Just for fun!

The Nights Before Christmas

Well I know we'll have a lot to post when Christmas gets here so I should get caught up now! Thanks to everyone for the Christmas cards and gifts you've sent already! Our house is full of holiday cheer and loving notes from our families...we love you all and miss you lots! I just imagine if we could be with you what fun we'd have! You're all in our hearts! =D

Well it's BEEN looking a lot like Christmas here for a while. We've gotten lots of snow but especially in the last week...it snowed for three days straight...Chris and I teamed up on the shoveling and it went a lot faster. You wouldn't believe what a difference a good snow shovel makes...which we don't have. We have the worst one possible actually. We were totally snow idiots when we bought it last year for like $10. =D This year we got some Christmas money and we're going to get a really good one w/ it. And some extra forks...don't ask.

In these pictures you can see the progression of snow. At the last ones you can see our backyard is full of snow! Poor Smokey! Here are some Winter Wonderland pictures...

That's alatner that hangs from a fairly tall pole...it's all but burried now!

This is our of our front window...you can see the lights on the bushes have been burried. Any volunteers to dig them out?

This is from our back window.

Zach has gotten several Christmas cards...he likes the ones that make noise. Well, he likes anything that makes noise, lol.

Here Zach opened his card from Grandma and gave new meaning to the phrase put your money where you mouth is. No worries, I took it from him asap before all the money cooties could get to him. He'd got presents under the tree now instead. =D

He got another talking card from Great Grandma Becky...he kept insisting Chris "read" it to him. He also got a pretty awesome snow cap from his Great Grandparents in Kerrville!! Here is showing you what he would do if he was at a spurs game. =D

I am so grateful to have my little family w/ me. We've got to do so many neat things this holiday season starting with the Thanksgiving feast, then the trip to the North Pole. We also had breakfast with Santa...Zach was more concerned w/ the breakfast than w/ Santa. He was clingy at the playground...that's a bittersweet thing isn't it? =D

This picture is showing you Zach's latest "talent." He has mastered the point and whine. I hate it...but it is kind of cute when he's pointing to the football. He likes to get it down and give it to us to play with him. =D

The tree has lots of presents under it now! This picture was taken on December 5th before any presents were wrapped! We'll take another on Christmas morning. That rocking chair is one Zach's Nana sent him last year that she's had for a while. It came with a Santa but Zach always takes him out...there can only be one highlander style. What's really funny is the only chairs he really sits in are his carseat and highchair...so if you put him in a Zach size chair he doesn't know he can get out...so he will start to cry until you help him. It is pretty hilarious.

We went to a Christmas Pageant at the Anchorage Baptist Temple last night. It was a really great time for the kids and Chris and I enjoyed it as well. It's important for us to remember the reason for the season and to not get caught up in all the commercialism-though that has it's place too. They had all the choirs, costumes, nativity, plays, flying angels, the jazz band and more. It was a lot of fun. I think Zach will REALLY like it next year. He was clapping and mesmerized by the lights this year...next year I think he'll be less scared of the costumed guys, lol.

Here he is enthralled in the show...drooling and whatnot.

As you know we went completely insane in the name of charity. The Special Olympics is a really big deal up here and they did their first annual polar plunge this year and we decided to get involved. Our family and friends were VERY generous and together we raised $335!! Thank you all so much. In March they are having their Olympics and Chris and I are going to help with that as well.

On to the gory details. =D What's really funny is how different Chris and I are. He's been dreading the jump since we signed up...I tend to procrastinate any worrying or doubt until the day of that way I don't get worked up. EITHER way we were both very nervous when we woke up today. You see it's been steadily in the 20s here until literally three days ago. I've been making do w/ sweatshirts and jeans, not hats, no gloves. Well that has all changed. It was zero degrees this morning...w/ the windchill/humidty negative 12. COLD. I was out there in my sweatpants and shirt...and was REALLY cold...watching these crazy people...knowing I was next...we were the third or fourth group to go so there wasn't too much build up. I really wanted to get it over with anyway. So...we jumped in holding hands...at first it felt like a really cold pool that you jump in...and then the panic set in. I was not aware there was a ladder to get out...all I saw was ice...how the heck am I getting out on slippery ice people?! Obviously for the clumsy natured it was a feat of strength...I slipped but the fireman and Chris (ever the gentleman) helped me out. And then I realized I couldn't feel my legs or feet. I literally felt like I had big blocks for extremities and I couldn't tell HOW I was moving them. I was a little scared but it was only a short 50 yards to the hot tub where I climbed in...and it was nice. My hair was frozen but I could feel my legs again. What's hilarious to me is that Chris is not the type of person to get in a public hot tub with some random other people there but he looked as if he couldn't have been happier. He said he could feel his legs but that he could feel the water freezing on them. Either way we had a moment of bliss in the hot tub and then came time to change. At that point I didn't care so I walked to the trailer in soaking wet shorts, a t-shirt and socks. No shoes. I think our bodies were in shock or whatever so they didn't seem to mind how cold it was. We got changed into our warm cars and headed for the car!!!

There were some really nice folks there and everyone was pumped up for the cause and for the insanity on display. This was their first year and by the time we left the cars went on for a mile of spectators who had come to watch...in zero degree weather!!!

Zach stayed with our friend Courtney and her family including her son Taylor and nephew Joel. I hear he had a great time and didn't give them too much trouble. He did apparently try to wreck their kitchen...nothing new there! =D

Once again thanks to everyone who donated their money and their prayers and their sarcastic comments. What a great cause!!!

The North Pole

Loved your pictures and story of going to the North Pole. The inside of your hotel looked beautiful. You are very lucky that Zach slept so well! He is such a good, little boy.
I enjoyed the day today with Rachel and Zach's Nana at the Bizarre Bazaar (a holiday gift/craft fair at the Richmond Raceway). When Nana shops, she really shops! lol
I always enjoy reading of your activities and adventures.
Love, Aunt Karen

So we went up to the North Pole last Sunday. It was a beautiful drive even if it it was long. There was a two hour stretch where there was absolutely nothing and no one...it was a little unnerving...there were a lot of slippery slopes if you know what I mean. Zach handled the trip pretty well. We played musical toys...keep changing it up and they are fooled-for a while at least! The roads were very clear considering the time of year. Once we got to the North Pole it was about 8 degrees or so. Two days later and it was 40 at times! They got a major heat wave...it felt like summer! =D

It literally looked like a winter wonderland. Everything was white. The area up there (Fairbanks/Eilson/North Pole) has mountains but they are much further off so it seems farely flat compared to where we live. You could see the sunset and sunrise for several hours of the day. It was very beautiful. Chris thinks it was prettier than our neck of the woods but I disagree!

Chris and I tried some Sake...it was one of the worst things I've ever had. We were able to walk to all the restaurants because it was so warm! =D

Santa's House was pretty awesome. Very pretty at night. The reindeer are made out of ice and below is the largest Santa in the country. 50 feet tall!

That is snow you're seeing.

Zach did well in the Hotel we stayed at. He slept really good and REALLY enjoyed being able to open the drawers.

This was a very nice hotel and they gave us $50 off on top of the military discount. We must have seemed needy...we came from the Eielson AFB lodging almost in tears! haha. Eielson had a policy you couldn't stay in their main hotel if you were under 18 because their aircrews were so rowdy...so they stuck us in this old, small, smelly TLF room. It was pretty awful...seedy motel like. The Hotel North Pole was like a breath of fresh air. The people were very nice...in fact all of the people at the North Pole were nice.

Here we saw Santa's reindeer. They were the biggest reindeer I've seen up here. Zach thought hey were pretty interesting.

This picture is hilarious. I have saved the best ones for Christmas cards so I'm not putting them up here. but Zach spoke with Santa and told him what he wanted I guess. It was not a long conversation however. =D We spoke with Santa who was a very very nice man. Also very busy. He seemed t o be quite the world traveler...which is only to be expected. =D

Here you'll note that Zach has just kicked off his shoe.

So you can see everything had melted by the time we went back home. ALl the trees were brown and green again!