It's Snowing like Crazy...

...and I thought it was spring! =)

Random Stuff (I know. So creative)

This weekend, we're watching Gracie while Sarah and Stephen are on their trip! She's such a cute, fun, sweet, adorable baby and we've been having boatloads of fun with her! It's fun watching her grow up - she's now eating more foods like meat, (gluten-free) breads, and un-mashed bananas and peas. =) She can really get around on all fours - it's dangerous to take your eyes off her! She loves to sit on the piano bench and play the piano. She loves music and swings and claps her hands to it. She likes watching the cats, being thrown in the air, tickled, having songs sung and books read to her, likes chewing everything and puts everything into her mouth. When she's finished eating, she'll either shake her head "no more food", or do the sign language "all done".

Yesterday, due to the weather, our power went out! Since it was getting rather cold in this house and we were going to pick up Gracie that day, Hensie and I went to S&S's and watched Gracie their until our electricity came back on.

Today, after lunch, we all went sledding by the school. The hill we found isn't very steep, but is still fun. It's kind of a semi circle surrounded by school buses, so if you don't turn just right, you'll end up smashed into one of those yellow things. We stacked three people on one sled and tried several times to fly down the course without losing the top people. After a couple tries, we did it. (The people on top are screaming at the person controlling the sled "turn! TURN! Watch out for that bus!") When we came back from sledding, we had hot cocoa with whipping cream, then played all twelve rounds of Scatagories.

Snow Pictures!

The side yard.

Lydia's throne



Smile Joe! =)



After the snowball fight.

Hensie

   

Susi, hold still for the picture!

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Someone's snow angel. =)



Our Snow is Here!

Yesterday, it snowed all day long...but no accumulation. When it got dark, it started snowing really hard! Sarah had come that day to work on making dinners for their trip next week, but when it was time to leave, the roads were slick (and their car didn't have snow tires), so Stephen went back home, and Sarah and Gracie spent the night. (This is totally illegal in proper paragraph writing...hope you don't mind if I break some rules by slipping these next few sentences in...=P We girls talked for a long time in the kitchen over tea and chocolate dreams, then headed upstairs and saw "The Mark Of Zorro" on YouTube with Sarah. We ended up going to bed at 1:30 a.m. Such fun! =) Anyway, this morning, Hannah opened the curtains and outside was a winter wonderland! There was at least a foot and a half of snow out there! Joe and Lyd bundled up and are now playing out there having snow fights and making a snow man. Our neighbor, Don Degrange, has pneumonia, and some nurses are going to be coming to his house later today, so he paid Matthew to shovel his driveway. I went out briefly (without any coat...pretty fun. I didn't stay out too long. ;-), jumped in the snow and threw snow at Joe before I froze and came back inside. The children kept coming in begging us to join them...Hannah kept saying "It's too cold out there", then she went out there, and came back saying "It's so amazing out there! I did everything - ate snow, threw snow balls. So much fun." =)

I might head out there later with the camera, so keep tuned for pictures!

Ice...

...on the inside of the window this morning!

Happy New Year 2012!!

On the way home from church this morning, we children were saying how old we'd be next year...I'll be 19!! And behind me, Matthew said, "I'll be 16." Good grief! I mean, I'm sixteen, well, I was a couple days ago. Where has the time gone??

Happy New Year's Eve!

A lot has happened this past year!

-Gracie was born

-Daddy got the job at Azure

-Our move

-The summer working on the house

-Hunca Munca and Sin'kin joined the family

-Betty was born

...a few of the big highlights of 2011! What were some of yours?

A Few of My Favorite Things

The towel drawer packed with fresh, clean towels and washrags, giving you a choice between the nasty polyester fiber ones (hair towels) and cotton.

Trees covered with frost (snow is even better, though) and when the mercury in the thermometer shrinks down to the 20s.

My birthday in 10 days!!  And Christmas in 14 days!

The First Day of December!

 December is our busiest month! 

"Pearl Harbor Day" - December 7th. Time to blow the dust of "Tora Tora Tora"! 

Rebekah's 19th birthday - December 15th; Daddy's birthday - December 17th; and my 17th  birthday - December 21st (that sounds old! =P.) 

Christmas with the extended Criss family December 17th, Christmas with the extended Scoville family Decemeber 24th, and then our first Christmas in Wasco with (hopefully!) Jon, Kelsie, Betty, Phil, Stephen, Sarah, and Gracie! 

 New Year! 

1 Month 'Till Christmas!!

...and Gracie is 8 months old today! =)

Shopping Trip!

Today, we're all going to drive to Portland with Sarah and Gracie and do our Thanksgiving, birthday, and Christmas shopping (since the nearest Cost Co and Walmart are an hour and a half away.) There will have to be a lot of sneaking and hiding gifts. =) So much fun!

IT'S SNOWING!!!!

Snow is Predicted...

....tonight!!! Winter comes a earlier than Lynden, it looks like!!

A few old snow pictures -

Matthew about to go down the hill

Making a snowman

A Mug of Piping Hot Peppermint Tea...

...and a thick slice of chocolate banana bread on a cold afternoon in Autumn! So delicious! =) The weather is actually behaving like it should - thermometer is in the late fifties, lots of cold wind, with chances of rain. (I haven't been outside, so I'm not sure if it has rained yet or not. =) It's so much fun to bundle up after months of hot weather!

The Weather's Changing!

Today, I'm wearing my first long sleeved shirt this season, my hair down, socks, and a thick jean skirt. Winter is just around the corner!

I just saw a fly...

...I guess that means it's really spring!

Snow!

The rain is melting the snow.=(

Chicken scratching around.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

December 1st!

It's December at last!

Last night, Daddy broght boxes of Christmas decorations down from the attic and Momma is unpacking and decorating. Christmas records are playing on Daddy's record player. I've been reading different blogs about jolly Christmassy stuff. Now I'm in the mood for Christmas! =)

Happy December to you all!

First Snow!!!