Oregon Holidays

A view of Hagg Lake from a hike above my parents house

My mom and sister with the dogs taking a water break

A view of Mt Hood across the valley from our hike

Christmas morning, Rachel was sick most of the night, but feeling better and ready for candy out of her stocking

A beautiful Christmas day for playing in the backyard (Caleb, mom, dad holding Rachel, Erin, Joel and Doug)

Caleb has excellent form throwing the bad cuz for Dally

Pulling the old blue truck on the patio

Rachel with auntie Erin riding Austin-this was Rachel first big horse ride

Caleb and Rachel going for a ride by themselves

giddy up Austin

Going for a jeep ride with Grandpa, Caleb got to drive

VanDyke Christmas at Verboort GC

It has been an annual tradition to celebrate Christmas time with my dad's side of the family out at the Verboort gun club for quite a few years, us being in Colorado have missed more than we have made, but luckily this year the event was schedule for a day when miraculously almost everyone in the family was present. It was so nice to see almost all the family and watch the young kids make gingerbread houses, play music/sing carols and highlighted by a visit from Santa and Mrs. Claus with a bag full of presents.

My aunt Jeanna with a few of the kids making gingerbread houses, Caleb's house was not decorated as much as his face and fingers were :)

The annual elf shoot, 12 of the VanDyke/in-law men with my cousin Lindsey's help releasing the clay pigeons

the great-grand kids playing instruments and singing carols, each with their own versions of the popular songs

Rachel, myself, my sister and my cousin Lindsey

Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive through the front door, Caleb and Rachel both went running up...neither have seen Santa before, I guess they like him!

Caleb's was the first gift out of Santa's bag, they were so excited!

8 of the 9 VanDyke great-grand kids with Santa and Mrs. Claus (from left to right in a counter clockwise direction...Cassidy, Rachel, Aidan, Quinten, Caleb, David, Athena, and Irene)

Washington Holidays

The day after our beach excursion we headed a couple hours north to visit Doug's sister and family in Gig Harbor, Doug's dad and Diane were also in town visiting. We went to zoo lights at Point Defiance zoo, had a wonderful early Christmas brunch followed by gifts, played a lot, shared a little and attempted a few photo shoots with the kids. It was a very fun trip minus Caleb coming down with some sort of 12 hour flu bug the first night and then passing it along to most everyone else. After looking at this selection of photos I have decided I should rename this post photographic illusions...photos are amazing in that they can capture a precise moment in time and make it appear that everything/everyone is great, when in actuality that couldn't be farther from the truth. Thanks again to Jen for a few of these great photos!!!

Johnny and Caleb playing with cars and the fun garage...a brief instant of sharing

At the zoo waiting to go in

Caleb and Anna are 2 little hermit crabs at the zoo...seconds before Caleb gets sick


Our early "Christmas morning" Johnny and Rachel in the special jammies

Jim and Diane reading the Polar Express to the kids before gifts, it was suppose to happen the night before but tiredness and illness defeated that plan...in the end the kids lack of patience defeated the plan all together...someone was always trying to escape

let the gift opening chaos begin

Caleb the stick horse cowboy

playtime outside

Caleb and his racing 4-wheeler

racing down the steep culdesac sidewalk

at an old railroad logging camp trying our best to get a photo of the 4 of them that is grandparent calendar worthy...one of Jen's photographic masterpieces... this same photo from the other side would be filled with screaming/crying faces

a success mostly... Anna, Caleb, Johnny and Rachel sitting on a log in the logging/railroad camp

Washington Holidays-Tacoma Waterfront

Our last day in Washington after our photography efforts, we took the kids down to the waterfront in Tacoma to throw rocks, have a "nice" lunch and explore the pier. Thanks again to Jen for taking all of these photos!

A little awkward looking, but I love that all 4 kids are in the shot doing the same thing...throwing rocks

Rachel really liked the boats going by and the their waves coming ashore

On the pier it seems we are most successful at capturing all 4 when it is from the backside

Doug and I doing our duty in attempting to set up some sort of photographic masterpiece of the front of the kids...it didn't work which is why you get this shot

Anna and Caleb will always cooperate when it involves racing