Christmas Day in PDX

Here are a few scene setters from Christmas Day. J the Red Nose Reindeer, H and Grandmommy by the tree, snow on Christmas Day, and Goggy's tablecloth with the neighbors' Christmas cake ready to be cut.

Under the Tree

Here's what hannah and Jackson found under the tree on Christmas morning.

Jackson's Pre-K Christmas

Jackson and his class had several Christmas activities to attend. First, on Thursday night we attended the Christmas pagaent, which we called "the big performance." The Pre-K kids stole the show, singing "Jingle Bells" and "The Angels Name was Gabriel." As you can see by the expressions on their faces, they had a great time. The next day, they had the class Christmas party. They decorated sugar cookies, and Hannah participated in the eating of the cookies. They each received a bear as a present from their 5th grade buddies, so after the cookies, they had a dance party with their bears. Those photos are pretty funny, and if you want to see them all, you can check out the flickr site, www.flickr.com/photos/hillcphotography.

Dance Class

Hannah has been attending a dance class at an old dance studio in Laurelhurst Park. There are only a few other kids in the class, which explains why the studio looks pretty empty in most of these photos. It's only 30 minutes, enough time to jump around on the stars, give the instructor a high five, and fling some scarves around; but she has really enjoyed it. I plan on signing her up for the next session.

Zoo Lights

One of our last adventures with the D family was a trip to the zoo to see the lights. The kids had fun; but most of the animals were asleep, and it was a cold night. The D's will be bouncing around the SW in NM and AZ until they finally leave for Israel. J and J will miss their friends. We wish the well in their travels.

The Real Santa

In the 15 seconds that they give you to take a picture, I couldn't get H to smile. She wasn't quite sure she wanted to be sitting with the guy in the red suit. J, on the other hand, brought a list, a paper full of toys he had cut out of wish books and taped together. He presented it to Santa, who told him the only thing he'd forgotten was his name. This Santa is real; he's always so great. A few years ago, as John tried to quickly whisk J off of his lap, the big guy wagged his finger at John and said that J wasn't finished yet. Yep, John got scolded by Santa. That's how I know he's real.

Project Complete

J admires the completed project.

Kitchen Project Continued

The kitchen is taking shape. There are a few details left--a backsplash, painting, a counter depth fridge, etc. Hopefully, we'll be completely finished (well, maybe not the fridge) in time to cook Thanksgiving dinner. I've updated flickr with new photos. Again it's

www.flickr.com/photos/hillcphotography

Hotdogs and Hammerheads: Halloween

Here are a few Halloween photos of H and J, aka Hotdog and Hammerhead. They had a really great time. Hotdog pulled that rolling suitcase all through the neighborhood to collect candy! Afterwards the adults ate chilli a la Dellwood Dr. There are many funny, cute pictures from the day. I'll post more tomorrow. Stay tuned. Big J says that Hotdog will hate me when she gets older. I wonder if I can use a glue gun to create something more mainstream, like a princess outfit.

Spiders and Pumpkins

Yesterday J came home with his first homework assignment. He could draw a spider, learn a fact about spiders or catch a spider and bring it to class. Guess which of the options J picked. This morning before school, J & J spider catchers went on assignment. Success! (The photo is an afternoon dramatization of the morning's work.) I told J's teacher, Mrs Knox, she was one brave educator. J was excited because his "spider got to be the class spider." We've had two days of amazing Fall weather, so we've been to the park. Today, I took their little pumpkins and staged some Fall photos. You can see more photos from the past two days at: www.flickr/photos/hillcphotography

Zoo Babies and Toddlers

We went to the zoo with the D family last weekend. There were lots of fun places to sit--the Eagle's Nest, the John Deere, and on the ledge in the ampitheater. We did NOT buy that Elephant Ear for Baby H. She stared down some guy until he gave her some of his. She is very resourceful when it comes to getting treats.

Kitchen Project: Next Phase

Here are the new cabinets. Things are coming together every day, so more pictures later.