House Hunting

This afternoon we spent 4 hours looking at houses. Our lease ends in June, and since it's a good time to buy, we felt like we should take a look around. I love looking at homes. Unless I'm actually considering buying one of them and making a long-term commitment to living in it. Then it's not as fun because you're also considering all the long-term implications of a mortgage, home value appreciation, etc. I've also found searching for homes in this part of the country to be a lot tougher than Houston. We knew when we made the move here that the cost of living was significantly higher than Houston, but wow. It's a lot higher. Case and point.

Houston area $204k

• 6 br, 3.5 bath
• 3558 sq. ft.
• Built in: 1998

Seattle area $220k

• 3 bed, 1.5 bath
• 1,340 sq. feet
• Built in: 1955
  

Awesome.

As we wander through houses built in the 50s, I remind myself of all that I love about this area.

Houston:
Seattle:

I'll take my mountains, beautiful lakes, and miles of hiking trails. Really, with so much to do outside, why would we need much house anyway?

And, really, really, I feel so blessed to be in a position where we can even consider buying a home AND to be extremely comfortable in the beautiful house we're in now. I'm mindful of the fact that so many others, like thousands in Japan, do not even have a place to call home right now. We truly are blessed.

THE COUSINS!

I married into a really cool extended family. I knew that before, but then Matt's cousins came to visit and I remembered just how fun and fabulous they really are. They only flew in for a few days, but we made the most of it. Lucky for us, Seattle had the most AMAZING weather while they were here.

We headed to Ipanema Grill in downtown Seattle the first night they were here. DELICIOUS. We also saw the gum wall that evening. Not so delicious.
Saturday was a whirlwind Seattle day, much like the ones I remember from my childhood. How many Seattle sights can you cram into a day? Well . . . we did a lot! First we drove to the top of our hill to enjoy the views, which could not have been more perfect.

Then it was time to hit the city. After eating our way through Pike Place Market, we wandered through shops along the waterfront, drank hot chocolate at Starbuck's, and fed the seagulls.

Isaac and Danny rolling down the hill near Pike Place.

Sean & Danny at Beecher's

Then it was off to Seattle Center. International Fountain? Check. Pacific Science Center? Check. Laser show? Check. Space Needle? Check. Tired kids? Check.

We didn't head home until we found the troll under Fremont bridge though. The cousins had energy to hit the mall later that night. Matt and I, not so much.
Sunday was filled with church, waterfalls, and playing games - PIT and Wacky 6's. Despite losing often, it was loads of fun.
And Monday, it was already time for them to fly back to real life. Sean, Katie, Isaac, and Calie - YOU ROCK! Thanks for a fantastic visit. We can't wait to see you again!

Weekend of LOVE

My parents came to visit over Valentine's weekend. And I LOVE having them so close. They took us out to a delicious Korean BBQ place. We made Valentine's bags together. Matt and I went on a long run together while they watched the kids. We all went to the Harry Potter exhibit at the Pacific Science Center (Which was AWESOME). They babysat so we could go on a Valentine's date. We ate some more tasty food, opened Valentine's bags, did puzzles, played games, watched a movie, went for walks. After so many years of having them far away, it's been fun that they can just drive over for a few days. LOVE IT.
This year we decided to keep Valentine's Day simple. Lucky for us, some friends had planned a really fun Sweetheart Dinner Dance. They held it at the church and we had a tasty lasagna dinner, played the newlywed game, devoured chocolate from a fountain, and then danced. It sort of took us back to Stake Youth Dances, for good or bad. I had a lot of fun dancing with friends - I hadn't done the robot, running man, or sprinkler for quite some time. Matt's super fly pink shirt with red tie and his plastic goblet stacking certainly made up for our lack of true dance skill. He rocks. And I love him. And on the REAL day of love, Matt surprised me with roses. The kids and I surprised him with a roasted duck (bought . . . I did NOT prepare this from scratch) and a lucky love mobile. All the lucky red envelopes had notes about why we love him (I know. Lucky $ would have been better here, but we're trying to save for our Disney trip in May. So notes of love will have to do. And . . . could I have taken a worse picture? I don't think so.)

Hope your Valentine's weekend was equally sweet (Of course I know it was, because you blogged about it weeks ago).

Love this guy . . .

Though she's wiggly, I find I get far more cute pictures of Kaylee. When I try to take a picture of Danny he usually does this.Or this.
Or maybe this.
Fortunately, there is a mom at Danny's preschool who is able to capture him when I never can. Rarely smiling, but always focused on the task at hand. Recently Danny was the VIP (Very Important Preschooler) at school and I was reminded how special this guy is. Our scanner's down, so I can't share his pictures, but I can share a few of his answers.
Favorite color...red.
Favorite food ... popcorn.
Favorite book ... Pirate I Spy.
I like to wear my... Star Wars Shirt.

This is my family (cute picture he drew with the whole crew - including beagles). I love them because...they give me hugs, kisses, and licks.

My favorite place to go is... camping. I like to go here because...I like roasting marshmallows and eating hotdogs.

When I grow up I want to be a ... musketeer.

He loves playing pretend - cowboys, star wars, fire fighters, pirates, knights. He's getting better at doing his chores independently, but still loves a snuggle at bedtime. He's finally sleeping through the night (knock on wood), and he loves stories - books or one's his dad and he make up together. His energy level exhausts me, but his curiosity for the world around him is exhilarating.

Recently after a trip to Costco, Danny wanted to carry the receipt. Because they don't bag your groceries (how could you bag those enormous bulk sizes!?) an employee checks your receipt on the way out to verify you've purchased everything in your cart. Often, the employee will draw a flower or smiley face for Danny. On this particular day, the employee just did the usual. Glanced at the receipt, glanced at the cart, and drew a huge line through the receipt. I thought Danny would be disappointed, but no. He was beaming.

"Mom!! Look! He drew me a light saber!"

Love this guy!!

Gum, Grandparents, Gorillas, and Super G

Yes, this is a catch-up post. But January was a very busy month (beginning with two weeks of circulating sickness). And hey, I was able to tie it all together in a catchy post title. So be thoroughly impressed. And enjoy.

We were excited to have Mom & Warren come visit in the middle of the month. Danny & Kaylee were thrilled to see Grandma & Grandpa.

For a Christmas gift, Matt & I let Mom & Warren choose a Seattle adventure. We spent the day downtown enjoying gorgeous views on a harbor cruise, lunch on the waterfront, and a close-up viewing of the famous Gum Wall near Pike Place market.


A few days later, we all ventured out to the Woodland Park Zoo, a membership we received as a Christmas gift from them. Despite the chilliness, it was a fabulous day. The animals were active . . . Danny & Kaylee included . . . and we got to see many close-up. My personal favorite? The Gorillas!
Grandma & Grandpa then took over parent duty while Matt and I were off to the Super G. Although we were not actually competing in the Olympics, we did ski the same mountain where the Super G was last year. Three days of incredible skiing, breathtaking views, uninterrupted wandering through Whistler Village, and delicious meals. We felt spoiled indeed!
So there you have it. The 'G's of January.

Love this little girl . . .

Because even though we have a lot of this . . .

and occasionally this . . .

we get a daily dose of this . . .

and tons of this.

Christmas

I love this cousin picture except the red eye, which for some reason I could not edit out. At least the red eyes match the PJs.

Christmas this year was WONDERFUL. It had been 4 years since my family was all together for Christmas . . . way too long when you have so much fun together. There was potential for utter chaos with 9 adults, 6 children, and 4 dogs under one roof, but everything went great. A few highlights of the holiday season I don't want to forget.

• Celebration of the Nativities at our Stake Center. It was so incredible we went multiple times.
  
• Before heading out of town, Matt, the kids, & I headed to the zoo to visit Santa's Reindeer. Though they were too nervous to get a picture with Santa, they did have fun with all the other animals (and statues of animals). We even got to ride in Santa's sleigh. Cool.

• Car ride with Chris & Stacey - delicious bagels with lox cream cheese.
• Decorating TONS of cookies.

• Late night jigsaw puzzles.
• Treasure hunts and snype hunts.
• Cherokee the horse dancing as the Sugar Plum Fairy
  
• Beagle escapes (thanks for fixin' the fence . . . twice . . . Matt & Dad)
• Many delicious meals.
• Polar Express Pajama Party. Only 2 hot chocolate on the carpet mishaps.
  
• 
• Free garage sale (aka. I'm not ready to give this stuff to charity, or put it in the trash, but I don't want it. Take it to your house please. I came away with some beautiful pewter candle holders & Danny snagged some decorative Japanese arrows. Just what we needed.)
• Bell choir on Christmas Eve
• Jingle Bell Disco Dance with my big brother.
  
• Uncle Chris doing Christmas Eve crafts with the nieces & nephews.
• Men's campout chorus at the Christmas Eve Program.
  
• Uncle Aaron's poprock candy surprise.
• Christmas Day Canasta tournament. The Hongs won . . . no . . . the Hongs dominated.
  
• Early morning stockings on Grandma & Grandpa's bed. We're too big to fit on their bed now, but it's always fun to try.
• Adult only lunch out on Christmas Eve. Nothing says Merry Christmas like a good helping of sushi.
  
• Christmas morning excitement. After failing last year, Santa got it right this year. Star Wars Legos for Danny and a doll stroller for Kaylee. "This is the best Christmas ever" was heard more than once.
• Lazy Christmas day opening presents & playing.
• Dad's playing with children's toys while children are nowhere in sight.
• Amazing sibling teamwork to pull off a 60th birthday lunch for my mom and a Retirement/Birthday party later that evening for both parents. All this the day after Christmas.

Thanks for an unforgettable Christmas everyone!

Christmas Spirit

Christmas Traditions

So we just finished sending out the last of our Christmas cards yesterday. And I can't help wondering how long this tradition will continue. Personally, I LOVE sending and receiving actual cards & letters in the mail. Growing up, my parents put together a really creative newsletter every year. I remember helping address envelopes (by hand mind you, none of the easy data merge to sticky labels), add stamps, and lick envelopes. And through the years, though I didn't personally know every person we were receiving cards from, I anticipated another family photo from the Jones or Jerches just to see how much everyone had grown and changed. We moved around a lot growing up, so for many of the families, this was the only time of year we kept in touch.

But now, things are different. With facebook, blogs, & email, it's so much easier to keep up with people. I know what my friends from Jr.High did last Saturday. Even as I typed our family letter, I couldn't help feeling a little repetitive. I should have said, "So, if you've been reading our blog or if you ever check facebook, you probably already know all of this, but I have a sentimental attachment to mailing out newsletters so here you have it . . . " Maybe if my attachment is to mailing out the letter I should just send a postcard that says,"Merry Christmas! Read blog for update." I know many people are switching over to electronic Christmas cards & letters. Makes sense. It's more economical and green. For the time being, I'm still hanging onto the real deal, but I wonder how many years it will last. It's hard to imagine a Christmas without a Christmas card tree though.

One tradition that will never, ever change is Christmas cookies. Danny & Kaylee got to decorate with their Grandma LaRue over Thanksgiving (side note - we had a fantastic, SNOWY, Thanksgiving in ID with Matt's family. Did I bring my camera? Yes. Did I take pictures? No.). Kaylee, in particular, really got into helping. Cookies seem to be a trend with her. Last year she was swiping cookies before I'd introduced her to any other solid foods.



Thanks for two adorable aprons, delicious cookies, & an unforgettable afternoon Grandma!!!