Snow Days in Corvallis

Thursday night (yes, last Thursday!) brought snow to Corvallis.  The kids woke up to two surprises - eight inches of snow, as well as a visit from St. Nick.  St. Nick brought gingerbread house kits, gold coins and kiwis.   The snow brought a snow day from school, and the kids were immediately off to play.  

The snow was absolutely beautiful, and the kids had so much fun tromping around, playing with friends, and sledding.  Of course, they also got a bit cold, so some hot chocolate was in order.

The snow also resulted in the cancellation of the Corvallis Waldorf School's annual Winter Lights Festival, which was disappointing, but we filled our day with Christmas preparations.  We got out all of our decorations and hung the wreath.  This year, we broke from our tree farm tradition to visit our friends in Dallas who invited us for dinner and to cut down a tree on their property, as they have many noble firs growing around.  

Though the roads were a bit dicey, we enjoyed our trip very much.  The kids got to play with their friends, and the parents got to enjoy a backyard bonfire in the snow in the country!  It almost felt like Wisconsin, and was quite a treat.  

Sunday was full of more holiday prep, and we got the tree up.  The kids love having a tree in their house - in fact, we have two trees as our friends let the kids cut a small one for their room.  Kyran wanted to hold hands and dance around the tree, and kept saying how lovely it was.  

Monday brought another snow day, as the temperature had stayed freezing and the snow and ice hadn't melted.  Tuesday, Wednesday, and even today (Thursday - a week after the snowfall) brought even more snow days!  The kids are going a bit stir crazy, but they are filling their time with holiday activities, like building gingerbread houses and watching Christmas moive classics.  

Christmas is certainly on it's way!  We are missing all our friends and family very much during this time, but have been blessed with some midwestern weather to bring us a taste of home.  

  

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year - I took the whole week off of work with the kids (who were off of school), and it was sunny the whole time!  It was very relaxing to have some home time with the kids.  We are so fortunate to be great friends with our neighbors, who host us each year for the Thanksgiving meal.  Our neighbors to the north join as well.  It is so amazingly ideal to share backyards with such wonderful folks with kids the same age - they have the freedom to roam and play, and the adults can trade off watching them.  A little mini-community.  This year, the meal was held at 1 pm, and we brought sweet potatoes, green salad, and maple walnut pie.  I also made the gravy (which worked, thankfully, since I'm no expert!).  The food was delicious, and the sun was shining in the back windows.  I think it kept us more awake and alert than previous years.  After eating, the kids headed off to the nearby playground, while the adults cleaned up and then played a new game, Quelf, which was a blast!  I'd highly recommend it for an adult group setting.  Very fun and interactive.  Our neighbors also hosted a Thanksgiving dance party from 6-8, so we stayed for that to work off some calories!  I think it was entertaining for the kids to see their parents dancing, and Sylvie told me it was her favorite part of the day.  After we put the kids to bed, Ryan, Leah, and I watched a Thanksgiving movie (Pieces of April - could not find Home for the Holidays, which is another T-day fave).  

Friday was another exciting day, as Ryan, Leah, and I were heading out to Portland to catch a Cat Power show and have dinner at a Cuban place with a Wisconsonite friend who was in town.  The kids had their first sleepover, which took place very close to home (at the neighbors, of course!), and were excited to pack their sleeping bags and pajamas.  The show was a heart-wrenching pleasure.  I love Cat Power.  The kids had a blast at their sleepover, and didn't come home until close to noon!  

Saturday was yet another big day, as Sylvie was in her first parade!  Each year after Thanksgiving, Corvallis has a "Winter Lights Parade" downtown, which culminates in the lighting of the tree at the Courthouse once the final float (with Santa on it!) makes its way down the street.  This year's theme was Hawaiian.  Sylvie marched with her Girl Scout troop, and wore the grass skirt and shell necklace I brought back from my trip to Honolulu this past spring.  We missed having her spectate with us, but it was great fun to see her smiling face and wave to her during the parade.  

And then on Sunday we got ready for getting back to school and work...