Christmas in Oregon

We had a great Christmas in Oregon. Having been there so recently we weren't thrilled about the drive, but it went great due to good weather and a super travelling toddler. We left around 1pm and arrived around 1am Christmas Eve. We got some sleep and then celebrated Christmas Eve with Jim's family.

We did stockings first and Emmett was content with the first gift he opened out of it. However, once he realized that we got to open everything, he quickly developed a need for more! After stockings we had breakfast and visited and made Emmett take a nap.

Emmett loved playing with his cousins and even though they tire him out, he didn't want to nap. We had a great lunch and then opened presents. It was wonderful to give and receive so many fun things, Emmett especially loved his microphone and cordless drill.

On Christmas day we went over to my parents' and caught a break in the rain. We headed for the park and it was a good thing since it proceeded to rain most of the rest of our trip.

Jim's parents came over for dinner that night and we delayed our family's "Christmas" until the next day when Mikaylee could join us.

The 26th we went to church with Jim's parents. After Emmett's nap we went to my family's Christmas and had a great time giving and receiving even more fun things. It was nice to spread presents out, it can be a little overwhelming.

The 27th is Jim's mom's birthday. We spent some time in downtown Corvallis with her shopping and letting Emmett play at a really fun toy store. We took her out to dinner and then to a surprise party for her 60th birthday. Jim's sister did a great job planning and preparing a wonderful party and we got her there completely unaware.

Jim's cousin is a sheriff and stopped by while he was on duty. Emmett was totally in awe of him and so excited to get a sheriff sticker!

Tuesday we moved to my parent's and Wednesday my mom and I got to spend the whole day shopping (Thanks to Mikaylee for babysitting). We went to Portland and had a really great time. While we were away Jim installed the studded tires that we had bought off Craigslist. We found them before the trip and Jim's parents went out to pick them up for us. They were a great deal, but it meant having to haul four tires back with us in addition to everything else.

Thursday we took a trip to Eugene. We were hoping to connect with my Grandma and Aunt, but it didn't end up working out. We still had a good time and got to see Mikaylee's apartment. Friday was New Year's Eve and we had a fun day. We took Emmett to a "bounce house" with lots of huge inflatable toys. Then we spent some time at Jim's parents and then went to the train station to pick up Mark, Mikaylee's boyfriend.

In the evening my parents had some friends over and of course great food! The party moved to another location around 9pm and Jim and I used the time to pack up and relax. We didn't make it until midnight, but something woke Emmett up then (maybe the fireworks) so I ended up being awake.

Saturday we finished packing up and went up to Salem to visit Jim's sister and her family for a bit. They got Wii Rockband and Emmett was very interested in playing the drums. It was fun to spend some time with them, and then we were off to Portland to go to the ZooLights display.

It was very cold, the humidity there makes 30 degrees with a breeze almost unbearable for me, even dressed warmly. We got there with a little daylight left and hurried around to see the animals before it got dark. The cold weather meant many of the animals weren't out, but it was still fun. Then the lights started coming on and they were amazing.

Emmett was insistent about riding the train, which is a great way to see the lights. The line was long and it was chilly, but we survived and ended up having a great time.

We went to my Aunt and Uncle's for dinner and my cousins were able to make it too. It was a great time of visiting. We are so blessed by our families in Oregon and just love spending time there. It is always too short to do everything we'd like, and yet we are always ready to come home, we love our lives in Idaho too. We headed out of Portland at 4am and had a smooth trip back. Now we are trying to unpack, undecorate from Christmas, declutter the toy stash, transition Emmett to his new room and transition back to our normal routine. Oh, and I'm trying to study for a registry exam to take this month and then there is also the little detail of trying to get ready for a baby due in less than 9 weeks!