LOTS of snow!

We are so lucky that we didn't get stuck in Seattle! They canceled most of the flights from the airport there over the weekend, and it stranded thousands of people at the airport. We are thanking our lucky stars that we flew out on Thursday and not a day or two later! Even though our flight was delayed, at least we were able to get out!

Seattle is SNOWY!The snow all over the tall pine trees there is gorgeous. Even though I'm so glad we were able to travel safely and didn't get stuck, part of me is sad to be away from such a beautiful winter wonderland for Christmas!

Lynnwood, the city where we live, got about 10 inches of snow and the snow is still falling there! We got an email that said they canceled church yesterday, and I don't think many people are able to go into work. It seems like everything is pretty much shut down there and people are staying home as much as they can!

Can you believe there's only 3 more days until Christmas? I hope I can get everything done!

The Latest Update!

We are in San Diego at my parents' house! We're relieved to be here! This is what it looked like right outside my house in Seattle before we left. Beautiful and totally Christmasey! They might get a white Christmas and I won't even be there to see it.

I don't like to drive in the snow and it definitely messes with travel plans,
but. . . snow is SOOOOO beautiful!

-Inches of snow we got yesterday at my house: 4
-Number of hours we were at the airport before our flight finally left: 5 (yeah, LOTS of fun to keep a toddler entertained at the airport for so long!)
-Time we arrived in San Diego last night: 10:30 pm (it was supposed to be 7:30!)
-Time Kirsten went to bed last night: 1 am

Pregnancy Update:
-I'm 23 weeks pregnant now and feeling really good! I love the second trimester!
-I know I should post pictures of myself as my belly grows. I always forget to have someone take pictures of me! But I'm definitely looking pregnant now.
-I'm trying to decide what color to paint our third bedroom, that will soon be turned into Kirsten's room. Should I do green like Kirsten's room? Or something completely different? I'm opposed to pink and purple, but open to most other colors!
-It's crazy that I'm past the half-way point for this pregnancy. The second one goes by a LOT faster than the first one!

Here's Kirsten with one of her current obsessions: Finding lip gloss in my purse and sucking on the outside.

Kirsten is 19 months old now!
Some things she loves this month:
-Blue's Clues
-The Christmas tree and all the ornaments and lights on it
-ANY lights at all!
-Dogs, especially my parents' dog Millie (she calls her "Mimi")
-Climbing into boxes and sitting in them (even ones she doesn't fit very well inside)

Santa came early to Seattle and brought Kirsten a little kitchen before we left on our trip! She was so excited to come downstairs and find it!

It's the Fisher Price Grow With Me Kitchen, and it's really small which is great for fitting in our house. It can also be adjusted to a taller height when she gets older. She really likes all the play food and dishes, and her favorite is the blender that spins around and makes noise.

Herbie loved the kitchen too. . . or at least the BOX it came in. We couldn't get him out of it!

Some things Kirsten learned this month:
-How to say "Bye guys!" and "Hi guys!" She says it a lot, even when there's only one of us in the room.
-How to say "Spongebob". She watches it with Daddy on the weekends, and when the song comes on she says "Bob-bob". It's pretty funny, even though Spongebob is really annoying to me!
-How to turn a light-switch ON as well as off.
-How to click a pen on and off.

I thought this picture was cute. . . Stephen and Herbie were trying to take a nap, and Kirsten had other ideas!

That's all our latest news!

The Forgotten Pictures!

I didn't really forget about these pictures, but I DID forget to post them! Oops! As you can see from Kirsten's outfit, these were from October! We went to Leavenworth, the cutest little Bavarian village in the entire country. It's in the mountains, about an hour and a half away from where we live.
I thought this family picture of us turned out so cute!

Stephen and I went to Leavenworth for the first time right after we moved here, for the Christmas Lighting Ceremony. It was absolutely breathtaking! It was much less crowded this time. Even though I missed seeing all the Christmas lights, the town still looked totally adorable. The entire town looks like this!

There are tons of fun shops there, one of the best being the Hat Shop. I bought my witch hat for my Halloween costume there! Kirsten loves hats, so of course she had a fun time in that store.

Kirsten wasn't too sure if this bear was friendly or not. . .

These pictures were just too cute to let them slide by without posting them!

My Top 10 Christmas Movies!

Since I reviewed my top 10 Christmas albums last week, I figured that I'd better do my top 10 Christmas movies for Tuesday Top 10! Here they are. . . the Christmas movies I try to re-watch every year!

*1: A Christmas Story- Of course I love this one! It's the ultimate Christmas classic!

*2: The Muppet Christmas Carol- This is such a well-done movie! I love the songs and all the characters, and Kirsten really likes it this year too.

*3: Disney's Small One- Most people have never heard of this featurette (it's about a half hour long), but I absolutely adore it! I watch it every year on Christmas Eve and the ending never fails to bring tears to my eyes. It's the sweetest story ever about a little boy who has to sell his beloved donkey. I was so thrilled when they released it on DVD! You can find it on 'Classic Holiday Stories' and I would recommend it to everyone.

*4: Home Alone 2- The original Home Alone is great as well, but I find Home Alone 2 to be funnier and just more entertaining in general. I watch this one every year for sure!

*5: The Santa Clause- The original really IS my favorite when it comes to this one. It's funny every year!

*6: Elf- What can I say about this one? Everyone loves it and I do too!

*7: National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation- I never watched this one until I met Stephen, believe it or not. But he introduced me to it and now I watch it with him every year. It's just hilarious!

*8: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer- I grew up watching this TV classic and I still love it! You can't have Christmas without Rudolph!

*9: It's a Wonderful Life- I may not watch this one every single year, but I think the message is amazing and it's a terrific movie.

*10: Mickey's Christmas Carol- Another one I grew up watching. It's such a cute version of the Christmas Carol story! My second-favorite one, after the Muppets.

Bonus: Christmas Eve on Sesame Street. My family has this recorded on an old VHS tape, and me and my brother loved it. It's cute, funny, and has some really great songs on it. I didn't think this was out on DVD, but I just found out today that I was wrong! I ordered it, and Kirsten will love it!

What's on your Christmas must-watch list?

Let It SNOW. . . and the Best of Christmases Past!!!

Baby it's cold outside! And I'm not kidding. . . with temperatures in the 20's and 30's, it hasn't been this cold in Seattle in December since the 1950's!

It snowed on Saturday night! Big, gorgeous flakes that turned the Seattle area into a snowy winter wonderland. The first snow of the winter! Typically, the snow in Seattle is all melted and gone by the next day. But it's been a few days now and the snow is still on the ground and the roads are still icy. It reminds me of Utah winters!
I haven't been able to get outside much to enjoy the snow. With the frigid temperatures and the cough that Kirsten is fighting, I haven't wanted to take her out in it. But this California girl loves the snow! This picture is from my freshman year in college. . . the first time it snowed when I was at BYU!

But I've got to say. . . I'll be glad to get away from these freezing temperatures. Good thing I'm heading to San Diego for Christmas vacation on Thursday! Perfect timing!

So, this year we discovered that Kirsten + Santa's lap = Crying.

Oh well. At least we got a really cute picture LAST year!

And what's better than one picture from Christmases past? More pictures, of course!!! Last year was Kirsten's first Christmas, she was 7 months old, and we got lots of cute pictures. Here are some of my other favorites:

Kirsten and my cousin Caleb, sporting Santa hats!

Kirsten in her Christmas tree costume!

Surrounded by presents on Christmas morning!

The Elf Baby!

Here's me and Stephen, celebrating Christmas in San Diego after we had just gotten engaged! This was in 2004.

Going back a little further. . . I was decorating "dorm-style" by putting up a string of colored lights in our Heritage Halls dorm at BYU.

And way back! I love this picture of my Dad helping me put the angel on top of our Christmas tree. I don't even know what year this was!

Cute little reindeer family! Me, my mom, and my brother Jakob.

I'm glad my tree-decorating skills have improved since then!

My fashion sense, however, is pretty much the same. I'd still love to go around wearing a tree skirt, Santa hat, and a Christmas count-down chain!

And check out Stephen's cute family Christmas portrait! He's the older brother, with his sister and baby brother. I think these pictures are adorable!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Time for me to go snuggle up by the fire and enjoy being warm and cozy inside by the Christmas tree!

Homemade Eggnog!

Here it is by popular request. . . the recipe for the world's BEST Homemade Eggnog! Anyone who has ever tasted my Mom's eggnog recipe knows that it's nothing like the store-bought kind. I've never liked the store-bought kind at all, since I've been so spoiled by the good stuff. Stephen requests it all the time, and I know your family will love it just as much! So go make some eggnog! It's wonderful anytime in December, but especially perfect for Christmas Eve!

Here's how you make the magic: (I almost always double this recipe)

2 eggs, well beaten
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1 qt. whole milk
1 c. heavy cream, whipped
Grated nutmeg (fresh!)
Combine eggs, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Gradually beat in milk. Gently fold in whipped cream. Sprinkle nutmeg on top (fresh grated from whole nutmegs is much better than grated from the jar). Chill several hours.

I like to serve mine in fun Christmas mugs, and I always grate a little extra nutmeg over the top of each glass before I serve. Enjoy!!

*Note: If you're pregnant, or if anyone who will be drinking it is pregnant, you'll want to use pasteurized eggs so it will be safe for the baby. I can never find any already pasteurized at the store, but luckily it's really easy to do it yourself! Just heat some water on the stove until it reaches 140 degrees. Use a candy thermometer that attaches to the side of the pan so you don't get it too hot. Let the eggs sit in a bowl of warm water while you heat the water on the stove. When the water reaches 140 degrees, turn off the heat and put the eggs into the hot water. Let them sit that way for 3 minutes. Take them out, and you're done!

Eggnog is awesome by itself, but I love to serve it with homemade cookies or anything chocolatey. I'm really craving some eggnog with any of these treats right NOW!

Merry Christmas! I really want to know who tries this recipe and what you thought!