Well, I may be a bit over-enthusiastic, as we didn't get very much snow by some people's standards, but still... we woke up this morning to this lovely scene. Our live Christmas tree, waiting patiently on the back deck until it can be brought into the house, had been flocked by God during the night.
The shrubs along the driveway wore a coat of white.
And the house looks ever-more-Christmasy (I think I just invented that word). Merry, merry, everyone!
Mark was all decked out in his Santa hat, green turtleneck, Santa t-shirt, and his holly bow tie with blinking berries.
After church it was time to put up the outdoor lights. Among the many things I thank God for about my dear husband is the fact that he genuinely enjoys decorating for Christmas. He always hauls the old boom box outside and cranks the Christmas tunes while he strings up the lights.
Here is the view of the house from the street tonight.
No pictures of our tree yet. We bought a live tree yesterday (a Nordmann fir) with the idea of planting it in our yard after Christmas. We did that a time or two years ago, but not recently, so that will be fun. The only problem with a live tree is that it's not advisable to leave the tree indoors for more than 5-7 days. So, we carried it to the back deck so we can see it from the sliding doors, but we'll wait to bring it in and decorate it until around the 20th.
December 4, 1984. That was the day, 24 years ago, that David Charles Dorr entered the world. And at 9 lb. 13 3/4 ounces, he was the biggest Dorr baby of all. Where have the years gone? It seems like yesterday we were rocking him to sleep while he clutched his blankie and sucked his thumb. He was such a sweet and cuddly baby.
David was always eager to help his Daddy. We lived in Seaside, Oregon when Dave was born, and we heated our little house with a woodstove. That was a labor-intensive chore, and David loved to help Mark saw wood to keep us stocked up.
Was David a perfect child? Well, pretty much (weren't all of our kids quite perfect?). But this day he must have been a bit naughty, as he was sent to the corner to contemplate his offense. Doesn't he just look so cute standing there? Of course I had to take a picture before I acquitted him.
With his big sis Sarah.
The three Dorr boys: Dave, with his ever-present blankie, Jake, and Ben. I love you guys so much!
Several years after David's birth, Hannah was born, and in honor of the occasion Mark's uncle sent teddy bears for all the kids. See if you can find little Hannah among the bears! Give up? Well, left to right we have Ben, David, Jake, Hannah, and Sarah.
Fast-forward to last December, and our now-grown David married his sweet Nikki, and they live happily in Colorado. Have a wonderful birthday, dear Dave. Dad and I love you so much.
When we went around the table on Thursday and shared what we are most thankful for, I said family (aren't you SURPRISED!). Because it's true. I love my husband, my kids, my kids-in-law, my soon-to-be-grandson from Ethiopia, and my extendeds.
I got a little crafty and made these little turkeys for each place setting. They were so fun to make, and they kind of added a little extra personality to the table.
I recently got a haircut, and Sarah came to the house armed with a new straightener to help me maximize the new look. I hope she can come over every morning to do my hair. PLEASE, SARAH???
Friday night, we all played a game that Mark plays with his middle school students. Called the Hex game, teams compete to try to move from one side of the board to the other. The game squares are shaped like hexagons, hence the name. There are a few other rules to remember, and the game can be adapted to any topic, but we played with Thanksgiving trivia questions. The teams were composed of Jake, Beka, and Hannah at one end of the table, and Chris, Sarah, and me at the other end. Mark ran the game. There is definitely strategy involved, as one team tries to block the other from completing their journey from side to side, or top to bottom.
My team takes a break while Mark questions the other team.
Hannah gets her question right, to the joy of her teammates.
Hmmm.... I don't know the answer to that one.
The ever-handsome and charming game-show host.
Chris has his game face on.
Sarah is ready to take on the competition.
Jake contemplates while Hannah giggles.
Beka and Hannah plot their strategy.
Hannah was in a goofy mood - but don't let that fool you - she's one tough competitor who really knows her Thanksgiving history.
And, of course, the real winner of the game was Goliath, simply because he's the cutest.
Above is our beautiful museum. We are fortunate that our county's wonderful museum is only about two minutes from our home and schools. Below, Mark explains one of the exhibits to the kids - note his genuine coonskin cap!
A reporter from the Corvallis newspaper, the Gazette Times, was on hand to chronicle the events of the evening, and there was a great article about the evening in today's edition of the paper.
And what better movie for the kids to watch than Night at the Museum? Good job, Mark and students at Philomath Middle School (aka PMS, but that's another story for another day)!
Above are Ben and Christine just before they left for their return flight to Colorado this morning.
Mark went to a farm auction in Lebanon on Saturday, looking for some hand tools for the wood shop at his middle school. The auction turned out to be a bust, but doesn't Mark just look TOO handsome for words?
On Thursday night, Denny, Betsy, and Bella came over for dinner. Denny and Ben have been great friends since first grade, and it was fun that they could join us for the evening. Abby wasn't feeling well, so she couldn't be with us - we missed you, Abby!
Here Denny, Ben (holding sweet Bella), and Christine visit.
We also played Boggle at some point this week. Starting at the top: Ben, Christine, Jake, Sarah, Hannah, Chris, and me.
Goliath is always a faithful participant at family gatherings.
Everyone gathered around the table last night: Mitchell, Hannah, me, Chris, Sarah, Christine, Ben, Jake, and Beka. Mark is taking the picture.
Here I am having pity on poor Golly in his Halloween costume. He was a cute little lobster! And by the way, we had 194 trick-or-treaters at our door this year - a new record! We usually top out at around 150, so we were very busy passing out the candy! It was fun.
