All the kids singing for Christmas....

Watch it outside email (mom) at http://hollowayfam.blogspot.com

Greta and Signe sing a Christmas song

Christmas singing ...

Nana snooze on Christmas

Grandma's fudge (with and without raisins), banana bread, and playing Carcassonne.

Christmas posers and Christmas mess.

Christmas Eve church service... Zane's rapturous response.

Happy 36th Bon-Bon

Bonnie celebrated her birthday yesterday at the Driskill's annual greedy gift exchange Christmas party (which is like white elephant, but nicer.). Everyone sang Happy Birthday to her. And Louie was one of two babies who got to crash the party.

More Zane...

Before Nick had the tree strapped down it rolled off the roof and landed on top of him. We immediately heard a voice confidently declare "I'm all right!", and here is a picture as he starts to crawl out from under it.

Mud bath

This morning while in the woods hunting for a Christmas tree Karsten wandered over announcing "I falled".
Indeed. Muddy laundry seems to be the story of the week for me.
Yesterday after school I first observed Zane prostrate in the grassy strip by the parking lot, which had become a mud bog with melting snow.
After rolling over to get up he clomped towards the car, dragging his backpack behind him. In the mud.
So I walked into school to get 3 small trash bags for his coat, boots, and Friday Tie-Day uniform and stripped him down between parked cars outside the Corolla.
The blue on his face is apparently an experiment to see what it it might be like to stick a white board marker in your eye.
While this was not so funny yesterday, I can genuinely laugh about this as I type it. I love this hulk of a little boy, even if he can be a walking disaster.

The 2nd day of the countdown

I bought this advent calendar last year, so now we are beginning our second year of doing daily advent gifts or activities. Yesterday Daddy helped the kids stream Christmas lights around the beds in their rooms. Tonight is drinking eggnog and helping Daddy put up outside lights in 28 degree weather. Although from the sound of it the "help" consists mostly of futile attempts to sled down the gravel by our house that has a meagerly thin veil of snow.

Advent was the theme of our amusing dinner conversation tonight:

Nick: So, does anyone know what "advent" means?
Zane (enthusiastically waving his hand in the air to be called on): Joy???
Nick: Um, no, but that is a consequence.
Zane (while enthusiastically fist-pumping the air): Hurray!!! I got a cons-i-kince!!

Thanksgiving vacation fun

We spent a wonderfully warm 4 hours at the Gilbert House in Salem while Daddy met up with Scott Mansur to eat lunch and work out. The kids got to climb, slide, and play hide-and-seek on the 3-story tall "erector set." They also got to be farmers, veterinarians, airline pilots, and the builders and attackers of forts. They had a blast. And mom even got to read her book a bit (when did they get old enough for THAT to happen?!?!).

Thanksgiving fun.

Flag football, 1st and 2nd grade.

Gunnar is the one in the red stripe black pants moving to block with his back to the camera.

Oops..

Make that Zane's picture of Daddy, not Karsten's...

Sent from my iPhone

Welcome home, Daddy!

Last week Nick was in Orlando at a conference for 4 days. Signe helped her brothers make this "Welcome Home" banner. On his return Nick obliged by filling out the comment sections with "cool plane!", "looks like me!", "good likeness!", and for Karsten's scribble "just like the airport!". Sorry, my husband, but I think the large round green scribble is supposed to be you, not an airport.

Zane... Our super pre-k Don Juan

Zane informed us that a girl in his class is in LOVE with him. I asked him how he knew. His response, I kid you not... "I read her mind."

Abby and I are getting better at keeping a straight face. Well, I am, but Abby, not so much.

In Orlando, FL

... At the hotel pool. Just to make Abby jealous.

Corn maze crazies

Corn maze selfies

Don't let Zane get ahold of your phone.

Or this will happen

Substitute snack found.

Now start stacking that wood Karsten!

Wake up cranky...

This is what someone looks like when they wake up from a long nap to find out that daddy has eaten all the gram crackers. Bad daddy.

Crawled onto my shoe...

Praying Mantis taxi.

Zane's first picture.

Zane grabbed Abby's phone and started taking pics.

Man with Mustang...

Dad made it to Moscow, ID with the 65 Mustang. Very Cool.

A big bday thank you...

... To Grandpa and Grandma and Poppa and Nana!

Soccer player Zane

Zane tries out various cheesy thumbs-up poses after his second soccer game of the season, where he was excited to score his first ever goal, and 4 goals total.

Getting the fight on...

My pastor said something profound in a recent blog post. WE HONOR MEN BY BEING TOUGH ON THEM. Hoo-ah, as the Marines would say.

At the UO @ WSU football game.

Abby on her 40th birthday, September 14th.

Looking pretty dang good. Happy Birthday Ab. I love you.

Freshly caught and in some Tupperware...

Garter snake? It's pretty big for one if those.

Rock climbing

Beauty on Buffalo Eddy.

Snake River. WA looking toward ID. Petroglyphs everywhere here at Buffalo Eddy... oh, and a Skink.

Coolest merry-go-round/swing anywhere.

Firewood

Cut up a huge pine out on a farmer's property between Deary and Kendrick. (aka middle of nowhere). Wheat harvest is just finishing here and we got to drive straight across this newly cropped field to get to the trees in the middle of the picture.