End of 2016

With the end of 2016, we start new adventures.  This year brought a new job for Campbell at SuperValu.  That brought with it lots of international travel.  It is a job he is excited about but requires a long commute and travelling about once a month.  The kids miss Campbell when he is gone.  It is a big adjustment to all of us.  We take every day when he is gone and the video chatting really helps.  Sylvie only wants to see the toilet in the hotel room and view out the window.  Odd what kids find funny.

Out for some coffee and reading of books

This years travels: Philippines, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, Indonesia, ....did I miss any?  This photo if of Campbell visiting a good friend in the Philippines.

Sylvie loves loves loves to cook.  She even likes watching cooking shows.  I am not a great cook but I show her the little I know.  I hope that I am able to show her how much fun it is and that it is something to enjoy and do with people you care about.  I hope we have many fun adventures in the kitchen.  I also hope she is able to have more skills than me!  Archie also likes to join in but doesn't seem as interested.  I really love when the 3 of us are in the kitchen together.

Archie is loving coloring and like to fill in every corner of a picture.  He had a great time coloring here with Grandpa.  It is great to have Didi and Grandpa spend so much time with the kids.

Sylvie is a spirited little girl and letting us see all the fire she has inside.  We are learning that our children are so different from one another and need us to parent differently.  This one keeps us on our toes and is feisty.  We are working to direct that into the right outlets.  She is an amazing kid.  

Dinner with some of our bestie!  Jack and the kids love one another.

Archie went out to see if he could catch the Possum hiding under the shed.  This was his chosen outfit.  Archie is still as spirited, funny, loving, inquisitive, and sensitive as he was when he was a baby and toddler.  His imagination is wonderful and the worlds he and Sylvie create to play in are big and fun.

I love this photo

In November we went to Spokane to visit the Darlings for Thanksgiving.  The kids LOVE seeing them and played so well the entire weekend.  We went on a cruise to see Santa's workshop at Lake Couer d Alene.  It was a little overwhelming for Sylvie but we had a nice time.

Campbell and Jason went to the Apple Cup.  Great seats and the UW won.

And in November Nicole turned the big 40.  Campbell came home from a trip on the big day and in early December we had a weekend away from the kids in Palm Springs.  It was warm and really nice to have time away.  It is only the 3rd time both of us have been away from the kids (Paris, Prague, Palm Springs).....I wonder where then next will be?  Not too many "P" places left to go!  The kids had a great time with Didi and Grandpa as usual.

In mid December, Sylvie had her ballet recital.  She really worked and did well to follow her teachers.  She was a winter snowflake and looked super cute in her outfit.  We are so proud of her for getting up on stage in front of all the people and not being shy.  She did not want to take photos though.  I was able to get a couple luckily.

The tallest one right in the center

We ended the year with Christmas at home.  No visitors and no traveling.  That was a good thing as we all had a cold/flu.  The kids were really sick and not feeling well or like themselves.  So we had a quiet time at home.  After all the traveling Campbell has been doing, it was nice to be together.  The kids LOVED Christmas.  We decorated the tree, put up the stocking and lights.  And they loved seeing Buddy the elf and all his mischeviousness.

The kids getting ready for the excitement at school

Archie had his school Christmas performance.  He did a great job singing and was very serious.

And Sylvie's dream came true: a snowy day.  This is around 7am in the morning.  She was so excited she was still in her pjs.  We all stayed home from school and work.

While we were snowy, Campbell was on a trip to NZ and Australia.  He was able to visit many friends and stay with the Dalley's in Wellington.  It was a great way to get a trip home.

And Campbell met the new addition to the family: Hugo the dog.

Stockings were up and we were getting ready for Christmas

After going out and getting a tree after school one night (and that was a feat in of itself), I hauled it inside, put it up, and felt really proud.  Sadly after tackling the tree and after a few migraines, I realized I have a tree allergy.  So I hauled the tree outside and went to Target and bought a fake one.  And we LOVE our fake tree.  It also meant the kids got to decorate the tree 2 times!

JimBob and Hugo

We don't have many photos from Christmas morning but we we have a couple.  Sylvie got the flu and a croupy cough 2 days before Christmas.  After a quick trip to the doctor and some meds, we made it thru the holidays.  Everyone had a dose of the flu and it made for a very low key holiday. Poor Sylvie was sickest on Christmas day.  So we had a lot of movies that weekend.

But we made it.  And we are excited about the year ahead.  We have been chatting with the kids but they don't realize, we are building a house starting in June.  It will be a huge adjustment and adventure.  There will likely be a lot of stress but we are going to do our best to get thru it.  We have moved halfway around the world with 1 baby and 1 on the way and survived.  And now we will survive this as well.  It is a little scary and I am sure we don't know what we are in for.  We just need to stay focuses and work together to make it thru.  And in 2 Christmases we will be in a new house for a new Christmas together.