Heading to the mountains for our favorite winter vacation!

Some oldies...

Jack at three!

Sweet baby Jem

Two year old Jack

When there were just two!

and number 4.

I told these two to pick up their clothes laying around downstairs...

they didn't really want to haul everything upstairs

solution?  Pile it all on top of what they were already wearing.

Ed thrilling the kids with a dinnertime show of a recent power point presentation...

Makin' "balentines"!

Sledding!

 I think there were at least 40 kids here!

Followed up with hot chocolate and cookies....kid heaven.

This was 4 days ago...today was 50 and windy and the snow is totally gone.  Crazy!

Henry goes to Portland.

Henry and I joined Ed on a trip to Portland a couple weeks ago and as always, he was good company!

While Ed was working, we were shopping.  After a few warm up stores, we went to Ikea:

pretty pleased with his chips and hot dog.

Then we went back to the room for some snuggles:

(and a nap)

That night was a business dinner at Ruths Chris:

Henry upped his game after they put the napkin in his lap and ate his bread with his fork.  

More snuggles:

The next day was more shopping, more eating, more snuggles.

Then we headed for home and got to experience one of Portland's many drawbridges...we had a super close view!

This kid did not ask a single time when we would get there.  Amazing.  He was too busy jabbering away!

I like Portland.  It's one place Ed goes that I regularly tag along.  However.  It's been a long while since I've taken kids with me and wow, Portland is not a kid friendly place.  Let me rephrase that, the city is perfect for kids, the people, however, are not.  I have never gotten so many raised brows and snarky comments than I got with my one kid.  The craziest part?  After being in a store or restaurant for a few minutes, everyone warmed up to his goofy grin and commented on his good behavior (which wasn't perfect, just pleasant)...lots of amazement that he stayed in his chair for lunch or that he didn't pull all the clothes off the hangers or that he didn't scream when I said he couldn't swim in the fountain.  I have never been so happy to come home to our friendly community where 1) people have kids, 2) people discipline kids, which leads to 3) people like kids.

superbowl sunday

found Jemma Jane with her 3rd round of the stomach flu:

so she watched the game here.

While the rest of us watched like this: 

best blow-out ever.

More snow!

snow!

Jack wants a snowboard really bad.  His parents have not cooperated.  

So he snowboards on his sled:

and he got a massive black eye.  Not from the snowboarding.  From running full speed into the fridge.

Ah, a boy's life.

Ava, in all her grown-up beauty

(and Henry, her buddy)

Jack's birthday (weekend)

 Jack kicked off his birthday weekend with a Seahawks cake and jersey.

On the actual day, he took his class to a movie and a super quick party (in the mall! best place to feed 10 boys!):

 And ended it watching the Seahawks beat the 49ers to make it to the Super Bowl!

The only thing that would have made it better?  "Tickets to the Super Bowl"...my boy dreams big, that's for sure.

Oh Jack, we love you so much.  I can't even think about you without smiling.