Makenna Turns 3!!!

Makenna beamed on her birthday...

When I came to share cake (homemade by her and her preschool friends) her friends were having a brief conversation about what they wanted to be when they grow up, and she appropriately said she wants to be a princess...I told her she already was, and she beamed even brighter!

...tomorrow is Kieran's turn :-)

K & M party at PlaydatePDX

Kieran and Makenna celebrated their birth days this past Saturday (Makenna's 3rd was on the 25th, Kier's tomorrow, 31st). Given that they have winter birthdays, we needed to find a place to celebrate that would engage boys and girls between two and six. I also, selfishly, didn't want to trek to the burbs. Thankfully, such a place exists in town, Playdate PDX (last year we had a great party at Sound Roots).

We had been to Playdate PDX once for a playdate with Makenna's toddler class, and the kids all had a great time (fair warning...it is a hard place to leave though!) I'll give more of a review soon on my Sustainable Family Finances blog...

The kids really had a great time though...Kieran was a blur and a sweaty little man (he plays sooo hard!)...Makenna was in heaven with her four little girlfriends, and all enjoyed the controlled chaos of indoor play.

Christmas Eve 2011

It looks like we only thought to take photos on Christmas Eve, which was really nice. Kieran played King Melchior in the pageant and did a great job. Our Aunt Carol joined us from Eugene, along with our parents, and Aunt Miel and Uncle James. Hopefully Miel has some better photos from Christmas itself...

Julefrokost 2011

Pictures don't really do it justice, but we had a really hyggeligt og sjovt julefrokost this year :-)

Christmas Tree Fram Trip to Sauvie Island

For the past few years we've been getting a Forest Service permit and finding our own tree in the woods. Since we didn't head down to Southern Oregon for Thanksgiving, we needed a new Christmas tree source. So, we headed to a place on Sauvie Island (about a 1/2 hour from downtown). We were both a disappointed that they were so groomed, but we finally found a beautiful noble fir.

We had both had the Friday off, and literally spent the entire day running holiday errands, then picked up the kids from school for an afternoon trip. By the time we found the "perfect" tree the sun was setting over the west hills, and by the time we had finished sawing it down, a full moon rose view a clear view of Mt  St Helens. You couldn't have dreamed of more beautiful winter evening.

It was the thickest trunk I've ever had for a xmas tree, and we took turns sawing, working ourselves in a sweat. My knee needed some serious ibuprofen that night, but it was worth it. Then we headed to St Johns McMenamin's, and toasted to our tree :-)