Our Winter Wonderland

I love this time of year in Spokane! Everything outside is so clean and bright.

I took this picture from the big picture window in our kitchen/dining room. Such a peaceful scene.

And isn't this peaceful, too? A little boy happy at play.

The boys are on their way to shovel the driveway and the sidewalk in front of our house.

No, those aren't fireflies in the picture, they're a reflection of the Christmas lights in our kitchen. Remember, I'm inside my cozy, warm house taking these pictures.

My Boys Hard at Work

I think the boys are old enough to learn how to shovel snow, don't you?

Look how well they work together.

Okay...now it's Daddy's turn!

Now they're playing in the middle of the street.

Phil is tossing the snow he's shoveling into the street. Look at the joy on their faces. I, for one, wouldn't be happy if someone shoveled snow on top of me.

Like Father, Like Son

Caleb has a thing for sheep. He wants to be a shepherd when he grows up. If we go into a store where there are stuffed animal sheep (I'm not quite sure how to word that), Caleb won't leave the store without crying. It's not because he wants us to buy them (although, he wouldn't mind if we did), but because he thinks they have no shepherd to look after them.

Here he is at the mall lining up the stray sheep in the Christian bookstore.

Corinne found this adorable picture of Phil feeding a baby lamb. Does anyone else see our Gracie in his sweet little face?

Making Christmas Special

We made these candy cane reindeer last night for our Christmas activity.

One of my favorite Christmas traditions is watching the kids unpack our boxes of ornaments before we decorate the Christmas tree. When they receive new ornaments, I write their names and the year somewhere on the ornaments. Each of the kids has a box of his own, and when they open their boxes, it's like watching them open presents!

Every year I try to find new ornaments to give to the kids. I look for things I know they've enjoyed during the year. I went to the Hallmark store with Emily over the weekend and I was able to purchase a couple of their ornaments regularly priced $16 for only $6. I picked out Rocket from The Little Einsteins for Jared. Rocket even plays their theme song!

Caleb still enjoys playing with his cars from the movie Cars, so I bought this one for him. I found it at Target.

Gracie's new favorite is Hello Kitty. She really likes the color pink and has just started to enjoy cats. This little set, also from Target, seemed perfect for her.

I have to admit that this is probably my favorite new ornament! I found this one for Lily at the Hallmark store.

Every night Lily sleeps with a beautiful Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt that my mom made for Jared when he was baby. She loves to "read" the story to her siblings by laying out the quilt and stepping on the different quilt squares as she reads each page.

Here's Caleb's candy cane reindeer from last night. It's Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer!

Beware of the Ninja!

The saying "Boys will be boys" is entirely true in our home. Our boys have lots of energy and great imaginations. If you've ever visited our home, you might recall the noise level around here. As much as I love my hardwood floors, it does make for a very noisy household. Instead of running through the house with pounding feet at breakneck speed, Jared is learning how to become a Ninja. His dad, who claims to have been one many, many years ago, is teaching him how to slither around like a snake and to be a little more quiet in his approach.

Look at him go! I guess the hardwood flooring makes slithering an easy task.

Off he goes, into his Ninja fort.

A Busy Week

We've been busy around here! We had Preschool on Tuesday, MOPS on Wednesday, and Thursday our friend Emily came to visit for the weekend.

Brrrrr! That's all I can say about our recent frigid temperatures! The high temp. for this coming week will be about 7 degrees.

Last night Phil took the kids outside to play freeze tag. Lily decided to go back inside right away.

We made gingerbread houses out of Graham crackers for dessert last night. They mostly resembled tepees with gobs of frosting and candy, but they were yummy!

An article from our local newspaper...

Tots take part in Teddy Bear Tea

Spokane libraries host annual reading event

Talia Bender, 4, Elaine Scott, 5, Annie Scott, 4, and Elizabeth Matiska, 5, listen as Jill Bolon, youth services coordinator at Shadle Library, reads a story during Teddy Bear Tea on Dec. 4. The Spokesman-Review (DAN PELLE The Spokesman-Review )

Cindy Hval
Correspondent
December 11, 2008

It's not unusual to see a group gathered outside the Shadle Library waiting for the doors to open. But the crowd that waited on Dec. 4 was a bit different. Dozens of tiny toddlers clutching everything from bald baby dolls to furry plush tigers were eager to get inside for the library's Teddy Bear Tea.

Sally Chilson, youth services coordinator for Spokane Public Libraries, said city libraries have hosted Teddy Bear Teas each December since since 1992. "It's a tradition," she said. "The kids love them."

When at last the doors slid open, the toddlers swarmed into the meeting room. Accompanied by moms, dads, daycare staffers and grandparents, the excited children scrambled for a seat. Some found comfortable spots on caregivers' laps, but most sat on the floor.

"The fun thing about it is the kids bring their favorite stuffed toy," said Chilson. But not every child's idea of a cuddly story-time toy is a stuffed animal. One little guy sauntered to a front-row seat clutching a green plastic hammer, a little girl brought her favorite Barbie, and another girl held a small horse that looked like Black Beauty.

Youth services librarian and longtime storyteller Jill Bolon had come prepared. She took her seat wearing a sweater with a teddy bear embossed on the front and presented her special friend to the squirming group. "I want to introduce you to my bear, Stanley," she said.

The size of the crowd might have daunted a less experienced storyteller, but within minutes Bolon had the group quietly singing the "Reading Song."

"Read, read, read. Come and read with me," she sang. Little voices joined her and small hands mimicked the motions as they sang. "Open your eyes, open your mind. Come and read with me."

Once quieted, the toddlers sat enthralled while Bolon read a giant copy of "The Three Little Bears." After a couple of finger plays, Bolon told the group the next story would be the classic rhyme "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear."

"I know that one!" shouted an excited tot. "I know that one!"

At the end of the half-hour, the eager children stood and put their hands on top of their heads so that Bolon could give them each a teddy bear stamp. Of course, no tea party would be complete without a treat. Paper cups filled with vanilla cookies were given to the toddlers as they filed out the door.

As the toddler group left, another – more mature – group arrived. These preschoolers ranged in age from 3 to 5. Jenny Wilcox brought her two sons and twin daughters, who each clutched a stuffed animal. "We went to Build-a-Bear!" said 4-year-old Caleb Wilcox, referring to the popular store where children can make their own plush toys. Caleb had christened his creation Bearemy. "Instead of Jeremy," explained his mom.

"I'm going to name my next one Pumpkin," confided Caleb.

Like their younger counterparts a half- hour earlier, the preschool crowd eagerly sat for their first story, "Corduroy," by Don Freeman. "I love Corduroy!" shouted Caleb. His 3-year-old sister, Lily, added, "We have that book!"

Storytime ended, and the kids lined up to get their bear stamps and cookies. When the last child left, Bolon reflected on the popularity of Teddy Bear Teas.

"Everyone loves Teddy Bears," she said. "It's a warm and cozy story time."

Did you know...

Phil came home tonight with an interesting tidbit of information. I wasn't aware that Bing Crosby grew up and attended college in Spokane, WA. He was born in Tacoma, WA in 1903, but his family moved to Spokane in 1906. Irving Berlin wrote the song "White Christmas" but I'm sure Bing Crosby reminisced about Spokane whenever he sang it. :)

Now, doesn't that make you want to come visit us so you can have your very own White Christmas?

Oh Christmas Tree

We made these ice cream cone Christmas trees for dessert tonight.

Jared was done in record time! Mmmm!

After awhile, Lily allowed me to put pretties in her hair so it didn't get in the way of her leaning forward to lick the frosting. Sweet girl.

The Christmas Post

The boys and I were invited to attend this play with our Starbucks friend, Debbie. We had such a wonderful time tonight. I particularly enjoyed watching my boys watch the play. Jared loved the acting and the choreography and turned to me several times to say, "I want to go up there." I might have a little actor on my hands!

Caleb spent much of the evening watching the tech guys in the back. Whenever the spotlight moved, his head would turn to look back. You can imagine how often a spotlight moves during the course of a 2 hour play! I find it interesting and almost humorous that his Dad had his own little stash of spotlights in his house when we first met.

My Dream Vacation

The kids and I are almost through reading By the Shores of Silver Lake. Next we'll read The Long Winter. We're thoroughly enjoying the Little House series. Tonight we were excited to read this quote:

"Those are the Wilder boys," [Pa] said. "Almanzo's driving, and that's his brother Royal with him. They've taken up claims north of town and they've got the finest horses in this whole country."

The kids know that Laura marries Almanzo Wilder, so they were excited when I read his name. I had forgotten that Laura first saw Almanzo as her family drove out of the town of De Smet to move onto their homestead in 1880. He was 23, she was 13.

I decided to do a little search online tonight after I put the kids to bed. I wasn't aware that you could visit the Ingalls' Homestead in De Smet, SD. So now this is my new dream vacation! You can click here to see the link. Every summer a play is performed in the evening under the stars. This year's play is The Long Winter! Click here to see the link to the play.

I also found this copy of Pa's homestead claim application filed in February of 1880,

and this receipt of purchase for $13.86, indicating that their homestead was 154.29 acres. If I remember correctly, the settlers were entitled to 160 acres of land through The Homestead Act.

Reading through these document gave me goosebumps and brought tears to my eyes!

Visiting an Old Friend

Gracie wanted to say hello to her old friend, Ninga, before nap time today. It was sweet to listen in on her one-side conversation. I remember the first time I heard Jared talking to his ninga. He told it, "I love you. I wish I could still wear you."

Decking Our Halls

"We're decking our halls!" Jared told me yesterday. We've been working very hard since last Friday, bringing up boxes from the basement and unpacking them one at a time. The kids are anxious to peek inside each of our Christmas boxes.

They were so careful with the ornaments this year. What a difference a year makes!

Time to hang the star!

Phil is lifting Lily up to our Advent garland to find out what tonight's Christmas activity will be. I have daily Christmas activities planned for the month of December. They're written down on slips of paper and tucked inside little stockings, mittens and hats. If you're interested in any of these ideas, you can visit my crafty, "kitchen-y" blog, Vintage Mommy.

Here's one of my favorite spots in the house. Phil did such a great job on our chalkboard and red counter. They look great all lit up with Christmas lights!

Our First Snow

These pictures were taken the day after Thanksgiving. It snowed all day long! It was exciting to get the house ready for Christmas with snow falling outside. We stayed toasty warm inside while decorating our Christmas tree.

We headed outside after dinner to decorate the front yard with our Dollar Store candy canes. If you look closely, you can see Gramma through the window talking on her cell phone.

The kids were so excited to play in the snow. Most of my pictures are either blurry or there is no one in them!

Caleb was sweet to slow down long enough for me to get this shot.

This is what was left of the snow the next next morning (Saturday). The girls played outside for a bit while the boys helped Grampa load up their luggage.

My Little Snow Angel

We had a wonderful surprise on Thanksgiving morning--SNOW!

Lily was the only one who wanted to go outside to catch a few snowflakes on her tongue. I took these pictures through the kitchen window.

And here are a few more sweet pictures for any Lily fans out there.