Sledding, Oh boys!!!

Adam flies down Mabbutt Hill with Robbie and Mikey.

We get snow here in Yakima, and in the nearby towns, so I've learned to head out early in the season to buy boots, snow pants, gloves (lots of extra pairs because they are always getting lost) and whatever gear we need to fill in the missing pieces from last years left over supply. I don't know how I managed to snap this shot of our two babies with both of them looking my way with out runny noses, tears in their eyes, or goofy expressions, but here they are just sitting and smiling for me.

Christmas Recital

Emily all dressed up for her dance Recital at Dance with Sara dance studio. Outfit dressed up with ivy, bells, ribbons, and tap shoes.

What do you want for Christmas?

When Santa asked Tessa this question, she would have said ribbons and bows if she could talk. When Santa asked me this question, I said, "I have no idea!" Santa replied, "How about a new car?" I said, "Yes--that's exactly what I want!" Two weeks ago, our minivan was rear ended and unrepairable. I'll post some pictures below, but just so you know NO ONE was hurt in the accident.

When Santa asked me what my dream car was, I didn't hesitate to tell him it was "a 2010 Toyota Sienna!" Santa looked at me skeptically and said, "That's your drea

m car? How about a Ford Mustang?" Maybe some day, but for now we ended buying a new minivan to drive around our family of 6--it's not a swagger wagon, but

it'll do much better than this one....Ouch!

I Sure Do Like Them Christmas Cookies

"They're absolutely impossible to resist!"

We made Christmas cookies at home and at a playgroup. Making them with the kids is fun. I always set a few aside for the adults in the family to enjoy free of any special ingredients the kids might sneak in, and free of sprinkles. I learned that Adam does not like sprinkly things on his cookies. Why? They are too crunchy. All that crunch gets in the way of the yummy soft frosted-cookie-goodness.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoGDzKrfXU takes you to a Christmas cookie song by Mr. George Strait.

It IS Christmas Time

For the past week or two, Robbie has asked almost daily, "Is it Christmas time?"

With antlers and hat, Robbie will only answer if you call him Santa. So what's Santa bringing us this year? Lots of JOY!

Snapshots of Tessa

Don't these two look cute sitting together like they are best friends? This is Tessa with her cousin, Rachael. Tessa seems to enjoy "visiting" with new people.

She doesn't do this very often, but occasionally I catch her with her fingers in her mouth, sucking away.

Tessa was very content after trying solid food for the first time at 5 months. Michael helped her with her first bite so I could document the event--got to preserve these memories!

Apple Picking Time

One Fall morning, the kids and I ventured out to pick Fuji apples at a family-owned orchard. My family enjoyed picking apples there once before. I thought it would be no different this time. Tessa was supposed to nap. The boys were to help pick. Tessa did not nap; she fussed and wanted to be held. Michael and Robert did not help much, they complained that it was too cold and wanted to stay in the car. Still, I was there and did not want to leave before getting a few apples. Somehow, I managed to leave there with just over 100 pounds.

The fuji apples are delicious--sweet, crispy, juicy. They still taste fresh, and they've been in our cold garage for a month or so.

I did not think I would do any preserving this fall, but I found the time to do a little here and a little there. With the help of a friend, my mom, and the kids I ended up having some canned food to line the tops of my kitchen cupboard--canned pears, peaches, apple sauce, and vegetable soup. Adam likes to see all the canned food that decorates the kitchen. More next year, I hope!

Chinook Pass

From a recent trip to Chinook Pass, Mount Rainier National Park

How to lose a tooth

Bite into a caramel apple!

Adam is having so much with Emily and her lose teeth. He pulled this one out after we'd been trying very hard to bite in to some caramel apples we made. She was SO excited to lose her tooth--she called Grandma and Grandpa A., Grandma and Grandpa R., and Marta and told them the whole story. I forgot that losing teeth was such a big deal.

Aaaaaa...the Tarzan Yell

Grandpa David treated the family to a show at Tuacahn Amphitheater in St. Geogre. Tarzan was awesome! Monkeys in Vibram shoes soaring overhead, the stage nestled within the red cliffs of the canyon, and a ton of family in matching brown shirts. My favorite part of the show were the aerial silks. Wow! If you have never seen aerial silks, it is an acrobratic peformance where performers do tricks on suspended fabric. The only safety they use to ensure they do not fall from the suspended fabric to the ground is their skill and talent as they swing, spiral, hang upside down, and finally fall near to the ground. This was just one part of the fun during our September trip to Mesquite. It was like a slice of heaven on earth especially because we were surrounded by family and had such a good time visiting with them.

Getting everyone to smile is not easy. Michael likes to be goofy, Robbie likes to copy Michael, Emily always gives her sweetest smile, and Tessa is smiling one second, then in tears the next. Adam and I don't seem to have much trouble smiling, we're usually laughing at our kids anyway.

BTW, anyone seen MattyB Raps? Adam and I happened on a clip and I was just wondering if anyone knows what the story is there.

Evergreen State Fair II

The tradition continues...

For the second year in a row, we attended the Evergreen State Fair in the town of Monroe (the town where I was born).

This year, we went with Marta AND Ivan. We watched race cars zooming round the track, listened to a small group of guitarists and fiddlers singing some religious tunes, and squealed at the brand new little baby pigs.I met a woman who was there with her 8 kids, the youngest of which were twin girls. They looked just like Marta and me when we were little--short blond hair, big blue eyes. They were running around their big brothers and sisters. Her oldest son was shearing a sheep and I had the impression that they were involved in 4H, lived on a small farm, and had an admirable sense of responsibility and independence. I hope someday we can live on some land and our kids can collect eggs from the chicken coop or even shear a sheep--we'll see : )

The best part of our fair day was driving with Adam and the kids back to the house where I lived between the ages of 2 and 6. 20 years ago, when the front lawn was dirt and grass seed, Marta and I were running around that yard in diapers. Now, I was standing on the grass with my own little ones. We ran around the yard. I was so excited to see my old house, yard, and the neighboring fields and woods. Everything looked smaller. Somethings were different--there was garage that hadn't been there before, and the chicken coop was no longer standing. We ventured into the overgrown path that used to connect our yard with our neighbor's yard. We saw two people on their property. Sure enough, it was the mother of my best friend when I was a preschooler, walking around with her daughter. Adam hollered over, "Excuse me, did you know the Richardsons? I'm married to one of the twins." She said, "You must mean Kari or Marta." Adam said, "You remember them?" She replied with a smile, "How could we forget Kari and Marta."


When we drove home, I told Adam that I could not believe we were only 2 hours away from our home on Chain Lake Road. It seemed like it should be 20 years away.

Attending the Evergreen State Fair with my family is such a treat. It reminds me of the days when I was Michael's age visiting the same fairgrounds with my mom, dad, brothers, and sisters.

The Summer Getaway

Grandma and Grandpa Richardson's new home has a pool! It was the center of attention and fun when we gathered to visit with the fam. During our last visit, I noticed the pool covered with a green covering, and that covering littered with an assortment of colorful leaves. Our "Italian summer" is long gone. Soon we will gather for the holidays.

Pick Me a Blueberry

I have been wanting to post some of our summer highlights for a while and now that summer really is a memory (and something to look forward to) I'd better get to it. On a warm Saturday in July, our family drove out to Naches and picked blueberries to later store in our freezer.

We enjoyed visiting with a woman as she and her granddaughter worked in the neighboring row and told us about their wildlife refuge, small orchard, and life in the small town of Naches. We talked, and worked with our hands to fill two buckets full of berries. Robbie intentionally dumped blueberries out of the bucket (so fun for a two year old!), Tessa and I spent some time in the car nursing and cooling down, and the "big kids" did a good job selecting and sampling ripe berries. It really doesn't matter how much the kids are able to help, we just like them to be out appreciating getting the fruit while it is fresh.

Emily 'n' Elementary

Wow! What a difference a year makes. Emily is so much more ready for school this year than last, which was challenging to say the least. It helps that we have one year of half day kindergarten behind us. Add to that the feeling of being more settled in our new town and it adds up to make a big difference.

I can totally see the first day nervousness in that second photo. Emily said her first day was "great" and she "loved all of it."

Tessa's baby blessing

Tessa was blessed in church a couple weeks ago. It was great to have family from far and near in town. Tessa's booties were made by a friend, Bobbi Piippo, and Lynne made the blanket 6 or so years ago. Adam has held each of our children in this blanket for each baby blessing. It goes without saying that it is special for more reason than one, as is our little Tessa Marie.