My Twins are 12 Years Old!

I know I say this every year but it is really amazing how fast time flies.  I still remember taking my new babies out in the stroller and walking around the streets and getting lots of compliments on how cute my twins were.  I miss those days.  Now, my boys seem to fight all the time and are constantly picking on each other and pushing each others buttons just to get a reaction.  I'm pretty sure being a twin is super hard.  You share your whole life with this person, which can be wonderful.  But, they also know you so well they know exactly what to say or do to make you mad.  I'm hoping this is just a phase and they will grow to love each other as they get older.  It's just a hard time right now with them.  Here's to another wonderful year for these boys!!

This was taken on their birthday.  Townsend wanted chocolate cake and Emerson wanted pink frosting:)

For their birthday they invited 3 friends to come with us to Collins Lake at Mt. Hood.  We tried sledding one afternoon but it was snowing pretty hard and everyone was freezing, so that only lasted an hour.

Most of the weekend was spent at the outdoor heated pool.  They were either playing on screens at the condo or in the pool.  I think everyone had a great time.

The Sunday my twins were ordained to the office of Deacon in the priesthood.  I love these guys a lot and pray they will want to make good choices in their lives.

Tubing at Snow Bunny on Mt. Hood

January 1, 2016

I'm pretty sure we were one of about a million people who had the idea to head up to Mt. Hood on New Years Day.  The traffic was terrible!  But, once we got to Snow Bunny the boys had about an hour of sunlight left to go tubing.  I think that despite the freezing cold temperature and the bad traffic it was a pretty fun day.

Beautiful Mt. Hood

Townsend and Emerson tubing down together

Julian only went down the hill 2 or 3 times.  It wasn't that he was scared but he just hates bringing the tube back up the hill!

Hyrum even got in on the action!

Merry Christmas

Another year, another non-white Christmas.  It would be so fun to have snow at Christmas like we did in Germany but I guess living in Oregon we get the gray/rainy Christmas instead.  It's still my favorite time of year.  I love all the get togethers with neighbors and church friends.  I love that Hyrum is home with us.  I love that my boys are all still excited about Christmas morning.  I love getting out my special Christmas plates and mugs for our breakfast tradition.  I love setting up all my nativities and having them around for a month or so to look at and remind me what Christmas is all about.

Getting our Christmas tree.  I like to wait until the weekend before Christmas to get the tree.  I feel like if it's up for 4 weeks before Christmas it looses some of it's magic.  We are almost always the only ones out cutting a tree the Saturday before Christmas:)

I like to call this photo: Emerson on stump

Hyrum let all the boys have a turn with the saw.  They all said Daddy makes it look so easy but it's actually pretty tough to cut down a tree!

Hauling our tree back up to the car.

Time to decorate!

The tree on Christmas Eve.  Hyrum and I wait for the boys to go to bed before we bring out any of the gifts and put them under the tree.  Again, I feel like Christmas morning is so much more magical if they haven't seen big piles of gifts around the tree for weeks.

This year we were able to sneak out for midnight Mass on Christmas Eve while the boys were asleep.  We went to a little Catholic service in Verboort, OR.  I wished they would have had more congregational singing.  We'll have to try another church next year:)

The traditional Christmas morning breakfast.  Served on fancy plates with cocoa in fancy mugs.

After breakfast it's time to open presents.

Emerson hiding in the wrapping paper after the whirlwind of present opening.  What a mess!

And that was Christmas at our house 2015.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

A Visit from Nana Heindorff

November 29-December 5:

My host Mum came up to Portland for a week.  It was so much fun having her here and showing her around Portland, OR.

She's here!  Picking up Helen at the airport:)

We took a morning to head out to the Coast.  Which means we just had to stop at Camp 18 for breakfast and a giant cinnamon roll!

Hanging out at Cannon Beach.  We also walked all around the shops in this cute little town.

You can't come to Portland, OR without a stop at Salt and Straw ice-cream shop...delicious!!

While she was here she helped me pull out all my nativities and we decorated for Christmas.

I absolutely loved having my Mum here for a week.  Come back soon Helen Heindorff!!