Sleds, Snowmen and Santa!

Papa taught Colin how to play chess during the holiday. Colin knows all the men's names and most of where they can and cannot go around the board. He is quite proud of himself (Colin, not Papa!) Colin also learned how to play checkers, a game that is more Nana's speed, along with "Sorry" and "Chutes and Ladders!"

We were actually able to get to Portland during their worst snowstorm since 1968 to enjoy a lovely Christmas with Amy and Leo and family.

We did have to spend the night in Salem, but my mom and sister liked having us on the spur of the moment. And, the only time we got stuck was when we pulled up in front of Amy's house. A little kitty litter and Mike was out fast!

We had such a good time in the snow. We had sleds for all sizes and sledding courses for the faint of heart (Deadman's Curve and Deadman's Drop was a particular favorite of Leo's and Colin's.) Max didn't get out in the snow this year, but he was snug and warm in the house with mom.

Santa hats for Colin and Adi were a big hit!


Nana made gingerbread people with Colin and Adi. As usual, Adi was very artistic (and neat!) but managed to eat quite a bit of the icing.

Colin was very happy with the small sled....we dubbed him "Ninja Sledder!"

We especially enjoyed time with new grandson, Max. He is such a good baby. Loves to be in the room with Colin and Adi playing around him. He sleeps great in there during the day. When it's quiet at night and Colin and Adi are in bed asleep, is when he has trouble...he wants to be awake.

He's probably wondering where they went!

Welcome, Baby Max!

Baby Maxton Allen Stoddard arrived on Saturday, December 6th at 7:55 a.m. (missing Papa's birthday by just hours!) We were all thrilled to have him finally arrive, although his delivery was very fast. We were all on our way to the hospital, but were just minutes late. This is the first time that Amy and Leo gave birth with just the two of them in the room (plus the nurses and doctor, of course!) Amy checked out on Sunday afternoon, feeling wonderful and ready to start organizing three little ones. She is an amazing mother!

He is a very good baby and big sister, Adi, just wants time to give him a really big hug and kiss. You can just tell that all she wants to do is love him with kisses. She will be a great big sister. Colin is fascinated by the whole process, especially when they took Max's foot prints.

We can hardly believe that he arrived on the birthday weekend when everyone was in town. It was a great way to spend time with the family!

Max has his dad's hair....dark and curly and seems perfectly content to be held by all. This Nana got lots of love in before leaving on Wednesday. We also squeezed in a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. the Zoo Lights, and the making of a gingerbread house (my first!!!) We will be back for Christmas. Now, won't that be fun!!!

Early Christmas

In addition to coming up for Papa's 60th birthday, Jennifer and Danielle celebrated an early Christmas with us before they left for LA. Even Amy and Baby Max checked out of the hospital so they wouldn't miss any of the fun.

Papa's Birthday

We surprised Papa on his 60th birthday. It was hard to pull off, but we managed to arrange for his brother and sister and their spouses to fly into Portland for the big event, as well as Jennifer and Danielle. And this was all happening around the arrival of baby Max. We had a Plan A, a Plan B, but no Plan C. When Papa walked into the Spaghetti Factory, he found them all seated and ready to party. It was a great surprise, complete with a memory jar full of their memories when growing up, and our memories when Jennifer and Amy were small. Baby Max was patient and waited until Nana was sound asleep before starting his arrival!

The highlight of the evening was the duel between Colin and Aunt Jen. Who do you think won?

The Water Babies

While in Portland, Colin and Adi got plenty of swimming time with Nana, Papa, Aunt Jen and Danielle at the Embassy Suites. They are regular fish, unafraid and very competent in the water.

The Ninja and Cinderella

Amy and the kids were here for Halloween. We had a Ninja and Cinderella. Cinderella was a little shy and not sure what was expected, but she soon got into the thick of things. Brother Ninja knew just what to do. We were able to get to 10 homes before we were done.....and then home to count the loot!! Nana got to have part of Colin's Tootsie Roll (the large size!!) and Papa managed to grab a candy bar. Just like the old days, they put the candy in different piles, and Adi was happy because she got all of Colin's candy that had nuts in it!! Next year, even though baby brother was sort of with us, he will be able to wear a real costume and hopefully enjoy some of that candy!!!

The Christmas Shoebox

Colin and Adi shopped for Operation Shoe Box during their stay in Bend. They each picked a little boy and girl their age and picked out somethings that their little friend in Africa might like for Christmas. All the toys, candy and various items had to fit in a shoebox that is decorated with Christmas paper. It will be shipped in November and, hopefully, two little children will have a happy Christmas. Colin and Adi were very excited about the shopping and did a great job picking out things someone else would like.

After a full day of shopping, we ended with the "Sleeping Beauty" DVD, one of Adi's favorite princesses. Just six more weeks until little brother arrives. You can get a peek of him between Colin and Adi. I'm sure he's content and happy right now!!!

Colin Turns Five!!!

Colin turned five on Wednesday and we surprised him with a Pirate Party. Papa and I met Colin and sister, Adi, in the driveway with their first clue and "pirate gear" to wear. The clues led them all over the house. They finally found the treasure in the refrigerator. It was a great chest full of fabulous gold and jewels (you can well imagine, I'm sure!!)

The treasure hunt was followed by Colin's pirate cake. Adi helped me carry it out and just had to blow out the candles first.....only a little sister could get away with that!!!

After dinner and birthday cake, Colin put together the most fantastic puzzle that Aunt Jen and Aunt Dani sent for his birthday. It was a 4 foot long puzzle of the ocean. Colin knows quite a bit about the ocean and even gave Nana a few lessons on marine life. He has put the puzzle together twice now, and is getting quite good at color matching and putting the outside edges together first (a trick he learned from Nana!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COLIN!!!!

Danielle and I were great cheerleaders!!!

Had a wonderful visit with Jennifer and Danielle after I attended a conference in LA for four days. I then spent four whirlwind days with the girls, even going on business runs with Jennifer. I got to see her play basketball again. I think it's been almost ten years since I saw her play. She is still going strong!! She plays with a great group of gals (and guy!!) from all walks of life and playing history.




One of the many fun things we did while I was visiting, was the Farmer's Market. They are very popular around the city. This one was held right off Santa Monica Beach and had great food, music, and crafts. We met Danielle's family (dad, Roger; brother, Damon; sister-in-law, Lily; and little niece, Delilah) at the outdoor market and had a little picnic with all the good food they were selling.

Jennifer took Monday off (after making several business pick-ups) and then we headed for the hills, literally! We drove to Ojai, a small art, wine, orange tree community on the way to Santa Barbara. After spending the afternoon there, we decided that it would make the perfect place to have our "mother-daughter" weekend with Danielle and her mother, Ruthie. We scouted out bed and breakfasts, small inns and all the fun one could have, including bike riding and horse-back riding (not sure a sixty year old should even think about getting on a horse!!) Our target date in Mother's Weekend in May, when I will be back there for a leadership conference in Burbank (I'm very lucky that all my conferences are taking me to LA!!) On the way back to LA, we threw caution to the wind, and took the Pacific Coast Highway home, and boy, was it spectacular!!!

In this little community of Ojai, you can buy oranges, grapefruit and other foods on an honor system. Take what you need and put the money in the little green can. Quite a system!!!

NanaPappa got to see the last soccer game of the season for Colin. He really knows how to move that ball around the field. He has made some good friends and takes after his dad.....a real athlete, who loves to be playing!

Mom and sister spent part of the time collecting leaves for a Sunday School project, when not cheering all the soccer players on. You can even get a look at "baby brother!"

The whole family enjoyed the morning at the soccer field, and Adi plans to play on a team next year. NanaPapa will be there!!

The kids were here in early September for some fall fun. We went bike riding so Colin could show us his stuff on two wheels! Bowling came next, and boy, can that Adi jump up and down!! Leo and Colin even got a round of golf in before they left. We are gearing up for the big boy's fifth birthday party at the end of October. Hard to believe that he once fit into the crib that his new little baby brother will be in soon.

Hello, Aunt Jen.....can you hear us now??

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star......"

On the Fourth of July Amy and the grand kids came over while Leo was in Africa. We did all kinds of fun things. And each time, Colin was amazing. Here he is playing tennis for the first time. There was even a little backhand going on!