Northwest Christmas

The week before Christmas we said "good-bye" to sweet Grandpa Joe and Granny B in Utah. It hurt to leave. We miss them!

Top-left: Charlie checks a sleeping Joe for life. Top-center: "The Charlies" feed the "moos." Top-right: Gramma rocks a sleeping Brooke.

We promised Charlie (who was growing weary of airplanes) that we were headed to even more grandparents and aunts/uncles in Washington.

Oh, yes. And a cousin. Just had to throw in a picture of Brooke in her spa (kitchen sink).

She is such a gorgeous, fun, smiley, squishy baby!

On the 23rd Alex received his Eagle award! At somewhat of the last moment it worked out that Liz could get off work on Christmas so she and Cory made the trek over the mountains for both Christmas and the Eagle Court of Honor. Hooray for the whole family being together!

I love our family Christmas traditions: vegetarian Polish dinner on Christmas Eve, making decorative boughs to lay on family graves (pictured: the grave of Johnny Angel, my Dad's older brother who died as a newborn baby just before Christmas), decorating Christmas cookies, reading the Christmas story, and cooking up a storm! Other pictures include: Brooke holding one of two wooden dolls that my Grandpa Temus made for his kids. They were a special surprise for Charlie and Brooke in their stockings. (Grandpa Temus died before my parents were married so we have never met him). Charlie adding Grandma to the speed dial on the phone she gave him. Brooke eating wrapping paper and Charlie eating orange peel.

The day after Christmas we headed into higher country where we could play in the snow for a few days. Turned out it was pretty wet so we didn't get out too much, but we still had fun! Charlie loved walking around in the snow but wasn't too sure about being pulled in the sled. I kept putting his arms into the sled but they kept popping right out to the sides again. Kind of reminded me of the little boy in "A Christmas Story" who couldn't put his arms down.

Back on the west side a few of us took the kiddos to a wet day at the zoo and aquarium. Both of them liked watching the puffins swim. However, perhaps the thing that Charlie enjoyed the most was pulling the cord on the back of Keith's hood.

Before we headed back east Grandpa took Charlie on a tractor ride. I thought Charlie might be afraid of it due to his fear of loud noises but he was fascinated. He even tried shifting and was reluctant to get off and go back to Momma's arms.

It was a fabulous few weeks visiting family in both Utah and Washington. We are sooooo blessed to have the wonderful families we do. Come visit anytime!