A day and a night in Neskowin.

Happy mommy.

Grandma keeps an eye on the grandsons.

Gunnar and Grandpa

Holloway family pic from Christmas with grandpa and grandma.

Wishing they also could have (another) little brother...

My kids spent most of the last day of Christmas vacation today playing at their cousin's house. Zane and Signe argued over who got to hold Louie. Louie was happy to hang out with either of them.

Dogpile and creepy sleeper

I found one more photo taken yesterday during the Duck's tromping of FSU in the Rose Bowl. And below is Signe as she currently naps on our drive back to Moscow. One way we know she is sound asleep is that her eyes are partially open, something she has done since she was a baby. Karsten often sleeps the same way. It can be a bit unnerving to be stared at by lifeless unseeing eyes.

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.