Christmas 2014

Christmas 2014 was certainly one to remember. Our first one being thousands of miles away from our family, but we were lucky to have some of them fly out to Seattle to spend it with us!

Gramma, Papa, and Uncle Mitch joined us in person to celebrate Christmas, while we connected with the rest of our family members via FaceTime and phone calls. Thank goodness for technology to make the distance seem a bit more manageable!

We had a lot of fun leading up to Christmas day. The day that Gramma and Papa arrived, Arthur, our little Elf, gave the girls a clue by sitting next to their picture on a bookshelf. The kids were thrilled the day had finally arrived!

Mitch arrived the following day, Christmas eve, and we took everyone to Pike Place Market (also known as the fish market) in downtown Seattle on the waterfront. 

We had lunch there and checked out all the vendors in the market. They have HUGE bouquets of flowers for a mere $10 among many other deals. Lots to see, including the traditional market photo spot (below) and the original and very first Starbucks location.

It was so fun showing them around our new city. There certainly is a whole lot of beautiful scenery to take in and we were lucky to have some clear days to see the mountains and water all around the area. This is a picture taken from in front of our house looking West. That's Seattle in the distance with the mountains behind. On the far right of the cityscape is the Space Needle (just next to that pine tree branch). Looks teeny, tiny in the picture.

Later that afternoon, we went to Christmas Eve service at our church and did manage to get a family picture in front of the beautiful tree there. 

Then we came home for our traditional soup dinner - usually we have bean and ham along with oyster stew. This time we went with a smokey bacon and shrimp chowder and black bean soup. Plus fresh, smoked salmon from the market.

After the traditional Christmas eve bedtime book, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, the girls went to bed and my mom and I wrapped a few* gifts.

(*or maybe all)

Santa also paid a visit, as you can see...

Rise and shine on Christmas morning! We had my brother Ryan set up on FaceTime to share in the gift opening festivities. 

It's certainly safe to say that Disney's Frozen stole the show this Christmas!

See Ryan on the computer screen below?! Technology is so fun!

Katelyn got an Elsa dress and Kendall got an Anna dress (both from Frozen, if you're living under a rock unfamiliar) and they donned them immediately. And every day for the subsequent week.

Uncle Ry sent them each a jewelry set - Elsa for Katelyn and Anna for Kendall. How about these dangly earrings?! Ooo-la-la!

Our little Elsa and Anna in front of the Christmas tree about a month after we moved to Bellevue. We will never forget this moment in time.

Among many other fabulous (and generous) gifts, the girls got Hedbanz - a game where each participant has to guess what the image is on their card attached to their head. Like this…

And here's Dad of the Year playing again with a 4-year old and a 2-year old. Considering Kendall loved to say what was on everyone's card and Katelyn was still learning the ropes, he has the patience of a saint!

Katelyn got a scooter from Gramma and Papa. Gotta break that puppy in! And it was a beautiful day outside to do it.

The nice weather and clear day gave us a chance to drive over to Seattle and get some pictures at a lookout point highlighting the Space Needle and the Puget Sound. One of our favorite places to visit and take visitors.

Seattle selfie time!

The day after Christmas allowed for some more exploring. We made our way to West Seattle (about 30 minutes away) and checked out Alki Beach. This was the first time the girls have been to a real (non-lake) beach. The rain boots come in handy with the waves too :)

Beautiful scenery and it was a somewhat foggy day. We can't wait to go back when it's clear and sunny.

Three generations picture at the beach. Just love these people so much!

We went to Ballard - a neighborhood in Seattle - to grab a bite for lunch. And of course these two always have a grand time together - so special!

Also in Ballard is an area called the Ballard Locks. A popular spot to watch boats pass through as the locks' water levels are adjusted to allow a safe passage. There's also a fish ladder viewing area to watch salmon navigate the locks. 

We had a great time exploring. Mitch left for Chicago the next day after a lunch out in Bellevue. My parents' flight home a couple days later got delayed by a day (we didn't mind :) and we made one final park/playground visit. This one is a couple miles away from our house and right on Lake Washington. Such a nice spot to watch the sun set.

Never in a million years did we think at last year's Christmas we would be celebrating in Seattle for Christmas 2014. But a lot can change in year - hearts and minds alike. Seattle was the spot this year and it was wonderful. We're so thankful for our visitors who made it special and sweet. Hope you and yours had a memorable, fun-filled, and magical Christmas as well!