First Christmas

Amelia's first Christmas, as told by Amelia:

I had a hard time sleeping on Christmas Eve, but I slept in until 7:30am. And then Mom and Dad had to get ready before they would let me open any presents. I had to have some help holding the boxes, but the unwrapping part came pretty easily.

I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was inside the box.

But once it was finally out, I gave it the "thumbs up" - thanks Grandma & Grandpa T.

My cousins got me this cool duck. I carried it around with me all morning.

I really got into unwrapping gifts. I think I unwrapped most of the gifts that were under the tree . . . and they weren't even all for me.

That afternoon, we headed to Portland to Grandpa Ernie's house. Dad bought me a gingerbread man kit, but Grandpa and Mommy did most of the decorating. All I got to do was hold the decorations.

It looked good enough to eat . . . but I didn't get any. I got a lot of neat stuff for Christmas, but I didn't get what I really wanted - my 2 front teeth. Maybe for my birthday?

Before we left, we took a picture with Grandpa and my Great-Uncle Dave. Daddy and Grandpa took forever setting up this picture - bringing in extra lights and turning on the fire. I'm glad I didn't have to sit where Uncle Dave was - it was hot enough on Mommy's lap. Photo shoots are serious business in this family.

The next day, we went to visit Grandma Diane and Grandpa Fred. This family picture wasn't as complicated, which is good, because I was tired and ready for a nap.

Christmas was fun but I'm glad it's over so I don't have to keep posing in front of a camera. Those flashes make me see white spots.

Happy New Year!

(They don't take pictures on that holiday, do they?)

The Grand Tour

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

but wait, I see no chimney there.

Ah, that's right. This house doesn't have a fireplace. The first house I've lived in without a fireplace - not that I ever used it much, but where does one hang your stocking when you don't have a fireplace?

The heater, of course!

For those of you who were curious and for those of you who aren't, I finally had an opportunity to take pictures of the interior of our house - which really means, 'twas a sunny day and not a baby was stirring, ie. Amelia was napping. I spoke not a word, but went straight to work, and tried not to turn like a jerk, or with a jerk - I can never keep that saying straight.

The living room

Now on to the kitchen

which looks into the dining room.

The dining room - which opens to the garage

On to Amelia's room

with antique (but fully functional) chairs for Mom and daughter

and a play cupboard that was made by Amelia's great-grandfather

(which Sharon also played with).

The master bedroom

And the extra bedroom - which is currently the "office"

and Ken's practice room.

In the 2-car garage, we have room for both cars, piles of boxes we still need to sort through, and my favorite part, our "new" washer and dryer.

And just 5-10 minutes walk down the street is this hidden gem,

complete with boat dock!

Well, that's it in a nut-Schnell. If I could figure out how to add audio clips, I would have included the whistle from 1 of the many trains that runs by and the cute little "song" that my washer and dryer play when they're done. Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Christmas Favorites

Favorite Christmas Hymn: Angels We Have Heard on High

Favorite traditions from my youth:

* Christmas day at my Grandma's house with cousins . . . Christmas dinner that included ham, turkey, and Cheetos

* Spending the day (and those around it) putting a puzzle together

* Helping my dad tag Christmas trees to sell

* "Accidentally" waking up the siblings so that we could unwrap presents

* Acting out the nativity, singing songs, and a formal Christmas Eve dinner - with china and candlelight

Favorite Christmas picture of Amelia this year - thanks Richelle :)

Favorite Christmas song: Handel's Messiah

Favorite Christmas story: A Certain Small Shepherd, by Rebecca Caudill

Favorite Christmas treats: eggnog, dilly bread, Lifesaver "books"

Favorite Current Traditions:

* Decorating for Christmas and listening to Christmas music

* Watching "The Nativity" on Christmas Day

* Driving around to see Christmas lights

* Helping Amelia do the nativity advent

* Taking a family picture in front of the tree

Merry Christmas Everyone!

A few happenings

I'd say we're pretty much settled into our new house . . . except that we still don't have pictures on the wall (which is why I haven't taken/ posted any interior house pictures). Of course, the most important part, to Ken, was assembled and used almost immediately. Amelia is getting her first drum lesson - she seems pretty focused, huh?

The other day I tried taking a few pictures of Amelia to "celebrate" her turning 9-months. This isn't a great picture, but it shows her new smile. When I smile like that back to her, she thinks it's the funniest thing. She started teething last week. I knew something was up when she started to get grumpy and clingy. So far, no visual sign of teeth, but all she wants for Christmas is her 2 front teeth :)

Last weekend we went to Portland to visit Ken's parents. Amelia had a great time watching all of Grandpa's TV channels . . .

. . . . and watching Elmo on Sesame Street :)

You Know You're Getting Old When . . .

As previously mentioned, Ken and I went to get our drivers licenses here in the beautiful state of WA. This was not a spur of the moment happening; I had had it on the calendar all week. Just before we finally got called up to get our pictures taken, it dawned on me that my hair wasn't done, I was wearing my glasses, and I had no make-up on. Gone were the days of picking out an outfit specifically for the driver license - ya know, something that didn't clash with the blue background, even though only the collar (if that) shows in the picture. I wasn't about to lose my place in line after waiting for 2 hours, just so that I could run home, put on make-up and do my hair.

My driver license came in the mail today (yes - the mail. They're so high-tech in WA they give you a paper copy of your license on that day and mail you the official one later.). It's obvious I have no make-up on, but I guess I'm getting old, because I just don't care. Besides, that picture will probably more accurately reflect my look with my current occupation :)

Rambling

* Amelia and I have been going for walks in our neighborhood as time and weather permit. 'Tis the season for Christmas decorations, but I found one house that has decorations for every season displayed on their porch: 4th of July, Memorial Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I guess if you always have it up, you don't have to worry about changing it when the season changes.

* At $3.15/gallon, I can't believe how expensive gas is here.

* Ken's palm plant did not survive the move, and neither did one of our succulents. My ficus looks pretty sad, but I keep talking to it and giving it encouragement. Ken bought replacement plants and has strategically placed them in front of my ficus so that it's "sadness" isn't as visible.

* I feel like I have less free time now than I did when I was working full-time. I can't quite figure that one out, but I'm finding it challenging to find time to do work for ABRiO.

* The state of Washington is the first state I've been in where you don't get a new drivers license and license plates in the same office. After a total of 2 1/2 hours of waiting and in-line time, at 2 different offices, Ken and I, and our cars are officially licensed in the state of WA.

Who's Dat?

Hey Mom, who's dat? And how come he has so much hair on his face?

Seriously, who is this guy?

Amelia wasn't so sure about Santa, but she thought it was hilarious when we sang "fa-la-la-la-la la-la la la" at our ward's Christmas party.

First Thanksgiving

Amelia was so excited for Thanksgiving Day. She loved watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - the Sesame Street float was her favorite.

We went to Grandpa Ernie's house for Thanksgiving, which Amelia was excited about, but she was so tired, she slept through dinner. Thank goodness for leftovers - she enjoyed mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes that evening.

On Saturday after Thanksgiving, we went to hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. It didn't take too long before Amelia was all smiles when we found the right tree.

Ken did his manly duties and cut down the tree . . . with tips from his lovely used-to-live-on-a-tree-farm wife.

We got the tree cut down before the sun set and headed home to get it on a stand (decorations and lights to happen later).

Moving Adventures

"Hey Amelia, are you excited to move?"

"I'm excited Mom!"

I said good-bye to all of my friends at Mommy's work - the potluck was great!

I watched Mommy and Daddy build bigger and bigger piles of boxes in our house.

I played my shaker toys to keep them motivated while they packed and stacked.

I watched Grandpa Ernie and Dad try to get our moving truck ready to go. It looked pretty complicated.

They finally got the car on - that was a little scary to watch.

And there it is - our 26 foot truck with Daddy's car on-tow. I'm glad I didn't have to drive it. Mommy kept asking, how is Ernie going to get in/out of this parking lot? And Daddy would say, "he's Ernie, he can do anything." Thanks Grandpa for helping us move.

Just as I was falling asleep, Mom & Dad decided to stop at Red Canyon, just outside of Bryce National Park. It was pretty, but cold.

After a stop in Hyde Park to visit Grandpa & Grandpa Thornley, and loading more stuff in our truck, we finally made it to our new house in Washington. Come back again to see pictures of our new house.

Teaser - I got my own room! No more sleeping in the closet. Thanks Mom & Dad!

Weather Event

On Sunday, it started to snow. It snowed off and on all day on Monday. It's all over the news. Our regularly scheduled programs are replaced with weather news, for up to the minute updates.

This morning I shoveled 1 inch of snow off of our driveway.

(Sorry for the poor quality picture - the sun is really bright.)

The news is calling it a "weather event". I say, "it wouldn't be an event if this area actually had sufficient snow plows and planned for such "events" as this".

But not to be too cynical, Ken couldn't make it more than a few miles from our house due to the ice on the road. He had to come back and put chains on. It really is a sheet of ice underneath that 1 inch of snow. That's what makes it "fun".

Random Randomness

* I had lots of fun blogs in mind in connection w/ our move. Then reality struck - maybe I'll post pictures and fun blogs later. For now, you get random thoughts.

* Amelia started crawling the day before we moved. It's been "fun" keeping her out of things.

* Ficus plants DO NOT like cold weather and DO NOT like to be moved. DO NOT try moving a ficus in the winter. It looks pretty sad, but I'm still hoping it will pull through. Ken isn't so optimistic.

* I miss having a garbage disposal.

* I love living in a house - no neighbors walking on our ceiling, or talking to their friends from their balcony.

* I miss the large bathroom/ shower we had in our small condo.

* GPS devices are worth the cost. Not only do they give good directions, but they also come in very handy when trying to find restaurants, etc.

* The Hong Kong Chinese restaurant in Fillmore has great Chinese food.

* Taking 4 days to drive a 23-hour route is well worth it.

* We thought the train in Flagstaff was loud - we now know what loud is. Our house is about 500 ft. from the train tracks . . . and an intersection where the train blows it's whistle.

* It's hard not to be overwhelmed with all there is to do when you move. I almost feel guilty taking a break to blog. Almost.

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

So my thyroid medication is working . . . I have energy in the evenings (so I really have no excuse why I'm not packing), my thinking is less foggy, and things have almost returned to normal.

Almost

Except for my hair. Back in July I noticed I was losing a lot of hair - blamed it on having a baby and hormones, etc. Then it wasn't so bad. And now it is way worse (apparently it's a supposedly temporary side-effect of the thyroid medication). I keep wondering when I'm going to go bald. Ken promises he'll love me even if I do go bald, but I'm not sure I can love myself.

I've always been a bit vain about my hair, except for back in the middle school years when my hair was just plain big - but then, who's wasn't? My hair was the one feature that always seemed to be decent.

And now. Well, it's hard for me to not cry into my bottle of shampoo. I told Ken I was going to get bangs to make my hair loss less noticeable. Ya know what he said? He'd rather have me bald than have bangs. Really? Wow, that is true love :)

A break from packing

Yes, we've actually been packing. And when I say "we", I mean Ken. He's been awesome. I come home from work each day to find more and more of our home packed up. When he's not packing, he's been filling in holes, painting, fixing broken things we've ignored for years, grocery shopping, setting up utilities, dealing with re-financing headaches, and taking care of Amelia. All I have to do is go to work each day and train my replacement.

So today, Ken played his last Arizona gig - this time at a hotel at the Grand Canyon. He deserved the break from all the hard work he's been doing for the last week or so. And me? Well, I didn't want to stay at home and feel pressured to pack, so Amelia and I went with Ken to the Grand Canyon for the gig. The best part - free dinner and a free hotel. Ken's band played in the hotel's restaurant, and when Amelia got tired of "dancing" and "singing" to the music, she and I headed upstairs to our hotel room for the evening. What a perfect situation.

And for those of you who think I'm a slacker for not helping with the packing - I completely agree with you. I've packed a total of 4 boxes. Maybe I'll pack more next week . . .

House Hunting "Fun"

On Wednesday, we started our house hunting adventures for a rental property in WA. The first house was a cute 1940's house, with tiny, tiny closets but a huge amount of storage space in the basement and garage. I don't have a lot of clothes, but I don't think both Ken's and my clothes would fit in a closet that was less than 4 ft wide.

The second house was another cute, small, 1940's house - on a hill, with a great view, brand new carpet, bathroom, and kitchen, and came with a washer and dryer. But no cupboard in the bathroom - I don't get that, where did people put their towels and extra bathroom stuff?

On Thursday, we saw the "twin" houses. Two homes for rent, next door to each other, that were very similar - both in price and quality. The problem - they weren't in the best neighborhood . . . not horrible, just not all that great.

The other "twin" house; (don't mind the lady who walked in front of the camera man).

Who knows what this house was like inside. The Real Estate person couldn't find the key for it once we got there. No wonder it's been on the market for 5 weeks - no one has a key to get inside to see it.

Then there was this house, with the giant tree in front. It actually looked a lot better inside than it did from the outside. But it was hard to really see what it was like because the house was still occupied and the current tenant had A LOT of stuff.

And finally, OUR house . . . on a large, nearly 1/2 acre lot, 1200 sq feet, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2 car garage, and in a great neighborhood. I think it had everything on our list and is only 20 or so minutes to Ken's work. The landlord even lowered the price $50 a month . . . must have been Amelia's smiles that charmed him ;) It's not perfect, but we think it will work for us until we have paid off enough school loans and saved enough money for a down payment to buy a new house.