven year old to see that much cleavage. Sheesh! These four beloved books, which were purchased in August are now held together by tape and are looked at and read for hours and hours upon end.
2. Oscar is a Champion of Womanhood. His best friend is a girl and He finds childbirth the closest thing to real life super hero capabilities. He was a little jealous that his sister will be able to have this "power" when she gets older.
3. Oscar loves watching "Tom and Jerry" with Liv, and afterward playing "Tom and Jerry" with her---which consists of a lot of chasing each other with brooms and 'beating' on each other. I have ceased thinking that they will sit down and discuss world peace, they are more into wrestling and chasing each other.
4. Oscar wants to be a soldier when he grows up.
5. Oscar is totally into Power Rangers. You have not lived until you have witnessed an episode first hand---now there is acting at it's finest. We currently have 13 different versions of Power Ranger's in our Netflix Instant Que. Yes, there is Power Ranger's: Jungle Furry; Power Ranger's: Mystic Force; Power Ranger's: Dino Thunder,......and the list goes on. The original Power Rangers has 18 seasons!!!!! It will take us YEARS to watch.
6. Because Oscar wants to be a soldier he is really into things like machine guns and torpedoes. There is a list of things that his Grandma Kathie made for Jake that she wouldn't allow him to do like: skydiving, bungee jumping, motorcycles, drugs, etc. Oscar has tried to find things that still irk Grandma, but weren't on her original list. Like shooting guns. I fear that Oscar will be the first one to do all of the "legal" but dangerous things on her list, and add a few more of his own.
7. Oscar still weighs as much as he did when he was four years old, give or take a pound: 45 lbs. Granted that was a four year old on steroids. Needless to say he takes after his Grandpa Lee and is a skinny rail.
8. Oscar LOVES baseball.
9. Oscar devours one "Lenny and Larry's Complete Chocolate Cookie" a day. Complete with 15 grams of protein and 500 calories. Doctor's orders. They are so good.
10. Still nuts about LEGOS. The Lego Star Wars Advent Calender has been the hit around our house lately. Expensive advent calender, but totally worth it.

I HEART MAC

To sum it up: I fell off the face of the earth because my PC done did broke.

I was without a computer for a month and a half, and now, because my PC frustrated me to no end, I have a MAC. If you are going to mess with me Dell and cause me to lose five months of pictures, I will run towards your competitor. And, I am never going to look back. Consider yourself dumped! I love my MAC. It is pretty. And, I love it. Enough said.

Instead of recapping the last three months I will just make a list.

-I visited my sister in Idaho to meet baby Katelyn (Adorable. I miss my sister)
-My computer broke (Annoying)
-Oscar started 1st grade (And, is in love with a girl named Hartley)
-Jake and I went to Chicago for a week (We saw some of our very best friends!!!!)
-Oscar lost another tooth (Now he is missing three teeth up on top)
-Jake traveled a ton (I went insane)
-Livy is still a DRAMA QUEEN (Causing further insanity)
-I turned 32 (wa-wa)
-Oscar turned 7 (!!!!!!!)
-My mom came and visited from Oregon (Livy followed her around like a puppy)

All in all.....life is just as we left it. We are all just a little older. I hope you enjoyed your break from me. ;)

On to Halloween.

Oscar is into all things Marvel and DC Comics. He currently aspires to be over eight feet, and mourns everyday that he was born into a family with a mother who is only five feet three inches.

Livy is dying to turn five so that she can be on some sort of cheerleader squad. Who would have thought that I would have given birth to a girl that would aspire to be a cheerleader?

To satisfy all current whims, Oscar was War Machine for Halloween, and Livy a cheerleader from High School Musical (If you are going to be a cheerleader, you better be a Wild Cat).








The kids had fun trick-or-treating. Oscar enjoyed telling people that he is allergic to M&Ms when they passed out candy and Livy didn't need to have Jake carry her door to door this year.

I am pretty much a Halloween Grinch, so I am glad to check this Holiday off for the year! Check.

It is good to be back! :-)

It's a hillbilly thing.......

As you can see from the picture Oscar lost his two front teeth within days of each other this last week. These suckers had been loose for months and they finally gave in last week as he and Livy went camping with their Grandma Kathie. (I was at Girls Camp---more on that and the mice I shared a cabin with, later). The first front tooth was lost to a s'mores--not a bad way to go. The other, Livy knocked out with her fist when she and Oscar were "roughhousing." So now Oscar has a new smile. It is hilarious. It is adorable. I love it. Although, I feel like I should buy him a pair of overalls with this new smile, maybe a pitchfork, and maybe pose him on a bail of hay. I love his new little hillbilly smile!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig.

We took our annual trip up to Oregon to meet up with my sister and her beautiful girlies. First, because I am spoiled,and my dad loves me, my dad flew down here for the weekend to get geared up to help drive my children and myself home to Oregon. If you know me, if you know my issues, you know why. No me gusta driving.

So, my dad flew in for a quick trip that included trips to the park, a zoo excursion, and a much needed visit to Fenton's Creamery.

First stop: The zoo.



Sorry, I have taken so many pictures at this zoo, it is hard for me to pull out my camera here. I took a few at least.

The most important thing we did came after the zoo: Fenton's Creamery. It is something that everyone should experience at least once before they die. Yes, it is just that good.



Jake and I shared that lovely sundae. It was magical. It was worth all of the havoc it may have wreaked on my cholesterol levels. I have lived here in the Bay Area for three years and I have only been to this place four times during that vast period of time. I think I am pacing myself rather conservatively. In fact, I think I am under the local quota.....I may need to do something about that. ;)

The following day we left for Oregon. Jake had to travel to exotic Butte, Montana on business and so would meet up with us in Portland later on in the week. The drive was surprisingly uneventful. It started out a little rough with me instructing Livy how to tactfully go to the bathroom on the side of the freeway and Oscar asking the "are we there yet," question about 100 times in the first hour, but then it ceased, thankfully.

I do not have the stamina nor the desire to rehash the whole trip in fine detail. I did however take HUNDREDS and hundreds of pictures. I have picked out the ones I like best and have collaged them together to spare you the arduous task of looking at them one at time.......I am only thinking of you, dear blog stalkers. ;)



My beautiful sister, Kendra. I took so many shots of her and her cute pregnant belly, but honestly I am an awful maternity photographer. Here are the two shots that I am not totally embarrassed to show---not because my sister is a horrible model, but because I am an awkward photographer. :)


After I checked the photo session with Kendra off of my list we moved on to the next item on the list: a visit to Washington Park up next to the Rose Gardens in Portland. I absolutely love this park. It is huge and views of the city are just around the corner, as well as rows upon rows of roses. We skipped over the roses this year and settled for a picnic at the park.



We also took the kids on a walk along Fanno Creek that is just down the street from my parent's house. Kendra and I used to take Seth on walks along here, and we also used to explore the path along the creek just the two of us on countless Summer days. The kids really had a good time.









I love having new opportunities and settings to photograph people. This was really a photo-vacation for me. One thing that I have confirmed after this trip is that I am going to be a SOOC shooter--this means all of the pictures that you see come straight out of camera without any editing. I am finding that I am a little bit of a purist and prefer an untouched photo. Moving on....

When the boys, Kendra's husband Jason, and Jake arrived in town we headed off to Rockaway Beach. I absolutely love this beach! As tradition holds we had to stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for lunch and some A-mazing ice cream. Yes you got one normal picture of me up above at Fenton's and the one below of me doing what I do best, eating--with no reservation.



Here is Liv posing out front of the Cheese Factory. And in true Livy fashion I receive one normal picture and one googly-eye picture within the same breath.



The weather was absolutely perfect at the beach, which is a miracle because we are talking about the Oregon Coast here. I haven't seen a day this nice at Rockaway in over a decade. It was seriously an ideal day at the beach. The kids had a blast. We enjoyed ourselves watching the kids enjoy themselves. It was wonderful.





I had so much fun being back home with my parents and Sister. Seeing Tori and Liv together reminded me so much of Kendra and myself when we were little. They were little pals running off everywhere together; giggling one minute, fighting the next, and then playing together again. The kids pretty much watched themselves. Ken, I. LOVE. YOUR. KIDS. I miss them already. Tori is as sweet as can be and Brookie, well, Brookie was the life of the party.I will miss her "Elda Eye" and her growls. Just so everyone can experience it, I will leave you with my future ringtone.

*Note to viewer: This was shot at night, in the dark, on my iphone with children crawling on me. It is not high quality but gets the job done.*


Seriously could listen to this all day.