Here Comes Baby Powell!: Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

(Grandma P. brought the adorable Santa suite for Nathan all the way from Oklahoma)

Wow! I'm not sure where to start. Our holidays were great, but super busy. Needless to say, I was worn out by the time they were all over. It all started Dec. 17th with the arrival of Steve's sister, Diane, and her husband, Stephen. It had been a whole year since we last saw them, so it was really nice to be able to spend time with them. Friday evening, Steve's younger brother, Craig, got into town. The following morning, we all headed up to Steven's pass to meet up with Steve's parents and his older brother, Jeff. We stayed in a cute little cabin for two nights. The weather didn't cooperate very well for skiing, but we still had a good time sitting in the hot tub, playing games, and watching movies. We also got to enjoy some good home cooked meals thanks to Steve's mom. Craig and Steve decided to go skiing on Monday and ended up having a great time. The rest of us all headed back to Seattle.

Diane and Nathan

Playing Dominoes

Grandma P. and Nathan

Tuesday night we all went to the UW vs. Texas A&M basketball game. Most of us were cheering for the Aggies for Craig's sake, but Steve was excited when UW won the game. Even though the Aggies lost, I think everyone still had a good time. Nathan, on the other hand, did not have such a great night. He was fine until everyone started cheering. It was just a bit too loud for him, and he let us all know. I felt really bad, because I think he was really scared. So, we all took turns walking him around the arena just far enough away from the noise that he was happy, but we could still keep an eye on the game.

Uncle Craig and Nathan at B-ball game

On Wednesday, the boys all wanted to go rock climbing, so we found a rock climbing gym in the area and headed there for the day. Mom P. and I took Nathan on a walk in a nearby park while everyone else went climbing. It felt so good to get outside and enjoy some fresh air while it wasn't raining.

Steve's family headed to Leavenworth on Christmas Eve, and Steve, Nathan, and I went over to Poulsbo to spend Christmas with my family. Mom and I got to spend some time with Rachel and Kathe during the day, then the whole family went over to my aunt and uncle's new house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's whole side of the family.

Kathe, Rachel, Me, Mom, and Nathan

Christmas was a nice, relaxing day. In the morning, Mom made us a great breakfast and we all had fun opening gifts. Steve and I got a Wii from my brothers, so that was a great source of entertainment for a few hours in the afternoon. Mom made us a fabulous Christmas dinner, then Steve, Nathan, and I headed back to Seattle that night.

Nathan inspecting his first Christmas gift from his parents

We got up early Saturday morning to make the drive over to Leavenworth to meet up with Steve's family again. The cabin they were staying in was great. It was very spacious and nice. We brought our Wii with us, so we could all play. It's amazing how many hours of fun you can have playing those games. That evening we all went on a sleigh ride. It was a neat experience having never been on a sleigh ride before. It was a chilly night, but we had Nathan all bundled up to keep him nice and toasty warm. After the sleigh ride, we had a great dinner there at the lodge. On Sunday, we all had to say goodbye to Steve's parents and Jeff. The rest of us went back to Seattle, where Craig caught a plane back to Texas. Stephen and Diane were able to enjoy one last dinner with us, then they flew out to Connecticut the next morning. We were sad to see everyone go, but I definitely needed some rest after such a busy time. Being a new mom certainly can be exhausting! I was so thankful that Nathan had such a great first Christmas. We got to be with so many people that we love, and I couldn't have asked for anything more.