Stuffing and Shopping

We hosted Thanksgiving dinner for my mom's side of the family. It was so great to have most of that group together - it had been a long time. It was just so fun to have everyone around the table, remembering old times, and carrying on traditions. I wish I'd thought to take some pictures during the day - but I was just having too much fun to remember the camera! We had 15 people for dinner, plus two more for dessert. Our house was full and I loved it! Another reason I'm glad to be living in Olympia is how close we are to our families and how easy it is to host family events.

The day after Thanksgiving was quite a day in itself. My sister had stayed over at our house so that she and I could hit the sales on Black Friday. And boy did we hit the sales! Yes, we're the crazy ones who got up at 2:30 AM so we could be at Kohl's at 3 AM. (Well, I got up a little earlier to make coffee - see below.) I'm not so crazy to go earlier than that and stand in line waiting for the doors to open. That's where I draw the line. No, I prefer to be fashionably late and arrive about ten minutes after the doors open. Sure, it's harder to find a cart but I prefer not to get trampled.

I have to admit though, that I almost lost my mind and my manners at one point. I was looking for the Toy Story Mr. Potato Head pack at Kohl's that was a really good price. My sister and I both were unable to find it, and I was bummed. And then I saw one just sitting there, in an unattended cart. The thought went through my mind that maybe someone else changed their mind and just left it there. And maybe I could take it. And then I came to my senses and realized that no one got up at that hour to just leave a cart of goodies behind. Whew! That was a close one.

Anyway, after Kohl's, Target, and Fred Meyer we were shopped out and headed home for a nap. After my nap the crazy hadn't worn off, and I got on a ladder and hung up our exterior Christmas lights. Ernie told me I was crazy, and he was partially right. But the sky was clear and I had no plans for the daylight hours - it was a perfect time to hang Christmas lights in my opinion.

I think on Saturday I finally was able to get most of the Thanksgiving dishes washed, thanks to help from my sister. It is my rule to wash the dishes the day after a big dinner. My motto is "The dishes will be here tomorrow, my family will not." I choose to put off washing dishes so that I can spend time with my family. I clean up just enough to serve dessert and not attract flies, and then leave the rest until later.

We had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. One thing I was thankful for was being able to share time with family.

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.

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.

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?

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!

Thank You Veterans!

I want to take a moment to thank all of the men and women who are serving or have served our country. I do not take for granted the sacrifices you and your families have made to provide freedoms for me and the rest of my fellow Americans.

I was lucky enough to celebrate Veterans Day this year with Ernie’s grandpa. He served in the Army during the Korean War. He decided to take Applebee’s up on their offer of a free meal for veterans, and we joined him along with Ernie’s parents. It was amazing to see how many veterans were there, and the sincere appreciation everyone showed them.

Halloween 2009

For Halloween weekend, we headed north to Ferndale to visit some friends. We spent the weekend with our friends the Jacobys, who have two boys the same ages as our girls. We were also lucky enough to visit with some other friends while we were in town. Friday night we had dinner with the Williams family and Sophia had a great time playing with her friends Mia and Aidan (Sophia and Aidan were born four days apart). Saturday morning the Wiebusches hosted us for breakfast – yummy pancakes, sausage, and hash browns. It was so wonderful to catch up with everyone!

And then it was time for Halloween! And doesn't Kaitlyn just look psyched?

Sophia dressed up as a poodle again this year. Her poodle costume from last year still fit, and I couldn’t justify buying another costume if she already had one that fit. Plus, she asked to be a dog this year anyway, so it was an easy sell (though she would have preferred the Dalmatian costume from Old Navy).

Kaitlyn wore her “Baby’s First Halloween” outfit, which turns out is the same outfit her friend Logan had. They looked so cute together! When it was time to go outside, we put Katy in her bundle up outfit that looks like a pink bear. So she kinda had a costume. But she wasn’t trick-or-treating anyway, so it really didn’t matter.

And I just couldn't resist posting this picture of Ernie with Kaitlyn "trick-or-treating" in the front pack. Aren't they cute?


The Jacobys live in a very nice development that has nice sidewalks, is well-lit, and has little car traffic. It is a great place for trick-or-treating. And let me tell you, cute little kids clean up when it comes to Halloween candy. Their buckets were full quickly – just about the time they ran out of steam. It was perfect timing. Sophia and Nolan had a great time and got quite a haul. (And at the rate we’re going, Sophia’s candy stash might just last until Christmas!)

Let the Carving Begin!

Once we had our pumpkins, it was time to carve them. Sophia and Ernie had practice the night before. They attended Dad’s Night at Sophia’s preschool, where the dads help the kids carve the pumpkins that they picked at the patch on their field trip. Sophia chose to carve her school pumpkin into a cat face with whiskers. So when it came time to carve our family pumpkins, she insisted on more cat faces. Ernie and I didn’t have any better ideas, so we decided to make a pumpkin cat family.


We ran into a few problems with pumpkin carving this year. The first was that when Ernie cut the top off of the large pumpkin, the hole ended up not being quite big enough, and it was impossible to gut it. Ernie ended up cutting another hole in the bottom so that the guts could be removed. Then, when attempting to gut the pumpkin, Ernie discovered that he is allergic to pumpkin guts and broke out into a rash. But, stud that he is, he persevered and gutted both pumpkins. Sophia helped with the pumpkin guts, and even Katy got in on the action. Then I stepped in and carved the faces. We ended up with three pumpkin cats – large, medium, and small.

Pumpkin Patch 2009

We have an annual tradition of choosing a pumpkin straight from the pumpkin patch. This year was no exception. We had a tip from a local friend to go to the patch on Goodrich Road in Centralia. We found out that the owners of the farm are good friends with Ernie’s grandparents, so we were glad we had chosen it.

Our first order of business was to find a good pumpkin. We scoured the patch and found one that was just the right size, was nice and round, and had a good stem. Here is Sophia with our find:


We also found a small pumpkin for Katy. We immediately purchased them and took them back to the car – we didn’t want anyone else to find them and buy them first! Then we went back to the patch and enjoyed what it had to offer.

First, a few photo ops:

Here is Sophia with the "ladybug"


Here is Kaitlyn on her pumpkin perch (not the pumpkin we bought for her, just a random one in the patch)


Then Sophia rode the barrel pull ride, and we just enjoyed the sunshine. It was a wonderful day!

First Bunnies of the Season!

Or as Sophia would say, the “rabbit candy”. My mom and I had a tradition when I was younger that we continue today, and it centers around Palmer Chocolate Bunnies. Once Valentines Day was over, we were on the lookout for them. We would stop at RiteAid (it was Payless then) on our way home from church, and if they had chocolate bunnies, we would each get one and eat them on the way home. To this day, as soon as chocolate bunnies are in the stores, we buy one for each of us and share with each other.

Well, I decided it was time to get Sophia started on this wonderful tradition. I was walking through the store and saw them, and bought three – one for my mom, one for Sophia, and one for me. Mom took hers home to enjoy, and Sophia and I enjoyed ours for a bedtime snack (only after eating a good dinner, of course). What a treat! Sophia had so much fun eating her entire “rabbit candy”, and I had so much fun sharing the experience with her (well, and eating my own bunny too!).

Valentines Schmalentines!

Around here Valentines Day is just known as February 14th. In our married years we have not celebrated Valentines Day. We feel it's important to show our love for each other every day of the year, not just on one specific day. I would much rather get flowers (or ice cream!) from Ernie on a random day because he was thinking of me, than get me flowers on Valentines Day because he's "supposed to".

Don't get me wrong, we think it's great that other people celebrate. It's just not our thing. We hope that everyone, whether you celebrate Vday or not, feels loved and appreciated.

Happy New Year!

2009 is officially here! We had a lovely New Year's Eve with our friends Aaron and Shannon. None of us had made any plans, so at the last minute we decided to get together for dinner, games, and to watch the ball drop. We let the kids stay up until about 8:30, and they even got to have a few sips of sparkling cider to help celebrate. Not that they knew what we were celebrating, but they enjoyed the treat!

I stopped at Target on my way home for a few things and bought the 25th Anniversary Edition of Trivial Pursuit (thanks to a suggestion from a taxpayer). It has three levels of difficulty on the questions - easy, medium, and hard - which is decided by the roll of the dice. I am usually very competitive, especially when it comes to board games (I'm not proud to admit it, but I have been known to call people names if they beat me at games). But not last night. Most Competitive award goes to Ernie! He got so upset when he missed a question, when he thought it was obvious that he knew the answer but just wasn't complete in his answer or misspoke. We told him that with all of his do-overs, he would get an asterisk if he won. No worries about that though, as Aaron won handily.

We finished our game in time to watch some of the festivities from around the world, and watched the ball drop. We hung out for a bit more, and then headed home. We were bummed when Sophia woke up at normal time, but she was nice enough to enjoy a movie and eat breakfast while we snoozed for a bit longer.

We are excited to see what 2009 has to offer our family. We wish you all the best in the new year!

Christmas!

Christmas started bright and early, as it does when young children live in the house! My alarm went off around 6:45 so that I could get breakfast going. Then Sophia woke up and was ready to see what Santa had brought for her. Unfortunately, Ernie's sister and brother-in-law were running late due to the additional few inches of snow that had fallen overnight. We all took turns keeping Sophia occupied in her room until they arrived and we were ready to open presents.

Sophia LOVED the train set that Santa brought for her. Notice in the picture that her stocking is still full, sitting in the middle of the train table. We had to distract her from the train set just to get her to open more presents. I say Santa knew what he was doing, bringing her the train set!

While Sophia was occupied with Thomas and friends, the adults (Ernie's parents, grandparents, sister and brother-in-law, Ernie and me) went to work on breakfast - cinnamon butter braids. They are SO delicious! I buy them every year from whatever kid I can find that is selling them for a fundraiser. Another Christmas tradition in the Dickason house!

My mom came over for a couple of hours in the morning before heading to Portland to spend a few days with my sister and her kids. We had a relaxing morning of opening presents and eating treats. My dad and step-mom came over in the afternoon for more relaxation and dinner and more presents. And of course, we watched A Christmas Story - my favorite! We had a wonderful dinner, per our tradition, of ham, company potatoes, corn, and rolls. And of course, birthday cake and ice cream for dessert (we were celebrating Jesus' birthday after all!) After dessert we watched Kung Fu Panda - Sophia's gift from Ernie's sister and brother-in-law (okay, they watched and I slept).

We had a wonderful day with our families. I really couldn't have asked for better!

Christmas Eve

Our Christmas Eve was busy! Ernie's parents and grandparents made it to our house around 3:30pm, all in one piece. They said the worst parts of the drive were getting to the freeway, and getting from the freeway to our house. Ernie was nice enough to shovel the driveway for them, so they could get in and out of the house as easily as possible.

We did not make it to church for Christmas Eve service, as we were worried about the roads. But that is the only part of our Christmas tradition that didn't continue as normal. We had lasagna, salad, and French bread for dinner, as we do every year on Christmas eve (well, except the year I was pregnant with Sophia and I had an aversion to red sauce). I started this tradition because lasagna is an easy thing to either make or buy ahead, and is easy to clean up. I have too many other preparations for Christmas to worry about Christmas Eve dinner. Then we frosted cookies for Santa,

Sophia opened her Christmas Eve presents, Christmas PJs and a book (the idea is to keep her occupied!),

lit the candles on the advent wreath,

and hung the final ornament on the advent calendar.

Whew! Then it was time for Sophia to go to bed and for us parents to go to work. (Luckily construction was much easier this year!)

Two Parties in Two Days?

What was I thinking? This weekend we hosted (not just attended - that would have been easier!) two parties in two days.

On Saturday night we hosted my work Christmas party. We invited everyone to come and bring either an appetizer or dessert to share (so, no food prep for me!) and a gift for the White Elephant exchange. Also, new this year for the party was an ugly Christmas sweater contest. While I thought I had a sure win with my consignment store find, my co-worker's husband won hands-down. He decorated a green sweatshirt to look like a Christmas tree, complete with presents glued to the bottom. It was great, and I thought he deserved extra points just for wearing it.

On Sunday afternoon, our home was the site of our roommate's graduation party. Granted, we didn't do anything for this party except open the door, but it still added to the hectic-ness of our weekend. However, we were very happy to provide a place for the party! (And truth be told, I'd rather have two parties in one weekend and only deep-clean the house once, than have two parties in two weekends and have double the cleaning.) Unfortunately, because of the weather in Bellingham, most of the planned attendees were unable to make it to the party.

But the real doozie is detailed in the next post...