christmas morning

a little glimpse at our christmas morning.

state semi-finals

the weekend after thanksgiving was the state-semi finals of the soccer tournament. so we loaded up and headed south to vancouver. I didn’t take any pictures of the actual soccer games, because we had a guy who was doing that (and a much better job than I could do from the stands) and because I was too busy cheering and freezing on the sidelines. it was cold and very windy, but here’s the recap: they played two games on saturday and won both of them. they played the final game (to determine who would go on to the championship game) on sunday and lost. there was a bit of controversy surrounding the ref and some calls, but they played a good game and came up short.

but we had loads of fun anyway… my kids think going to a hotel is the greatest thing EVER.

especially if there’s a swimming pool.

we were short a bed in our room, so we took the cushions from the hide-a-bed and made a little one for micah.

we spent one evening at a place called big al’s. it was crazy. sports bar meets bowling alley meets arcade meets restaurant meets chuck e. cheese. NUTS!! it was also during the broadcast of the apple cup (UW vs. WSU) and the huskies and cougars in our group were QUITE entertaining… as were the crazy prizes the boys kept bringing back from the arcade.

thanksgiving trip to CA

we decided to take a QUICK trip to EG over thanksgiving weekend. we weren’t so much going FOR thanksgiving, as we were taking advantage of the long weekend. thanksgiving was just an added bonus. the real reason we were going was to get to meet amy’s new baby finnigan (who BARELY complied, making his arrival just the day before). BUT, we got an extra BONUS baby, too! dave got a text early thanksgiving morning, as we were just driving into california, that anthony and chalane’s baby, abigail, had decided to show up a month early. we appreciated her courtesy! ;)

micah and layla were tired after our all-night drive, and passed out together mid-afternoon, waiting for dinner.

we brought mario kart with us… so there was much of this:

the day after thanksgiving, gramma and papa treated us to a ride on ‘the polar express’ (which, I bet you didn’t know, runs out of sacramento)! it was loads of fun. everyone was supposed to wear pajamas, but the only one of our group who complied was micah. oh well. there were loads of cute pajamas there. some were obviously custom-made for familes for the occasion. this time a REAL STEAM ENGINE pulled the train (I was so excited!). the cars were all decorated christmas-like, there were waiters in white coats and hats, the ghost/hobo guy, dancing hot chocolate servers, ACTUAL hot chocolate (which was very thick and rich, and ALMOST tasted like melted chocolate bars), elves, and, of course, santa claus. he came on board (much to layla’s displeasure – she is still TERRIFIED of santa claus) and handed out bells to all the kids on the train.

micah with his godmother amy, and baby finn.

getting a baby fix with this tiny one, abby.

we spent quite a bit of time at the hughes house, and micah spent a good share of time watching (and pestering darrel about) the trains!

and of course, no trip to california would be complete without a double-double, no tomato, w/ grilled onions.

first snow of the year!

supposedly, we’re in for a lot of snow and wild weather this winter… well, it’s starting early. following up the snow we had to sit in at the soccer tournament, we got a GOOD snow (followed by a nice freeze) the week before thanksgiving. it was great snow for sledding. not so great for snowman making… but around here, we try not to be picky.

**I’ve been trying to resize the vertical photos, but every time I try to, the program shuts down and takes my post into internet oblivion with it. I’ve tried 3 times so far, and I’m not willing to risk it again. perhaps I’ll edit it later when my computer is in a better mood.**