Central WA Christmas

I'm really coming to realize that December is jam-packed full of traditions. One of our favorite traditions is our annual trip to central Washington for Ellensburg Christmas and the Leavenworth Christmas Lighting. One of the kids favorite things we did on this trip was to clear off the pond at Andrew's house and play ice hockey. The Live Nativity in Leavenworth is my personal favorite event in Leavenworth. We were able to visit Grandma Arlene at the museum- something that I think our kids will have such fond memories of. This year, Lola, Rebeca, Ariana, Grandma Linda and I all carried stars in the Lighting Parade. It's always a quick, event-filled trip, but it is so incredibly festive and fun!

Snow & School

With the freshly fallen snow, we turned homeschool into a lot of outdoor activity time. This is the first winter for Hank to explore snow and ride on the sled. He is just like Mac and is loving it all! Mac and I also have been loving watching the deer dig into the snow to eat the grass right by our house. This is the first winter that we have grass under the snow, and we have been so surprised how close to the house the deer are getting. They are quite a bit thicker and fluffier than they are the rest of the year!

Christmas with the O'Neils

Meghan and David haven't made their annual Christmas trip to Spokane for a few years, and this was the first festive visit for Owen (aka- WB). It snowed just a few days before their arrival, making the prairie look extremely Christmassy! They brought matching pjs for all, which the kids wore all day as we played in the snow, took David sledding behind the 4 wheeler, baked cookies and danced to Christmas music. Love our growing traditions with this family!