To celebrate the first day of 2016, we decided to go sledding at the Wanoga snow park in the Cascades about half way to Mt Bachelor from Bend. Here are some additional video's below.
The Christmas holidays went much too fast and before we knew it LuLu and Papa were headed back home. We had such a memorable time together. The kids said it was their best Christmas ever. They love spending time with their grandparents and can't wait for the next time we are all together.
Here are just a few snap shots of the fun week we had.
Christmas Eve Skiing- First time on the slopes for Preston
Christmas Eve family gift giving
The Lego Man on Christmas morning
Hunting with Papa
Lunch at the Old Mill
Dinner and jazz at the Oxford
LuLu and Papa arrived late Sunday night after a very long drive through the snow and icy roads. Everyone was excited for them to get here. Their first day here we had some snow showers and spent the day playing games and going out in the snow.
Today we went to Sun River and spent the afternoon ice skating. We all had a great time. Ice skating was followed by dinner at the kids' favorite restaurant, Red Robin. All in all it was a wonderful day together.
Preston's class singing a reindeer song. He is the little reindeer in the back on the right. He even waves at the end. Cutest little reindeer EVER!!!
Erin and Charlotte got a last minute ticket and came to visit. This was a surprise to the Donaldson children. As they walked in the door from school little Charlotte sat next to the Christmas tree propped up on pillows waiting for them. It was priceless to see their surprised happy little faces as they spotted Charlotte.
Charlotte got to experience snow for the first time while she was here. We made sure to get some pictures so she can say she has seen snow.
We had a very fun full week. Erin asked if the 3 older kids could each take off a day of school so they could have a special day with just her. She took Hunter to a pottery place to paint and then for a big hamburger for lunch. Noah had day watching a Christmas movie followed by lunch at his favorite Mexican restaurant and ending with making a gingerbread house. Abbie had a fun day going to IHOP for breakfast and to Target for an afternoon of shopping around. While Erin took the time to make each one of our children feel special, I got to stay at home with little Charlotte. She is an angel and such a blessing. I enjoyed cuddling, rocking and kissing my sweet niece. I cherished our time together.
Another fun outing we did was going to a live nativity, called "Journey to Bethlehem." We got to walk around and see live animals, Roman guards and people who lived in Bethlehem. It was so well done and it was special for the kids to see what the town of Bethlehem was like when Jesus was born.
We spent a day ice skating in Sun River and had the whole ice rink to our selves. This is the first year we all got to ice skate. Preston is officially able to participate in our family outings without being carried. We also got to see all the gingerbread houses that are put up at the Sun River lodge. We found Abbie's class and she was so proud to show us the one she made.
What a fun and special time with had with Erin. We were sad to see them go. We look forward to the next time we are together. We love you Auntie Erin and Charlotte. Thank you for the wonderful time.
Pictures included in the gallery:
- Journey to Bethlehem
- Special days with Auntie Erin
- Charlotte's first snow day!
- A day in Sun River where we got to see Abbie's ginger bread house from school displayed
- View from the lodge in Sunriver with new snow
- Ice skating
Abbie and I had a mother daughter afternoon going to see the Nutcracker. We went with our good friends Tina, her daughter Aislyn and their Grandma Joan. We hope to make this a tradition.
This fall the women's group at our church have been involved in raising money for a charity called The Sheperd's House. This will be a home for women and children. Most of these women are homeless and this housing will provide them a long term place to stay where they are safe and where they can be rehabilitated back into the community. As a group we have been donating things as little as tolietry items to large items such as furniture. After a long few months of getting things together the house will open in a week.
As a family we heard there would be a little boy the age of 10 moving in with his mother. He and his mother have been living in their car for 3 years and have very little. We set out for Wal-Mart last night and the kids were so excited to get Tyler, the young boy all the simple things they take for granted. They picked out fun socks and underwear, their favorite shirts and jeans and a few fun toys. This will be something they will never forget. Hunter said last night as we were driving home that he just felt so good inside and Noah said how much fun it is to know that this will make the little boy so happy. We hope Christmas is a special one for Tyler and his mom.
These are some pictures of the boys wrapping the gifts. They sure had fun!
Today we went downtown to the Bend Christmas parade. This one is our favorite parade all year.
After the fun parade we went and found our Christmas tree. It was a fun day just all being together. Love our family traditions.
This year we went to the High Desert Museum to see Father Christmas. The kids all asked Hunter since he is 10 1/2 what he thought and he being the oldest told them that this one was the real deal. Love that they all still believe.
After meeting Father Christmas the kids got to make ornaments and Christmas cards while sipping on hot coco and eating sugar cookies. It was a special night.
