Finally a White Christmas

What a beautiful day!! Christmas is always filled with love, laughter and chaos!! We had such an incredible day, Santa brought us all our fun treasures and white snow!! YEA!! I've been praying for a white Christmas for 14 years and finally I got one!! It was fun to visit Paris in the snow on Christmas!! Can you believe I said "it was fun to visit Paris" ????? Cooper of course wouldn't come with us but the rest of us enjoyed our visit with her in the beautiful snow!! As I have made it through "another" Christmas I am grateful for the patience my family has with me......I am getting better at handling the holidays. Life will never be the same, nor will I, but I do know that as I fight my way through this, it will get easier to deal with pain? I HOPE!

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!!