Yellow Makes Me Happy

A Gift for Amanda's Grandparents

Hi Everyone,

Amanda gave me permission to do a guest post on her blog today.  I've been working on a picture movie for her grandparents this Christmas and finally finished it.  Whew...

This past August our family went on a staycation to Lake Entiat (Chelan) in Central Washington.  We had a great time and took A LOT of pictures.  From these pictures I was able to produce a 12 minute movie capturing a week of fun, laughter, chaos, crying and everything in between.  Aren't families the best!?!?!

The video below is accompanied by a 'Note' on the DVD menu.  The note reads:

"The Speed Family traveled to Lake Entiat, Washington for vacation the week of August 15th - 22nd, 2008.  We enjoyed our time away with fun activities and laughter.  From the Water Park to Beebe Park, from Highway 97 to donuts that taste like heaven."

I would have written more but was limited by the number of characters.  Enjoy!

Double-click for Fullscreen, Esc to exit

5

Today my sweet, big hearted, creative, yellow haired stinker turned five.  I was browsing through pictures to find one of her to put up, and I started to cry.  I know, totally sappy.  She's my sweetness though...  Man I can't figure out where the time has gone...

I ran across this picture that my father-in-law took 2 years ago at her 3rd birthday party, and it totally cracks me up...

That look on her face is priceless...

Here's another one of her a month or so ago at the Seahawk's game.  Her brother is to her left, a that's a family friend on the right, and behind them is Mike Sellers.  He is from Olympia, and now plays football for the Washington Redskins.  He and Zach kind of ran with the same crowd in high school and were friends.  He was so nice to the kids that day... he signed autographs, took pictures, chatted Sam up about football... It was awesome!

  Well... Happy Birthday my little lady.  I'm sorry I didn't calculate your birthday better :)  December 23rd is not ideal!  We promise to always make it special:)

What I did today...

Today was one of the rare occasions that I was not behind the camera.  When I went to pop the old SD card in my laptop tonight, I found a ton of pictures that I did not take...  Zach has really been enjoying the camera and taking pictures of our massive snow fall.  Anyway there were several pictures of me as I was sledding.  The faces you make when doing such activites are not always the most attractive.  But I thought I would post one anyway...

Look at that crazy hair!  It's time for a cut!!!

The girls and I also made these today...

I had my personal photog take this picture...  He's been reading the manual and studying up on the ISO and stuff!  He's getting good, but don't tell him, it'll go straight to his head!

One last picture to show just exactly what's going on here at my house...

  Zach took this picture of our icicles this morning.  The amount of snow we have on the ground is like nothing I can ever remember in my lifetime in Washington.  It is so awesome!  I know a lot of people don't like it, but I love it!

Happy snow my friends!  Breath it in, because it will be gone before you know it, and we'll be back to rain!

**Hi Everyone, Zach here - don't tell Amanda I did this but here are a few more of her in the snow.

What a Beautiful Day!

No school... No pre-school... No ballet... No Awana... Just family and the feeling that I am living inside a snowglobe!  I am LOVING it!  What an awesome Christmas present!

You can barely see Zach back at the top of the hill, but he was up there pushing the kids from our neighbor-across-the-streets driveway.  It's an awesome little hill! 

Bottom of the hill...

Harper is not a water dog, she is a snow dog!

Even Daddy got in on the action!

If you have snow, enjoy it!  If you don't, I hope you get some!  It's magical... and cozy!

What is going on here?

Well, I tell you!  I always try to be so prepared this time of year so I can sit back and enjoy... but no matter how much I plan, it never turns out that way!  I get in over my head!  I volunteer for this and that... you know how it is right?  Well, lot's of things have been going on around here.

Charely and I made some awesome almond cupcakes...

 

We have been doing our daily advent activities...  We started with our usual... the count down to Christmas chain with the little poem that says, "I'll hang this chain of green and red in my room above my bed. Each night a chain I'll cut away and soon it will be Christmas Day."

Here is a picture of Charley's letter to Santa.  I helped with the writing, but she wrote her own name...

She really wants that dolly that comes with a potty... It was #1 on the list (gross!).  Georgie wants a Bratz girls doll.  I think she only wants that because we don't allow those in our house.

Yesterday we made milkshakes... My little dude ate his and finished off both of his sister's

Today our advent was to bake cookies.  The girls were busy watching yesterday's advent (Horton Hear's a Who), so it was just Sam and me.  It was my goal to let him do as much as possible in the measuring/mixing.  Hmmm... If you know my boy, he's like a bull in a china shop, aka a little clumsy.  He turned the mixer on full speed before the flour had been encorporated...

 

 

I had to throw my baking powder away because it got sullied up with cocoa powder!  Sam's face was priceless.  The cookies turned out really well in spite of the amount of ingredients that were spewed from the bowl!

I also went to Portland last weekend with my momma, grandma, aunt and my 2 cousins.  Our annual Christmas shopping trip.  It was so much fun.  Zach always get's us a hotel room with his points, and this year he had 2 $100.00 gift certificates for McCormick and Schmick's.  Needless to say we went over that.  We ordered everything our little hearts desired.  And we ate it all too!  Phew! 

We also boosted the ecomony single-handedly...

There are the girls shoving everything into the back of the ole Tahoe! 

There's my momma.  She's wearing my sweater.  She's cute... a little crazy, but cute :)  Gosh are my kids gonna think I'm crazy when they get older?  I probably will be crazy after raising the three of them!  hehe.

Be back soon!  I promise... MERRY CHRISTMAS my peeps!

Time to catch up!

Sorry it's been a while!  I was on such a roll too!  Thanksgiving weekend was a blur (what with all the vomit my children spewed).  That was graffic wasn't it?  Sorry.  :) 

After all that, we got our tree up and the house decked!  The spirit is filling me up!  Every year I get a few new things and a few old things get left in the tupperwares.  This year, I got rid of my stocking hangers.  I just really thought they were a waist of my mantle space.  Here is a picture of the new and improved mantle...

I got some cool silver frames and put pictures of the kids from last years snow adventure in them.  I also got a couple of apothocary jars this year.  That one is filled with vintage ornaments.  Makes me happy! (That little Santa jacket up there is like my very favorite decoration ever!  My Aunt Cindy made that for me a few years ago.)

I got this little guy last year the day after Christmas for 50% off.  I love doing that and then having a bunch of goodies I forgot about the next year.

 Isn't he cute.  He's a little box or something.  He opens up. 

I also love this guy...

  I got him at my candy store :)  There's my other apothocary jar behind him filled with mica snow. 

I'll be back later today with some pictures of our advent activities...  Only 23 days left!