Christmas at The Roost & in Bethlehem

"A merry Christmas to all!" from the holidazing inhabitants of The Roost on this December 25th.

Here we are wearing the new warm tops gifted by Grandma and Grandpa. Didn't Gloria pick out a fabulous sweater for Soren? (And he WILL wear it, probably until the polar bears turn brown.)

And here are the merry guests, the Testermans who traveled from afar: Jill from Portland, Ann & Bill from Anacortes. We're missing all the relatives we couldn't be with today!

Last night we attended our fellowship's Nativity pageant. It was Soren's first time "acting" in it, and he was assigned the role of a shepherd. (If he has been a girl, he would have been an angel. Strict gender segregation!)

As the narrator read the Christmas story, the children trouped in and took their positions around the manger. Soren's friend couldn't resist a wave to his parents.

Such earnest little worshippers! (Soren in mustard yellow, at left.)

We were amazed that Soren slept till 9 a.m. But he had hardly wiped the sleep from his eyes before he was reaching into his stocking. Santa had indeed been here in the night! He had nibbled at the cookies we'd left out for him, and drunk all the milk.

Papaw Bill eagerly awaits to see what surprises Soren pulls out of his stocking. P.S. This was his formerly favorite sweater, very Christmasy. I'm hoping to have him wear it for our family portrait to be featured in our year-end card.

Auntie Jill leans in close as the presents are unwrapped. A new box of watercolors, kiddie chopsticks, an origami wolf pack, felt acorn treasures, non-toxic food colorings--all good stuff for a 5-year-old Waldorf student.

Now, what's this beside the tree? (It wouldn't fit under.) It had Soren's name on it, and was wrapped in a sheet...

 

For a moment it was a horsie to ride...

And then its packing was cut free and a NEW MATTRESS uncoiled with a great bound! Now our basement bunkbed has a top mattress, MUCH better for climbing on. And Soren's surprise at the true nature of this gift was priceless. I don't think he had any idea.

We leave you with this impish grin from our little elfin boy. May your holidays be peaceful and happy. Thinking of you!

NOTE: Click on any image and then you might be able to view a slideshow of this blog's posts, depending on your browser. Ho ho ho!

Merry Men (& Maiden)

 The Merry Men of Sherwood Forest made Halloween a merry affair this year (well, except for the tantrum when the allowed candy-eating limit had been exceeded, but we'll write that off to holiday exhaustion).

Robin Hood and Little John were fierce warriors for justice. In Soren's words, "We steal from the rich and give to the poor." Yes, he's watched the Disney movie many a-time.

Yes, Soren was Robin Hood, in a costume we picked up our travels in Oregon, and Jeff was "Little" John. Mommy got to be Maid Marian, Robin Hood's lady love. Well, aren't mothers the inspiration for all sons' good works?

Aw, let me in for a kiss!

Soren lost his first tooth last week, and the gap is almost visible in this smile. It was a lower front tooth, and it gives him a disarmingly devilish grin.

And in case you didn't feel safe enough with Robin Hood patrolling our neighborhood, his friend was a ninja, so there were TWO swordsmen on the prowl.

No need to worry. Unless, of course, you're filthy rich...!

Halloween on the frontier

We dressed up as a "frontierspeople" this year. It was Soren's idea.

Our costumes were based around the wooden rifle Soren recently acquired from his grandparents. It was his daddy's toy gun when he was a kid.

I borrowed vest, hat and pistols from a friend to make my "Calamity Shel" persona.

Soren wore a sheepskin hat -- good thing, since the wind was chill.

On the walk downtown, the men spotted an urban deer. We were thinking venison. But, darn, they both missed! (This is the longbow Jeff built this summer in a class at the new CedarRoot Folk School.)

At the downtown Trick or Treat Parade, we ran into friend Evelyn, a zombie princess.

We met up with this family (and took them home to dinner). A.J. was the coolest robot, and I appreciated that his mom held onto the remote!

And the boys had fun collecting candy from the downtown merchants. Soren got to eat four pieces today, because he's four.

This rule should work for a few more years, right?

Happy Halloween!

Dressing up & treehouse update

Sorry for the gap in blog posts. I (Shelly) have been more than a little busy in the last two months organizing an Earth Day celebration with Local 20/20 and volunteering for the 2nd annual PT Wearable Art Show, which is a fundraiser for Jefferson County's Fund for Women and Girls.

This is the second year I wrote a script for and emceed this amazing runway fashion show. Here I am after the show with the "Best in Show" winning wearable art (a Dacron wedding dress detailed with sailcloth "feathers") modeled by the artist's mother. The artist, Riel, is second from right. Debbi, at far right, is the event chair. Kudos to ALL who were involved in this incredible effort. See more pix of the winning entries here.

Meanwhile, Soren hasn't stopped growing up. He is officially 3-3/4 today, and already answers "almost 4" when asked how old he is. Here he is on our Easter Sunday beach walk.

Most mornings, he straps on his sword and scabbard before he even eats breakfast. Here he is, fully armed, for whatever dragons or evildoers he may encounter in The Roost. (Note: it's a cap gun, and it fits in the chest pocket of his overalls.)

Another kind of dress-up has intrigued him lately: the fluffy princess and fairy costumes worn by his little girl friends. He borrowed this get-up from his friend Tayla (pictured below). Note the RC car at his feet.

 

When I promised to stock a dress-up box of his very own, we hit Goodwill and found a set of six costume noses. What a find!

Tayla is still Soren's best friend, and their shenanigans give both of our families lots of laughs and cute photo opps. I don't think I need to say more!

I'll close with an update on the backyard treehouse, which has been joined by a firepit -- meaning s'mores at least once a week. Since this photo has been taken, Jeff has added railings between all the treehouse posts.

Glad to have some time this weekend to catch up on photos -- and with you! Happy Memorial Day.

Thirty-six Thanksgiving pix

I'm sharing 36 pix from our Thanksgiving celebration at my grandpa's house on Vashon Island.

Guaranteed to make you nostalgic for the time when your fingers were small enough for the black olives to fit on!

Click here to view the Picasa album.

Happy extended holiday season!!

Photo series: Soren in the chair

I call this series "Soren in the Chair."

Soren and his friend Tayla -- and stuffed animal friends, too.

Soren reading to Papaw -- wearing Papaw's glasses!

Nice new striped shirt (size 4!) is from Grandma Gloria...

...As is this cozy new bathrobe, which Soren donned this evening after his bath. Jeff pressed him into service licking the whipped cream beaters. Then he and I snuggled up in "The Chair" and read too many stories to count.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and relations! May you have whipped cream, stories and snuggles, too.

Two knights and a queen this Halloween

Introducing Sir Dance-alot and his family!

There was swashbuckling, capture, enslavement, and escape in the Randall clan this Halloween! We took the drama to our downtown parade, and acted out the fight that freed the queen and enslaved the bad Viking-knight. Soren, of course, was the hero!

The sword and helmet were a birthday gift from Grandpa Jim and Grandma Gloria. There was a scabbard on a sash, but it restricted his movement and wasn't worn long. Someone commented that Soren looked like a chess piece -- hee hee!

Soren chose his own costume this year and he wanted to be a knight, but one inspired by his current favorite movie, How to Train Your Dragon. If you've seen it, you'll notice that Jeff resembles Hiccup's dad...which translated to "Viking knight." He took along his boffer sword.

It was an unseasonably warm October 31st, with warm sunshine and no breeze blowing off the bay.

Soren peeks in his friend Tayla-cat's candy bag to see what's inside. He called the few pieces of candy we allowed into his possession "trick-or-treats." He graciously shared what he had with us. Such a chivalrous action!

We wrapped up the evening with a lighted jack-o-lantern walk in a friend's woodlot. Very magical for a boy who is developing his first traditions around this rather bizarre holiday. Well, see ya stormin' the castle!