Here are a few shots from the clam dig

Clam digging.

Chris took the boys clam digging with Uncle Don and from the looks of things they had a blast. The kids took to clam digging really well and loved every minute of it. The went to work with Chris yesterday which went well despite a little brotherly feud. They made it just in time for the clam dig. Chris took some Elk steaks down to Don and they had an elk feast. Yum. This morning after eating Don's famous sour dough pancakes they headed out for some crabbing. While the boys were gone Max had an all day playdate with his friend Jack. He was in heaven. The boys made it back just in time for Trevor to pick them up and take them to the movies and out to the cold stone for ice cream. They had a fantastic time and are very exhausted.

A Camera, A Camera, I finally got a camera!!!!

The big news of the day is Trevor sent me my Christmas present in the form of a camera. I am sooooo excited. Unfortunately, Chris and the boys woke up and were out the door by 6:30 a.m. and they took my new toy with them. First they are going to work with Daddy and then they are going for a clam dig with Uncle Don. They should have a blast.

Max and I are chillin' at home. He hasn't been feeling well and with his history and Christmas, I don't want to take any chances. That and clam digging sounds cold and wet. No fireplace.

I have been really excited about Christmas this year and surprisingly finding myself caught up in the spirit. I think changing my expectations, and no disasters has really helped. Plus, I have Jonah to teach us all about the meaning of Christmas.

Jonah recently asked Santa for a hamster. Santa promptly sent him a letter, gold envelope and all, telling him of terrible bad weather and the possibility of some children not getting hamsters this year. Jonah sat down and promptly composed this letter with barely a glimpse of disappointment......

Dear Santa,

Thank you for telling me about the Hamster. Christmas is not about hamsters. It is about God's birthday so I am not sad.

Just Harry Potter Five and two sketch pads. Happy Christmas, Love Jonah

Shortly after writing this he met Santa again at Chris's work. He quickly accosted Santa to explain guiltily why he asked for two sketch pads, it wasn't that he was selfish......."I just draw A LOT Santa!" he exclaimed very passionately. I love that kid.

So God Bless and I hope everyone has happy holidays. I hope to post less sporadically in the New Year. My friend had the idea of people commenting on the favorite holiday traditions. I would love to hear yours......

The Adventures of Tanya and Danielle.....

It has been awhile since I posted. Things have been steady around here. The weekend went by in a blur. Saturday, Chris took the boys out shopping and we went to mass and had a fun quiet evening at home. Sunday my Mom and Chuck brought over lunch and came to watch the Seahawks game. Tanya and Tavis came over with Tori so it was a nice afternoon.
Yesterday Tanya and I decided to kamakazi up to Oak Harbor to have lunch with my cousin Melissa (Tanya's sister). We should have known the trip was doomed when we realized Tanya left her purse at my house with her car keys in it. Ooops. We dropped off my car in Lynnwood and then headed to Oak Harbor. We went out to lunch and then back to Mel's house for some chill time. We hit the road just after two so that I could be back to pick up the boys. Tori was not to happy about another long car ride. All of the sudden Tanya's check gauges light went on and the car began to smoke. We were able to make it to a gas station and then we sat and waited. We got the Durango towed. The tow truck driver wouldn't wait for Travis to come pick us up. Melissa is spending Christmas with Tanya so her car was full of Melissa Christmas gifts. We unloaded everything onto the curb of the gas station and sat and waited for Travis to come pick us up. I felt like Santa Clause stranded on the corner. By that time Lynnwood was in the height of its 5 o'clock traffic time. We forgoed sitting in Traffic any longer and opted for dinner at the Red Robin, Yummy! I made it home just before 8pm (slightly late).
Today has been a little less hectic, I went to work in Max's classroom but no Max. He was in the office laying down because he didn't feel good. Not good. By the time I was done helping he had spiked a fever so I brought him home. He fell asleep instantly. I hope he doesn't get too sick.
Well that is it for now. Merry Christmas.....stay tuned for the next big adventure.

Check out my Slide Show!

Tanya sent me some pics of our weekend together. I put together a holiday slide show for all to enjoy. I am finally finished with my jury duty so I will be able to post more regularly now. Happy Holidays

Winter Blast 2007

One of my favorite things about storms in the Northwest is the ridiculous titles the news gives them. I named this years storm Winter Blast!

This weekend started out lovely. Tanya and her family came out yesterday morning to go get a christmas tree with us. She just found out Friday she is expecting a little brother for her daughter Tori. I am so happy for them.

We never get our tree so early in the season but after last years disasterous Christmas season, I was happy to get the Christmas spirit flowing in this house early. We went out to my favorite tree farm. We met Santa (the best around!!!!!) and went on a hay ride. Tori, was freezing but we made it through. Tanya got a huge tree and we got the perfect tree for our house. On the way home we stopped and had Mexican food for lunch. I love it. It was a nice time and I was really happy to spend some quality time with the Paulson's. On our way home it began to snow. I said a few quick good bye's and then rushed Jonah off to two birthday parties (he didn't get home until 8:30).

We put our tree up and Max and Christian headed out to play in the snow. Ususally we get a couple of inches every now and again but never a lot of snow. Well, the snow kept falling, and falling. The news called for late night rain but we just kept getting snow. By the time, I went to get Jonah the snow was steady and hard. We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland. I took a yard stick and measured over a foot and the snow was still falling. We had some huge snow drifts in the yard which made for great snow caves for the kids.

With a record breaking fourteen inches, the snow slowly has turned into rain. The boys are soaked to the core and in for some tea and a movie. Jonah had so much fun yesterday he lost his voice, so we are trying to keep him calm. This afternoon we are headed out to Tanya's for a chili feed (no snow there). We are crossing our fingers for the Seahawks and frankly, I am hoping the snow melts some before I head off to jury duty over Tiger Summit in the morning. Chris is hoping the snow stays so he can stay home with the boys. We will see who gets their wish. I leave you with a couple of snow pics to enjoy and a the promise that this holiday season will be much better than last. We are off to a great start!