As I mentioned, we had a snowstorm in December, a big one. This usually doesn't happen around here and so Seattle was in lockdown mode. Schools were closed for the 5 days before winter break, busses were sliding off the roads, people were stuck in their homes for days. We live at the bottom of a hill and neither of our cars are 4WD so we were stuck. Tracy really saved us. There were several times she braved the dangerously slick roads to get her Jeep to us so that we could get some shopping done and pick people up from the airport. Thank you Trace!! Except for a few of these trips, we were stuck at the house for 9 days! Thankfully we had Christmas activities like the gingerbread house and making Santa's cookies to help pass the time. The kids also loved playing in the snow and, with Paul's help, made some interesting snow creations and went ice-sledding down the street. Good times....
We were so grateful that my Dad came for Christmas. As usual, he made sure we were well fed (one of our dinners was Dad's famous dutch oven chicken that I hadn't had forever!) and he was so generous with his Christmas gifts. He gave me a beautiful necklace from Tiffany's because he wanted to give me something that made me "feel special". It made me cry! He sure was a trooper too. He got this totally tricked-out new bike for Lauren and spent hours on Christmas Eve putting it together. What a sweet Grandpa! We all got such a kick out of all the bells and whistles on this thing. Notice the flower in his hand that goes in one of the bike's two bud vases......
The scene Christmas morning.....
She loved it!!
These two beautiful dresses were made by my sweet Grandma Hawker who spent countless hours making them. She had made some for us when we were little girls that we wore until they were literally rags. Seeing my girls in dresses like mine meant the world to me. What a labor of love- Thank You Grandma!
On Christmas Day, Grandma Claudia came to stay with us and spent the next six days playing, cleaning, babysitting and cooking. I am sure she needed a big rest after her visit, but we sure loved having her!
I also want to thank my Mom. Once again she went way above and beyond and absolutely spoiled all of us. Among countless other things, she spent so much time racing all over town trying to find the exact Wii game that Josh wanted, and researching the best camcorder to get Paul and I. Thank you Mom!
This will always be such a memorable Christmas for us. We were so grateful that Dad, Claudia and Tracy were able to be here when most family parties got canceled because of the storm. Also, the obvious thought, love and preparation that went in to our gifts was so touching. We are so grateful for our family and friends who make life so special and we look forward sharing a wonderful 2009 with all of you!
