Christmas Cheer 2012

Kyle and Jonah at the Festival of Lights

This year we got to host Christmas at our house. To start things off we cut down a giant tree from the forest that took up half of our living room.  It was so big at it almost did not fit on top of our truck. It was a scene right out of Christmas Vacation. I had a lot of doubt that we could get it to fit and even threatened to post it for free on Craig's List, but it turned out to be the most beautiful tree we could have imagined. 

See below for my Christmas 2012 Top Ten although the pictures speak for themselves!

Amy with Autumn and Jonah during the Christmas tree hunt

Both sides of the family! What a treat.

The tree on the truck

Our beauty

John, kari, and Ellie on our sunset Gondola Cruise

Hiking with Papa

Jonah and Kelsi at the beach

Hiking at Echo Lake

Christmas morning grin

All because two people fell in love!

• Christmas time is about gifts and I don't mean the material kind. Here is the list of my most favorite gifts from this year. 
• Ellie, John, Kari, and Kelsi Erkkila all arrived safely and we got started right off with all the Christmas feasting. You can't believe the cookies that Ellie can make. 

• My brother Ty and his faithful companion Boone were able to drop by en route to visiting family in the San Francisco area. We once again ate some yummy food and took a couple nice hikes. 
• Christmas Eve was spent at the Unity Church here in Tahoe. We sang carols and got to choose a Christ like "power" to carry with us into the new year. 
• Seeing Jonah with his family. Sharing his books, stacking blocks, and driving his toys around. Every toy for him is a car or truck it seems.  He pushes them along and says vrooom. 
• Skiing (there is a bit of man made snow) and after enjoying a Bloody Mary in the bar. 
• Riding the Gondola to the top of Heavenly Ski Resort to watch the sunset together. 
• Being together with family to enjoy some down time and recharge. 
• Hiking at Echo Lake sharing the expansive beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Walking and Bath Time Fun

Ice Skating

Kyle enjoying a frozen sunset

We are in the midst of a pretty dry and cold winter. Sure you could think of a million down sides to this (the biggest being that we have NO SNOW). But you know the Erkkilas and we are a glass full kind of crew and we so we started ice skating on the frozen lakes and ponds around the Tahoe basin. It is such a beautiful feeling to skate in the alpen glow of these short days. 

Kyle skating at Grass Lake

Our great buddy Spencer and his dog Martha out on the ice behind their house.

Thanksgiving

 We celebrated Thanksgiving this year with Mark, Marie, Jeff, Danielle, Tyler, and Boone. Jeff and Danielle were visiting from Minnesota. They are so great that they did not mind sitting on fold-up chairs and eating off mismatched plates and silverware. Tyler stopped in on his way between picking his dog Boone up in L.A. and Jackson Wyoming. It was a meal filled that filled our bellies and souls. Just the way it should be.

This pic is not from Thanksgiving but it does have a food theme. This is Jonah eating his first In and Out Burger. He liked the fries best.

 Jonah continues to LOVE dogs. Despite his trip home from New Zealand Boone the dog was up for some little kid pets.

Pretty much any visit with Jonah involves a reading or two of "The Foot Book" By Dr. Seuss

1st Birthday Celebrations!

“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.” Shel Silverstein

 

On your first birthday Jonah you love 3 things dearly. 

1. Having stories read to you 

   The Daddy Book by Todd Parr

   The Foot Book  by Dr. Seuss 

2. Opening and shutting any door or cabinet you can find

    

   3.  Your blanket that you stuff in your mouth and suck on to fall asleep or calm yourself

   
   

   And in turn you are loved higher than the highest mountain and deeper than the deepest sea by your family and friends. 

    

   You are loved so much that you had two birthday celebrations. First with the Erkkila's and the Rhodes.

   

   You blew out your candle like a champ.

   
   

    

   Loving your first cake ever.

   
   

   
   
   
   
   
    For your second birthday party your Granny and Sir were visiting along with Uncle Ty and his dog Boone. We also had some of our dear friends come over and have a little chili and cake. Cristi did an amazing job making you a robot cake! (I can't get the picture to import the right way) She has some serious talent!
   

   

   Enjoying your robot cake with Dad

   
   

   
   

   
   

First Snow Day

Rules For Your First Snow Day

• Wear appropriate outdoor gear
• Bring your sense of adventure 
• Taste the snow 

Jonah hit just right on two of the three. It was telling that we have been living in the rain for most of Jonah's life when it snowed and I realized that I had nothing that would keep him warm and dry in the snow! We did our best with what we had and he loved it to say the least. What a gift it is to look at things through the eyes of a child. 

The first moment in the snow.

He is crying here due to wearing a hat more so than the snow and cold.

Fall in Paradise

 I love fall with my whole heart.
Here are some photos that seem to me to capture the spirit of the season just right. (To me it is a season of eating caramel apples, tasting wine, wearing your down coat for the first time, smelling the snow on the wind, and hiking.)

Family photo hiking to my favorite fall Aspen grove.

 In early November we had a visit from Kyle's parents too!
We loved having them and sharing some of our favorite spots around the lake with them. We also went wine tasting on the top of Mt. Akum there was a great view and yummy wine too. I got to go for a day of shopping in Reno with Ellie and John stayed home with Jonah. It was a treat for all.

We reconnected with our dear friends Noah and Amy and got to meet their little Emma!

I have to say that this year I felt a lot of pressure about the whole Halloween costume, but did not feel creative enough to make a costume for any of us. Luckily Ellie was inspired by a dog costume she found and picked it up for Jonah. The dog costume was fitting because Jonah LOVES dogs! He is pictured here with Autumn as Wonder Woman, Spencer as a Chef, and Cristi as Wonder Woman 2. We went trick-or-treating in a near by neighborhood. The best thing about Halloween was watching Autumn's excitement as she ran back from the first house shouting, "daddy, they gave me candy!" Kyle's sparkly shirt was the second best thing about Halloween.