One Of My FAVORITE Traditions

Every year for the last 10 years we have been making lunches and delivering them to the Homeless. The last 2 years it has been very difficult because they aren't there..... at least when we go to Seattle we have to "hunt" the whole city for them. In the past we have been able to pull up to one location and we are swarmed with them, we usually run out and are feeling really bad that we don't have more. My kids love this and look forward to it every year! This year Skyler decided to use it for a project he needed to do in leadership. He put together shopping list, organized the date and took care of almost all of it. He did an amazing job. But, when it came time for us to leave we weren't sure what to do.....It was STILL snowing in Seattle. Needless to say the city was still shutdown! I had talked to a friend who had just come from Seattle and she said that traffic was stopped and most all the hills were closed. So, Sky got on the Internet and started looking for homeless shelters a little closer to home. We had 20 lunches that needed to be delivered. We took the addresses to the shelters and headed out. As we pulled into both shelters there wasn't anyone there, we weren't sure what to do but thought we would try the food bank. As we pulled into the food bank we could tell they were closed too, but there was a sign on the door that said if it's 32 degrees or below the Grace Community Church turns into a shelter. As the snow was getting thicker and thicker I just prayed this too wouldn't be a bust, since we were out of options. After knocking on a bunch of doors we found someone who was grateful for our lunches and said they open the doors at 9 to the homeless and the people who come will appreciate them too!!

They Opened the Slopes

Once again school was cancelled! What else could we do but hit the slopes!! It was a perfect day, the sun was shinning the snow was powder and the beauty of Washington was all around us!! My kids did amazing for our first day!! I am so proud of them and feel so blessed and lucky that they are mine! As much as I hate for them to miss school, since we have to make up the days at the end of the year I love getting to play with them!

My Family and My Beautiful State

Skyler Bo thinking he was going to do the Rail.....he missed it

Hunter tearing it up....Go H!!
Cooper is so fun to watch since he is so little

I Joined In The Fun!

School was cancelled, Snow was on the ground

and I had no reason not to PLAY!! Man I love the snow!!


As I bundled my 2 boys up to go out and play I couldn't help but think about Paris and NOT getting to bundle her up today..... I then remembered I don't recall ever having her in the snow. I know I had a snow suit for her but she was never able to wear it, that year they didn't even open the ski lifts. I immediately went and dressed Dallis and thought NONE of my kids are going to miss out on the snow again. (Lexis is still a little young to Play in it, I did take her outside to feel it :) Our friends called and asked if they could come play on our hill, so when they arrived I took Dallis out back and her and Lucy were sledding buddies!! Thanks Lucy! My boys were sledding, snowboarding maniacs and I was enjoying taking pictures. At about 10 I decided I had better go and shower so I would be ready for the day.....as I was in the shower, I thought go out and play with your kids, you have no reason not too, so I quickly jumped out of the shower, dressed and ran to the back yard to PLAY!! I am so glad I did, not only was it fun, but Grandma Banker brought out Hot Chocolate and Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies.. yuuuummm!!! It was dreamy!! What a magical day, if only the snow would come for Christmas!!

Cooper Pulled out his Snow board and had to start with the Tricks

Skyler Decides He Wants to Do the Jump

Lucy & Dallis, Dallis couldn't get enough of sledding

Hunter a little Hesitant but decides he can do the jump too!

Thanks to Trever I went fast and far!!

It Snowed in Seattle!!

I know it's December it's supposed to snow. Well, in Seattle it doesn't work that way!! Infact, when it does snow, 1 inch will shut the whole city down! We all go crazy and always have to play in the first trace. My boys and I had a snowball fight in our regular clothes when it started snowing because we were afraid it would be gone in the morning! We were soaked but man we had a blast!! I love the snow!! LOVE IT! I'm not sure if its because that means we will get to be snowboarding soon, or if it's because it is so beautiful or if its because it comes from Heaven? What ever it may be it's like sunshine, it makes me happy!!

Needless to say it wasn't gone so they got to wakeboard, I mean snowboard?

This is what I saw when I opened my front door this morning to leave for church, it reminded me of the day I took Skyler home from the hospital the day he was born in Denver. Snow on all the trees yet the sun was shining.

I thought this was classic! Surf board and Snow!! Coach is a major surfer (that's how he got his nickname coach) So, when I looked out my bedroom door this morning and saw all the snow, I started laughing because our bathroom/changing rooms are so summery looking. The snow looks out of place or maybe the surfboard is out of place?

Another Tradition

The Coats.....We love this acapella group, they are so amazing!! For the last 7 years(I think) we have been going to the Coats Christmas show. We started taking our kids 3 years ago and love having them there. They all love the music, each kid has a different love about the show, which makes watching them throughout the show that much better. This year we took Dallis, she was so great for the first hour, she danced and sang (out loud) she even had them asking, what her name was. But, as it got later and later she was fading! As we were leaving I asked Coach if we would take her again and he looked at me like DUH, of course!! He loves watching his kids sing and dance! Even if it means he has to sit in the back with her.
If you have never heard them you need to go their website. www.thecoats.net their holiday CD is a lot of fun!


We finally started taking Grandma and Grandpa! Granny loves it all, Gramps wishes they would sing all their songs and not just the Christmas stuff...I have to remind him that it IS Christmas time!! :)

GingerBread Houses Part 1

For the last 2 years our great friends the Criddles have invited us over to make ginger bread houses. They have always been so amazing, so many different kinds of candy, yummy frosting and lots of patience while our little kids make a complete mess of their house. My kids talk about it for weeks after the night is over. Well, this year we hadn't heard from them, they are so busy and with them all trying to work and go to school we assumed that we would have to take a rain check. So, while Paul was at Costco he found gingerbread houses for $10.00 they came complete with the gingerbread house, frosting, candy, even trees. He called me and told me all about these neat kits and wanted to know if he should buy them so our kids could still build ginger bread houses this year. Of course I jumped all over it and said we could do it Sunday night for family home evening. As we were at my mom's house just finishing dinner we got a phone call......"It's Kristel" She asks "Would your family and the Alfrey family like to come over again this year and make gingerbread houses?" "Of Course!!!!!" As I hang up the phone I looked at Coach and started laughing, we decided to still do them since we had them and yet as fun as this was we are still looking forward to gingerbread houses with the Criddles!!! If you've never done gingerbread houses they are so fun, a great tradition!!

There Is No Healing An Amputated Limp

Ok, So whats with my title......Well, after I heard about the guy who was killed at Walmart, I was really struggling with wanting to blog my "joy" in this journey. All I could think of was what that family was going through now, without this man in their life that was probably a husband, a daddy and a son. Their whole life was just turned upside down and they have to "learn" how to get through this. There is no healing from a death.....you have to learn how to live with the person gone and all the hopes and dreams that went along with that person shattered. Just like a person who loses a limb, they will never be healed in this life, they simply have to learn to live with out that limb. You then have to decide what next, do I do nothing or do I FIND JOY IN THE JOURNEY. I am learning how to live with my "amputated limp" and I chose to FIND JOY IN THIS CRAZY JOURNEY!! That doesn't mean we wont have our ups and downs, we all do, sometimes I am caught off guard when the grief hits me right between the eyes, the holiday season is hard and yet so much fun! I just hate doing it without my sweet Paris. I know that I am blessed to have her walking right beside us, but sometimes it would be nice to just "have" her!!

Since I found out you could print your blog into a book, I thought this was an easy out for actually writing in a journal, this will be my family journal. I have really wanted to stay on top of our Journey and didn't think about the pitfalls along the way that would be so hard t blog!

So, here is our last week.....It has been so fun and there are so many treasured memories!!


TURKEY BOWL

Pre Game...... Some times I think getting ready for the game is as much fun as the actual game!

We had some friends come and play with us

The "little kids"
Meet the "Big Kids"


Team 1.... Ya baby we rocked!!

Team 2.... Hey good job!!

Coin Toss, Gramps is our ref...He has fun doing all the
pre game, flag throwing, whistle blowing stuff

Finally Game Time

Aunt Daya put on a Great Half time show with Dallis and Brooklyn?

Game over, time to get ready to eat

All Showered and ready for some Turkey

Can you see how happy Coop is to take his picture

After Dinner Cooper, Hunter and Abi sang sweet song from Polar Express

Then it was time for games.....Uncle Trever chose puzzles,

We White's aren't very good at games that aren't physical, so we got CREAMED

Yea Mrs. Claus Comes !

This year Mrs. Claus sent us a letter. She met up with Heather Adams while on their way to Hawaii and asked her to write in each of the kid's books. Fancy Nancy was the book this year, in Memory of Mara.

I think Mrs. Claus did a good job this year, she remember shirts for the "big" boys

The Boys Loved Matching their Cousins with their footy Jammie's

Saturday we Met up with the Big Man

SANTA

Skyler just wants the new Audi

Hunter wants a robot

Cooper wants an MP3 player

Lexis needs warm clothes :)

Dallis just wants off his lap.....she didn't cry but she WOULD NOT look at him

>
CRAZY COUSINS

Abi, Tayla, Skyler and Chad

they're so tough

OUR FIRST FAKE CHRISTMAS TREE

AHHHHHH......

(when I talk about the tree the boys assure me it's going to be fine, "it has 1500 lights mom")

Since Paris died our tree has been decorated with pink ornaments. We have sweet hand prints that we made the day she drowned in hospital. This year Hunter and Cooper got to put them on. I will post a picture of them later.

Dallis enjoyed just eating chips while the boys did all the decorating

Love my "Paris" mantel, I wish I could get a good "night" picture, it is so beautiful!

MAKE A WISH

"BELIEVE"

If you wrote a letter to Santa, and took it to Macy's they would donate a $1 to Make a Wish!

We have 2 friends who have benefited from Make a Wish, one is Mara who went to Hawaii and has since passed away and the other is Drew who is going to Disney World this Christmas! How grateful we are for all the generous things Make a Wish does for little people who are sick!

The Memories last a life time!

SNOWFLAKE LANE

Every year Bellevue puts on a cute little street show.

With drummers, characters and music

It even SNOWS.....ok so it's fake but it's still fun to see it snowing

Hunter's Rock'n Out with the drummers

She Did It Again!!

I can't even get all the food in the picture...... My mom is so amazing! Our Thanksgiving dinner was so incredible!! You can see the mashed potatoes, WOW what at pile of spuds, I think there is 20lbs of potatoes!! The whole other side you can't see has salads not just one....MANY! And then the Pies oh my, I think there were 11, PLUS other deserts, I can't even remember what else there was!! You all wonder why I work out, cause I CAN'T STOP EATING her yummy food!! In fact, as I type I am still eating special K.......oops I forgot the "bar" Yep 1 more special K bar. I am so lucky to have such a great mom who does so much for our family!! She always goes overboard and we all appreciate it!! I hope she continues to do this for a LOOOOOONG time, cause I can't keep up!!

I have lots more to post about our intense Turkey Bowl, but it will have to wait for another day! This one's just for Mom!