It's finally here

I'm so excited...the season premiere of LOST is on tonight. I just had to let out some of my happiness.

Winter Wonderland

We just got back last night from a week-long trip to Utah to see some friends and family. Debbie (Arah) Atwood was kind enough to let us stay at her house and even let me use her car a couple times. THANKS A BUNCH DEBBIE!!! The picture is of Kaija, Luukas and Debbie's son Gavin. Kaija is doing an 'Ariel' pose, Luukas is just posing and Gavin wasn't real excited to have his picture taken. They loved playing on the stairs with a mattress. That was definitely their highlight. We even got some kid-free to see 27 Dresses, which was predictable, but I can never see too many chick flicks. I also caught up with a couple high schools friends that live in Salt Lake and a couple college friends. Overall, it was a good trip, even if we had to spend a couple extra hours in the airport. (Love that).
So back to the title of my post, we came home to a couple feet of snow on the ground. They had even canceled church on Sunday. It's pretty and all, but I was a little annoyed this morning (which is our garbage day) to see a note on on our garbage can saying due to the road conditions and safety of the truck drivers, they will not be able to collect trash until further notice. WHAT?!!!!! We have alleyways in between the main roads that aren't plowed regularly, but still. What about the trash? Anyway, it's pretty to look at and I'm sure the kids and I will try to go play in it tomorrow. Oh, the bottom left picture is my neighbor's car, buried int he snow.

There are no words

I'm not sure what to title this post. Let me update you on some recent changes in our home. Due to the fact that Luukas would cry for an hour strait during naptime, and then he was a mess the entire day, I knew I had to do something different. He's been sleeping in the room in the basement, so I thought it might be a good time to let him join Kaija in her room. So about a week ago, I made the switch. He really was a different child...happy and pleasant most of the time. They were even sleeping during naps. So yesterday it was quiet on the monitor, so naturally I thought they were sleeping. Unfortunately, they were definitely NOT sleeping. I think the pictures say it all. The little things on the carpet are tiny crayon and chalk pieces. (and yes, our pink house has PINK carpet in case anyone was wondering). I asked Kaija why she colored her hands pink and she replied in a very matter-of-fact way, "Because I want them to look pretty." Luukas I think was just the sidekick since I know he wasn't the culprit to retrieve the markers and chalk and crayons. I'm almost laughing about it now. Thank goodness for Crayola washable markers.

Kaija's preschool program

Kaija had a Christmas Program followed by a party at her preschool and I had to share this video. This is the last song they did. The first three were really quite good, but I got a good laugh out of this one. I think all the kids were trying to see who could be the loudest. I'm proud to say that my daughter is in the running even if she's not singing the right words. ENJOY!

Christmas in Portland

We spent a week and a half with Teem's family in Vancouver, WA and Portland, OR. Everyone was there, and the kids enjoyed playing with their cousins. We had a great time and Luukas was the only one to get sick. (He threw up the day after Christmas, but just a couple times. Not to gross you out with details, but he was kind enough one time to hold it in his mouth while I got a bowl. He didn't even cry and if you know Luukas, that's unusual even when he's not throwing up). Anyway, we spent a day at Mt. Hood sledding which was fun but freakin' cold. The kids got a surprise the Sunday before Christmas when Santa took a break from his busy schedule to visit them at Mummi's house (Teem's mom). They loved it. Kaija was the first one up there to make sure he knew what she wanted. Luukas was afraid to sit on his lap, but not too shy about taking the treat he brought for all the kids. Teem's parents are both remarried, so we went back-and-forth between houses a few times. Christmas was at his dad's and Kaija loved her Princess crocodile, but I can't seem to find my pictures of her opening it, so I may have done a video of it. She got a matching skirt that has now become a wig of sorts, so that Kaija can transform into a princess with long, flowing, green hair. To each his own. Luukas got a bunch of lego stuff and trucks and cars. We are trying to subtly encourage him to play with boy toys instead of purses and jewelry, which he just LOVES. Teem got his dad and brothers-in-law each a remote controlled helicoptor, so even the big boys got to play with toys. Teem surprised me with a camera and a ring and I also got my first dust buster. Can I tell you how excited I am about that. (honestly) The day after Christmas we (the adults) went to a shooting range with Will (Teem's stepdad) and let me tell you, I'm good. No actually, I really have horrible aim, but it was fun to try. We also spent a couple days at OMSI (the science museum) and really enjoyed ourselves, although I think we could've gotten away with simply giving them a dollar in pennies and had them play with the penny ramp thing in the lobby. It definitely would've been more cost efficient, but we would've missed out on a lot of fun things. I highly recommend it if you ever visit Portland. Overall it was a fun time, but it's nice to be back home.