These photos were taken between December 24 and 27, 2008.
Christmas threw some Exciting Adventures at us when Mother Nature decided to smack Northern Oregon with the worst snow storm in, uh, decades I think. The Portland International Swankified Airport was shut down for a day or three, Grandma Rose was completely snowed in, and as a result, we actually called family and friends up north to say that it was looking like we'd be staying home for Christmas.
Luckily, Brick's childhood friend, Jason Bond, and his wife, Becky, came to the rescue, insisting on driving through snow-packed roads to get Rose and graciously hosting (and feeding) our entire family--including sister Sara and her siblings and boyfriend--at their house for Christmas. Jason was surprised to find that the town of Willamina truly was snowed in, with several inches of ice and snow on the road up the hill to Rose's house. In fact, he and his dad, Jim, almost spent Christmas in Willamina when they accidentally turned into the driveway just before hers and nearly put their truck in a deep ditch of snow when they attempted to back out. All was well in the end, as you'll see from the photos.
Two days after Christmas, Brick's dad, Carlos, and his wife, Barbara, got to meet Ayla for the first time, laying out a delicious spread of eatables and drinkables for the momentous occasion. Luckily, the snow had turned to rain by Saturday, so our drive to visit Gramps was adventure-free, though we did enjoy the beautiful farms and backroads near Jason's and Becky's house. Unfortunately, all of the pictures from this visit are a bit blurry, as our camera was experiencing major technical difficulties during the entire trip.
If I can find any non-blurry photos, I'll include some pics of our stay at the Hidalgo's house in Portland, which made for a fun and relaxing end to a great trip. In the meantime, though, please enjoy Miguel's
perfectly clear photos of our time with them. (Note that the red hat you see Ayla wearing in those photos was knit by Aurelia, who also knit matching mittens. Shazam, girl!)
For waaaaay too many photos of our trip, just
visit our online album.
The Bonds' living Christmas tree. They use them for a couple years and then plant them in their yard. They still have their first living Christmas tree from 10 years ago, named "Charlie," which is now over 20 feet tall.
The always-popular "three generation" short stack, with a side of bacon.
Who needs to open gifts? This paper stuff is cool!
Riley and Ayla (with a spot from Mom) ride Baby Triceratops into the jungle.
Momma Becky and Jacob have a laugh... and a snack.
Poppa Jason is all smiles as he unwraps a new Harley Davidson jacket, to go with his sharp-looking Harley Sportster motorcycle.
Sienna, Sean, and Sara inspect some Christmas booty. (For those who don't know, Sienna and Sean are Sara's half-sister and brother and live with her in Eugene.)
Sara and her beau, Aaron (on right), show off their new paddle ball set. Sara points out to her younger siblings that paddles do have multiple uses...
It's a par-tay!
Sienna and Ayla relax by the tree. Sienna just MIGHT like babies. :-)
"I don't know, Grandpa. Even with that ponytail, I think I still win the Who Has the Most Hair contest."
Barbara, Carlos, and Ayla get in some bonding time on the sofa. Happy Dog makes sure she's in the photo and near the action. (Bottom left.)
Back at the Bonds' house. One day it's a bath with Mom in the sink...
...the next it's some tub time with Riley!
You can always count on Grandma to dry you off and warm you up after bath time.
Ayla entertains Katie and Jon as we wait for breakfast.
Ayla grabs the best seat in the house and digs in to her appetizer of fingers al dente.
Hey, wait, by the looks of it, THIS may be the best seat in the house, as there seem to be some recliner options... and a little more cushion.
Sutro Heights Park still features some of the many statues that used to adorn its grounds back when former San Francisco mayor Sutro had a mansion here. Here, Katie climbs onto a pedestal and re-creates what the former statue may have looked like. Apparently, it looked like a pooping chipmunk.
Aha! Turns out that the best seat in the house is on wheels. Foxy wheels.
