Our Last Night In Washington

Sunday, December 26th--We had planned on leaving Tuesday, the 28th. We even made plans for Monday to go see a movie and have lunch. When we checked the weather forecast Sunday afternoon, we realized if we left on Tuesday we'd be hit with two major snowstorms, one in Oregon, the other in Utah. In order to get ahead of them we had to leave Monday. It made us all sad, especially Nana and Papa but we knew it was for the best. While Nate and I went over to visit some friends and have dinner, Brady and Elise stayed back with Nana and Papa and worked on their last project. Papa had got some little treasure boxes and paint and the kids got to paint them. They did a great job and had fun too. We had a great time at our friends, Jeff & Donnas house. Jeffs mom, Barb, came over too. She's like a 2nd mom to me and cooks just as good. All 3 of them made a delicious dinner (Has anyone ever had Bavarian roast? WOW, it's yummy!). It was so much fun to chat and talk about old times and fun memories. It all went by too fast and soon it was time for us to head back to get busy packing and getting things ready for the drive in the morning. It was hard to leave and to leave my parents house. Our time in Washington seemed so short and we didn't do everything we would have liked to have done. I was especially sad. Afterall, this is my home state, where I grew up and where my heart still seems to be. It rained almost everyday we've been here and I didn't care a bit. It's been 2 1/2 years since we were here visiting and I realize now why it's been so long.....it's just too hard to leave and my heart is already breaking. I'm so glad we got to come here for Christmas, we haven't been here for Christmas since 2003. I will miss it terribly but am thankful for the time we spent with family and old friends. It truly was a wonderful Christmas, one to always be remembered with fondness and smiles!

Hotdog-Head!

(cont.) Saturday, Christmas, December 25th--If anyone knows Brady, you know he's quite the character. The random things he comes up with are knee-slapping hilarious mixed with utter confusion. My dad has a close relationship with Brady. They are best buds when they are together. I wish he lived closer because of how well they get along and feed off each other. It's funny to watch them together, I gotta admit, so when Papa is visiting and leaves to go home or when we're visiting them and come back to Utah, it's always so sad for me, for many reasons, but especially because of the great relationship Papa has with his grandkids. About 2 1/2 years ago, just out of nowhere, Brady started calling Papa "Hotdog-Head" whenever he would say good-bye to him on the phone. We have no idea where he got such a funny name but it's stuck ever since. Papa and Brady go back and forth calling each other other silly names to go along with the fast food theme, all ending with "head": Hamburger-head, French-fry-head, Corndog-head, etc. It's so hilarious to hear them and to hear what Brady will come up with next. For Papa's birthday, a few weeks ago, I had the kids draw some pictures for his card. Brady drew his interpretation of Papa with, none other than, a hotdog on his head and then wrote next to it "Happy Birthday Hot Dog Head!" It was so funny! My dad and mom went to a fun little tourist town in the Cascade Mtn. range called Leavenworth, earlier in December. It is an adorable Bavarian town full of fun and unique shops. In one of the shops was a whole display of novelty hats. My dad saw a hat with a hamburger on it but it just wasn't right. He dug through the pile and found it.....perfect as can be.....a hotdog hat! LOL! He placed it with Brady's other things from Santa on Christmas morning. It was the very first thing Brady saw and he busted up laughing in pure shock. He couldn't believe an actual hotdog hat existed.......neither could I! He put it on and starting singing and dancing to a song he made up as he went "I'm a hotdog head!" After he calmed down a bit we took pics of him with it and then Papa with it. I sure wish my dad had gotten the hamburger hat! I think seeing Brady with that hotdog hat was my dad's favorite Christmas present!

Merry Christmas, 2010!!!

Saturday, Christmas, December 25th--Merry Christmas! The kids woke up around 6:30 am but we wanted to sleep a little longer so we finally got things going around 7:45 am. The kids came out of their room with huge smiles on their faces. They were so excited to see what Santa had brought them! Santa left everything for them on or around Nanas loveseat. Brady looked all over for the skateboard he was sure Santa would bring him.....he found it.....but on a much smaller scale than he anticipated (he he he!). Santa thought a Razor scooter would be much better for Brady until he learns a little more balance. Maybe if he can figure out how to ride the scooter and learn to ride a two wheel bike in 2011 then a skateboard might be a possibility next Christmas. I could see his disappointment but he got plenty of other cool things. Elise and Brady got scooters and matching Spongebob sleds, among other things from Santa. (Note to Santa: make sure you get all the stocking stuffers on the same shopping trip. Breaking it up into a couple of different trips makes you realize you bought WAY TOO MUCH!!) The kids wanted to tear into the presents immediately so we did. Nate got us a family gift "Epic Mickey" for the Wii. I've seen clips of this game on TV and it looks pretty awesome so I'm glad he got it. We got plenty of games and videos. Nate and I got great deals on Nooks on Black Friday. We both love our Nooks! My friend, Ashley, is the Black Friday queen and was able to find some things on my wish list that day as well....including a most-awesome Superman Snuggie for Nate. One word: HILARIOUS! Ashley even got a matching Snuggie for her hubby, Justin. I look forward to the day the two of them can model their Snuggies together!

We had a great Christmas morning! After the presents were all opened, we made a big breakfast. The rest of the day was spent playing with new stuff and relaxing until our big Christmas feast that evening. We had ham, garlic/Rosemary potatos, mashed potatos, veggies, homemade rolls, sparkling cider and a strawberry boston cream pie. It was all delicious and we ate more than we should have! A wonderful Christmas up in the Great Pacific Northwest....in the rain!

Christmas Eve

(Evening) Friday, Christmas Eve, December 24th--We did the Armstrong family tradition of having pizza for our Christmas Eve dinner. Nate was in pizza heaven--we ordered from a local pizza place that makes really good pizza. After dinner the kids got to open their traditional Christmas Eve presents, which are pajamas. This year we also let them open their gifts from each other. Elise got Brady a remote control car and Brady got Elise a bumble bee Pillow Pet she'd been wanting. They were both quite happy with their gifts and love their new pajamas they got to wear for the night. Nate opened a gift from me. I was really excited about him opening his gift on Christmas Eve so it wouldn't get lost in all the madness of Christmas morning. Nate is a HUGE Stephen King fan so I found this amazing book at Barnes & Noble that is full of fun and interesting facts about him throughout the years. He really liked it! I opened a gift from Elise. She had made an adorable picture cube I can put on my dresser. She picked 6 different photos of our family during this year and then had them made into the picture cube. I really love it! Papa also had another craft project for the kids to do. He bought two kits for them to put together using a hammer and nails. He got Elise a house and the roof opens up and Brady got a pirate ship. He even got them safety goggles! They loved putting those kits together with him!The kids were pretty wired but we finally got them to bed around 9:30 pm. I ended up sleeping in the living room on a recliner. Elise started a cold on Tuesday and I had to keep the vaporizer going all night so she could sleep. No fun but at least she got a good nights sleep!

Visiting Extended Family On Christmas Eve

Friday, Christmas Eve, December 24th--We travelled up to Port Townsend/Port Hadlock to visit family--it's about an hour from Bremerton. My moms brother and sister live up there with their families and my grandpa lives with her brother. My grandpa is 94 years old. Considering his age, he still seems to be healthy and doing okay. My grandpa's memory isn't so great anymore, he didn't know who I was but that's okay. We went over to my uncles house (my aunts lives right next door) and visited for a few hours with them and my cousins--hard to believe I have a 4-year-old cousin! Elise and Brady had fun playing with my cousins while we visited with the adults.

Port Townsend isn't too far from Forks but the towns look all the same around that area of Washington so we didn't bother taking a drive to Forks--sorry Twilight-obsessed fans! ha ha ha

Fun With Papa

(Evening) Wednesday, December 22nd--Before we got to Papa and Nana's house, Papa had gone to a few places to buy some fun crafts and activities for Brady and Elise. He made sure there was something to do every evening we were at their house. The three of them had so much fun and it was sweet to watch them make special memories together. After we got back from Seattle and had eaten, Papa brought out some construction paper and, along with Nana, they all made paper Christmas chains for the tree and to place around the house. They used fancy scissors too. The chains were quite cute and the kids were so proud of them. Papa told Brady and Elise, when he was growing up his mom and the kids would make paper chains and put them all over the house. He really loved that Christmas memory. I remember making a few when I was a kid too.

Hello Washington---I'm Home!

Wednesday, December 22nd--After 1 1/2 days of driving, we made it to Bremerton, Washington, my home town. The drive wasn't too bad. We dealt with a few rough patches on the roads but overall, it was okay. The kids are usually pretty good on road trips but this trip wasn't the case. By the time we pulled into the driveway of my parents home we were happy to turn them over and take a breather!
On Wednesday, we travelled by ferry to Seattle. We drove to Seattle Center (home of the Space Needle) where there is a Harry Potter exhibit going on now at the Pacific Science Center. The exhibit was not cheap but we were assured it would be quite spectacular and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It was pretty awesome, indeed! There were props and costumes galore, worn or used by many of the cast of Harry Potter. I couldn't believe how tiny so many of the actors are! We really enjoyed the exhibit but were bummed they wouldn't allow pictures. As with most exhibits, the end lead right into the gift shop. With not being allowed to take pictures we thought we would get an exhibition book. They are usually full of pictures from the exhibit along with stories. Well we found out that everything, literally, in that gift shop was overpriced....to the extreme! It was insulting, to say the least. A copy, made out of thin paper, of the Marauders Map was $45.00. Small magnets were $5.00 a piece, etc. I couldn't believe it! We left empty handed but took pictures of some of the advertising outside the exhibit. After the exhibit we went into the childrens museum and were quite excited to see a butterfly room. My mom, Elise and I went inside the hot, humid room. Butterflies were everywhere and flew around us. It was quite amazing. Elise was in heaven! The kids found some penny press machines. I swear they are addicted to those things, as is their father! It was no Harry Potter souvenir but they each got a penny press from the childrens museum---total cost: $1.02 (we can handle that!). We had a great day in Seattle!

Blackburn Family Christmas Party

Sunday, December 19th--Nate and I were in charge of the annual family Christmas party this year. Thank goodness my Aunt Manya is always willing to allow us to use her office conference room for the party. It has everything we need to put on a fabulous Christmas party and then some! We did a huge ham and potato dinner, with plenty of veggies, rolls and amazing Costco desserts. Nate was put in charge of games and that was fun for all. Every year we do a white elephant gift exchange with the adults. The kids, we draw names and each of them buy a present for the name they're given. Last year my sister, Alishia, was in charge and decided to go with a theme for our white elephant purchases. She chose "As Seen On TV" so we all bought those types of gifts to put in the pool. It was quite hilarious! We decided to do a theme as well and chose "Battery Powered". We were worried this could be a rather dangerous theme but it actually went really well. There were some fun items to choose from. It was, as usual, a wonderful night--we look forward to it every year! This evening was a little crazy because we were leaving for Washington the next day so we had to hurry home and get the car packed and so many other things. However, the night was perfect and it all worked out.

Elise Is Thankful For......

Tuesday, December 14th--Today was clean-out-desks day in Elise's class. Meaning, clean out all the garbage and extra papers you're suppose to either throw away or take home but, instead, collect in your already cramped desk space. With the looks of Elise's bedroom, it's no surprise her desk is usually cluttered and in great need of cleaning out at the request of her teachers (just like at home!). She does remind me that most of the other kids in her class are just as messy--hmmm, not feeling the sympathy! Today she brought home papers she had worked on in computer lab. A list of things she was thankful for--around Thanksgiving--caught my eye. I just had to share!

Cute pic, Elise! Love your list, yes, indeedy! I see you're thankful for food, family, friends, etc. But, really, the one that caught my eye the most is one I'm certainly glad you're thankful for, just didn't think you would be at such a young age. #5!

Loins?!?! Well, as it turns out, when I decided to have a sit-down chat with her and talk about her "loins" and why they're smack-dab in the middle of her "thankful list" she clarified that she was thankful for "lions" and that she mis-spelled the word. Phew! I think I'll save that conversation for another day then! WAHOO! LOL!

Ward Christmas Party

Friday, December 10th (evening)--We attended the ward Christmas party tonight. We had a great time and the kids got to visit with Santa for a while--which they REALLY loved! This time we had our camera too so we were able to get some pictures. Quite a few other parents realized they forgot their cameras so they asked Nate to take pics of their kids too! So funny, but I would have done the same thing!

Christmas Cards, 2010

Friday, December 10th--My cousin, Carly, is getting into photography and she's proving to be really great at it. I asked her to take our annual Christmas card pics and she happily said she would do so. She came over to our house with all her fancy equipment and did a great job taking pics for our cards. Thanks, Carly! You rock!