The Polar Express

Last night we kicked off the holiday season with an excursion on the Polar Express. As we journeyed to the North Pole, the kids wore their jammies, were given hot chocolate and cookies, listened to the book be read, sang Christmas carols with Santa's elves and then received a magical silver bell from Mr. C. himself. It was a really fun trip!



Kara and Cas--in their jammies ready to ride the Polar Express


Stratton loved his hot chocolate and cookies!







As we neared the North Pole, the kids
listened to the book be read.
(This man is in a famous painting...see which one here)


The Conductor came and punched our tickets.



Stratton thought that his spelled out
B-E-L-I-E-V-E



Each of the kids received a magical silver bell
from Mr. C.



Stratton and Mr. C. having a bonding moment.



Cas told Santa that she wanted an orange for
Christmas. He was a little perplexed by that!



Presley asked for an American Girl doll.



Presley, Stratton and Cas along with Santa.

Jeff and I enjoyed being able to experience a little of the

Christmas magic through the eyes of our kids.

Turkey Day!!

The Kersten's and the Dickey's getting ready to eat ourselves sick!

Get ready....
Get set...

Eat!!!

The never ending pile of dishes was conquered by...

these two boys!

After dinner the kids had a serious sessions of Rock Band

And the adults had a highly competitive game of Marbles. It was a ton of fun especially since it was Stephanie and I versus Kevin and Jeff. We're ready for a rematch!

Sigh, sigh, laugh...

Presley reading a book to Stratton...sigh.


Presley and Stratton taking a walk together in the rain...sigh.



What Stratton looked like when I went to tuck him into bed...laugh!!

November+Soccer game=Soaking Wet

This past Saturday was Cascia's last soccer game of the season and it was a wet one. The poor girls on the team were soaking wet and muddy from top to bottom. It certainly wasn't the ideal weather for soccer so really all you can do is buy good umbrellas!

I watched a lot of drips come off of the umbrella during the game and thought that I would capture that moment so I would never forget how enjoyable it was!

Cas in action and with her beanie on because it was coollldd!

Stratton Boy

Stratton had been telling me for a while now that he would like a tie to wear to church like his Dad does. So, I went and got him one and this past Sunday was his first attempt at wearing it. He looked adorable all dressed up. His white shirt nicely tucked into his black corduroy pants. Shiny black shoes (which he told me hurt his feet but I told him it was a good thing he didn't have to walk too far at church and he'd be fine), snazzy tie, combed hair. He was ready to go. I just had to take a picture to document the occasion but I really should have taken a "Before" and "After" just so everyone could see that this look certainly didn't last for three hours of church. When he came to find me after his class he had a bit of a different look. His shirt was untucked, the shoes were untied and his tie wasn't under his shirt collar any more but actually around his neck. Well...it was a good first try!

The Clackamas United Diamondbacks

This season Presley had a really fantastic coach and soccer team. They were so fun to watch and won most of their games...even though they don't officially keep score, we all knew who won! Presley had a great season and grew a lot as a player. This was a transitional year for her since the two previous seasons had been played on a very small field, co-ed and three on three. She had to learn different positions this year and showed us what incredible potential she has as a player. The pictures below were taken at her last game. She played "keeper" the first half and then scored a goal in the second half. She entertained us a lot this season and we enjoyed every minute of it! (Plus the team picked the name she suggested, so life was good!)

Presley and Brooke--they have great chemistry on and off the field!

Presley with some of the girls on the team at the pizza party after her last game.

Get ready, Presley...here it comes!

Presley was an awesome goalie-she even stopped the ball right on the line to prevent a goal.