Merry Christmas!

The Christmas holiday is almost upon us and I am most definitely looking forward to it with much anticipation. Here are a few traditions we have in our family this time of year.

We always go to Zoo Lights, one of my favorite holiday activities. Every year it gets better and better. This year we lucked out and went on a warm night. We met up with some friends who are also Oregon Zoo members so it was lots of fun.


Kate, Bodhi and me


We also visited Santa. I was very excited to see Santa, despite the fact that we don't really do the Santa thing in our family. Esther, however, was not too thrilled with the guy in the red suit. Luckily, they managed to get one quick photo before the screams of terror began.


We decorated (and ate plenty of) cookies with friends.


Me and Kate enjoying our tasty treats.


This year we also rode the Holiday Express Train. I was thrilled to finally ride on a full-size steam engine. We went with our friends, the Smiths. Both of us forgot our cameras for the actual train ride, but Mom had hers in the car so we snapped a quick photo of our group before heading out.
Can you spot the unhappy person in the photo?


The train would blow it's very loud whistle and let off steam every few minutes and it happened to do just that right before this photo was taken. My poor little sister was not a fan.

We also made gingerbread trains later that day with the Smith family. Michael and I got distracted by all the toys though and Mom had a rough time keeping our little gingerbread train together! Yikes! Here she is with her train and her friend, Melissa, with her train. Melissa wants to have a gingerbread house making contest. Wonder who would win...


And here's one of us kids.



Hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Halloween 2010

Sorry for the late post on Halloween and sorry for my lack of blogging in general. My sister and I in our costumes were too cute not to share, so hold on to your hats. We may be the cutest Peter Pan and Tinkerbell you've ever seen. :)

Here's one Mom snapped of us together in the backyard.

And here's one of us with Wendy a.k.a Kate and Captain Hook a.k.a. Jameson. Aren't we the cutest?!

Unfortunately, Mom didn't get a whole lot of good photos of us trick-or-treating because this is what we looked like once we started off.

Couldn't even stop for a picture. Oh well. At least she thought to snap a few beforehand. ;)

Edgefield

Mom took some photos earlier this summer of us kids at Edgefield (see my sister's blog) and then decided to take me out again a few weeks ago for a few of just me. Here are a few favorites...

So now we have some outdoor photos of me at four years old. :)

Camping Birthday Party

As you know, I turned four earlier this month. To celebrate the day, my parents threw me a camping theme birthday party. I love pretending to camp in the living room so we had big plans to go to a park, set up a tent, have a scavenger hunt, roast hot dogs and marsmallows... yada, yada, yada... BUT, Spring 2010 has been miserably rainy. We had to change our plans and have the party inside at home. Bummer.

However, I was totally stoked the day of the party and didn't seem to mind much at all that we had to have it at home. I was just so excited the day of my party had finally arrived! We did set up a small play tent and even roasted marshmallows on an electric barbeque. Mom made some yummy "dirt cupcakes" (thank you Paula Deen for the excellent recipe!) that were enjoyed by all. I really did have a wonderful time and was so thankful my friends and family were there to celebrate with me.

Here are a few photos from my party:

A group shot in front of the tent. One or two of my friends may have snuck out of this photo-op.

Here we are roasting marshmallows out on our deck. Nana brought this electric barbeque and it sure came in handy!

I got a lot of help from my friends while opening my presents. They were just as excited as I was!

I gave each of my friends a favor bag that contained the following: a flashlight, compass, whistle, travel toothbrush, and granola bar.

The flashlights were definitely a hit!

I am so lucky to have great friends!

Almost Four

My birthday can't come soon enough this year. I ask my parents every day if today is my birthday and they keep telling me "Not yet." Grr... well I did celebrate with my friends already and will soon post photos from my party, but here are a few photos Mom took of just me the other day. Knowing Mom, we will probably still take some outdoor photos when the weather gets nice.

Mom says tomorrow is my birthday. Let's hope so! I'm getting anxious to tell people I'm four!

"Is it sunny today?"

Usually the first thing I ask Mom when I wake up in the morning is, "Is it sunny today?" Spring is here and I could not be happier. We've been going to the park a lot recently and I also love to ride my tricycle and new bicycle outside.

On the weekends we usually try to do something fun outside, if it is nice. Lots of times we head out to the gorge and do a little hiking. Here I am with Daddy at Multnomah Falls.

One weekend we headed down south to Detroit Lake. I had a lot of fun playing in the water. Boy, was it a good thing I wore my boots that day!

We also like to go to our Oregon Zoo whenever we get a chance. It's great being a member because we can go as often as we like and never feel like we have to see everything in one day. Oh yes, and if you're wondering, this is one of my new smiles.

Of course, my favorite thing to do at the zoo is ride the zoo train. :)

A few photos

Mom was taking photos of Esther a few weeks ago and I shocked her by saying I wanted to have my photo taken too. Normally I shy away from the camera, but I was in an ultra good mood and wanted to show off my great smile. :)

Love for me is Family

February hosts Valentines day so I thought I'd post a few photos of myself with the people I love most. It's been a fun month. Lots of rain, yes, but also quite a few sunny days too. Can't wait to get outside even more now!

Mom has taken quite a few photos of me with my sister. Esther just lights up whenever she sees me. She also loves to get hugs and kisses. Here I am playing with her and her fancy floor gym.

Here I am with my Dad on his 28th birthday. I adore my Dad and often say, "When I grow up, I want to be just like Danny (that's how I say "Daddy") and work in the city."

Allie and I like to cuddle. Mom caught one of these moments with her camera the other day. We are so lucky to have the sweetest kitty. She puts up with a lot from us kids.

And just in case you didn't know, Esther has her own blog at estherdyk.com. She posts on there, like me, from time to time. Here is a photo Mom took of her at 5 months. She's getting so big! We all love our baby girl!

Got Cabin Fever?

We had one day of snow last month, but for the most part it's just been another cold and rainy winter season here in the Pacific NW. Although I do miss playing in the outdoors, I have found a few fun ways to pass the time while stuck inside. Here are a few of my favorite wintertime activities.

I love to help Mom cook, but baking is really my thing. We have made many, many batches of cookies this winter season. Putting the sprinkes on the cookies is my favorite part!

My new favorite activity is camping. I have always loved playing in my Thomas tent, but one night Dad and I brought all my blankets, pillows, and stuffed animals in my tent, grabbed a flashlight, turned off all the lights, turned on the fire, grabbed a marshmallow and called it "camping." It has been a daily tradition ever since. Mom got tired of bringing all my bedding downstairs so Nana made a sleeping bag for me to keep downstairs and I also now have a special "camping" pillow reserved for this fun activity. Often times I want Esther to join me in the camping fun.

I still love to play trains too. It's always fun when I have a friend to play with, so just be forewarned that if you ever visit, I will probably ask if you'd like to play trains with me.

The last few weeks have given us a few dry and warmer days so we've ventured outside to our favorite local park a few times. I even got to ride a tricycle a few times. Yes, I am definitely ready for spring.

Our Happy Holiday

This Christmas business just keeps getting better and better each year. I loved it last year, but I REALLY loved it this year. I loved all the family I got to see, all the cookie making, all the lights, and of course, all the presents. Ever since that wondrous day passed, I have been asking for Christmas to happen all over again. Mom keeps telling me to look forward to my birthday because it will come again sooner, but I really would prefer Christmas and all the festivities that go with it. Oh well, guess I will join her in the pre-planning of my birthday party (do you think she may only be trying to distract me from my constant requests for another Christmas?). At this point in time, I would like a superhero themed party. We'll see if that idea sticks around come June.

My family has a tradition of opening up stockings and one present on Christmas Eve. So, here I am finally able to open a few presents! Can you guess I was a little excited?



Esther had a fun time too. Here she is with Uncle Bill.



She got a cabbage patch doll for Christmas. Looks kind of like her, doesn't it?



The morning of Christmas. I asked Santa for Murdoch the train and was so incredibly excited to see him that morning!



Here I am making cookies with my aunt Carrie. She and Uncle Mike came to visit a week before Christmas and it was so much fun having them here. I LOVE to bake/cook and I really, really love my aunt Carrie. She and I had a blast during our most recent visit and I can't wait to see her and Uncle Mike again! I also can't wait to meet my new cousin!



Hope everyone had a great Christmas!