Christmas 2016

To kick off the Christmas season we once again had a chance to go and hang out with the elderly at the local retirement home.  We did this last year a life group and had a lot of fun so we decided to do it again.  The elderly people love the kids and the kids love to hang out with them so it works out great.  I am sure one day soon James and Matthew will not think it is a lot of fun, but for now we have two boys that are sweet.

Here are two of the kids doing a recital or sorts.  The older people ate it up.

James and Matthew wake up and get out of bed every morning at about 7:05.  This is the time that we have set on the "OK to awake" alarm clock.  The clock glows a gentle green when it is ok to get out of bed and is dim enough where it will not wake them up if they are still sleeping...pure genius in my book.  After they get up it is time to snuggle on the couch and watch Wild Krats.

For Christmas, my parents brought over the old Lego electric train I remember having when I was in middle school.  Matthew and James loved it, and I rather enjoyed playing with it again.

We had a white Christmas here in Spokane and got about 2 inches every day for a week before Christmas.  It was a great snow and I think it was perfect for sledding.  We headed over to the gold course and hit the hill with the grandparents.

Nothing like a little jump to make you smile and have a good time.  Matthew and James loved it.

The snow was really coming down and it was so nice to hang out when the weather is like that.  The temperatures did not seem that cold and we had fun.

Here is some of the fam right before we headed to Christmas Eve services at church.

Matthew and James are real buddies and although Matthew regularly gets the short end of the brother stick by getting pushed and head locked, they really do enjoy each other.

James and I spent a few days making bird houses for the grandparents and made the roofs out of license plates.

The liscence plate for my parents was a old plate from the car (1973 Plymouth satellite) we drove when we moved from California to Illinois when I was 10.  They thought it was pretty cool.

Here is James explaining everything about this present to Matthew.

My mom sewed a couple of "utility belts" for the boy to have a put tools in when they are working.  They also supplied tools.  They kids thought they were great and I realize it will be only precious few years that this type of gilf will be appreciated by them, but they loved them.

Nothing like getting a car reader for you father in law so you can then go out and use it on your vehicle.  It was a great gift and will continue to help in getting that dumb light off on the dash.

Mass quantities of Legos and it only cast about $35.  That was a smoking deal.

Couple of cheezers.

Tearing into the next gift and trying to figure out what it is by the picture.

This is what you get when you ask for a smile.

James and Matthew got a Xylophone and have been trying to learn to play a couple of tunes.  I am not to bad at it either, but the real star is mom.

 

Christmas morning is stocking time in our family

They could not get up there fast enough.

James and Matthew and really interested in Nutcrackers for some unknown reason.  Grandma had a couple laying around so each of them got one...I even got one and it was a nice one.

Matthew practicing

 

My brother got a layover in Spokane over new years eve so we had a chance to hang out and catchup.  I think the last time we had seen him was almost two years ago so it was about time.

The boys liked wearing the pilots hat, but really liked the gifts he brought and the wresting.  I also enjoyed the Rum from Nicaragua (where he was a couple days before).

Even though it was only 5 degrees we went out sledding.  This run by my brother ended in pain and the run by me also ended in pain.  Good thing the kids were not riding when we decided to go over the bumps.

Here is Joel right before a run down with both of the boys.  I think the tube got popped on this run was well.  Rubber is only so elastic when it is that cold.

Finally it is yours truly.  I am rarely in picture, for good reason, but this time Brenda had the camera and she was clicking away.

 

Windy Spokane and time to ourselves in Seattle

James and Matthew are growing so fast and sometimes you forget that I do not get too see them separately since they are always together.  I thought it was time to go for a hike the other day and since Matthew really cannot hike as much as I wanted I went with James.  We headed up too Mica Peak and hiked about a mile and a half up the hill before he wanted to call it quits.  The plethora of candy I brought along probably helped, but whatever it takes.

Spokane is generally a pretty calm place to live, but three weeks ago we got a huge windstorm and had 70+mph wind all over the area.   At one point in time 180,000 people were without power which is the most ever for this area.  We did not have any snow or rain, so it was really a freak storm.

We lost about 5 packs of shingles off of the roof and lost power for two days.  On day two, we woke  up to the inside temp of 50 degrees, which did not make for a very fun morning.  We did not have it as bad as some.  Those people in town were without power for over six  days.  My wife would have been long gone if we were without power for that long.

Thanksgiving saw Brenda's parents visiting us for a few days and a  bunch of friends over for a big feast.  I am not sure why I did not get more pics, but I did manage to snap this one of one of the huge apples Jim and Sandra brought over.

Two weeks ago I was invited to our company Christmas party in Seattle, since my office is very small and is not going to have one I, of course, took them up on the invitation and brought Brenda along to show her off.  Jim and Sandra were nice enough to take the kids for two nights so Brenda and I could visit the big city and have some time to ourselves.

On the way home from Seatte we did stay and Jim and Sandra's for one night and got to go see the lighted implement parade in Sunnyside.

A combine headed down the drive.

Here is the first place tractor.

Now Christmas time is upon us and it was time to get the tree.

Normally we head out to the woods to cut the Christmas tree, but this year, I had another idea.  We have a blue spruce that was planted way to close to the house, so I was going to cut it down anyway.  What better time to get it out of the ground than now?  Above, Matthew is pulling the trigger on the chain saw and assisting me is cutting it down.

This tree is much fuller and way better than the trees we normally get so we are very glad the tree was put to good use and not just cut down and tossed away.

This is the perfect age for Christmas.  Thee boys are very excited for Christmas and can be found just staring at the tree, wrapping up and random toy left on the ground and then "opening the present", or laying awake and talking to each other trying to guess what they are going to get for Christmas.  Anything is a good gift for them and it takes very little to make them happy.  It is going to be a great Christmas season and I am ready.

Late season Yellowstone trip

Meanwhile, back in Greenacres, life continues as normal.  Normal consists of working long hours and then arriving home to kids who yell "lets wrestle" and a wife who is tired of running around with these mighty fractious children.

James and Matthew hate to be outdone in the battle of the bellies.  Brenda blows them out of the water though and still has a long way to go.

The frost is starting to threaten and although some of the carrots may be ok, I thought it was time to get out there and harvest the carrots.   I guess I waited a bit too long on a few of them.  James loves to go out in the garden and help dig.  I hope he never tires of his willingness to help with even the most mundane tasks.

After a hour or so of digging I had these jewels.  Some of the smaller ones are so sweet while the big ones are still pretty good.  Who would have thought that fresh carrots taste so much better than the store bought ones.  Tomatoes are always better from the garden, but who would have thought that carrots are the same?

Sunday we headed down to Soda Springs ID where I had a couple days of work to complete and then I planned on taking the rest of the week off.  For the time off we planned on heading up to my parents place for some good grandparents time.

On the way from Soda to my parents house we took a detour through the Tetons and Yellowstone.  This is the last week that you can drive the roads in the park and a good time to visit.  There were very few people there and we had a blast.

Matthew thought stopping by the bison next to the trail was a good idea.  I tried to move them along, but Matthew just wanted to stand there and point at him.  After a few grunts of the bison, I finally got Matthew to move along.

Old faithful blowing off right on schedule.

There were only about 30 people watching it so it was a good time to be at the park.  If you see Old Faithful in the summer, you can plan on seeing about 1000 people snapping the most ridiculous pictures and general tomfoolery all over the area....which is anything but majestic.

What the first explorers must have seen while coming through this area must have been an absolute amazement.   I wish I could have been on Jim Bridger's expedition to the west and seen all the sights, but hanging out with my family is way better.

The boys were pretty good hiking around the paint pots.  Snow did not deter them.

The grand canyon of the Yellowstone and the two delinquents.  They did pretty good on the trip, but we did need to make a few stops to "adjust" some attitudes.

Matthew showing of his riding skills and James in the background is driving the remote control tractor Grandpa gave him.  Just the other week James was asking for a remote control monster truck and then he got one from my dad.   I had to let him know that "when I was a kid" I had to work and buy a remote control car with my own money.  I think my story fell on deaf ears.  At least Brenda can sympathize.

James ran behind the tractor all day...until the battery ran out.

My mom loves sewing shows and James sat down to watch some TV with her.  He even mimicked her propping up of her head with her hand.  Sometimes he is just so darn cute.

We did not plan on Trick or treating as we are generally indifferent or even against Halloween, but the nursing home next door had a trick or treating night and we thought we could make an exception.  Matthew got a hat and bandanna from grandma and James got grandpas old tool belt and his hard hat.

I agree it will be hard to see them this happy and not have them trick or treat every year, but when we are in Spokane our church has something to celebrate reformation day so we will participate in that.  All in all it was a great time piggybacking some family time in with some work.  You can't get any better than that.

Indiana and Ione

Three weeks ago I heard about the AHRMA race that was going to happen down south of Spokane and so I thought it was a great time to get the family out there and go see some cool old motorcycles running all over the hills.  They did have a little kid 50cc class that amazed James and he thought he really would have liked to do that.  I also got pretty jazzed about the vintage class and it looks like the kind of good old fun I would really enjoy.  The general age of the racers is middle aged and there are no jumps so it is a lot safer than motocross, but we will have to see.  I need more room if I want to buy another bike anytime soon.

 

James loved watching the races.  Cowboy boots, jeans and a tank top are standard attire for our boys.

Here is one of the starts of a race.

Matthew is a now an official biker.  He got his training wheels off a couple of weeks ago and is tearing around.  He still has trouble getting started, but he will go over the 4" jump I built without crashing so he has the whole riding thing down pat.

Classic fall picture that I don't get tired of taking.  The pumpkin this year is only about 170lbs, but still is a good one to have at the house. 

 

Last week we got back from a trip to Lafayette IN to see Brenda's sister and her family.  It was very relaxing to go out there and hang out.  The weather was pretty good and the temps allowed for hanging outside by the fire long into the night.  I loved just sitting out there and relaxing while the girls played with the boys.

Popsicle time is always a favorite

S'mores were also a hit and before we knew it, Matthew had four marshmallows down the hatch.  He did not want them warmed up at all.

I am so glad that chain on this swing did not break.  It looked about as good as bailing wire to me, but it held all of the kids hanging on it.

We also went to the local free zoo that is about 3 blocks from Dan and Sarah's.  There was a train there so we had to ride it.

One day we thought it would be fun to go out to Turkey Run SP and canoe down the Sugar Creek.  We had a blast.  The water was a little low, but we saw a bunch of fish and made it the whole way without getting out to drag the canoe over the rocks.

On the float you pass under 2 covered bridges and under a swinging bridge.

Arrr...the crew was getting restless.

Finally it was time to go home and we had an afternoon flight out of Chicago so we spent a couple hours at millennium park.  Perfect day in Chicago, but the price for parking nearly made me puke.

Classic Chicago picture.

Here is James just before the annual pumpkin weighing.

Proof that Matthew can and does go over the jump.

Brenda found these two carrots in the garden the other day.  When taking them apart, I only broke one. 

Finally it was once again time for the annual train ride to see the fall colors I Ione.  we were running a bit late this year and had to go about 80-90mph in the last 10 miles on curvy roads to make it just as the train was getting ready to pull away.  Very close call and I think if Jim and Jan K were not there to let the conductor know we were coming, we would have been left high and dry.

You have to get you picture with the engine...it is a must.

I had a photo similar to this last year with James so we thought we would recreate it with Matthew.

Finally, here is the kiddos with J&J.  James is posing in classic senior class photo form.