Playing in the Snow

Yay!  We got up to the mountains and found the snow.  We haven't had any good snow in our neck of the woods for a few years and it usually never sticks around long.  So it's nice to go up to some play in some fresh snow, which is what we did Tuesday.

Chris took the day off and we drove up 410, past Greenwater to the snow park off of FS70 road.  It's only an hour away and we were not disappointed!  The snow has fallen heavily in the last week or so in the mountains and it was sure pretty.

The boys had a great time, each focusing on different things.  Cannon wanted to sled and explore the snow and trails.  Colson was happy to 'move snow' around and was satisfied for quite awhile taking down a huge snow pile bit by bit.

We found a few different places to sled right near the truck.  It was nice to have everything right there and not have to carry anything to a certain spot.  Chris built a fire and we brought the small BBQ to cook bratwurst and heat up water for hot chocolate.

The weather was great.  Blue skies with just a few clouds and it wasn't freezing cold.  The kids actually took off a layer of clothes!  It was perfect family day!  Lots of memories!  

Enjoying every moment!

Random Shots

Most of our days aren't about the 'big' events, but rather are full of the small moments.

Here are some of those small moments:

Cookie making with Colson.  At times, this kid likes to bake.  So I indulged with some simple, stir together cookies.  He put down about half of the cookie dough balls, then was done and turned it over to me!

We had a ton of rain this month!  A big storm came through and knocked down trees and took out some power lines all over Western Washington.  We were lucky and didn't lose power, but we did have an unexpected day off from school!  Cannon took advantage of the lake in our culd-a-sac and drove his RC boat.  I've never seen the water up this high before!

The boys love to snuggle up under the blankets on the couch and play their tablet or watch a little TV.

We don't often go out to dinner so when we do, it's a nice treat.  We love Mexican food from the little restaurant in Sumner.  So very good!

Our little puzzle solver.  Colson LOVES puzzles.

It's been a long while since we have had frozen yogurt!  The boys and I had the yummy treat after Cannon's Teddy Study appointment.

A bit blurry but  it still tells the story of Colson writing back to Cannon in Cannon's Family Journal. This is great practice for Colson and I enjoy sitting with him as he forms letters to make words...and then turn the words into sentences!

A Santa picture at the Harley store this year!  Different from our other Santa pictures, but good!

ALL of the cookies I received from my former students.  Oh my!  They all contained nice notes, which was more meaningful than the cookies, of course!  I ate two, let the boys have one and eventually, the rest went in the trash...minus the notes, of course!  Those are keepers!

Enjoying every moment!

Christmas Tree Huntin'

Christmas Tree Hunting!  Our house was mostly decorated for Christmas except for one last thing...the Christmas Tree!  Sunday we headed a mile down the road to the Christmas tree farm and treked out to through the muddy fields to hunt for the best looking tree.  The boys pointed out their favorites and we checked out the particulars of quite a few.  We finally decided on one that would be perfect for our living room!

 Cannon hiding behind a tree.  (This is not the one we chose.)

Cutting down the 'chosen' tree.  Cannon really wanted to cut it down, but it was pretty tough trying to saw through the trunk.  Maybe next year!

A family selfie!  Colson is really there.  This isn't the best picture, but that's not the point, right!?

Colson really wanted this tree!

Pictures of the boys in the sleigh.  Colson was driving and holding onto the reigns!

Enjoying every moment.

Leavenworth

We've talked about taking the kids to the tree lighting in Leavenworth for a couple of years now. This year, we finally planned a trip over.  Saturday we went over just for the day.  We knew the forecast called for snow and we were excited about that.  There's nothing like going to the Leavenworth...in December...for the tree lighting...and NOT have snow.

So Saturday morning we all dressed in layers, packed a changed of clothes, multiple pairs of socks and gloves and some snacks and headed over the passes.  We were looking forward to seeing snow and letting the kids play in the snow.  We were not disappointed!

Heading over Blewett Pass.

Hanging out in the snow.  It snowed all day long and it was beautiful!  The boys loved the sledding hill!

There were quite a few characters out and about on the main street.  We got a few pictures!

Making a snowball!

Gingerbread cookies...

Enjoying the snow and beauty of the park...

Cannon's tiny snowmen...

And the lights!  Amazing!

Enjoying every moment!

Soccer Banquet

Cannon finished his first season playing soccer.
(Well, he did play for an indoor rec league a couple of years ago, but that really was just for fun. They practiced twice and then played a few indoor games.)

This league started practices the third weekend in August.  They practiced twice a week and played every Saturday starting the second week of September for 10 weeks!  It was a long season, but a good one.  Cannon learned a lot this year about the game of soccer and we saw him improve tremendously. In fact, he received the Most Improved Player award!  This was a great team.  Such a good group of boys who worked hard.  Mike Tessem was an amazing coach and he had a lot to do with it, too, of course!  

Cannon with his award.

Mike, Cannon, Avery, Gavin, Alex, Kayden, Braylen.  (Gunner and Gannon were not at the banquet.)

Cannon and Gavin

Cannon and Mike

Enjoying every moment.

Thanksgiving

We are thankful for so many things.  The list is long and more than I can type.  As we put the boys to bed we often talk about what we are thankful for.  Being thankful is something we should do daily, not just one day.  That will be our goal:  To be thankful on a daily basis instead of here and there.

Some of the things that boys said they were thankful for:
God
Our house
Food
Clothes
A bed to sleep in
School
Teachers
Friends
Mom and Dad
Toys

This year we spent the long Thanksgiving break at home and it was so incredibly nice.
No packing.
No rushing.
No driving.
No times to meet.
No hurrying.
No worries.

The boys and I didn't leave the house for 2 1/2 days!
We slept in.
We stayed in our jammies forever.
We didn't have a routine.
The boys watched movies.
We played outside.
We ate when we wanted.

Dinner was yummy.  Leftovers were just as great.  The pie was the best!

Thankful for a wonderful, long weekend to relax, move at a slow pace, be present, accomplish some things, decorate for Christmas.

Enjoying every moment.