Jungerts visit

This past weekend our friends Jason and Mary brought their daughter Sydney and 7 week old Wesley to visit and help us finish the unfinished rooms of our basement. The boys worked hard and got it done. Teagan and Sydney had fun playing together and everyone couldn't get enough of little snuggle bug Wes. Landry and Teagan just loved him. It reaffirmed for me that Landry is no longer the baby but is definitely a little girl now and she loved helping with the baby's bottle. Thanks for sharing him with us Mary and for all the hard work Jason!

the kids

O.K. like I don't have enough posts, but I couldn't resist these pictures.

Tubing on Mt. Spokane

We have absolutely no snow so one day we woke up and decided to hunt some down. We found a few inches on Mt. Spokane and took to the tube hill for a couple hours. It was fast, fun and finally felt like winter.

dare devil

After a few runs with Trevor, Teagan decided he wanted to try on his own. This is a big step for him as he is usually over cautious and not willing to do something by himself. He loved it and was cruising solo after that. Once the cold set in we enjoyed a picnic in the back of the car with some popcorn and cocoa.

Donor Life Gala dinner

We attended the formal Donor Life Gala dinner which was a treat in itself. The food was great and the presentations were very emotional. One of the most amazing parts of this experience was hearing all the different stories that led people to this event. We felt fortunate to be able to tell Bronson's story, but it really put things in perspective to hear other stories of tragedy and triumph.
The band All 4 One performed at the end of the night and a song on their new album is about donor donation. I remember them from my high school days and their song "I swear" which they received a Grammy for. They autographed a CD for us along with this picture.

The prep and parade

I don't have many pictures of the float at the parade because I was video taping. This is a picture of my parents and I in the stands watching the parade. It was much different to watch the parade live than on t.v. We also felt fortunate to have reserved seats. The day before the parade 100's of people camped out along the parade route with their families, sleeping bags and even fire pits to secure their spot.

We spent our first day in Pasadena helping to finish the decorating in the warehouse. Each flower is secured to a wire and wooden stake. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into these floats and the day after the parade it starts all over again.

Rose Bowl Game

We ended up buying tickets to the game at the last minute from another Donor Life family and we were glad that we ended up going. The atmostphere at the game is so fun and the fans really get into it. We drank our beer, ate our football food, and cheered with the rest of them.  Bronson would have loved it!  It was a great way to end a memorable trip. 

Huntington Gardens

We had one day in Pasadena with a little bit of free time so we decided to explore the Huntington Library, Gardens and Art Collection. It is a donated estate that covers 200 acres and the weather was 72 degrees so it was so nice to stroll the grounds and different gardens. We ended the day in the English tea room where my mom, sister and I enjoyed finger sandwiches, tea and desserts. It was a wonderful break and really felt like a vacation.

Christmas photos

Our photographer, Laurie Denney, took these great photos of the kids with Grandma and Pop.

Christmas 2009

My parents joined us at our house this year for Christmas and we had a nice, relaxing day together. Grandma read stories to the kids Christmas Eve and we all woke up early before the kids so we could see their little faces as they saw the presents for the first time. We closed the day with full bellies and watched a Christmas movie together.

the loot

Santa spoiled our house once again and we all enjoyed watching the excitement of Teagan and Landry Christmas morning. Opening presents at our house is an all day affair. Teagan likes to take his time with each thing he opens and really check it out before moving on to the next thing. He received LEGOs, pirate boats, a magic set, a wheel barrow to help Dad, and the list goes on. Landry is now fully supplied with dolls and accessories, food, cart and cash registar for the play kitchen, a TAG reading system so she doesn't have to steel brother's anymore, a tutu, and much more.

The best part of this Christmas was that Teagan was grasping the concept of not only getting, but giving as well this year. He helped pick out all the toys for Toys for Tots and him and I went shopping for Landry one day at Build A Bear. He made Landry an Owl which he named Hooty and kissed the heart and made a wish for her as it was being sewn together. He did his shopping at a store downtown set up for kids at Christmas. The elves take the kids behind the wall and help them choose gifts for the people on the list made by parents. Teagan put much more thought into his gifts than I would have imagined and they were each wrapped in a white paper bag and decorated. He got me a little metal bee and Trevor a matching ant to sit at our place at the table. I assume he meant to state that I am the Queen Bee and Trevor is the Worker Ant, but that is just my interpretation :-). He also picked out gifts for Grandma, Pop, and Aunt Erin. He was so proud to have something to hand out to everyone and it is one of those moments that I'll never forget.

Visit to the North Pole

A few days before Christmas we took the Coeur d'alene Christmas cruise to visit Santa and Mrs Claus at the North Pole. We ate popcorn, ginger cookies, and drank hot cocoa as we cruised down Lake Coeur d'alene past Christmas lights to the opposite shore. Santa gave a brief talk to the kids and then at the countdown 100's of lights were set ablaze along the shore to make it look like Santa's workshop. It was a great outing!

On the good list

We love Christmas in our house...the decorations, the lights, the food, the music. We cram as much in as we can from Thanksgiving until Christmas. Teagan and Landry are at a great age to enjoy the magic of Christmas and celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. My dad brought a wonderful Christmas tree this year from Montana that almost touched the vaulting ceiling.