My First Oregonian Winter

So it has been a while since posting anything and all for good reason... Well not really. It has been a whirlwind of the last few months as I am sure it has been for everyone else. First we celebrated Colin's big 30th birthday, unfortunately without much fan fare and hype. I bought him some Wii games that he requested and Rockband which has turned out to be more of a purchase for me than for him... (snicker... snicker). Although I did take him to go the the comedian/ventriloquist Jeff Duham. It was a brilliant performance with all the favorite characters and lines from the usual acts. Je-ff-a was hysterical. I just wish that we would have had better seats because we spent most of the time watching the jumbo screen so we could actually see the show. Not to mention the OBNOXIOUS fan sitting next to me that would not quit racing through the lines to yell out the punch lines before Jeff could finish his joke. Honestly... I paid the outrageous price for the ticket to the show to hear the man on the stage... not some redneck, white trash, over cologned man sitting next to me... (I'm not bitter at all can you tell?) With that aside we did have a fabulous night out and enjoyed the rare occasion of being without the kids for the night!

Moving on... Then we followed Colin's birthday with the annual holiday of Thanksgiving which we celebrated by fixing a fabulous meal for 16, chaotic and stressful would not be colorful enough to describe that day. We had the opportunity of having Colin's sister and her family as well as his parents come to town for the holiday. I was a little overwhelmed with getting the house in order to sleep an extra 6 bodies and also planning meals not only for the "big" dinner but for all the other meals as well. Alyssa gave me the "hot" tip on brining (aka marinating) the turkey a day before Thanksgiving to have the best fall off the bone and melt in your mouth moist turkey. It was a lot of work but in the end I think it was worth the effort! I was glad to have the company and it was the first Thanksgiving in 7 years that I got to spend with my (the Hansen side) of the family. It was fantastic and fabulous... next year I am off duty for the cookin'... I'm just sayin'. It took me a few weeks to recover from Thanksgiving... Exhaustion is not an understatement!

After Thanksgiving we moved on to Christmas. Oh! To remember the days of naïvety... to believe again in Santa and all things fairy tale again. This will probably be the last Christmas that Chloe will "truly" believe in Santa. In the years to come we will have to threaten her with her life to keep the secret for the sake of her little sister. Regardless... We pulled off Christmas. We ended up going to Crystal Mountain, WA for a few nights to a ski in - ski out condo. It was so nice to be back up in the mountains! To see snow again! It just doesn't feel like Christmas without the white stuff! It was beautiful weather... like spring skiing in December. The snow was fabulous.. the sun was out and the girls held their own. Chloe is doing a phenomenal job of skiing without a wedgie... (a clip to hold the tips of her skies together) and Kate was more than content chillin' in the backpack on my back. I will post some pics as soon as I download them from my phone and the camera.

Christmas day went off without a hitch. Chloe got her EasyBake oven she had been begging for and Kate got the ice cream shoppe for Play-doh. It was a small Christmas, but pleasant. Colin and I don't usually exchange gifts but this year I decided to make him a rag quilt with his initials embroidered on it. I had made one earlier in the year for myself and at one point he had mentioned that he wanted a quilt of his own... so he got it! We drove home the day after Christmas and it was nice to be home again.

As far as New Year's eve goes we kept it pretty low key. We went to a friend of my mom's house and played a stellar game of Pictionary, girls vs. boys, girls totally rocked it! Whoot Whoot! Then before midnight we headed to go visit my youngest brother Seth at his new apartment and rang in the new year with him. Chloe even stayed up until midnight... impressive for a 6 year old! I got the opportunity to explain to her what all the fuss was about the "New" year... She is such a sponge... she just soaks it all in!

Now since the holidays have come and gone we are back to the daily grind. We are just battening down the hatches for the next couple of months as Colin will be traveling a bunch with the demo cat and the Vancouver Olympics are just around the corner... Here we go! I will be a snowcat widow for the next couple of months, but it pays the bills so I can't complain.

So there you have it! That's what we have been up to... and for what it is worth... Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you! We send you our love!