Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

The Whole Little gang caught on film together! (Thanks Gretchen for letting me steal this pic from your blog.)

...this is what happens when you tell children to smile for a Christmas card...
It is New Year's Eve. With our tree snuggled in our yard debris trash can and our lights wrapped neatly in circles until next year the house feels strangely quiet and a bit anticlimatic today. Terry and Cathy left this morning after being here (and in Eugene, OR) for the last week. We have had a wonderful and full week of Christmas celebration which began last Christmas Eve at our house...

...and continued on in Eugene, OR with the Parkers and Jason's parents and lots of Christmas mayhem.

and Christmas snuggles

and some warmth by the cast iron stove that heats the Parkers home

and back in Portland...Grammy and Pops cuddled with the girls and the dog,

while Jason and I went on a snowshoeing adventure on Mt. Hood with our friend Anna.

Roscoe working it with the grandparents...

and even a little post Christmas snow for the babes to build a dirty snowman which later became a nice place for Roscoe to lift his leg.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a Happy New Year!

Handel's Messiah

I LOVE Handel's Messiah. Ever since I first heard it as a freshman performed by my high school symphony and choral group at Westminster I have been smitten with this glorious piece of music. Before even studying redemptive history (the story of God redeeming his people throughout the whole of the Bible) in seminary I heard the story of Christ sung and performed in Handel's Messiah. In 1741 Handel wrote this incredible piece of music in a mere three weeks. Some stories say that after writing it he collapsed and said, "I have been visited by God." It is stunning that three hours of amazing music was written in such a short time AND that it continues to be performed year after year over 250 years later.

So, it was with excitement that I read in our newspaper that the Portland Baroque Symphony would be performing a one hour "family friendly" production of the Messiah which would be geared toward children. With seats at the front of the balcony we got to watch Portland Opera singers and the Portland Baroque Symphony perform some of the highlights of the Messiah in a very child friendly atmosphere. They explained what an Oratorio is (a piece of biblical teaching set to music), how the choir worked with the other musicians, and other interesting facts about Handel. It was a precious memory to see the girls wide eyed as trumpet players ascended the balconey to proclaim

And His Name shall be called...

Wonderful. Counselor. The Mighty God. The Everlasting Father. The Prince of Peace.

meanwhile...roscoe was home not feeling well. Eleanor wanted to cheer him up with some loves. He is back to his lively self today. We're wondering what toy he might be digesting????

the mall...or a mountain?

What do you do on a rainy Saturday before Christmas? Run as far as possible from the mall...like Mt. Hood, for instance.

check out my new rig!!!!!

Happy Birthday to me. Merry Christmas too. And probably Happy Fourth of July and Valentine's Day too. Thank you Jason for my new bike! I can now join him on his Portland adventures on two wheels. Jason researched, phoned, researched some more, and worked very hard to find the bike he thought was just right. I think he did it. Not only does it fit my 5 foot 1 inch frame, but it looks mighty sleek and cool too.

It is difficult to describe Portland's bike culture until you have experienced it. Here are a few pictures that capture the unique love Portlanders have for their bikes...



an average morning commute on the Hawthorne bridge

"car"pool portland style. (we took this pic from the internet...Jason says this guy NEEDS A HELMET!!!!)

O' Christmas tree

Less than two weeks until Christmas! Whaoooo....The Christmas tree is up and looks beautiful- one of the benefits of living in a state with a Christmas tree on our liscence plates. You just can't go wrong.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

So, here's the thing I find interesting about Portland, OR. Today's weather was very sunny and BRIGHT but with a high temperature of 31 degrees F. Neither Rynn's class nor Eleanor's class went outside to play (in Eleanor's case this was probably a good thing since she insisted on wearing tights that were three sizes too small and a dress that was at least two sizes too small...). Yet, everyone goes out to play on the playground when it is 45 degrees and POURING rain. Life here doesn't stop for a rainy day, but, o' man, watch out if it drops below freezing.

Blah, Blah, BLog

I've lost a bit of my blogging mojo this week. I'm sort of feeling like I need a juicer to get the creative juices flowing again. I have an Anatomy & Physiology final to thank for that. But, by golly, I can tell you every bump on the femur should you want to know. The pictures above and below are of my precious family sporting some new handknit wear by Cathy...aka Grammy. She seems to get more talented by the day, and I think we are sporting some quite stylish knits around a very handknit smitten town

Check out this hat...comes complete with a little pocket just in case you might need a marker on a walk, or a place to put that special button or rock you found in a sewage puddle on the side of the road as Eleanor is fond of doing.

and some overdue Thanksgiving pics...we had a very relaxing day with my Dad. We ate, we slept, we licked bowls of batter, and then on Friday we ran it off playing at the Oregon Coast...a fabulous weekend.

Jason cooked the entire Thanksgiving meal. We opted out of the traditional turkey in exchange for some very yummy pork.

Naptime

Grampa time...

Roasted root vegetable time...

and dish time...