Christmas pics!

Well, we had an absolutely wonderful Christmas this year (again).... lots of yummy food, great company, and some pretty sweet presents! I will put in some pics and update you more later, because I am still unwinding today.... love you and thank you to our families for making our Christmas so memorable!

Christmas updates...

Well hello everyone! Just thought I would put in some updated news for this week. The kids have been sooo excited for Christmas (almost as much as their mom!) I happen to think Christmas is the absolutely best holiday ever.... and it just gets better when you have kids. I am so lucky to have a family that treated Christmas as something so special, and I hope that my kids appreciate our efforts someday when they get older.

So, Calli and Teags have been opening the advent calendar since day one... they wanted me to tell everyone what they got so far. Our advent calendar is one that my sisters have also- Mom gave them to us a few years ago, and they have a little box for each day that holds an ornament for the tree. I decided a couple years ago that it would be fun to put in some extras-so they usually get candy or coins, and this year Calli got some super cute Xmas earrings, and Teagyn got a very sparkly, jingly bracelet. Then there are the coupons! These are the best, and they are so fun to think up every year.... truly my favorite tradition we have so far. Well- Calli has gotten a trip to the library, a date with Dad (which was going to see the movie Avatar), have a friend come over, help mom make dessert (we're making cake tonight), and two hours on the computer by herself! (no Teagyns allowed!).... I think that's it so far- good times! oh wait- we had a special trip to the mall also, since that's her favorite place ever....

Teags has picked out date with mom (we went to Red Robin together for dinner one night), special trip to the dollar store (pick out three things)... she got some lovely jewelry for dress up, some flash cards, and a princess painting book- score!! She also picked out have a sleepover, which was with Madison, and that was fun. She got to stay up an hour late, and yesterday she picked out pass off a chore to mom or dad (calli was really gunning for that one, but oh well- phew, i really didn't want to pick up dog poo!)

For the most part, all of their things have been done already, but we're saving some for next week and the school break. Chris is doing soooo good with his job- he loves it and is excited to have work this winter. I'm so proud of him for making the leap and going in for that job interview- it's really paid off for him, and we are so proud of him! He's going to Seattle after New Years' for a couple of days, and then I'm bringing the girls down to Twin for a girls' reunion of mine, and then we're going to visit Alyx!

Speaking of Alyx- she is doing really, really great. we have gotten tons of long letters from her, and this place seems to be having an impact so far. Mom and Dad are going way out of their way (again) to see her on Christmas Day- they are so wonderful! I'm really excited to see her and where she is staying, so I can have a mental picture of where she is.

As for me- well I'm really searching for a job. The online stuff just never pans out, so I'm hoping to fall into a local job by word of mouth and networking- I'm still working two days a week, and helping out at my old job at the hospital, so still making some bucks :) I'm really thinking about getting some violin students, since that's something I could do from home too. Wish me luck! I love you all so much and hope that this Christmas is great for you and yours!

Christmas decor....

Well- the christmas season is on! we are so ahead of ourselves for the first year ever that we are not quite sure what to think.... shopping is done, the tree is up, decorations are up, and we are so ready! Thought I'd share some pictures with you of the tree and front room- also there are some pics from Thanksgiving and Grape Grandma and Poppa's house.... love you all!

Yada yada yada....

Sorry folks- there's just not much going on in the West household right now, so I don't have a whole lot to talk about! Well there's this- I am searching for more work ( I got laid off and am only working one or two days a week right now) and that's going so-so- this job is all about who you know. In the meantime, Chris' work is going great- keep on hoping for little snow, because that's what keeps him going! Teags is staying home with me every day now- just so we can save a little cash by taking her out of her two-day preschool. So, we have been doing projects, crafts, and lots of writing practice! Calli went back to school today and, at the moment, is shooting me dagger looks because I will not just give her the answer to her homework! Sorry Charlie- not gonna happen.... Besides that news, not a whole lot else... I wrote a long letter to Alyx today, did ALL the laundry in the house, and almost all my cupboards are re-cleaned and organized.... what's a girl to do with all this extra time? I realized that I am not happy staying at home without working... I need to be productive and make money, or else I feel a little useless. Oh well- keep us in your thoughts... something always comes through!!

By the way- we had a great Thanksgiving, did you? I have pictures of the girls, but they are on the cell phone, and I'm not too sure about transfers....

Chris' project day....

So, this morning Chris woke up and said- let's paint the front room today! And I said okay- so off we went to Lowe's to get some paint to match our pillows on the couch. We went with this russet color, and then got this red rug- what a difference! It is amazing what some color can do for our very beige room! What we are so proud of is that we spent less than $150 bucks on all these little things and together they made the biggest change. We love it!!

silly girlies, and updates

Okay- not loving the front room right now. As you can see- everything is smashed up into one wall- but I am working on getting some pillows and rugs to give some color to the other end of the room. Then, I can start to spread some of this stuff out. But do you not love the new couch? It's so nice to have more seating in this house..... The other pics are the girls busting out their Barbie and the musketeers look- very inventive! As for updates, Alyx is in her permanent place for the next 9 months or so- She is in St. Anthony and is doing okay so far... only been there for a couple of days now. We will be finding out more things and protocol as she goes along. She says hi to everyone and misses you all! That's about it for news around here. We had our first snow last night, but it's starting to melt, so we can't use the snowman kit yet, Megs!

Happy Halloween 2009

Well, it was another great Halloween.... this year Teags and I went to Calli's school to help out with her party, so we took some great pics there, with all of her "best friends". Then, we went on down to my work, so Teags was dressed up, and they took tons of pictures of her, and spoiled her with tons of candy even before Halloween! On Saturday, Karen and I took our girls on the resort's Halloween kid's cruise- they had a costume contest, dance contest, and pinata. It was quite chaotic, but fun- imagine 40 little kids running around a boat with full cups of hot chocolate, and huge cookies, bowls of candy, smoke machines, balloons- get the picture? I was wearing at least three cups of cocoa by the time we got off the boat! We then went trick or treating downtown, and then came back home for a little party, and MORE trick or treating!! We could open a candy store, I swear. The girls had a great time, and I think Halloween gets better every year.... hope all yours was just as great!

TAG... I'm always last :(

I am now doing the tag that Megs and Amy did.... only cuz I liked their answers!

Five North American Cities in Which I'd Seriously Consider Living:
1. Manzanita, OR- my alltime favorite coast spot
2. Eugene, OR (for like the fifth time)
3. Seattle
4. Depoe Bay, OR- only if I could live in Aunt Florence's house though!
5. any suburb outside of Chicago or New York- proximity to a big city.... can you tell I love Oregon?

Five Songs to Which I Know all the Words: I feel like I should say albums instead..
1. any Doors song- thanks to my dad!

2. any Johnny Cash song- thanks to my husband
3. Barbie movie songs, or Hannah Montana songs- thanks to my girls!
4. any oldie song on the classic rock station- I amaze myself with how many songs I know!!
5. Anything that I don't know- I hum the tune- it drives Chris crazy!

Five Foods I'd Wish to Have in Unlimited Quantities on a Desert Island:
1. Peanut butter and chocolate of any kind
2. Grilled cheese and tomato sandwich
3. Salad with ranch dressing
4. chicken strips
5. Stir Fry

Five Chores I Should Be Doing Right Now Instead of Blogging:
1. Megs made me realize that I really need to wash my shower curtains!
2. Cleaning the walls and closet doors, etc
3. anything that doesn't get done on a routine, day-to-day cleaning

4. picking up the outside toys- getting ready for winter
5. cleaning my car- that one never gets done enough!

Five Childhood Friends I'd Love to See Again:
1. my cousins, especially Chelsey
2. Jessica Lux
3. Gretchen Schow (Gooch)
4. Monica

5. Marci

Now, five friends to tag (but please play even if you aren't tagged, and then let me know!):
1. Um- I don't think that many people read my blog, so whoever wants to!
2.

3.

4.
5.

Happy Birthday Christopher!!!

Today is my most wonderful husband's birthday.... he is a wise 36! I sent a hilarious picture of him to our local news channel- they play birthday messages in the morning- pretty funny! His presents were a pair of tickets to a concert that is coming up, a bag of gourmet candy corns from Teagyn, and an awesome remote control helicopter from Calli and Teags. We love you Mistopher Christopher and hope you have a great birthday!!! We're having a party tonight for him, by the way.... too bad you all can't be here!

I thought I would show some pics of our hard work last night also- the girls and Chris did some great pumpkins- and I made two gallons of applesauce!

It's official!!!

Yay!!! Today was a very special day for our family. We went to court and Callista was officially adopted to me. Here's our pic with Judge Watson- he has also been Alyx's judge, so it was nice to see him on a "fun and good" basis. He asked Calli what she thought about all this, and she said she was just fine with it, and very happy to be my daughter (phew!). He asked her about school and her hobbies, and then he asked us some basic questions, and that was that! So, we are celebrating tonight by going to her favorite restaurant, Red Lobster, for all you can eat shrimp. Let me tell you, this girl can eat some shrimp! I love you Calli, and this does not make me feel any differently towards you, but I am so happy to call you mine legally.

Here's some pics of the girls having fun with Marmee- making cookies and being silly. I also put in the picture of Dad, because he likes to assume the position in our favorite chair.... it has become his favorite chair too! Thanks for coming Mom and Dad- this was a really fun visit, and I love it when you come stay with us.

Updates....

Well, there are a few updates to mention today. We just got out of court for Alyx's sentencing, and the final decision by the judge is that she will be committed to Idaho state for an indefinite period of time. What happens first is that she will go to Nampa to be assessed, and from there they will decide where the best facility is to place her. We are hoping this will be in Lewiston, as that is the closest place to us, or in Nampa, which is close to Twin for Marmee and GG. At this place, she will be going to massive counseling and also to school. The whole point of this is to help her get through her behavior issues and work on therapy to help her change her way of thinking. We all have a lot riding on this, and after she is out, we are planning to have her move back in here. Chris and I are really excited for this to be moving along, since juvie is not a good place for her. When she gets out, all your support will be greatly appreciated. We will be doing a lot of family counseling, etc. to get ready to welcome her back home. So, all in all, at least a decision is final and we know what's going to happen. We love Alyx and just so want her to be happy and be a part of our family. She says to tell everyone hi and she loves you all so much!

For greater news, Calli is almost adopted! We will go in front of the judge next week and he will sign her papers, and then that's that- she officially belongs to Chris AND me!!! I'm super excited for this, and it's a really big deal to Calli, so we are going to do a little something to celebrate after wards. I feel so extremely blessed to have all these wonderful little souls in my life, and I am so thankful to have met their daddy- what a wonderful gift to give me for marrying him!

Oktoberfest!!!

OH wow- Oktoberfest was quite the whirlwind!!! A couple of months ago, our friend Chad and I decided to surprise Chris for an early birthday present by taking him to Leavenworth, WA for their annual Oktoberfest. This is a little bavarian town in the middle of Washington- it feels like you were dropped into the middle of Germany though! All the townspeople wear German clothing, all the buildings are German style- even McDonalds... and everyone is there to have a good time- apparently another tradition is crazy hats- there are hat booths everywhere and I hardly ever saw the same hat twice on all those people. All in all, a great weekend getaway with friends, and I think Chris had a wonderful time!! The pictures are of the Maipole- yes, that's how it is spelled- then there was an awesome Christmas store called Kris Kringl- amazing stuff!, and we also took pics of the dancers, yodelers, and Cowbell girls... they were from Munich- very entertaining!

Happy 5th Anniversay to Us!!!

I can't believe it has been five years since Chris and I got married! How time flies when you're having..... life! (and fun).... We had a terrific day- Chris woke up super early and snuck out to get me breakfast in bed- flowers, candles, the whole shabang.... Then- my Mom would be so proud- we got up, got the kids ready for the day and did yardwork! We all worked together and got the back yard in top shape again- it was a little overdue.... After that- we took the kids to Karen and Sandra's- their favorite babysitters- and we were FREE!!! Chris has been working at the Spokane Fair this week for his company- so we used his pass and went to the fair without kids- quite fun! We rode some very scary rides, got our picture done by a cartoonist, and wandered around people-watching.... all in all, a very great day.

I love you Chris- you are my best friend forever and I want to grow old and wrinkly with you! Thank you for marrying me and giving me the most wonderful children a mom could ask for!!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL- MAMA'S ON VACATION NOW!

Ah, the first day of school has arrived!!! Teagyn and Calli are now both in school- Calli started third grade (can't believe it) and Teags started preschool..... Calli would like you to notice her very cool black boots and new dress, and Teags had a great first day. I picked her up and took her out to lunch today and she said she didn't want to go back because she couldn't remember all the kids names, but we talked it out! She is in the Bluebirds class, and Calli's teacher is Mrs. Gutz. So, all in all a great first day so far- Calli is due home anytime and we will hear all about it. Love you all- it was a very nice day for me too- got more work done in the fastest time ever without any little ones here!