Hi Everyone!
Two posts in one week?! Shocking, I know...this is what happens when we don't post for a while, and then the holidays are over & we have copious amounts of photos, videos & news to share that it won't all fit into one post. Lucky you!
As I'm sure most (if not all) of our readers know, this year for Christmas we were very lucky to have visitors stay with us for a week! My Mom, one of my brothers & my Mom's best friend (my "Aunt") Margaret made the (long) drive down on the Saturday before Christmas, along with the two family dogs, Cassie & Sydney. They hit a 10 minute stretch of very heavy snowfall while coming through Oregon, but other than that they had a pretty smooth ride. We had shredded beef tacos for dinner & had a quiet night after their long journey.
Claire was initially a little freaked out by the dogs, but by day two she was much more comfortable around them & by day three she was waking up in the morning & asking for the "woof woofs". It was great to see her interact with them and they were very patient with her pointing at their noses/eyes/ears & patting them - she was very gentle with them (for the most part!).
We spent Sunday morning at brunch with Zach's Uncle Gary & Aunt Bonnie at a local brunch spot - The Griddle - it was great to see them! Apart from Dave getting hot coffee spilled onto him, it was a lovely meal. Claire did lots of unassisted walking while we were there, and kept up the walking practice the whole time my family was here. She's slowly getting more adept & looking less & less like a zombie baby (although that's pretty cute, too!).
We spent the rest of Sunday & Monday shopping & prepping for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve night we followed the Shepherd tradition of going to a church service - I found a local Presbyterian church & we went to check it out. It was definitely more contemporary than the traditional services we're used to, but it was interesting...Claire's favourite part was definitely the singing puppets (yep, puppets!). After our Christmas Eve church service, we again followed tradition & Zach, Dave & I wrapped presents while having a few drinks with Mom & Auntie Margaret.
Christmas Day was one long present-opening extravaganza! It was an all-day event! We started with brunch (eggs, bacon, cinnamon buns from Great Harvest bakery, a cheese plate & a fruit plate...yum!) then moved on to opening our stockings...lots of chocolate & other fun stuff! Then we took a break so Claire could have a nap...and once her nap was over we spent the afternoon opening presents...Wow, what a lucky group we were! We had a wonderful Christmas dinner - the star of the show was definitely Bernard the turkey (yes...we name our turkeys...doesn't everyone?!) - Dave was responsible for him & made a brine with oranges & cinnamon & all sorts of goodies - talk about moist & delicious turkey! Along with that, Mom & Margaret made lots of fantastic side dishes including sweet potatoes with pecans, mashed potatoes, turnip puff (basically very light & fluffy mashed turnip with breadcrumbs on top), gingery steamed carrots & green beans with shallots. Oh, and cranberry sauce, stuffing & gravy...all of it was SO good!! For dessert, Mom & I made a Buche de Noel - a traditional French dessert called a Yule Log in the US. It was a thin chocolate cake filled with espresso cream cheese & rolled into a log shape...then frosted with a dark chocolate ganache & made to resemble a log. It was quite tasty (especially the filling!) and I'd love to try some different cake/filling combos. Many thanks to my Mom for being a huge help (and moral support!).
It was a really great Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, but we definitely missed everyone who wasn't there...if only we could spend Christmas with everyone we love!
The rest of the family visit was spent checking out some local restaurants & doing some shopping. Zach also took the visitors on a tour of the city one night while I put Claire to bed. Mom, Margaret, Claire & I also went for lunch with Bonnie one day, which was very nice! The gang packed up on Friday night & headed out early Saturday morning in a VERY full car! It sounds like their drive was pretty uneventful, and I'm sure they were all exhausted upon arrival home.
It was so wonderful to have Dave, Mom, Margaret & the pups here to visit! I know that Claire absolutely LOVED spending time with everyone & getting to know the dogs, and Zach & I both had a great time. Again, we really missed all the family members on both sides who couldn't be there, but we know that you all had great Christmases whether you were celebrating in Tennessee, Manitoba or Vancouver.
Here's to a happy, healthy & safe 2013...we love you all!!
Enjoy the pictures & videos!
Love,
Katie, Zach & Claire
Christmas 2012 Pictures!
Claire Toddles Video
Christmas at the Vickerys Video
Claire Talking Dog Video
Claire Animal Sounds Video
Claire Walking Video