Cooking Class

Grandma invited all of the grandkids over to her house today for a cooking class. The kids had lots of fun spending time with their cousins. They learned how to make homemade brownies, pizza sauce and pizzas, garlic bread, and fruit kabobs. They learned how to safely use sharp knives, how to peel and mince garlic cloves, and how to use a double boiler to melt chocolate. When asked what their favorite parts of the class were, Conner said that he liked how everyone was so happy. McKenzie liked spending time with her cousins, and Kelsey liked making brownies and hearing Matt be "crazy." We all got to eat the delicious food at the end of the class and sing Happy Birthday to Matthew who just celebrated his birthday!

Family Time in Gearhart

We just returned from a two-night getaway to Gearhart. Gram was able to join us for the first night which was extra special. When we got there, it was very windy and rainy - we actually had to drive across the street to go to dinner at McMenamins! When we got out of the car, we all made a mad dash for the restaurant, screaming and laughing as we ran into the restaurant. The dinner wasn't the greatest (raw french fries, spongy hamburger, and a calzone filled with everything Conner asked them to hold). We all agreed that the regular chef must have gotten blown away in the wind! We played lots of games, watched movies, took a long walk on the beach, went swimming and shopping, went to my favorite bakery, knitted, and read. The kids had so much fun with just the three of them being together. It seems like it's been a long time since just the three of them spent so much time together. They really enjoyed each other's company, in between a few little teasing episodes :). It was fun for me to remember all the times I spent in Gearhart with my family when I was growing up. I was imagining jumping the waves with my grandma and feeling very lucky to be at the beach with my own family.

First Sewing Machine Projects

Kelsey is loving her new sewing machine that Grandma and Grandpa gave her for Christmas. She read about how to make t-shirt pillows and convinced Peter to allow her to turn one of his favorite Krispy Creme t-shirts into a pillow (that t-shirt has needed to go for a long time. She also made me a set of reversible coasters with zigzag stitching. She and Sara spent time yesterday making a list of a whole bunch of things they could make and sell :) It is really fun to watch her get so excited about something that could turn into a wonderful hobby.

Christmas Fun

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve at my parents' house, hanging out around a Christmas fire pit in the backyard, playing Christmas charades, and eating a delicious lasagna dinner. Opening presents is always exciting - we all received some very wonderful gifts. All 11 grandkids received Oregon Duck pajamas this year as their "Christmas pajamas." Christmas morning was very special, too. The kids woke up around 5:15 and waited for us to get out of bed. We told them we would open gifts at 6:45, so they were very eager when 6:45 rolled around...We were overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and feel so grateful for everything we received. After we opened gifts we took some time to pray together as a family. Then we ate our cinnamon rolls (which is becoming a new Christmas morning tradition) and went on a Christmas walk together. After delivering food, we went to Starbucks and then came home and tried to figure out Kelsey's new sewing machine. After spending about 45 minutes trying to thread the machine, we decided to give up and have Kelsey's uncle teach us how to do it. We brought it with us to dinner and within a matter of minutes, he taught us how to do it. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner with 34 people at my aunt and uncle's home. We spent lots of time visiting, eating, and playing Phase 10. It was truly a wonderful Christmas!