Quick Update

Okay, I know that I've been terrible about blogging. And there are many reasons for that. I might get into those reasons later. But for now, an update.

We have moved! We moved into our house in Tumwater on October 2nd. We were blessed to have friends and family on hand to help us load our stuff from our storage unit and unload it into our new house. The move went quite smoothly - it helps that everything was already in one place (the storage unit) and was unloaded into a 1-story house (and most just went into the garage). We are slowly settling in, refusing to stress about the boxes left to unpack. Our motto is "They'll still be there tomorrow!" We are lucky to have a very large garage, so even though we have plenty left to unpack we are already able to park both cars in the garage. And with the change in the weather last week, we are very glad to be parking inside!

Ernie is staying home with the girls Monday through Thursday while I work 10-hour days. I have Fridays at home to spend with the girls, freeing Ernie to substitute teach on Fridays. Fridays are the most requested day for subs, and I get to miss the Friday evening traffic. It really is a win-win for us!

Sophia started preschool at Olympia High School. The high school offers an early childhood education class, and the preschool is their learning lab. Sophia has school Monday through Thursday in the afternoons. She loves it and is learning so much!

Kaitlyn is growing like a weed, and wants so much to be like her big sister. She adds new words to her vocabulary all the time - more than Sophia at this age. She loves to dance and be read to, and is a bit mischievous. She and Sophia have both enjoyed unpacking the boxes of toys - it's like Christmas came early!

And for those interested in pictures of the new house - they are coming.

What's This?

It's not even Halloween yet and already a Black Friday ad has been "leaked" on the internet? Yes, indeed, today is a good day. :)

I Can't Sleep

I haven't posted much to the blog in awhile, and I have to admit, there won't be much posting to come in the near future. I have a lot going on right now and updating the blog isn't even on the radar for the to-do list.

So, what's going on? And why can't I sleep? Where should I start?

We sold the Ferndale house. Yay! And while that is a good thing, the sale has not been an easy one. We agreed to an offer that leaves us with writing a check at closing just to make it happen. Not ideal, but it gets us out of that house and able to move on. Then we got the inspection report, and we had to replace the siding in order to get the appraisal to pass. Another check to write for a house we will no longer own or live in. (Sigh) And we have yet to receive the final appraisal report, so there may still be some things to do. We should find out later today. Please keep your fingers crossed for good news! We are scheduled to close no later than September 17th, and all parties are interested in moving that date up if possible. I'm not sure I will believe it until I sign on the dotted line. There have been so many setbacks in selling this house.

We bought a house in Olympia. Yay! Oh my, I just realized that I haven't yet posted the details. Here is the listing online if you'd like to take a look. We are scheduled to close on this purchase on September 28th. We had the inspection on Saturday and will likely ask for a few repairs or allowances to make the repairs ourselves. Nothing major, but things we are not willing to let go. So now I have a move to coordinate, with belongings coming from our storage unit mostly, but of course we have some things at Ernie's parents' house too. Thankfully, I don't have an entire house to pack!

In the midst of real estate transactions, my mom is having brain surgery. Yikes! She has a benign tumor affecting the hearing center in her brain. She has had trouble with her hearing for years and just recently was able to get a diagnosis. I will accompany her to her pre-operative appointments this week, and will transport her to and from Swedish Medical Center in Seattle next week. After she returns home, she will be very limited in her activities. I am working on coordinating meals and visits for her recovery, and Ernie and I will fill in the gaps. Prayers for a successful surgery and quick recovery are appreciated.

And at work, I'm coming up on a big deadline, with lots left to finish.

So put all of this together and I wake up many nights around 3AM, unable to turn off my brain and go back to sleep. I've made many to-do lists, I've scheduled out everything that I can, but there are just so many variables that I can't plan for. And it's the variables that keep me up at night.

WE SOLD THE HOUSE!!!!!

That's right folks - we have a signed purchase and sale agreement for our Ferndale house! After having it on the market for 17 months and nearly giving up (seriously, we hired a property manager to rent it out) we got an offer, countered, and they accepted our counter-offer! Now we just need to wait for the inspection and appraisal, and then all should be good to close in mid-September. To say we're excited is an extreme understatement. We're so excited we can't come up with words to express it.

Now we get to start searching for our next home in the Olympia area!

Fia’s Favorites, May 31, 2010

Computer Game: Farmville (on Ernie’s Facebook account)
TV Show: The Backyardigans (on Nickelodeon)
Movie: Bolt
Book: Disney Princesses
Song: Thomas The Train theme song
Board Game: Zingo
Inside Toy: Thomas Trains
Outside Toy: Sidewalk Chalk
Place to Go: Pacific Science Center
With Kaitlyn: Rock Katy
Art Project: Draw pictures with markers


(So, why the date? Because it is our theory that another day she will come up with entirely different favorites. It will be interesting to see how her responses change.)

What’s New with Kaitlyn?

A LOT!!! I am just amazed by how much she has changed and learned in the past few months. She has grown out of her 9-month size clothes and is even starting to grow out of some of the 12-month size clothes. She is learning new tricks and showing more personality every day.

Katy started with cruising along furniture, only when we would set her up, and only to the left (please no political jokes), and then would cry when she got to the end of the couch because she didn’t know what to do next. Now she will pull herself up, cruise both left and right, and move back to crawling when she’s ready. Katy has started standing for a few seconds on her own when we let go of her hands before carefully sitting down. Then, on Saturday, she took her first step! She has taken more steps since then, but only a few at a time. I have a feeling she’s going to just take off one day soon!

Katy is turning into a climber, which we are actively discouraging. She has figured out that if she climbs on top of a toy bin that she can reach higher heights. Oy. I sense an ER trip in her future.

Kaitlyn’s communication skills have increased dramatically. She has learned the signs for all done, more, and please. It is so wonderful to be able to communicate with her. She can verbally say “more”, has a word for “cat”, and tells us what the monkey says.

Katy’s favorites lately include Yo Gabba Gabba on Nickelodeon, reading books by herself, doing whatever Sophia is doing, playing in water, and playing at the music table. She also likes to play with the alphabet magnets whenever she is allowed in the kitchen.

We Went to the Zoo, Zoo, Zoo

Sophia’s preschool class took a field trip to Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma and we made it a family affair. I rode the train with Sophia, which was such a treat. She loved every minute of it – the anticipation of waiting for the train to arrive, watching the other trains go by, riding the train and seeing the sights outside the window. I love the picture of her boarding. Doesn’t it look like she’s ready to take on the world?

Ernie took Kaitlyn in the car and they met us at the train station in Tacoma and we all drove to the zoo from there. We had a picnic lunch at the zoo with some of the other families from preschool, and then headed off to explore.

We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather! The sun was shining, but it wasn’t too hot and there was a nice breeze. We had a great time seeing the animals. We were lucky enough to be at the walrus exhibit when it was time for a demonstration. We watched them eat, get their teeth brushed, and talk to the crowd. I was so proud of Sophia for being brave enough to ask one of the handlers a question. She asked how the walrus eat. The answer was that they swallow their fish and clam meat whole.

The bummer of the afternoon was when we discovered that we had lost Sophia’s sunglasses. She was upset that she had made a mistake. We looked at the pictures we had taken to determine where we might have lost them. Alas, we never found them. Sophia found consolation in an ice cream cone and we replaced her sunglasses the next day.

Easter 2010

We counted down to Easter for quite a few sleeps, and to say Sophia was excited would be an understatement, for sure. She was so excited for all of it – dyeing eggs, finding hidden eggs, seeing what the Easter Bunny would bring her. We also talked about the meaning of Easter and that Jesus died for our sins but came back to life and then went to Heaven to live with God. (The raising from the dead brought up a lot of questions about why others couldn’t come back to life, specifically her Great Grandma Betty. Those were tough.)

We dyed eggs on Saturday with Grandma Shari, Nana, and Papa. Sophia loved it. Katy even got a chance to dye one egg, and the moment I was slightly distracted she dumped the dye all over herself. Oh well.


Sunday morning, Sophia and Kaitlyn hunted for eggs in the living room. Sophia looked for the real eggs, and Kaitlyn hunted for plastic eggs that were filled with bunny crackers.


Then it was time to check out the Easter baskets. Sophia was so excited that the Easter Bunny brought her Trix cereal and a big chocolate bunny. Kaitlyn had a stacking car toy in her basket, as well as Gerber puff treats (they look like Cheetos Puffs) with cinnamon and maple. She smells like an IHOP every time she eats any.

After all of the morning festivities were done, we went to church, and then to Ernie’s aunt and uncle’s house in Port Orchard. The Hamiltons have goats, and one had kids this spring. Sophia was able to help feed the kids. (Unfortunately, I chose the wrong lens for the camera and was too zoomed in to get a good picture of her and the goat at the same time.) We had a wonderful visit with Ernie’s family, and a super-yummy dinner. Thanks again, Hamiltons, for your warm hospitality.

A Joyful Celebration!

We made our longest journey yet as a family of four to Milton-Freewater, Oregon, the weekend of March 13th. Six hours in the car each way was definitely worth it. We were able to attend the Welcome Home party for Ernie’s uncle, Nels Hadden. He had returned home from being in the hospital for over a year after a spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the chest down. He spent a few months in ICU in Portland before moving to Craig Hospital in Denver. Craig Hospital specializes in rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injuries. (It’s the hospital where Christopher Reeve went for his rehabilitation.) At Craig Hospital, Nels and his family received help in adjusting to his paralysis, and learned how to provide for his medical care. Toward the end of his stay at Craig, Nels was able to start physical therapy and gain some movement and control in his upper arms!

Nels was injured when he was hit by a car while he was assisting a motorist who had lost control on the ice and flipped her car. As he was setting out flares to warn other motorists, he was struck by a car that lost control on the same patch of ice that caused the original accident. Helping others is part of who Nels is, and despite his injuries, he says that he would do it all over again.

We left at 7:00 on Saturday morning and headed toward Milton-Freewater. We made it to the party at 1:30pm. We made a few pit stops for bathroom breaks and snacks. We were nervous about potty problems for Sophia because we knew there would be long stretches without places to stop to use the bathroom. I am happy to report that we had absolutely no trouble!

After the party, and time spent with the Haddens at their new, wheelchair-accessible home in Walla Walla, we checked in at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. It was Katy’s first hotel stay, and she did great. Of course, it helps that she was exhausted! Sophia was excited to stay in a hotel – she got to help Ernie get ice and buy a soda from the vending machine. Her favorite part was pushing the buttons in the elevator. (Thankfully, it was only four stories so we didn’t have an “Elf” incident.)

We had a great trip and were so glad to celebrate with the Haddens. Welcome Home, Nels!

What’s New with the House?

Well, I’d much rather this post be titled, “We Sold the House” but that post will have to wait for a bit longer. We have had steady interest in our house – it has shown over 60 times since it went on the market nearly a year ago. According to our realtor, that is a very good number. Unfortunately, none of the interest in looking at the house has turned into an interest in making a realistic offer on the house. We have had one offer that was so low we couldn’t afford to accept it, another verbal offer that was lower than that, and a lease-option offer that was rescinded within 24 hours.

After much thought, deliberation, and prayer, we have decided to hire a contractor to do some sprucing-up at the house. Of all the feedback we’ve received on the house thus far, we have consistently heard that it requires too much work. So, we’ve decided to do some of that work and hope that it’s enough to entice someone to make an offer.

The other story with the house is that we saw a 2000% increase in our electricity bill in January. We went from using 4-6 KWH per day to using 80 KWH per day. Since the house is vacant and we only have a few lights on, we couldn’t figure out why we would be using that much energy. (Ernie came up with a great scenario – that one of our neighbors was using an extension cord plugged into our exterior outlet to run their marijuana growing operation. The real story wasn’t nearly so exciting.) It turns out that when a previous owner replaced the original electric baseboard heat with a natural gas furnace, the wiring wasn’t disconnected properly. We think that someone who looked at the house turned the knobs on the thermostats in the house, kicking on the power. Once the breakers for the electric baseboard heat were flipped off, the power usage has returned to the low normal of 4-6 KWH per day.

Please pray with us that there will be a new post very soon entitled "We Sold the House!"

Subby Subby Subby, Can’t You See?

That’s what Ernie’s phone says when the sub service calls to see if he’s available to substitute teach in Thurston County. And it says that a lot! Unfortunately for the students in Thurston County, he is usually already spoken-for by a teacher in Lewis County. And since he likes to teach Special Education, he is in high demand. Sometimes he has multiple teachers request that he sub in their classrooms for the same days. (Usually because all of the special ed teachers sign up for the same workshops.)

There have been many positives to Ernie substitute teaching. His schedule has been very flexible, which has come in handy more than once! He has been able to get a feel for which school districts he likes best in terms of philosophy, size, and location. (Let’s be clear – he hasn’t found a district he doesn’t like, just some are in better locations than others.) His choice to teach elementary special education has been affirmed, and more than once! Ernie has taught at all grade levels, from pre-school to post-high school special education. (There is a program in Lewis County that helps 18-21-year-old special ed students transition to living independently.) He has taught special education (life skills and resource room), art & music (I’ll wait while you laugh out loud at the thought of Ernie teaching art & music), health, home economics, band, and Spanish. And through all of these varied experiences, Ernie has felt most fulfilled teaching in elementary special education classrooms.

We are very grateful that he has had these experiences, and for the bonus income it has provided. We are hopeful that God will lead us to a permanent teaching position for next school year.

Katy at Nine Months

Kaitlyn had her 9-month well-child check up yesterday morning and is healthy as a horse! She’s 17 lbs 6 oz, putting her in the 25th percentile for weight, and 28 inches long, putting her in the 65th percentile for height. The doctor was very happy with her development – she passed her tests with flying colors.

While Katy may not be gaining weight at the same pace she was previously, it is not for lack of eating. This kid can eat! She’s eating baby foods and has started eating finger foods as well. We’re also giving her tastes of table foods, and she gets so excited to eat what the rest of the family is having. Dinner time is much easier now that she can eat with us!

So, what else is new with Katy? Katy is sitting up by herself, army crawling, and moving from crawling to sitting with ease. And man, is she fast! She makes a bee-line for the cats’ food and water dishes, and would love to have access to the power strip with all of the electrical cords sticking out of it. (Don’t worry, it’s blocked!)

Learning to crawl means that Katy is quickly learning the word “No.” And in typical baby fashion, she is testing to see if we mean it. And we do. And when she finally realizes that we mean it, she lets us know her displeasure. (And we had to laugh the other day when she cried after being told “no” and Sophia explained that crying wasn’t going to change mommy’s mind. At least one child has learned that lesson!)

As Katy gets bigger and more mobile, we are learning just how different she is from Sophia. With Sophia, we never worried if the house got quiet – we knew that she was just playing quietly or reading. With Kaitlyn, quietness means that she has gotten into something forbidden. Katy is very curious, where Sophia was very cautious. Sophia was so cautious that she often waited to try new things until she was sure she could be safe doing them. She is still that way. Sophia was very aware of where her body was and rarely bumped her head or hurt herself at all as she moved around. Katy is not so aware, and not so cautious, so I have a feeling she’ll be the one to break a bone first. Or get her head stuck in something. Or taste a chemical. Not to be mischievous, but to try and figure things out.

Katy loves to play Peekaboo and has recently figured out how to initiate the game herself. The giggles that come with a game of Peekaboo are priceless. Katy also loves to read books that have texture. I’ve never seen a baby enjoy “Pat the Bunny” as much as Katy does.

We so enjoy watching Katy grow and learn, even if it means watching her grow up.

What Happened to February?

I realized as I sat down to update the blog that I completely missed February. Life has been so busy, yet I can't remember what we did in February. It was so busy it passed by in a blur. So I'm cutting my losses and skipping February. Moving on to March and bringing you all up-to-date on the going-on in the Dickason family.

Okay, I'll share one picture from February. For President's Day weekend, we visited some friends in Whatcom county and checked on the house. While visiting the Williams family, the kids (Mia, Sophia, Aidan, l-r) decided to form a band and gave a performance. It was a (not-so-Quiet) riot!

Sophia at 4

My goodness, where have the last four years gone? I cannot believe that Sophia is FOUR! She amazes us daily with her wit, imagination, observation, and brilliance.

Sophia had her well-child check the day after her birthday and is doing great! She was a little nervous that she would need a shot, but was glad to hear that she could put off any shots until next year. (We’ll see how she feels about that decision next year!) She is 44 inches tall and weighs 35 pounds.

Fia is desperate to read. She recently read her first word – no. Sophia still loves puzzles and is able to complete 60+ piece puzzles by herself, but is overwhelmed by 100 piece puzzles and asks for help. Well, actually, she delegates. For instance, she put together Tinkerbell, and told me I was to put together the other fairy. Sophia is a great helper – she likes to help Nana in the kitchen, she helps me with laundry, and loves to help Katy to stop crying.

We are convinced that Sophia’s imagination is endless! Just last night she found her reindeer antlers in her dress-up bin and decided to be Blitzen for the evening. She even had carrots for snack, since that’s what reindeer eat. Also, Sophia is quite funny, though often without meaning to be. She loves a good knock-knock joke (and who doesn’t?) and watching “the hurting show” which is known by most as “America’s Funniest Home Videos”.

We so love Sophia and all of the fun that she adds to our life!

The Princess Party

Since this summer, Sophia has been talking about having a princess cake for her birthday. We went ahead with plans for a princess-themed party. Those who know me, know how much I love a theme party. I count it as something that Tori Spelling and I have in common. I don’t have quite the party budget she has, but I think we share the same affinity for theme parties.

To date, all of Sophia’s birthday parties have been held in our home. This year, we are living with Ernie’s parents and I decided that we needed to have her party elsewhere. I just couldn’t ask to have Sophia’s party there. They had done more than their fair share of entertaining in the previous three months. We looked into available facilities in our area, and most were located within or near parks. Parks with toys to climb on. We ruled out those facilities because, figuring it would be cold and/or raining, we didn’t want to spend the entire party denying kids the chance to play on those toys. We settled on the multi-purpose room at the train depot in Centralia.

Once we settled on the location, I tried a few times to convince Sophia that she should have a Thomas the Tank Engine-themed party. Remember how much I like a theme? I thought it would be more fitting to have a train-themed party at the train station. But no, Sophia had made up her mind and was not about to budge. It killed me that I couldn’t plan a train party for the train station, but I was not about to ruin her party just because I am a bit (A BIT?) OCD.

So we had a princess party at the train depot. We had foam crowns for the kids to decorate and giant princess pictures to color. We were able to keep the kids entertained for quite awhile with those activities. Next came cake and ice cream, and then it was time to open presents. Sophia received wonderful gifts and remembered to say thank you most of the time! We had a great turnout and were so excited to have many family members in attendance, as well as some friends, and Sophia’s preschool classmates. It was a great party!

A Week of Birthdays

Wow was it a week of celebration in the Dickason family! First, I turned 31 (OMG I’m officially in my 30s!) on Sunday, January 10th. Ernie’s parents were kind enough to watch the girls so that Ernie and I could go out for dinner on Saturday night to celebrate. We went to Red Robin in Olympia so that I could enjoy my free “Birthday Burger” and hot fudge sundae. It was all quite yummy, and the wait staff was kind enough to spare me the singing and humiliation. On Sunday, Ernie got up with the girls so that I could sleep in. I cannot believe how long I slept, but I obviously needed it! Ernie and Sophia brought me breakfast in bed – a mocha and a maple bar. I had a very relaxing day, and ended it with dinner of my choosing, cooked by Ernie’s mom. I chose meatloaf, company potatoes, and corn. Ernie’s dad threw in homemade French bread as a bonus. Now, I know most of you are thinking “She ASKED for meatloaf? Isn’t that a punishment rather than a birthday dinner?”, but you haven’t had this meatloaf. It is amazingly good. For dessert we had white cake with rainbow chip frosting. Yum.

So then on Tuesday, January 12th, it was Sophia’s turn for a birthday. She turned 4. I am still in denial that I have a 4-year-old. What has happened to the last four years? We started the celebration early with breakfast in bed – hot chocolate and a doughnut with sprinkles. She also was allowed to open one birthday present from us, and Nana & Papa let her open all of the presents they bought for her. Since it was a school day, we took treats to school so she could celebrate with her friends. For dinner she chose to go to Applebee’s. We thought for sure she’d choose McDonalds or Burger King, but she surprised us! It was a fun day for everyone.

On Thursday, January 14th, we celebrated Ernie’s grandpa’s birthday. He requested chicken tortilla casserole for dinner. Unfortunately, I was late for dinner because I was gathering supplies for Sophia’s birthday party (more on that later). But I did make it home in time for dessert – angel food cake.

We ended the week with Sophia’s birthday party…

2010 is Here!

And with it comes absolutely no resolutions. I do not like to make New Year’s Resolutions because really, I’m just setting myself up for failure. I don’t know of anyone who has made and kept a New Year’s Resolution. (If you have, please let me know by leaving a comment. I’d love to hear about it. Might renew my faith in resolutions.)

However, 2010 does come with hope for a better future. We hope that our house will sell soon. We hope that we’ll be able to find another home we like and settle in as a family of four. We hope that Ernie will find full-time employment as a special education teacher. I hope to work off the last few pounds and inches from pregnancy and fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes again.

And I hope for you, dear blog readers, that 2010 brings great blessings to you and your families.

Christmas, Round 4….or Ham, Round 3

On the Monday following Christmas, Patty invited her sisters and their families over for a potluck dinner. We ate ham, scalloped potatoes, baked beans, and rolls. After dinner came two choices for dessert, cake and banana pudding. We were glad to finally meet Ernie’s cousin’s girlfriend and their daughter. Arianna is 19 months old and we had yet to meet her! She is a doll and was curious about everything.

We enjoyed our time together with Ernie’s family. However, we were sad to see our Christmas celebrations end. I enjoyed five days off from work and was sad to see my mini-vacation come to an end as well. I was though, ready for a break from ham.

Christmas, Round 3….or Ham, Round 2

The day after Christmas, we woke up and started preparing to leave for my dad’s house. We left around noon, caravanning with my sister and her kids. Around Fife, Sophia indicated that she needed to use the restroom. We stopped at the Shell gas station and found that there was a line for the bathroom. Sophia and I high-tailed it across two very busy streets (it seemed to take FOREVER for the lights to change) to try our luck at the Chevron station. There was no line and Sophia was able to hold it until we got there. Whew! I rewarded her with a bag of M&Ms from the convenience store, and then we were on the road again.

We made it to my dad and stepmom’s house just in time for Kaitlyn’s snack at 3pm. We enjoyed ham, scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, and fruit salad. So yummy! After dinner we sat down together to open gifts. Again, Sophia was glad to help pass out gifts, but equally glad to open them also. After gifts we enjoyed dessert and relaxed. KJ, Brook and I started a puzzle, the kids played, and we watched “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I was amazed to learn that my sister had never seen it, since it is one of my dad’s favorite movies and I remember watching it multiple times each year during the holidays. I cannot figure out how she missed it. Ernie also had never seen it, and they both enjoyed it.

We stayed the night, and Sophia was excited to sleep on the floor with her cousin Samantha. She thought it was so cool to have a slumber party with the big kids. We had a relaxing morning, and KJ, Brook, and I continued working on the puzzle.

We left there late in the afternoon, and the puzzle still wasn’t done. We just couldn’t finish it and keep our sanity at the same time. (I heard two weeks later that KJ finally sat down and finished the puzzle.) We had a wonderful visit! Unfortunately, I was having such a great time that I forgot to ever get out our camera.

Christmas, Round 2….or Ham, Round 1

For our second Christmas celebration we headed out to my mom’s house for dinner and gifts. We arrived there at 3pm and spent time with my mom, my sister, and my niece and nephews. My sister and I helped my mom finish cooking dinner and then we all enjoyed a feast of ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, vegetables, and rolls. It was quite yummy!

After dinner we all sat down together to unwrap gifts. This time, Sophia had help from my sister’s kids with passing out gifts. She so enjoyed being one of the “big kids”. After gifts came dessert – pumpkin pie and birthday cake. Every year since I was pregnant with Sophia (and started hosting Christmas dinner at our house) I have baked a birthday cake for dessert on Christmas. I think it’s fitting since we are celebrating Christ’s birthday. Plus, I don’t like pie.

After dessert came an Anderson family tradition – teaching the young kids how to play poker. I remember when I was a kid, all of us cousins sitting around my grandparents’ table playing penny-ante poker. Ernie is doing his part to keep family traditions alive by teaching my sister’s kids how to play poker. Sophia sometimes likes to get in on the action, usually by organizing the poker chips. She is definitely my daughter!

For my mom and Kaitlyn, after dessert it was naptime, not poker time...

We had a lovely time with my mom, sister, and the kids. We would get (hopefully) a good night’s sleep before leaving town for Christmas, Round 3…

Christmas, Round 1

I set my alarm clock for 6:45am on Christmas morning, so that I could be sure to wake up before Sophia. I didn’t want her to discover her stocking without an adult present to capture the moment on both video and still cameras. I also wanted to make sure I was up and moving before More Papa arrived – he wanted to be there when Sophia woke up.

I got Kaitlyn up at 7am and started getting her some breakfast. Sophia was still sound asleep. Once Kaitlyn had finished breakfast, we decided it was time to wake up Sophia. More Papa was here, Ernie’s sister Becky had dragged herself out of bed early to be present, and Ernie’s parents were up as well. None of the adults had gotten much sleep, so we were a little jealous that she was still sleeping.

I went into Sophia’s room to wake her up. I asked her who had come last night while she was sleeping? She said “Aunt Becky?” Well yes, that was true, but not the answer I was looking for. I asked again and she said “More Papa?” Also true, but still not the answer I was looking for. I finally had to tell her that Santa came while she was sleeping. She then got out of bed and ran to the living room to see what Santa brought to her.

We checked out our stockings and then we all headed to the kitchen to find some breakfast. Ernie’s mom made coffee cake and a breakfast casserole. Yum! After breakfast, we reassembled in the living room to unwrap the presents that were under the tree. Sophia was a great Santa, happy to pass out presents. She was excited to learn what letter everyone’s name started with so that she could pass presents without help.

After presents were unwrapped we were able to relax for just a bit before preparing for Christmas, Round 2…

Christmas Eve 2009

Christmas Eve has it’s share of traditions in the Dickason family. This year I was able to take the day off from work and enjoy extra time with the family. We spent the day relaxing and making last-minute preparations for Christmas (read: wrapped gifts).

We then attended the 8PM Candlelight Service at church. (The Dickason family tradition has been to go to the service at 11PM. By the time we helped clean up and were ready to leave the church, it was already Christmas. It was just magical. However, with little kids, we have had to adjust a bit!) We were happy to help out at the service by lighting the advent candles. Ernie’s grandpa, Ernie’s dad and I read scripture and spoke about the meaning of each candle while Ernie and Sophia lit the candles together. Ernie’s mom stayed in the pew with Kaitlyn, who was fast asleep.

After church we returned home for more traditions. Sophia and Kaitlyn each opened two presents: Christmas pajamas and Christmas books.


With Kaitlyn snuggled in bed, Sophia and I hung the last ornament on the Advent tree and put out cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer.

At last it was time for Sophia to go to bed, and we hoped she would soon have visions of sugar-plums dancing in her head.

Katy at Six Months

It’s hard to believe that Kaitlyn is already six months old! (Okay I realize that she’s actually seven months old by the time I’m posting this info, but I’m doing my best here.)

Katy’s stats are as follows: 26 inches, 15 lb 10 oz, 49.2 cm head circumference. For those who are paying attention, her length did not change from her last appointment. We know that one of the measurements is wrong, we just aren’t sure which one. But rest assured, she grew between 4 and 6 months! We know for sure that she’s grown because she moved up a size to the 6-9 months size clothes.

Katy is trying so hard to sit up by herself and is successful for a few seconds at a time. She loves her new exersaucer, and is so proud that she can transfer toys from one hand to another.

We just love having Katy as a part of our family and can’t remember what life was like without her!

This is Why Sophia Won’t Make it in Show Business

I have had quite a few people tell me that I should get Sophia into modeling. While I agree that she is a beautiful girl, I just don’t think it’s for us. And this Christmas, I got more proof that modeling is not a good fit for Sophia.

Sophia attends Westminster Preschool, which is a ministry of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Every year the church puts on a children’s Christmas program. The preschool classes were asked to be the choir of angels and sing “Away in a Manger”. Sophia practiced and practiced and had the first verse down pat. The second verse was a little sketchy, but pretty good for a preschooler, I think.

We had rehearsal on the Thursday before the program. We went upstairs to the church sanctuary to practice and Sophia and I got separated in the crowd. She got upset and refused to go up on stage without me. So I sat on the bottom step and held her hand while she cried through the whole song.

We talked about whether or not to even go to the Christmas program. She told me that another boy in her class was going to get a candy if he went up on stage and sang. I told her she could choose a toy out of her prize bin if she went up on stage and sang without my help. Ernie and I devised a strategy where he would be the one to take her downstairs to get her costume so that she would not ask for me.

All our preparations were to no avail. Sophia would not go on stage without me. So once again I was sitting on the bottom step, holding her hand and wiping her tears while she cried through the whole song. Afterward she asked if she was brave and could she choose a prize? Are you kidding me?

Westminster Bells in Concert

Another benefit of moving back to Chehalis has been the opportunity to play with the Westminster Bells handbell choir. I started playing handbells with the children’s group in third grade. I continued, eventually joining the adult group, until I moved to Bellingham to attend college, but still joined the group for a festival one summer. The director heard I was back in town and called to see if I could help out with one song for their Christmas concert. I was happy to oblige!

I played a chimes part, along with another children’s choir alum, in one song. It was a nice way to ease back into playing handbells. I had forgotten though, how much time and work went into preparing for the Christmas concert. Whew! Boy was I glad that I only played one song!

In the picture, Sophia is helping out by shaking sleigh bells for one song. She was chosen “at random” by Grandma Shari, who also played bells in the concerts.

We played three concerts in one weekend, the same weekend as the Santa breakfast and Christmas parade. It was a full weekend, for sure. I was glad when it was over and would be able to get some time back in my schedule. I enjoyed playing with the bell choir again, and hope to return soon, but on a very limited basis!

Two Parades in One Year!

Another tradition in Chehalis is the annual Christmas parade. It was held the same day at the Santa breakfast, and marked our second parade of the year. It was a banner year for parades for the Dickason family!

I was unable to watch all of the parade, as I was in rehearsal for the bell concert (more on that later) but the rest of the family, including Ernie’s parents, were able to enjoy it. For a small community, Chehalis can put together quite a long parade. It included fire trucks, horses, classic cars, and Santa of course. But my favorite part of the parade was the LARP group.

For those unfamiliar with LARP, it stands for Live Action Role Playing. Usually, it consists of young adults (who probably live in their parents’ basements) acting out medieval scenarios in a park, complete with costumes and foam weaponry. A friend of mine in Bellingham lives near a park where a LARP group meets. She always thought they were kinda funny as she walked her dog in the park on Saturday mornings. Thinking of her, I asked Ernie to get a picture of the parade entry so that I could send it to her. Well, he wasn’t able to get the camera out fast enough, so he ran ahead along the parade route to get a picture. (If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is!) Anyway, one of the guys in the group saw Ernie taking pictures and thought he was interested, so he made sure to give Ernie a flyer. Then later he found us along the parade route and made sure Ernie knew the specifics of where and when to meet in case he wanted to join the fray. Best part of the parade for me, hands down.

Sophia had a great time and was able to score some candy. She really enjoyed seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end of the parade riding in their sleigh. Kaitlyn was a trooper, for sure. It was VERY cold that day, and she was bundled up and enjoyed being held throughout most of the parade so that the adults could make sure she stayed warm. And the adults made a note to wear warmer socks and buy hand warmers for next year!

Breakfast with Santa

We enjoyed breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 5th. For many years the Sacagawea Guild has been hosting Breakfast with Santa at the Methodist church in Chehalis as a fundraiser. I have never been before, but thought it would be fun for Sophia. She was so excited, anticipating meeting Santa and telling him her Christmas wish list.

We started with a lovely breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and sausage. Once we were finished eating, it was time to meet Santa. We were able to take a few pictures of the girls with Santa. Honestly, I was a little bummed that Kaitlyn didn’t cry. I was really looking forward to a picture of her screaming her head off on Santa’s lap. Oh well.

After we finished with Santa, Sophia realized something. Santa hadn’t asked her what she wanted for Christmas. She was so concerned! We decided we would send him an email when we got home, and that satisfied her worries.

Breakfast with Santa was yummy and a great way to kick off the holiday season!