Holiday Bowl & Ryan's Birthday

What a game! Back and forth for the entire second half after the Ducks spent the entire 1st half on their heels. Thanks to our homies, the Plaskers, for making this season even better with all our get togethers. I think we should pencil in beer and bbq for all 12 dates next year since we were undefeated this year. GO DUCKS!

This year was also the first year I've celebrated a birthday with Mom & Dad since I was 17....we were well overdue. Big thanks to them for taking the time to spend with Christy, myself, and the kids. We had a great time swimming with Papa, playing a great new dice game (Farkle), inhaling Mom's Apple Pie, breaking in a new sewing machine, and just being together.

I'm going to China!!!

This is just one sample....Will spent the better part of our visit to the air museum running around telling people he was going to fly to China and asking people if they were going to China. So cute!

Oregon Coast Aquarium & Evergreen Aviation Museum

We decided to take our time going back home to Portland and stopped on the Oregon coast at Newport. We spent two nights hitting the aquarium, the beach, and Rogue Brewings Headquarters (of course)! Will had a great time at the aquarium. He was especially thrilled with touching the sting rays and seeing the huge Japanese Spider Crabs.

After leaving Newport, we made one more stop in McMinnville to visit the Evergreen Aviation Museum. The "Spruce Goose" has been housed in this museum in rural Oregon for the last 7 years. The museum itself is very modern and has an impressive collection of planes. Will has always been more of a train guy but the more time we spent in the museum, the more excited he seemed to get. He loved sitting in the old airplanes and helicopters. One mention by Dad of visiting Uncle Trent & Auntie Shawn in China and he was off looking for any and all planes to fly to China! Keep your eyes open for a visitor, Uncle & Auntie!

Christmas at Chez Donovan

We finally ventured out of our snowy mess of a street two days before Christmas, determined not to spend Christmas alone in Aloha. Hated to do it, but I chained up and we made it out of town slowly (took us 3 hrs to go 30 miles) and safely. We made it to Grants Pass that evening and had a great time (as usual) at Chez Donovan with Tim, Ann, Mom, & Dad. Food, beer, etc was exceptional as usual. Big ups to Timmy for sharing his "Bacon Waffle" breakfast creation. I'd get a patent on that ASAP! This was the first Christmas where Will really showed the anticipation we all remember as kids. It was so much fun to watch the excitement grow in him as the day got closer.

He peeled out!

Here's a little video of Will trying out his new remote controlled Thomas engine. Classic!

Who's coming tonight.....Didi & Santa?!?

We asked Will who was coming tonight (Christmas Eve) and guess what he said....

....and it continues....

We had another 4-6 inches of snow last night bringing the grand total to 14 inches in the last week. Yikes! Another 1-2 is forecast for tonight followed by another 3-5 inches on Wednesday. We're all chained up, planning to head down to Grants Pass (land of rain only) tomorrow. Wish us luck! Merry Christmas!

8 inches and counting in Aloha.....

Several more inches of snow dropped last night before turning to freezing rain. We're still well below freezing (currently 26 degrees). Today was a mix of freezing rain and heavy snow. Still no good idea from the weather "experts" on when we'll be out of this madness. Tomorrow afternoon it may get above freezing. We're hoping it will be sometime Monday or early Tuesday so we can get on the road and head to Grants Pass for Christmas.

Still snowing....

We've been at or below freezing all week. Snow has been falling off and on for 7 days. Today, however, its been snowing all day long. Literally, from the time we got up at 7:30 until now (8:15pm) its been a steady snowfall. The heaviest part of the storm is just now rolling through. We already have 6 inches on the ground. The pictures below are from early this afternoon. We have at least 3 more inches of snow on the ground now and its 21 degrees outside and still dumping! Never seen anything like this in our 12 years here. Good news is....no trouble keeping the beers cold! Go snow, go!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Woooo-hoooo! Nothing like a big snowstorm during the Christmas season! We had a steady downfall of snow all day starting at 8am this morning and ended up with about 3 inches so far. As I write this the temperature at our house is 23 degrees and dropping. Portland isn't supposed to get above 30 degrees for AT LEAST the next week! They're requiring chains on all Portland metro area highways. The forecase is for a little more snow for Wednesday and Thursday....and then a huge snowstorm is supposed to hit next Sunday. Anyway, we're buckling down at home. We ventured out with the Masons for a little snowball throwing, some sledding down the Thompson driveway, and snowcones on the porch. Will and Dakota had a blast. All Portland area schools have already been closed for at least Monday and Ryan is surely not going to work for at least tomorrow and likely the entire week if the temperature stays below freezing. Merry Christmas to you all!

Deckers & Thompsons Blow Up the 2008 Holiday Ale Festival

Good beer, great company! Too much (literally) fun was had at this year's festival. The Deckers & Thompsons definitely did their part at this years festival. Big thanks to Grandma Laurel and the best neighbors ever, the Masons, for watching the kids while the four of us cut loose downtown!