Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

It's been snowing here for the past four days! It's beautiful and fun and Christmas-ey, but the best part is that I've had THREE snow days from work so far. Santa came early this year! Of course I'm hoping for two more to ease me right into Winter Break.

The upside is that I've had lots of time at home with Henry, and some with Jeff (he was working until early Tuesday morning). The downside is that I've had lots of time at home. I have cabin fever! The driving conditions are not good, and I don't have chains for my tires yet.

We ventured out yesterday to the store, which was nice. But it's snowing again today and I just watched a truck spinning its wheels to get up our tiny little hill, so I guess we'll stay put today.

We've played outside a little bit, but playing in the snow isn't all that it's cracked up to be. Luckily Henry got some hand-me-down snow clothes from Nathan, so I bundled him up in those, and took Henry out into the backyard, but the freezing cold wind was whipping snow into our faces. Not so fun.

The snow was really powdery, and it was difficult to get it to stick together enough to make a snow ball. I finally made one, and Henry played with it for a little bit. Then he decided it wasn't too fun out in the snow, and it was time to go inside. He preferred to sit inside and watch Little Einsteins. Stella didn't seem to mind the snow!

Last night Jeff built a fire in the backyard, and we took Henry out for another round of playing in the snow. It lasted about 5 minutes before he was begging to go inside. We'd better get him used to this kind of weather because we're going to Spokane next week for Christmas!

We went to see Santa on Saturday. Henry likes Santa MUCH BETTER this year...


2008


than he did last year.

2007




He asked Santa for "a globe, a trip to Egypt, and Little Einstein stuff." Every time we get in the car he says, "We're going to Egypt now." He also says (several times a day), "Santa WILL bring me a globe." He'd better, Buddy!

The Polar Express

A couple of weekends ago we took a ride on The Polar Express! If you're not familiar with the book or movie, it's about a train that takes kids to The North Pole on Christmas Eve. Our train left from the Mount Hood Railroad in Hood River. There were elves who served hot cocoa and cookies, read the book, sang Christmas carols, and we were even visited on board by SANTA!! It was a fun way to kick off the holiday season. Henry is so excited about Christmas this year. Everywhere we go, he points out the lights and decorations and says, "It's Christmastime!" We haven't put up a single decoration, and weren't sure we were going to have a tree this year since we'll be gone the week of Christmas. But, since Henry is so into it this year, I think we'll put up a small tree just for fun. And stockings! And maybe just a couple of decorations....

Henry & Rocket on the train...what kid prefers apple juice to hot cocoa? Mine!

Me & my little sweetieGreg & Nathan

Henry, me, and Grandma Jackie. Too bad Henry's eyes are closed!

Peyton & Marianne

Even though it's hard to tell from this picture, Henry really liked Santa. He even gave him a hug as we got off the train.Nathan & Henry with Santa

Fun Sunday

Last weekend Henry and I went to the Children's Museum. He had so much fun. We love that place!

He played in the water area for a long time.

Even though he was wearing a plastic smock, he got soaking wet. He thought the dryers were as fun as the exhibits.

While playing in the Dig Pit, a bossy little girl tried to control Henry's every move. Hmmm...hopefully it's not a glimpse into his future.

There was a big Bob the Builder exhibit, which Henry enjoyed even though he doesn't watch the t..v. show.

Henry the Builder. Can we build it? Yes we can!

I didn't notice the "Do Not Climb" signs until after I let Henry climb all over it. Ooops.

What a great place to spend a rainy day!

The Green Machine

Here are some pictures of The Green Machine...and Henry, of course. I love it so far! It's comfortable, quiet, drives very nicely, and smells good! I also read an article that named the Toyota Prius the "Best car of 2008!"

Where Did Two Weeks Go?

Halloween was TWO WEEKS ago? Oops, I've been a bad blogger (again). I'll try to catch everyone up on all of the exciting happenings around here...can you hear the crickets chirping? Not a whole lot going on. I'll write down some quick updates.

Potty Training: Even though Henry turned three last month, he is nowhere near being potty trained. We had a couple of weeks over the summer when he was wearing underwear every day and even asking to go pee pee on the potty, but after our short trip to Spokane in July, he never wanted to go on the toilet again. Every time I ask him if he wants to go, he says, "Bye bye pee pee on potty!" He doesn't care about candy, big boy underwear, or lavish praise. Everyone says not to push it, so I'm just going with the flow (no pun intended). He's a strong-willed little guy. I have no idea where he gets it.

Crib: Henry still loves his crib. He's never climbed out of it. Therefore, we haven't even thought about switching him into a bed. I like the fact that he's contained in the crib. He usually spends anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours talking, singing, and playing in his crib before he falls asleep, and I'm not sure what he would do if he could just get up out of bed whenever he wants. For now he's staying in the crib. Maybe 'till he's five.

Three year stats: We went to the doctor on November 4, and Henry was weighed and measured. Height: 3 feet 2.5 inches, which is in the 67th percentile. Weight: 36 lb. 9.6 oz, which is in the 89th percentile. I was actually surprised that his weight is almost in the 90th percentile because the boy hates to eat. I practically have to force him to eat, and there are days when he eats almost nothing. He drinks a lot of milk and juice, so I guess that might be where he's getting his calories. The doctor said everything looks good. We think so too.

New Obsession: Henry hasn't played with his trains for a couple of weeks. He hasn't been asking to watch Thomas multiple times a day either. Why? Because he's currently OBSESSED with Little Einsteins. When I ask Henry who his best friend is...he says "Rocket!" It's actually a cute show, and he's already learned a lot from it. He carries his little plastic Rocket everywhere with him. If anyone is trying to figure out what to get Henry for Christmas, Thomas is OUT and Little Einsteins is IN.

The Green Machine: We got a new car last weekened. It's a 2009 Toyota Prius, and Henry calls it "The Green Machine." It's a pretty silvery green, but I like the double meaning of the word "Green" since it's also a hybrid. I haven't taken any pictures of the new car, but I will try to snap a couple tomorrow.

Family: We went to Peyton's 10th birthday party on November 2nd. All of the cousins were together again for the first time in a long time. It's incredibly hard to get nine kids to smile and sit still (especially the 3-year-olds).

Henry had fun listening to Grandpa play the guitar.Upcoming Events: 1. My mom is coming to visit from Maui. She'll be here on Wednesday, and she'll stay for two weeks (part of the time at our house, and part of the time at Greg & Marianne's house). 2. My dad and Eileen are getting married on December 20, and lots of family members will be here for their wedding. We're looking forward to it! 3. We're going to Spokane to spend Christmas with Jeff's family. It should be fun! Hopefully The Green Machine will make it over the snowy roads!

That's it for now. With the visitors and the holidays and the road trip, I should have lots to blog about in the next several weeks!

Halloween Flashback

Henry's 1st Halloween (2005)

Henry's 2nd Halloween (2006)

Henry's 3rd Halloween (2007)
Henry's 4th Halloween (2008)

Trick-or-Treat!

Henry and Nathan (and their moms and dads) went trick-or-treating together last night. We went over to their neighborhood in Lake Oswego and it was a great trick-or-treating spot. There were swarms of kids out, and it was kind of like a big Halloween block party.

After saying "trick-or-treat" and receiving candy at the very first house, Henry walked right past the homeowners and ran up their staircase. I wasn't sure about the proper protocol, but I ended up running into the strangers' home as well to retrieve him from the top of the staircase. After that, we had to physically restrain him at most houses to keep him from running inside. As Greg pointed out, it's probably odd for him to walk up to someone's door and then leave without going inside. True. We don't do that a lot.The boys liked most of the people in costumes and the decorated houses, but Henry wasn't too sure about this creature. I don't blame him!In between houses, Henry had to take a few lollipop breaks.Here we come to get more candy!There were a few tears during trick-or-treating when Henry was reprimanded for running out into the street.We had a great time, and it was really fun trick-or-treating with Nathan! I hope we can make it a yearly tradition.