Jaunuary Update

We spent some time at the beach over New Years with the Thompsons and it was a delight! We actually had clear weather. 

This was our view from the balcony of the beach house.  Elk!  Calvin was so intrigued, he wanted to get as close as possible.  And we came with in about twenty feet.  I have never seen elk so calm and to be able to get close without them spooking.  Elk at the beach, go figure!

Cosette trying to dress herself. This girl is Miss Independent! She insists on doing everything herself!  In some ways I like it, but in others, it can be very frustrating!

This outfit was given to her by her Aunty Kimberly. So cute!

Oliver in the sea grass.

 Pine Wood derby!  We were at it again.....unofficially.

We seem to like a patriotic theme, two years in a row now. Our cars are the ones in the middle, the hummer being Calvin's and then the cars on either side.

 The fierce line up.

They didn't place, but by the time they make it to scouts, maybe we will have worked out all the kinks.

Calvin is in basketball and is liking it. He is not quite sure how to play the game yet, he likes to guard his opponent when he is playing offense.

Oliver is shooting some hoops at school for Dad's day.

It's not a very clear picture, but everything is covered in snow. It was beautiful while it lasted which was not even a night. When we woke up it was all gone.

We acquired a piano!  It's a player piano as well, that needs some miner tuning. Calvin is going to start lessons soon.

The Salazars came to visit us from California!  We had fun going to the beach, the gorge and out on the town one night.

Toddlers and Parking lots!

  What is it with fast running, short legged tots that find parking lots fascinating?  Just today we walked out of the gym and headed into the great valley of cars!  Cosette will not allow me to hold her hand to carefully navigate her to the car, nor will she consent to letting me carry her to safety either.  If I do the latter, which I prefer to do, there is a tremendous amount of kicking, which lends boots flying, that escalates to screaming. What's worse when this happens is a host of people staring and wondering if I have done something to violate the child's rights. So what I am left to do is, herd her in the general direction of our car.  At that second, she steps off the curb and darts into the thick of moving cars! Cars leaving, cars coming and cars backing up. That instant, I'm running after her with lock jaw on the outside and on the inside, I'm cursing and murmuring to myself that if those cars don't kill her, I will!  But Cosette is laughing, squealing with her arms spread wide and having the time of her life! As if she is Maria from the "Sound of Music" running and singing in the hills, "The hills are alivvvveee with the sound of music, ahhhhhh!" Then after the treachery ended a miracle happened, we reached the reprieve of the car untouched, unharmed and we were safe! I let out a big sigh and thanked my guardian angels! I think to myself I'm going to get one of those sheep dogs that bites the heels of his herd to keep them in line.  But maybe that's going a bit too far!

The rest of the highlights of 2011

How Autumn looks here in Portland 

Horses that Cosette loves out at Grandpa's ranch.

Lego towers.......this one in particular was started by Uncle Morgan and the boys keep adding to it.

Mornings at the Macys.

Our little cover girl in training......who's that lady?

Daddy kissing Coco's ouwie while camping off the Clackamas river near Estacada.

Now it's all better!

Our tent was just a few yards away and the boys loved being by the water.

Mommy taking a breather!

Ammon loves camping because his chances increase sleeping on a bed.  However, he is a bed hog and he can never sleep with anyone without him taking up the whole sleep area.

A back view of my flower garden.

One day Oliver got his head wrapped around the idea that he wanted to catch a squirrel.

When daddy got home for lunch he helped Oliver devise a system to better catch one.

Oliver sat in the swing for two hours in major hopes of  out-smarting a squirrel.  

and........he didn't catch one after all that hard work!

Play structure that J-P made for the chit-lins.

Calvin's 7th Birthday!  For his day we went and saw Dolphin Tale with some friends and came home and ate pizza.  I made some cupcakes and called it a day! 

Cosette's 2nd Birthday

Coco's Birthday dinner at Spaghetti Factory. Naturally, where else would we go?

 Halloween jack-o-lanterns in the making.

Have you ever wondered what the inside of a pumpkin would look like if you took a picture of it?  This is what it looks like!  Compliments of Calvin!

Cosette was a unicorn. A great hand-me-down from Jennifer my sister!  J-P showed his Halloween spirit by wearing his orange shirt.  In fact he wears that same one every year!  

Not that my costume was any better than an orange shirt.

Calvin was a werewolf and this was the only view I have of him in costume!  And even worse, none of Oliver! I am the worst mom!  Oliver was Jango Fett.

We went out to a pumpkin farm called Baumans and it is a wonderland of fun for the young-ins.  One particular favorite was this obstacle course.  My favorite more, because it wore them out!

Oliver is wire-wheeling the rust off a part that fits to a teeter-totter. 

Calvin as Tiny Tim in Christmas Carole.  I have bragging rights so I can say he did a terrific job!  He had to sing for his audition and normally they cast two Tims to split the work.  But Calvin performed four shows in three days.  Luckily his parts weren't long, but we practiced for months before the show opened.  It was a great experience for Calvin and I have to add that it came so natural  to him.  He loved doing it!

I was also in it, but didn't have any major parts. I sang and danced and was in about five scenes total.  I also had so much fun and was sad when it was over.  This production was put on by our stake.  Pictured above was my dance partner.

Scrooge and Tiny Tim

The Thompsons were also in it and they did a terrific job playing the Andersons!

Cosette at her pre-school party.

Thanksgiving day at the Macys!

We went out to Grandpa's ranch and had the Thanksgiving feast there. Jeanette cooked as usual and as always does a fantastic job!  

Zita came to town for a Thanksgiving visit and we loved having her here!  It had almost been a year since the kids had seen their Grandma and they loved her presence in our home.  Zita also baked and cooked and added her fabulous touch to the feast as well!

Our little Christmas tree!  This particular species of tree we have never purchased before, but will now be a Macy tradition.  It doesn't loose it needles and it is full like a Fir but has the flat branches of a Noble.  The underside is white so it looks frosted.  It is called a Nordman.

Our ward Christmas party was a Luau and so the whole family dressed like we were on a Hawaiian vacation.  Calvin telling Santa he wants a gun for Christmas.

Thompsons Christmas party. Lots of laughs!

Christmas Eve!  We sat down to our traditional Polish Christmas Eve dinner!  J-P made another great pot of borscht!  The kids still won't touch it, but I know one of these years they will!

Santa came to town and spoiled us! We had a great Christmas!

 Mrs. Claus!

We went out to eat with John/Jeanette and Greg/Cherri to the Benson Hotel in downtown Portland.  It was very fine dining and lots of fun to be there with great company!  I loved all the hotels fancy Christmas decorations they had out for the merry season!

My little drummer boy!  Oliver has learned a lot of sign-language at his school and for the Christmas performance he signed two Christmas songs.

We were so privileged to go to the Great Wolfe lodge with the Thompsons and the Starkes, our next door neighbors.  It's a huge indoor water park that is attached to a very nice hotel.  We stayed for a night and it was on the Thompson's dime!  They spoil us every year! How can anyone compete with  that?  

And last, but not the least, was we got to see Jenn in Seattle!  We drove up for the day and got to have lunch with her.  We also got to go to the top of the Space Needle!  

It has been an outrageous year!  We have made so many memories with our children and also our friends!  We hope that 2012 will be another dynamite year for us!