Christmas Holiday has come and gone… December 29, 2008

The Kalles family has survived another Christmas holiday. This one was filled with lots and lots of traveling and we just got home today. We ventured to Bothell, Bellingham, Lopez Island, and Friday Harbor for a day trip. We are happy to be back in our own home and playing with our new toys that Santa brought us. We did have a great time seeing everyone over the Christmas holiday and we are very blessed to have such great friends and family to spend it with.

I received a new amazing camera from my husband for Christmas. Since he knows that I LOVE to take pictures of Ethan he figured that I might as well have a nice camera to do it with. So using my fortune telling capabilities I foresee a future full of a lot of posted pictures. Especially since I am trying to learn all of the bells and whistles of this camera. Here are some that I took during our travels this past week. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas! December 25, 2008

Santa arrived at our house in full force this year and brought Ethan his very own Pony. He was good to us as well by bringing me a new fancy digital camera so I can take even better pictures to post on our blog. Santa also brought Jeff a fancy DVD player as well to watch his movies. But the most important part of Christmas is that we get to spend it together as a family.

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and love and joy in the New Year.
Cheers!

Santa Train, North Bend December 21, 2008

This afternoon Jeff, Ethan, and I drove to North Bend to go on the Santa Train. It was a fun adventure but really, really cold. The train did not have heat since they use old railway cars so it was about four degrees warmer than the outside, but thankfully without the wind.

The train trip was about 20 minutes or so to the Snoqualmie Depot. There, they had hot cocoa, coffee, and an assortment of home made cookies that were baked in the coal stove. After eating our goods we headed to go and see Santa. Ethan did not want anything to do with Santa and would not make eye contact with him so it was hard to get a good picture.

After the train trip back to North Bend we ran to the car freezing and luckily made it home safely. We will definitely do it again next year but maybe earlier in the month when its not so cold.

Snow Day 2008 – The Saga December 20, 2008

Day two, well actually day three of being snowed in. Jeff and I worked from home again since outside our house was a sheet of black ice. Ethan’s daycare was also closed so we all got to hang out for the day.

We were all a little stir crazy and we needed more food so we all hopped in the car later in the afternoon and ventured to Safeway to stock up. The roads were pretty slick around our neighborhood but once we got out on the main road we were able to make it to Safeway just fine. The store was packed with people doing the same thing I guess. I think it has something to do with the impending wind storm that is supposed to hit the Puget Sound tomorrow evening. Everyone is stocking up on items just in case we lose power. I know that we did and thankfully they had presto logs left while we were there.

Once we got home Ethan took a nap and I made Chocolate Chip cookies and wrapped the last of the Christmas presents. Then we headed outdoors for a walk in the brisk afternoon air to enjoy the snow. Evidence of our excursion is below for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

And here is our Christmas tree since it didn’t seem to make it into my previous post.

Snow Day 2008 December 18, 2008

We officially got snow dumped on our house yesterday afternoon. I was starting to think it was not going to happen even though every place around us had it. But alas, we were not left out.

After waking up and turning on the morning news this morning we decided that we were not going to venture out into that forsaken mess on the roads. Especially after talking to co-workers who had a normal half hour commute taking three hours the night before. Since both of us can work remotely we decided to do just that and play it safe. I have a feeling that we may be in the same situation tomorrow if the snow desides to stick around a little longer.

We did get a chance to play in the snow for a short period of time since we were all a little cabin crazy. However we didn’t technically have the right outfits for Ethan that were completely waterproof. Ethan seemed to have a great time but then decided that he had enough snow for one day and made a beeline for the house.

Christmas Festivities December 14, 2008

The holiday festivities have been in full force this year which has caused a lull in the postings. My New Year’s resolution will be to post at least once a week if not more.

We have had our Christmas tree up for a few weeks but I have not had a chance to upload the photo’s until now. I was supposed to participate in a 12K race this morning but because of the very cold weather and snow and my lingering cold I had to bail on it. We ventured to Puyallup last night for Jeff’s family annual Christmas party which was fun. The snow began to fall so we had to bail early and get home just in time for it to pile up on the road. I also made a trip to U-Village to finish up some holiday shopping and quickly remembered why I do most of my shopping online for the holidays. I swear that every one was in a mad dash to finish up and the stores were very packed. Luckily Jeff and Ethan stayed home, otherwise I don’t see how we would have survived with the stroller through those packed isles. I was a little disappointed because I had been waiting to go to the H&M there and of course I found nothing that I liked. The 80’s trend seems to be back in full force this year, at least in the Seattle area. I hope to maybe make it to the downtown one over the holiday break which hopefully has a better selection.

Ethan loved the wrapping paper. Christmas Tree

Ethan's new shoes.

This next week we have even more Christmas festivities in store, with Jeff’s work holiday party and Santa Train on Saturday. I will be sure to take photo’s this upcoming weekend as well.