Flashback: Christmas 2014

We were fortunate to spend another Christmas at home this year. We always feel thankful for the sacrifices our extended family makes to join us. Anyone is welcome to come this year, if you don't already have plans! :)

Battle Ground offers plenty of muddy tree farms to find the perfect Christmas tree.

The boys get to work.

Our family tree with lights.

Nathan makes sure it looks just right from his chair.

School Christmas performance. Nathan is wearing orange shoes in the front row.

Andrew is standing with our favorite Lion Cub teacher, Ms. Lauree.

Portland's Christmas tree

Tuba Christmas! A Portland tradition

Model train exhibit at the WA History Museum

We found Santa at the museum!

Andrew Davolt: Oregon Trail Pioneer?

Just before Christmas we found the right cookie cutter for Santa's treats.

Farmer Nathan asked for real tools.

Nathan was creative with new Playdoh toys.

Aunt Jennifer made me proud with these awesome folded napkin trees.

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Tradition

At no other time of the year do I think about "tradition" more than during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through Christmas. I do like the sense of timelessness that traditions afford, reminding us of past Christmases and the people or places we cherish most. As much as I love the traditions of years past and years to come, I think it's healthy to miss or change traditions every now and then. My own childhood was filled with traditions for Thanksgiving and Christmas, as was Jeff's, but I also recall the experiences when traditions were put on hold or changed, sometimes intentionally, and sometimes for reasons beyond our control. I suppose it's the same for all of us as we grow, move, lose, and gain. Not that I go out of my way to disrupt any plans for my family now, but rather, to remind us that life doesn't always go the way it has before and we can enjoy the time together no matter what. Having our own family caused Jeff and I to decide on what would be...

The Time is Right to Write

Hey. Remember me? I know it's been awhile. A whole year, I think. It sure has been a year. I cannot count the number of times I considered writing reflections on the year here. Surely, this was a year to record our place in a history-making pandemic? But just as often as I thought about writing here, I stopped myself; after all, what makes my experiences different or worth noting? We have collectively endured a year of loss, struggles, pain. So, I'm not going to write a long recap of our entire year here. Instead, I want to write about writing. I know I have another post on the subject but this one has a different purpose. Jeff recently sent me an opinion piece from The Washington Post that immediately resonated with me: Journaling for kids: How (and why) to start a journaling practice with kids Like the author, I was encouraged to journal as a kid. As the author notes, journaling helped me process the most significant events in my life, such as the loss of...

Christmas 2020

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The Davolts

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