Surprise as Maggie Lake

We will get an update out soon about Christmas, but wanted to share some current happenings. Today we woke up early and headed up to Maggie Lake for New Years. We thought there would be a chance for some snow on the ground since the Hood Canal area tends to get a bit more snow....plus last year provided some snow. Well, we had a big surprise when we pulled up...nearly 12in of snow on the ground. That would not have been so bad, but they had just plowed the roads, so there was about 3ft of ice/snow blocking the driveway. So, we ended up spending the first hour digging out some tracks so that we could get the cars in. From there we hit the hill by the cabin with the sleds. Below are some pictures, as well as two videos of the sledding runs...including Haas with Ryan!

Misc Pictures


Maddie, Hass, Ryan, and Kenzie Sledding


Haas and Ryan Sledding

Santa Visit

Today we braved the constant snow to head downtown to visit Santa. This is a 35 year tradition for Steph's family and with Ryan making it into town this AM, we headed down. The wait was only about 45 minutes or so, and it marked the 1st year where we did not have one of the girls crying!!! Haas on the other hand didnt care for it. Here are a couple pics.





Here is a video of the girls telling Santa what they want for Christmas.

Jingle Bell Rap

As most of you know, Seattle got slammed with some more snow yesterday and overnight. And of course we headed right out into it. Ethan was now in town so he came over and we walked/sleded up to the junction and when asked where they wanted to go, the girls said "Talaricos." We will post some more snow and pizza picture later, but we had to share this video with everyone. Kenzie was with Nana J a week or so ago and when she came home that evening, Nana said "Have Kenzie do her Jingle Bell rap" Rap? Are they watching "Yo MTV Raps" over there? Anyway, pretty funny little video.

Snow Day Recap

Well, what a day. We got the word early that school was closed after waking up to a bit of snow. That "bit" turned into nearly 7 inches throughout the day. It just wouldnt stop. Here is Makenzie, with Maddie in the background talking about the early snow.



We then headed out into the white stuff to a great little coffee shop just a block or two away. We snapped a few photos of that adventure, and here are a few others from the day that show ALL the snow we got.



Later on, after a nap, a long conference call for work, and just hanging out, we ventured out to a small hill just a block away to do some sleding. Here are a couple videos of Maddie and Kenzie enjoying their sled ride.

Maddie's Ride


Kenzie's Ride

SNOW!!!!!!

Well, after a ton of speculation and disappointment from weather
forecasts, the snow finally hit today. Thunder snow started about
5:30 and it hasn't stopped. So far we are at 4+ inches! This is a
pic from our short walk over to C&P for coffee....more to come later.

And a few hours later:

Snow Fun, Cookie Fun and Cold

While we wrapped up our Holiday parties on Saturday night, we were greeted by the first snow of the season. Saturday night we got about 2in of the fluffy stuff, and the cold temps kept it around all morning. Maddie was up at the crack of dawn ready to get out and play..so after some hot chocolate and breakfast Maddie and KK bundeled up and headed out. Here is a short video of the fun...with Josie in the mix as well.



Later on Sunday, Steph held her annual Cookie Exchange. This is the second time where the event was impacted by weather. Luckily a good group of people braved the roads and made it to the event. Steph really enjoys this time and I think everyone that came enjoyed it as well. Here are some pics of the cookies as well as Maddie and KK in the Snow.



Finally, we are bracing for more cold and more snow. Today the high was 25, overnight lows are in the teens. Since the roads are frozen, school started 2 hours late today (and tomorrow), so Christmas Vacation came early for KK, while Maddie is coasting into the Holiday break. Forecast is for more snow on Wednesday/Thursday and Saturday...but, this is Seattle, so you never really know.

Lights, Basketball, Meetings, Parties...Oh my!

Well, it is officially that time of year. We are running around like crazy and enjoying every bit of it! This past weekend we got the tree and put up light. Important note, I picked the only hour of the weekend where it was raining to put up light..nice timing. Special little surprise when I got up on the ladder...the gutters were packed with leaves, so had to take care of that as well. Basketball is in full tilt, with these few weeks before the Holiday break busier than ever. Each team has two games a week, some home, some away. Monday the gold team played and won, the blue team played away and lost. Today, gold is home and blue is away again, but we hope both teams come out on top. On top of all that there were Council meeting, Board Meetings, and Task Force meetings. However, in looking forward to Friday and Saturday it gets way easier...only 4 parties in two days! Yikes!!! Oh well, it wouldnt be December, and it wouldnt be Christmas if we werent busy. I do appreciate Steph for her patience and support with Bball and all these meetings. Also, for grandparents that love hanging out with their grand daughters. Maddie and KK are all set for a sleep over and cookie baking with Nana J on Friday while we go to a 2 of the 4 parties. Thanks!

We hope everyone else is having a Crazy time of year...because this means you are having fun :-)

Menashe Christmas Lights

Thought we would share a picture of the annual Menashe Christmas light
display...they have a done a great job again!

Top Floor, Shopping, Gingerbread Display and the Marathon

This past weekend we had the chance to continue our Holiday tradition of spending a weekend downtown. This year's trip was a bit sooner than previous years, but that turned out to be great for a number of reasons. First, it was the only weekend available :-). Second, it was a bit warmer than later in December..in fact we rarely wore our coats this weekend. Third, we had the opportunity to see some things that we don't normally see.

We arrived downtown around Noon and checked in to the Sheraton. First question was "Do you want a lower floor or a higher floor?" Without hesitation, Maddie burst out "Higher Higher". So we got a high floor...in fact the highest floor...in the new tower! Great view looking North. After dropping our stuff off, we headed out (and would not return until after 9pm.) We worked our way though downtown, a number of shops, the Market, etc. Had lunch at Cheesecake Factory, got mini-donuts at the market, and watched the tree lighting at Pike Place. We headed back toward Westlake for a ride on the Carousel before going for a carriage ride. These two are the kids favorite part of the weekend, hands down. After watching it snow in Pacific Place, we headed to Nordstrom's cafe for dinner. Finally made it back to the hotel around 9 and we were tired. The kids a little bit more energy, but not much.

The next day we got up early to watch for our friends Leighellen and Sharman run in the Seattle Marathon. Since we were downtown early this year it worked out great to cheer them on. We were at mile marker 1, so early in the race. Everyone was at a great pace and enjoying the mild morning weather. We saw LE first, then Sharman later. It was REALLY cool to see 12,000 people running through the streets. After the race, we grabbed coffee, breakfast, another carousel ride and some more shopping. We wrapped things up about 3pm and headed home. Within about 5 minutes, the girls were fast asleep in the car. I had told Steph that it would only take 10 min.

Thanks to Mom and Dad Jensen for watching Josie over the weekend. I guess she had a little run in with a pack of Raccoons! Kenzie want to know all about it since she is very very very interested/concerned about raccoons. We had a great time. Congrats to LE and Sharman on a great accomplishment. Below is a little slide show of the weekend. Keep an eye out for the Gingerbread creations. This is an annual thing they do at the Sheraton and the creations are always very cool...This year's theme was Superheros. Happy December!