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.