Skip to main content

Christmas at Home

I think it's safe to say this Christmas season was truly as magical and fun as Jeff and I hoped it would be. We watched most, if not all, of the Christmas movies and shows we own. We made piles of Christmas cookies and hosted friends and strangers. We admired Christmas lights around the neighborhood, seeing them through Nathan's wide eyes as he discovered that simple joy. We were blessed to have both families come to our house for celebrations. We enjoyed plenty of yummy treats and savory meats. We watched the pile of presents under our Christmas tree grow, disappear and grow again. We loved Nathan's enthusiasm for opening presents, laser focus on that gift, then do it all over again with the next package. We loved making Andrew smile and giggle during his first holiday. We felt love from near and far as Christmas cards appeared in our mail box. We felt grateful for all the ways our families spoiled us this season. Most of all, we simply took pleasure in our abundant family time over the last two weeks. We hope you too felt love, magic and Christmas spirit wherever you spent your holiday. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.



My first ever batch of homemade cinnamon rolls were delicious! 


German treats and goodies direct from Hamburg. Thanks Ellen!




Dinner is served.

Jeff treated us all to the King family recipe for prime rib. 


Jeff's new holiday shirt arrived just in time. 

Nate's new ride. 

Andrew and Great-Uncle Dennis (who is truly great)


Andrew and Grandpa

Oregon Zoo Lights (Andrew is in carrier)

Second Christmas with Davolts

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Nathan, 18 months

Can you believe it? Can you believe that Little Man Nate is already 18 months? Nathan's Famous Hot Dog on Halloween. At 18 months, Nathan is 33.25 inches tall and nearly 29 pounds, but mostly, he is on the go. Nathan is curious about the world around him, spending lots of time opening doors or drawers, saying "uh-oh" when he finds something new. I know for certain I will have to buy a new set of measuring cups when we move again, as Nathan has adopted some into his toy collection, while others are just plain MIA. He loves pushing his cars, trucks and lawn mower around the house. He is quickly learning to match shapes with puzzles and point to his nose, ears and belly. He uses sign language to say "please" and "more" as well as ask for "help". We have just started practicing the sign for "thank you" and he seems to be grasping that one. Nathan will put his cup in the refrigerator or sink when he is "all done", and u...

Christmas 2020

Have yourself a merry little Christmas Let your heart be light From now on Our troubles will be out of sight As a result of the pandemic, the model train festival we typically enjoy this time of year was canceled (thus no pictures with Santa). We missed family and friends this year. The fun energy of the last few school days before Winter Break was not quite the same over Zoom. I missed singing carols in church during month of December.  As the season progressed, I couldn't help but reflect on other times in history where celebrations were small and often just a nuclear family. Times and places where travel was too difficult or too expensive to justify leaving home. For those generations of families, the traditions were as simple as reading the Christmas story together or baking a special bread. In so many ways that was our Christmas this year and by seeking the joy in each moment, we found our hearts lighter.  We visited our favorite local tree farm to find THE TREE.  We...

The Drive

    I love our new home in Battle Ground!  However, I am still a little unsure about living in Battle Ground.  Battle Ground itself seems nice, just a bit further out than I ever imagined I would live.  Six months ago we had a cute little NE Portland home, where we could walk to Breakside Brewery or Podnah's BBQ Pit.  There were multiple parks close by and despite the energy of the city we had a peaceful backyard retreat to relax in.    Now, it may seem strange, but having a 20-25 minute commute seems like an eternity for me.  Not since our first year of marriage have I had to commute more than 15 minutes.  It was the trek across Lake Washington  from West Seattle to Kirkland that made me vow to always have a short commute.  While I do not mind the extra time to make phone calls or listen to some talk radio, I can't decide if the drive is peaceful and relaxing or just a slog to and from the country.  I imagine it will tu...