Super "M"

For the first time in a long time we had a "laid back" weekend. Even then, it was full of activities. Saturday was party day, with Kenzie going to her first party for a classmate...then Maddie heading to a party in the evening for a good friend. Kenzie's party was a "Superhero" theme, so when we got up on Saturday we dug through the dress up box to find all the key elements to her costume....she was Super M. We caught Kenzie trying to fly off the couch.



This week we get ready for our trip to Disneyland...We are looking forward to getting away to some warm weather and some good times with Mickey and the gang.

Here we go...

Well, the new year is in FULL swing. Back to work, back to school, back to the routine. We had a great holiday season with family and friends. The snow was the big highlight of the season, providing the kids with an early Christmas break. The trip to the cabin over new years was a blast as well given all the snow up there...well over a foot.

As we enter the new year, it is a time of moving forward. Steph and I continue to stay busy with school board stuff, Steph is active with Maddie and Kenzie's school as "Room Parent", Mike is busy with work and Basketball, etc. January and February will be busy with a Disneyland trip (definitely more on that as it happens) as well as our annual trip to LEST Hope School. We wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

Here are a collection of videos from around the new year and Christmas.

KK with Mickey Mouse Playhouse


The New Music Team


Sledding at Maggie Lake


Mike as Clark W. Griswold III


Mommy and KK

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: