Oh..what do you do in the Wintertime...

Oh...what do you do in the wintertime, when all the world is white? Do you play dressup, run around the house, so do I!!!

Lately, the boys have been really enjoying dress up. It is a great pass time when we can't run and play outside all the time! Plus, it makes mom laugh....so, hey - good time for everyone! Actually, mom usually gets roped into dressing up too...but we luckily don't have that on camera!
Preston dressed up as some crazy basketball, gloved, homie...or something... just cute.
CJ as the distinguished graduate...notice the neck tie! Love it!
Our very own Peter Pan! Watch out..that sword gets adults in the back when they least expect it!
And, last but not least, our very own, makeshift Captain Hook.

ReIntroduced after...... a long time

With all this snowfall...what better is there to do, then go skiing! So, after about a 5 year absence, Clay reintroduced Laura to the fine art of snow skiing. We had so much fun! Clay was an instant pro on the hill - just like riding a bike right? Well, not for Laura...let's just say, after several good blunders, almost doing the splits, eating a lot of snow, and clenching her teeth ...she made it down the mountain! However, she did improve with every run - or so Clay told her. Clay had to laugh when Laura made the comment "That was my favorite part!" After they had just gone on the connecting trail from one run to the other...it wasn't even a real hill...but, Clay being the gentleman than he is, took Laura on her "trail hill" as many times as she wanted!
We thought the snow on top of the trees at the top of the mountain looked like frosting. We were amazed it didn't just fall off...
Laura had fun watching Clay go in and out of the trails, dodging trees, weaving all around...hoping, dreaming that someday, these crazy skies will feel somewhat normal/second nature on her feet!

Clay and Laura took the day and went to Mt. Spokane

Snow Keeps Coming

I don't know how many snow records we have already broken this winter, but it is a lot! The snow is incredible...it just doesn't stop coming! It was all fun and games until things started shutting down...the first to go was Walmart! Yes, Walmart closed! When we heard this we couldn't believe it either, what? Walmart closed, Walmart is never closed, but yes, because they feared that the roof was going to collapse because of the snow they closed for a good week; then the gym closed, the fun spot closed, school has been cancelled for weeks, and now even Costco closed...aghhhh we are all getting a little cabin fever...so we keep looking for fun things to keep us busy! So far, the snow has been doing a pretty good job at keeping us occupied Laura and Preston were out early in the morning, yes - about 7:30AM, playing in the snow! We sled up and down the street, shoveled the driveway, walked around the snow, etc...all before 8:00AM. Is that dedication or what?

Yes, Preston is trying to get out of the sled and went head first into the snow.....had to take a picture before helping him up! Don't worry, he wasn't crying...he loved it! Crazy kid!
Preston's early morning sledding excursion. He screamed, cried and threw a fit when Laura made him finally come inside so they could all have breakfast....wow...snow vs. food ...snow wins!

Crazy Christmas

For Christmas Eve, we got together with some of our good friends, the Scheel Family. We decided to make Israeli food and have our traditional nativity. The food was good..different, but good, and the nativity was fabulous! Everyone looked great in their costumes! Preston was our sweet star, CJ was the perfect wiseman "who followed the star", Clay was a distinguished shepherd, and Laura was...the donkey, of course. It was quite the production..... it was fun to have more participants than just the four of us... Thanks Scheels for inviting us to spend the evening with you.








































































Christmas Morning came bright and early in the Ward family household ....yep, those little men were up and running, yes, literally running to the front room at 7am. Laura and Clay had to quickly jump out of bed and intervene the stampede before they experienced the magic of Christmas morning...Laura insisted she grab the camera so we could record the moment. And now we are able to show you, for your viewing pleasure, our wonderful lovely antlers from Joslyn (Thanks, Jo...), the kids (and the adults) loved wearing them around the house! Maybe next year we will be brave enough to wear them out in public!



After a wonderful day of gift exchanging, talking to family, and enjoying the time being together - we decided to hop in the car and head to the Smith's house. We made it to the Dalles, where the icy roads told us, well...more like demanded that we stop for the night. But, we were able to make it all the way the next morning with only a few scratches and bruises. We had a great time being with family, laughing, playing volleyball, dancing, having our first wii lesson, and of course playing Papa's annual family game. Fun times for all