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.

Pumpkin Patch 2019

On Sunday, the Olson Four made our annual trip to Fairbank Animal Farm/Pumpkin Patch. As I've said in past posts, Eric and I started going there before we had the kids ... possibly before we got married. It has become part of our fall to-do list and one we all look forward to each year.

It is with great enthusiasm that I can report we didn't get rained on. Talk about a pumpkin miracle!!  It rained on our way there and on our drive home. Not a DROP during our time there. We were geared up - boots, rain coats, hats! We definitely needed the boots because of the mud, but not because of any rain.       

Eric and Annika on their way to the farm
(Can I just say how much I love that she still holds our hands?!!)

We peeked at the various animals (a bit quickly, knowing the weather was not going to be kind to those who dallied and because the farm was rather packed. (Our "there won't be many people there because of the weather" theory turned out to be completely wrong!) We saw a mama pig with her brood and another mama pig who was ready to have babies at any time. (That poor girl looked miserable ... even while napping!) We saw the ducks, geese, peacocks, and pony before darting into the barn. (Back in the old days, we were allowed into the stalls, but insurance regulations put an end to that a number of years ago.) We contented ourselves with petting the calf through the gate... fortunately, it was close enough for everyone to give it a little love and enjoy how soft its nose was. We also got to pet (with one finger!) some ducklings and chicks. The bunnies were constantly busy, so we just waved as we hopped along. (Ha! See what I did there??)  We also took a few minutes to watch the newly-hatched chicks in the incubators.

MOO!

The calf was particularly interested in nibbling on Annika during the visit!

Our cute chickies with the chickies

Fluffy ducklings

Knowing our time between rain showers was probably rather short, we high-tailed it to the pumpkin patches to pick out THE perfect pumpkins to take home. Because of the recent rain. many of the pumpkins were rather squishy, so the hunt evolved from a "is it a good size and shape?" to "is it a good size and shape ... and is it not decaying?". We do have standards, ya know!

On our way out, Eric paid for the pumpkins while the kids and I took advantage of the photo op boards around the property. (Yes, the kids are less enthusiastic about this part of the outing than they were when they were younger, but they are still good about humoring their dear old mom!)

On our way home, we stopped at MOD Pizza for a warm-up sort of lunch to celebrate our great pumpkin adventure, the lack of rain while we were out and about, and, oh, my 46th birthday. :)