The Christmas Spirit

Nothing beats Christmas with little kids.  And add surprise snow to the mix? Heart overload.

2nd annual mother-daughter experience at "The Nutcracker"

The kids and I spent a few days in Spokane prior to the holiday.  We had such a wonderful trip being spoiled by Grandma and Papa.

Christmas Eve brought us a surprise snowstorm in Boise.  It was beautiful.  We snacked and ate all day, playing with toys, watching Christmas shows, and anticipating Santa! We even walked in the snow to the neighborhood barn for a Christmas Eve church service.  Doug made his famous homemade meat pies for dinner which we ate all dressed up in new jammies in the dining room!

Sophie asked Santa for Barbie Zoo Doctor and Cameron asked him for a giant crane holder.  And Santa did not disappoint.  In fact, he might have gotten a little carried away with surprises for the kids.  I guess good behavior does pay off!

We lounged in jammies all day long... taking turns building legos, eating snacks, playing with games.

Then we finally showered and dressed to head to my brother's house for a surf and turf dinner.  The cousins exchanged presents, we shared stories from our day, and we toasted the holiday.  Perfection.

The temperature has now dropped low... Doug continues to monitor it hourly on his new weather station, a gift from my parents.

The snow will be here for a while, and it's beautiful outside our windows.  The house is clean and tidy, decorations are all packed up, and now I truly understand the line from "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas"...  "And Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again..."  Doug returned to work, the temperatures didn't rise above 15 degrees, the roads became solid ice, and the holiday exhaustion hit the kids!! We ended the Christmas Break with days spent hibernating at home as we welcomed 2016.

#DRW40

In 2000, when Doug started at Whitman College, he was "old" compared to the rest of us, and the ongoing joke (for years) was that Doug was already 30.  So, when Doug did FINALLY turn 30, it felt like he had always been 30. This year, when Doug's actual 40th birthday arrived, it reminded me of his 30th, because it, too, felt like a final culmination of months of anticipation.

Doug's 40th celebrations truly started back in July when he and a small group of friends met in Scotland to golf, to watch The Open, and to drink whiskey.  It was his dream trip, and a week hasn't gone by when Doug hasn't thanked me for encouraging this adventure!

In keeping with the whiskey-theme, we planned a party with friends at the Whiskey Bar in downtown Boise. The night before his birthday, Doug returned from a grueling work trip in the Middle East.  But, in true Doug-fashion, he rallied, beating his jet lag and exhaustion, so we could all celebrate him.

I told Doug that if people all over the world could simply press a button and be transported to his Boise party, he would have had thousands of attendees.  In his 40 years, Doug has experienced and accomplished, tried and failed, explored and stayed.  One of his greatest traits is his easy-going, positive, kind, and generous personality-- people are drawn to him because he makes them feel special and validated.  Because of this, he has friends all over the world, some whom he has known for close to 40 years, and some whom he has only met once.  His loyalty to friends stands as one of the top reasons I love him.

It is because of Doug that I have this life I love.  And as much as I tease him, I love that he essentially  had 6 months of 40th celebrations!

Following this weekend's birthday celebration, our days have continued to fill with snow and Christmas cheer!

her profile gets me everytime

walking to school as the snow first arrived

winter recital whispers

first school music concert

And I think I even included 40 photos for #DRW40!!