Christmas Break 2019 and Seattle Snow 2020

Some how, we have gotten to mid January and I'm not quite sure how, until I stop and think about all of the things we've been up to since the last time I wrote a blog post.

The Wednesday before their Christmas break started, the kids participated in their school's annual Christmas concert. Both kids did a fantastic job and had so much fun. Annika sang with her 6th grade class, with the entire middle school, and as part of the student choir. Conor sang with his 4th grade class and as part of the student choir; he also played drums as during the beginning band's performances. 

Once Christmas break began, we (very happily) eased up on life's accelerator pedal and sloooooowed way down. I had to burn time off from work, so was home with the kids throughout their entire break. Eric's office closed from Christmas Eve until January 2nd. It was marvelous to have all of us home and able to catch our collective breath. We played countless games and Conor even took up playing cribbage! (Yes, he is VERY proud to let everyone know that he not only learned how to play but skunked me ... LEGIT skunked me)

You KNOW we did plenty of baking and cookie-based activities over the break. There are a few required cookies that MUST make an appearance to celebrate Christmas: shortbread (I make those soon after Halloween so they can season .. easy one!), krumkake (Norwegian cookies that I learned how to make from Eric's mom waaaaaaay back in the day), pizzelles (a family tradition from my childhood), sugar cookies, and spritz cookies. (No shortage of sweets, let me tell you!!)

Just to make sure we had some contact with the outside world (and I forgot to get it done earlier in the fall), I got the kids in for their annual eye exams. Annika's Rx didn't change, so her existing reading glasses were still good to use. Conor was told he'd benefit from reading glasses, so he picked out some frames (strong, flexible ones geared for kids) and we got them ordered.

Christmas was chaotic, energetic, and so much fun! On Christmas Eve, the kids were altar servers at mass. While we were there, Eric made dinner (this year, it was breakfast sliders) ... because he's a rock star! We were even treated with some extended family members (Anna and Robert) joining us for dinner. Win!! 

Christmas morning was just the four of us. We opened stockings and presents, and then gobbled up the traditional Olson family Christmas Breakfast casserole. (SO GOOD!) Later in the morning, Eric's parents came over for part 2 of Christmas presents and game times. A little after noon, we were joined by my brother (Troy), sister-in-law (Staci), and niece (Kat), as well as Eric's best friend (Dave) for more celebrating and a big family dinner. We were all in a food coma by the end of dinner, but in a good way!

For New Year's Eve, we were invited by another CKS family to ring in the East Coast new year, which was lovely and not too late! Three CKS families were there (including ours) and the kids were practically bouncing off of the walls with their play and bubbling energy. Together, we said goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020!

Each year, the Olson Four attend the Woodland Park Zoo's WildLights display. We've learned a few things over the years - avoid going on a weekend, and going after Christmas helps reduce the crowd factor. We even managed to avoid getting rained on.... WIN! (During our traditional Zeek's Pizza dinner, we told the kids about our plans to visit Hawaii later this year. They could hardly believe it! We toyed with the idea of not telling them until closer to the trip, but thought they're old enough that they might want a voice in planning some of our activities. Now they are anxiously awaiting .... the long wait has begun!)

As January progressed, we started seeing snowflakes appear on our weather forecast app. We have learned after many years of snow being predicted and never showing up that holding our breath for a true snowfall is a fool's errand. This year, the forecast was (eventually) right. A few of the snowflake days didn't produce anything but disappointment, but Mother Nature eventually came through.

Annika spent the better part of two days playing in the snow with her friend Maddy (notice a lack of photos of Annika in the snow - we barely saw her!). Conor enjoyed some R&R at home, but did decide to do a little manual labor to earn some spending money for Hawaii. (Smart kid!)

Little did we know that our biggest snow fan would be Huck! He LOVED the snow and wanted to be in it (usually eating it) all of the time. We made him come inside to thaw every so often and he was anything but a fan of that approach. Whenever we'd bring him inside, he'd sit by the door looking at the snow and whining asking to go back out into it. He ate the snow, chased snowballs, laid in the snow (while eating the snow), and dug in the snow. We have a snow pup!

The kids' school was closed Monday and Tuesday, and had a 2-hour delayed start yesterday. After one last mini snow "blizzard" yesterday afternoon, our temps are now on the rise and most of the snow has melted. Much to our kids' chagrin this morning, they went to school on time and without nearly enough snow on the ground for their liking.

Santa Photos 2019

As Christmas draws ever closer (boy, do I have a lot of baking to do!!), I can't help but look at our family's to-do list with a keen eye. That keen eye caught a detail about one of our family traditions in the Seattle Times recently that sent the rest of me into a bit of a panic.

The article was about the major renovations taking place at our local mall. No problem. No biggie. Near the end of the article, there was a mention about how Santa is not scheduled to visit the mall this year. PROBLEM!!!! BIGGIE!!!! We've had the same Santa in the kids' photos (except for 1 year) since Annika was a baby. The. Same. Guy. Another mom from the kids' school tracked him down and found out he is now working in Puyallup. Not overly helpful.

That's when I had my ah-ha moment. We have a jolly elf right in the family!! My cousin's husband is one of the Santas at Nordstrom in Bellevue. WIN!! I found out when he was scheduled to work and we made it happen!

We had a little time to kill before we could get into the store, so the kids and I poked around a few stores as we meandered to Nordstrom. The kids even got in a gave of chess in the middle of the mall. Of course, that experience completely fell apart when Conor claimed to have won the game and Annika insisted that he didn't say "check" when he should have. Ah... the Christmas spirit is alive and well.... until a game of oversized chess is on the line. Oy!

Chess, anyone?

FINALLY, we got into the store and stood in line for our photos. Fortunately, we were 5th in line, so we didn't have to wait very long. The photographer was wonderful and really worked to ensure he got a good shot before moving down the line of people.

OF COURSE, Santa was amazing, too! (Side note: Annika knew Uncle Joe was under the beard.... Conor didn't. Annika loved being in on the secret and made sure to whisper "Merry Christmas, Uncle Joe" as she and Conor left his chair.) After getting their photos taken, they got to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. Annika asked for an iPod case. Conor asked for world peace .... hope you're up for a challenge, Santa! 😋

The kids with Santa

Naturally, I snapped a quick selfie with Santa, too! Heck ... what are the perks of being family with Santa if you don't get to do stuff like fun selfies??

Joe Santa and yours truly

Ho! Ho! Ho! 9 days until Christmas .... but who's counting? Oh wait! WE ARE!!!

Christmas Decorating 2019

It feels like we enough time for a 50-yard dash between Thanksgiving and the beginning of Christmas prep. Having Thanksgiving 3 days before the beginning of Advent is anything but leisurely!!!

The Sunday after Thanksgiving, we hauled out the Christmas decor and got to work un-Thanksgiving-ing the house and Christmas-ing the house. We decked the halls, trimmed the tree, and hung the stockings with care. We also decided to try a new approach to shuffling around our furniture in the living room so we can accommodate the Christmas tree. It took a few attempts, but I think we got a good flow for the room. (It also re-ignited my desire for getting some new furniture, but unless Santa can fit some on his sleigh, that will have to wait awhile.)

Before calling in the whole crew, I assembled the tree (thanks, again, to the Frisch side of the family for the hand-me-down tree!) and to the lights plugged in. Huck quickly decided that having a tree in the living room was just about the coolest thing ever and under the tree was the perfect napping place!

A few years ago, we started using Starbucks coffee cups as our tree topper. After hauling out all of the ornament boxes and getting ready to start the decorating process, Eric and I realized (with great panic) that we didn't have a cup for this year yet. ACK! I quickly put in a mobile order for two coffees and two hot cocoas for all of us to enjoy as we decorated for Christmas. We hit the pause button on our decorating efforts so I could make an emergency Starbucks run and pick up a cup for our tree's top. Whew! With beverages in hand and cup for the tree, the holiday season could proceed!

While I was on the Starbucks run, the kids took to assembling the creche and deciding where each of the characters should be placed. And, in the true spirit of Christmas, it almost turned into World War III. Yup - 'tis the season! Fortunately, Eric was there to referee and remind the kids that compromise is the key to success.

Peach on Earth, good will to all ... unless they want to put a wise man where
you don't want the wise man, then all bets are off and it's every many for himself

I think one of our favorite parts of the Christmas decorating process is going down memory lane as we pull out the various tree ornaments. Each ornament has a story and it's fun to reminisce as we hang them on the branches. The kids, especially, love to hear the stories associated with their earlier years and how some of the ornaments are connected with family vacations.

Conor placing the cup on top of the tree

Santa's little helper

Making the tree festive

Before we knew it, the tree was decorated, the stockings were hung, and the nativity was moved to a higher location (aka out of Huck's reach!). The kids have spent time snuggled up on the couches thumbing through the Christmas books we took out of storage and have enjoyed quiet moments enjoying the lights on the tree. Next stop: Christmas baking!! 

Fa la la la la la la la la! 

2019 Thanksgiving Week Recap

Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving here in the US and I have to say, ours was truly lovely!

The kids don't have school that week due to parent/teacher conferences. On Monday, we attended the kids' conferences (rave reviews!). Both of the kids are doing well in school, per their teachers. Starting in 3rd grade, the kids help lead their conferences, so they are active participants in the process. It was neat to hear their takes on school and to hear what they enjoy working on/learning.

Later in the afternoon, we went to 5 Guys for lunch and then to the movies to celebrate all four of us being on vacation for the week. We saw "Frozen 2"; it was OK, but nothing anywhere near as good as the original. One of my favorite parts of the movie was when Olaf (the snowman) recapped what had happened during the first movie. So funny!

On Tuesday, we loaded up and headed north to Whidbey to spend a few days with Eric's parents. As always, I was champing at the bit to get up there and felt myself ease into island mode as soon as we got on the ferry.

Honestly, who wouldn't feel their blood pressure and breathing rate go waaay down when views like these are the norm?

Driftwood galore

The Puget Sound lapping at Whidbey Island

Eric's mom had the idea of painting rocks together and then leaving them around the island for people to find while on walks. Tuesday afternoon, I drove into town to collect a few donations for the kids' school auction and while I did that, Eric, the kids, and his mom got to work painting the rocks. It was such a wonderful project and everyone had a great time! (I painted 2 rocks once I got back from Langley.) We sealed the designs with clear coat Wed morning and once they were dry, Eric's mom, the kids, and I drove to a variety of parks/walking trails, the post office, and a beach to distribute the rocks. The kids had so much fun finding the perfect place for each of their rocks. (Annika even found a rock someone else had left while placing one of hers!)

Whidbey Rocks!

Conor, Bestemor, and Annika - all ready to hide rocks

Beautiful rocks

Hiding rocks

Try to find it!

Annika and the "Joyful" rock she found on a walking trail

The beach rock I painted ... placed at the beach (how appropriate!)

On Wednesday, in addition to leaving rocks around the island, we played lots and lots of games at the house and prepped for Thanksgiving (aka I made pies, Bestemor and Annika made the cranberry sauce, and Bestefar made his smoked turkey). 

In addition, Conor and Bestefar went to the club and played four holes of golf. (Per Bestefar, Conor hit the ball and couldn't find it ... because it went WAY down the fairway...) 

That afternoon, after I took the kids' photos for our Christmas cards, Eric's best friend and his daughter arrived from Seattle to join us for the holiday. As soon as Dave and Anne arrived, the kids started to play and giggle themselves silly. Talk about a fun day!!

Huck REALLY hoping Bestefar will drop a piece of smoked turkey

It's always so fun when the cranberries pop!

Thanksgiving started out nice and slow. We played card games and the kids stayed in the PJs well into the day. By late morning, however, we went into full-blown holiday mode and started our dinner prep with gusto. All went swimmingly, aside from my attempt to make my rolls with gluten-free flour. The dough was sandy and didn't rise. In a last-ditch effort to make sure we had rolls, I tossed that stuff in the garbage and made them with regular flour (success!!) (Apologies to Bestefar for him not being able to have the rolls!)

With full tummies, the kids watched a movie while the grownups played cards. Dave re-taught us how to play Eucher ... the card game he taught us two Thanksgivings ago! We caught on fairly quickly, but will definitely need to practice more before next Thanksgiving to make sure we are somewhat competent at the game.

On Friday morning, we woke up, enjoyed our morning coffee, packed up our stuff, and headed back home.  One of our annual traditions is to tune the radio to 106.9 on our way to the ferry, so we can start listening to Christmas music and officially kick off the Christmas season. This year was no different! It's a neat way to transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas and one we always look forward to.

We usually stay in the car on the ferry, but because Dave and Anne were on the ferry with us, we opted to journey up to the passenger deck for a little more time together.

Conor, Annika, and Anne

It was a wonderful trip, a lovely holiday, and a true treat to spend time with Eric's parents on the island. A special thanks to Bestemor and Bestefar for hosting our chaotic crew!! We can't wait to see you on Christmas. :)

Driving with Conor

No, not driving a car.... driving golf balls, silly readers!!

Earlier this month, Conor and I pulled a few golf clubs out of our bags and headed to the driving range near out house to get some practice and dust off the proverbial cobwebs.

Neither of us had picked up a golf club in a couple of months (longer for me than Conor, I think), so there was a bit of remembering that needed to happen. That said, we had a great time and wound up sharing three buckets of balls. (Yes, we were a bit sore the next day.... thank you for asking!)

Each time we head to the driving range, we leave saying how we'll need to go more often because it is such fun and a great way to spend time together. We also need to sign up for some more lessons - it was pretty obvious that some nuances have been forgotten or a bit rusty.

Rustiness aside, it was still a great outing and we both hit a few really nice drives. (We also both completely whiffed it numerous times and didn't even make contact with the ball ... hence, we need more lessons. Ha!!!)

As a closing thought, I'd like to mention (so I can remember down the road when I re-read this post) that to decorate the driving range for autumn, the driving range added three scarecrows as decor near the 100-125 flags. I hit (completely by accident ... and usually on a bounce) two of the three scarecrows. (My apologies to the scarecrows!) If I'd hit them on purpose, I'd be impressed. Considering I hit them on accident, I'm just entertained! :)

Pumpkin Carving 2019

Carving pumpkins when you live in a wet climate requires great calculations. No, not in terms of design, but in terms of timing. Carve too soon, and you wind up with a gloppy/moldy mess on your porch before Halloween rolls around. And no one finds that appealing, I have to guess.

We tucked our pumpkins away in the cool basement in hope it would prolong their pre-carving lives. For the most part, it worked. Conor's pumpkin proved to be a bit less cooperative than those belonging to the rest of us. When he attempted to pick up his pumpkin so he could bring it upstairs, the stem and some of the surrounding pumpkin flesh went with Conor ... the rest stayed on the floor. Whoops! (Conor and I made an emergency trip to QFC so he could pick out another one, so all was not lost!)

The kids, Eric, and I cleared off the kitchen table, covered it with plastic bags, and quickly got started on our gourd masterpieces. 

Ready, set, carve!

He's such a goof!

And so is his big sister!

Eric opted to scrap a design into his pumpkin instead of taking the more traditional carving approach

Scoopin' out the guts

Stringy gunk

Eric's spider web design 

This was the first year that the kids had complete control over their carving. We didn't hold their hands as they took blade to pumpkin. As a mom, it was a bit nerve wracking, I have to admit! I'm also proud to report that everyone completed the project with the same number of fingers they started with and no one required stitches. WIN!

Conor's final product

To make the experience THAT much better, we put some dry ice in the kids' pumpkins because, well, it's cool!! All of us giggled and clapped as the vapor poured out of the pumpkins. 

Happy Halloween, everyone! Be safe, have fun, and enjoy the sugar rush.