Local love

It is hard for local businesses to stay afloat and Amazon has been such a jerk about it. But shopping local is a treat in Portland and we are loving our Christmas goodies from neighborhood shops (and friends) like--
Ham from the Woodsman market
Helioterra wine from favorite neighbor Anne
Dinos and lincoln logs and earrings (thanks sweetie!) from Division's Aster and Bee
More dinos from Hawthorne's Kids at Heart
Chocolate from Moonstruck
Bike stuff from Universal Cycles
Books from Powells

And, uh, Anthropologie. Not local, but Mrs. Santa couldn't pass up these latte bowls.

Merry Christmas!

Headless chocolate Santa in one hand, Velociraptor in the other.

Reading the Jungle Book in his G-man mask and cape, with T Rex and Brachiosaurus nearby.

And Mr. Q

I love ice cream. I take after my grandma.

Christmas Eve service

With grandma and grandpa before church. Pretty much a preview of the next hour.

Going bananas

Toddlers. They like to fill their water glasses with food.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Pioneer Place Santa

After we got the book started, I snuck away. But haircut boy quickly caught on. I want mama! He did give Santa a high-five, though.

First haircut

On Papa's lap...

Handsome boy...
(Mama got a little teary during the transformation. We saved some baby curls in an envelope. Auggie Bear did great, although he did get a little fidgety and repeated, "it's frustrating." A dino book was a good distraction)

And now, a toy
(a dino, of course)

I love my job

Boom!

October 26 was an amazing day.

Like my hard hat?



And my story about another amazing river is in the latest issue of Wend Magazine.