White Thanksgiving

The holidays began with wintery wonder for us, as Thanksgiving was ushered in by a few inches of snow.  We celebrated the snow by making a small snowman in our yard...a Ben sized snowman!  He definitely seemed to notice that it looked different outside, but was unsure of all the white cold stuff.  I will have to teach him the wonders of snow so he can fully celebrate it like his mommy does.

By the way, is there anything cuter than a little baby with mittens and a snow hat on? 

After our Seattle adventure in snow, we trekked across Washington for the Spokane version of the white stuff, of which they had plenty! 

Every Thanksgiving since John and I have been married we have spent Thanksgiving weekend with the Bares, Ericksons and Pitts, and whoever else happens to be lucky enough to join in the fun :).  Last year we were able to add my parents to the tradition and this year Ben got to experience his first visit to our most favorite place: the Bares home....and more specifically, Ruth's kitchen :).  
Ruth and Dave's home is the warmest, most cozy, inviting, peaceful and beautiful place.  It is filled with hugs, laughter and games, relaxing and resting, and the most amazing food you could ever imagine.  It is truly one of my most favorite places on earth.  And it is a good thing the destination was worth it, because the drive was one heck of a trip!  6 hours there and 7 hours back with snow and traffic, and we were ALL done with having a baby in a carseat!  Ben did remarkably well for such a long ride, and having my mom and I in the backseat to keep him company helped tremendously for my social little boy.  But I don't care how you slice it: even with toys and company, that is too long to be strapped in a seat, especially when you can't understand why!

While we were in Spokane the snow continued to fall day and night.  The Bares' house has lots of windows looking out over the mountain onto trees and a big river, so with the snow falling it felt like we were in a wintery magical snow globe!  By the time we left, about a foot of snow had piled up and we really weren't sure if we would be able to make it out.  Fortunately the major roads were plowed and with our chains on, fingers crossed and shovels at the ready, we headed out and made it home in one piece.  What an adventure!  Seattle would have been crippled and resuscitation of life as we know it would have been required after such a delivery of snow.  But the Spokanites handled it in stride, digging neighbors' cars out of ditches, clearing streets with personal snowblowers and plows and planning on having a normal week of work and school and life as usual!  I am grateful, though, to live in a place where snow visits occasionally and doesn't stay long enough to wear out its welcome!

Grandma Ruth and Ben

Papa Dave and Ben

Rachel and her son, Owen, who began his battle with leukemia the same month Ben was born.  It was so good to spend time with him and get some smiles even though he wasn't feeling great.

Jungle Gym John (as he is fondly named) and his monkeys, Taylor and Megan

Ruth, Rachel, Mom and I with Ben

the kids LOVED Ben and all clamored for "holding time"...Ben did so well, letting all the kids hold him, multiple times, and he just soaked up the attention!

sweet Jonki (Jonikka)

All the boys played Rockband, and my little boy LOVED watching....he would even "sing" along with the vocalist!

Jonikka, George and Ben--what great smiles!

this was so sweet for me to watch, because Daddy did this with me when I was little

one of the views from their living room

the view from another window, the next day

truly, a winter wonderland just outside their door

One of the best parts of the trip: Ruthie Snuggles!

 

Winter Wonderland

Something inside me turns 5 again and gets all quivery and excited when I see snow falling.  I love how the whole world around me gets quiet and hushed, people go slower and take the time to notice and your own neighborhood looks like a winter wonderland.  The most mundane things like fences and buildings become beautiful, as if  they have received a dusting of magic.  There are many people today that are frustrated with the inconvenience of the few inches we are getting, cursing the traffic and bad roads and wishing they were elsewhere.  But I am celebrating and having a little party inside as I go in and out of the grocery store, getting showered with flakes and taking in a contented sigh at the beauty around me.

So with a smile on my face and a little exclamation of glee I say, " Welcome winter!  And bring on the holidays!"

Ben got to experience snow for the first time this weekend, and though he didn't greet it with as much enthusiasm as his mommy, he seemed to think it was pretty nice.

Ben loves his bouncy seat and it has become such a fun new place for him now that he can grab the toys and suck on them!

our first dusting of snow yesterday - everything is now covered with a blanket of white today!

our little brown bear in his carseat cave :)

National Traveler

Our Family Trio has gone national, with showings in Washington, Texas and now California.  Last weekend the star of the show made his debut in Santa Cruz and Sonora where he was met by raving fans (aunts and uncles), ecstatic followers (great-grandparents), and groupies (cousins).  Bulbs flashed constantly as paparazzi (mom) clamored for the best shots of the star's dashing grin and handsome profile.  His manager (dad) could barely keep the fans at bay as their fervor and excitement at finally meeting this irresistable personality almost overcame them.  No autographs were signed, as the star can only drool, but plenty were left with a soggy shoulder to remember him by.  With the rising fame this new celebrity is gaining, it is sure to be the first of many visits across the country.

Well this mom and dad are pretty exhausted after the excitement of the weekend...so much so that it has taken me all week to catch my breath.  We entered the weekend recovering from illnesses and unfortunately John's lower respiratory infection followed him to California, holding on with tenacity.  It even required a visit to the urgent care clinic and a chest x-ray the first night we arrived.  But turns out California has good drugs too, and with a new antibiotic on board, John slowly made his way to recovery.  It did take quite a while and a lot of resting to get him back to feeling normal, but the day we left he felt just great!  Perfect timing! :)  
It was such a wonderful time with family.  As we spent time in the various homes we stayed in, I kept savoring the moments of just normal family time that I miss so much, now living so far away.  Things like eating breakfast in Grandma and Grandpa's booth in their kitchen.....hearing Grandpa play his creative melodies on the piano....eating great food from my grillmaster Uncle Steve....hanging out in Aunt Sara's european inspired kitchen and cozy home.....sharing jokes with Ash and Rick and Lauren.....admiring Grandma and Aunt Linda's latest sewing creations....and lots and lots of hugs.  What thrilled my heart most was watching my family love on Ben.  Seeing my grandparents, especially, hold and snuggle him, smiling with him and laughing at his "talking" and funny sounds just (as my Grandma Payne says) "warmed the cockles of my heart"!  I've never really been sure of what "cockles" really are, but whatever they are, they are toasty!
So even though we had to deal with baby on a plane, wrangling gear on and off planes and in and out of cars, John's lingering respiratory infection that earned him a trip to the urgent care and a chest x-ray, a 4 hour road trip, a few sleepless nights and a diaper explosion on the flight home, we are so glad that we went.  By the way, we discovered that two adults, a baby and one exploding diaper can fit in an airplane lavatory, though not recommended. :)

Here are some of the special moments of our trip....

Grandpa Payne and Ben; this shot is especially sweet to me because there is a picture of me when I was little, sitting on Grandpa's lap, at his piano, watching him play

  

Grandma Payne and Ben

Aunt Ashley and cousin Bella

"Hello Cousin!"

Bella liked to point out Ben's ears and nose.....yes, she is as adorable and precocious as she looks!

My cousins and good friends, Lauren and Ashley

my Aunt Sara and Ben

Bella and her Grandpa (my Uncle Steve) known to her as "Papa"

the boys!

Uncle Rick, Ashley's husband and Bella's dad

Grandma Draper

Aunt Linda, who unfortunately got to hold Ben just as he started fussing

Ben had the best time just hanging out on Grandma's lap, getting lots of lovin'