headed home!

Goodbye Portland & 2013!!! 

Dinner with the Okamoto Family

It is always fun to see these kids together. Even thought they are only together for literally a few hours a year... they all love each other!!! It is very cute. 

Madelyn (holding Midnight,) Brandon, Annabelle, Cameron, Malia

Zoo Lights - Portand

Finishing off a busy day with Zoo Lights! 

 Zoo lights is a rare occasion I will splurge on five dollar hot chocolate! 

It was chillllly!!!!

(iphone shots)

Portland Children's Museum

The girls love going to the Children's Museum in Portland. 

Hezekiah & Evelyn joined us for some fun!

It was hard to get the girls to move on from the water room! 

Madelyn, Hezekiah, and Annabelle

Hezekiah (love the tongue!)

Evelyn

Finally moved on to the diggers!!

And Madelyn found the babies!!!

Mighty proud of herself for putting all the babies to bed.

We will be back!!

Powell's & Food Carts

First we hit up Powell's books,

and then we picked up lunch at the food carts on the way home.... 

The food carts are always a yummy treat while in PDX! 

Frozen at the Theater!!

Very excited to see Frozen!! 

Annabelle, Hezekiah, Madelyn, and Papa! 

Cookie Frosting (a day late!)

Cookie frosting became very serious this year. 

They were both extremely focused on the task at hand.

Daisey slept despite the sprinkles falling all around her. 

 They love this tradition! 

Christmas Day 2013

Well our travels to Portland didn't exactly go as planned. As we do every year, we had tickets on the first DIA to PDX flight on Christmas morning on an airline that will remain nameless (but is Denver based and has various animals on its tail....fancy a guess?) Well said airline, wasn't appropriately staffed Christmas morning, which we have never run into in the past. We got in the check in line the required 2 hours before flight time.  The line was horrendous! And moved super slow (lots of over sized luggage, and lap children that had to be checked in)... so after about 45 minutes, I tried to check us in from my phone, but they still wouldn't let us move into the baggage drop off line. Ugh... 

We eventually got to the counter with 43 minutes until flight time. And as you know you have to be checked in with 45 minutes to flight time. The agent started to re-check us into a later flight, and said there was 3 seats on the noon flight, and one on the 8pm flight. For those of you who read this blog, you know we have a rigorous Christmas day, and this was quickly turning into a MESS. At that point, the agent realized I had checked in already... what I didn't realize when I checked us in while in line, was that my reservation was under one reservation number, and the girls & Scott were under another (something to do with my cheap tendencies, and only upgrading my ticket to include checked luggage.) So the agent told me to say goodbye and RUN to the gate!!! 

I know this will sound dramatic, but it was up there on my list of most horrible moments. I was not prepared to leave my family behind, but I also knew that if I didn't go... we wouldn't all get to spend the afternoon & evening together which wasn't a good option either. 

I quickly emptied a few things from my carry-on and gave it to Scott to help entertain the girls, then ran to security. I went through with tears welled up in my eyes, got to the gate, presented my ticket to the agent and called my dad while I was on the jet bridge. I woke him up, and all I could muster was that he would only be picking me up, and that we hoped the girls & Scott would be on a later flight. He was asking questions, of course, but I really couldn't explain...I was a wreck.  

At this point Scott called, they were checked into the noon flight but were rushing to see if they could make the morning flight. I felt horrible, he was navigating security, with the girls alone. Ugh. They ran as fast as he could with the girls, but the door to the jet bridge was already closed when they arrived at the gate and despite pleas to the agent, and knowledge from me that the plane door was still open, they weren't allowed to board. 

The four hour delay caused us to have to re-shuffle our plans, generally we have brunch, frost cookies, and open gifts before the extended family arrives at 4pm for dinner. It's tradition, people!! 

Luckily, they were able to get on the noon flight and arrive in Oregon by 2pm. We had to make some compromises on the schedule, and frost a few cookies without the girls (saving some for post-Christmas cookie frosting.) 

All three of us girls were literally traumatized by the event. Madelyn often says she doesn't want to fly again on Christmas day, because she doesn't want to fly without me. It really was a chaotic mess... but in the end we all got to be together for Christmas dinner with the entire extended family (minus only Jon & Trish,) and that is what is most important. I keep telling Madelyn I won't let that happen again. 

Here are some pictures from the festivities...

Madelyn was pretty excited about the box of coins 

she received from Papa! This girl loves coins!! 

Annabelle & Daisey

Madelyn recieved a set of beautiful wings...an absolutely perfect gift!

Baby Evelyn

Evelyn & Jillian

Jillian & Porter

Jillian, Annabelle, Evelyn

attempting a cousins picture - big kids first

the whole bunch! 

Not too bad for 8 cousins - 6 months to 6 years! 

Ending the evening with lots of cookies!

Holiday 2013 with Grandma Suzie & Gigi!

For Christmas with Grandma Suzie, we all went to Hibachi for dinner, and Gigi joined us too!! 

Hibachi is the PERFECT place for a 3.5 year old! Madelyn was the chef's biggest fan. She was the first to laugh at all his jokes, and absolutely loved the entire hibachi shtick. 

"he just said... watch my "butter" fly!" 

We just might have to go back next year!! 

Conversation with Madelyn back at Grandma's house... 

Annabelle & Sue were talking in the kitchen, and Madelyn urgently needed something!!! 

Madelyn: Grandma, Grandma, Grandma!!!!! GGRRRRANDMMMAAAA!!!!!

Mommy: Madelyn, if you need Grandma that urgently, and she is talking to someone else, you need to say excuse me.

Madelyn: No......that is what you say when you burp!

Making Paper Chains

Madelyn cut all the strips and glued together what 

ended up being a 38 ring paper chain all by herself!! 

Family Pictures by Andrea

Andrea always captures amazing pictures. I cherish the pictures she has captured our family year after year. It actually had been a year and a half since our last session, and I can't believe how much these girls have grown!  

This is my favorite picture from the shoot! All 3 of my loves.