Final Christmas Shopping Stop

The boys and I hit Fred Meyer today, our finale to this year's Christmas shopping.

We scored a cool shopping cart, which made the whole trip fantastic for the boys. Woo-hoo!
Such patient little guys -- they did a great job!
Then we went to the library for some new books...!

Merry Christmas!!

Let the Celebrating Begin!

We enjoyed the annual 'Inner Circle' brunch on Saturday morning.

So much delicious food, great friends, and the children in their holiday finest.

Here are Gordon & Grayson looking quite dapper,wearing the adorable Christmas suits Auntie Lassa bought for them last January!

We are enjoying this special Christmas season, and looking forward to the arrival of family this coming week!

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

God bless you in the New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Just a quick note before you look at the post below: In order to hear the video properly, scroll down a little bit to my Music Box on the right--press 'pause' on it, so you only hear one song at once. Then enjoy this little video greeting from us. The boys have seriously watched this clip over and over this morning; they love it! Merry Christmas from the Salzmans!

Christmas Barn Dance!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Little Moments With Gordon

Gary took these candid photos of Gordon during the past few weeks, and I just had to post them. Both were taken during that quiet, cozy time in the evening; Grayson was already in bed. The first one shows Gordy wondering if he might find a little bedtime snack.

This 2nd photo captures Gordon's love of books. It was taken after Gary and I had already read several books to him...he just can't get enough reading.
Last weekend, Gordon asked me to double check his clean-up work after a solo trip to the bathroom with a #2. His comment was, "I'm not the goodest at wiping," combined with his trademark facial expressions and hand gestures. Gary and I were very amused and loved his quote, so I had to share. He had, in fact, done a perfect job cleaning up after himself. I guess it was just reassurance he needed.

Snow!

We enjoyed a lovely weekend in the mountains!

At least a foot of fresh, powdery snow fell while we were there.

Much time was spent outside, enjoying all that white stuff.

It wasn't 'snowman quality' snow just yet -- not very sticky,

so that will be a priority when we return to the cabins for our

fun, old-fashioned, family Christmas next week.

We were pleased to see a white dusting of snow in Boise also,

when we returned home last night.

The boys have already spent part of the morning playing in it.

One strand of lights wasn't working on our Christmas tree,

but it still looks beautiful -- thank you, Gary! I love it!

There are more photos from our weekend in the slideshow below.

Let it snow -- let it snow -- let it snow!!

Chatting with Santa

Gordon was even more brave than he was last year with Santa today.

There was only slight hesitation before climbing up on the big guy's knee,

to tell him, "Hi Santa. I would like a tractor, a watch that says

'tick-tock, tick-tock,' and a choo-choo train."

Grayson wanted nothing to do with this scenario.

He couldn't get away from Santa fast enough.

Once he was back in the safety of my arms,

he pulled himself together enough to say, "tank you."

The rest of our morning was pleasant -- visiting the pet store

and eating a picnic lunch before taking Gordy to preschool.

Family Outing

Last weekend, we enjoyed a family trip to Municipal Park & MK Nature Center....

The boys played on the swings, climbing gym, and slides...and then played chase and peek-a-boo with squirrels.

Here we are, observing the salmon at the Nature Center. You can see the awe in the boys' faces, reflected in the glass.

We finished up our little trip with a stop at our favorite grocery store.... We scored one of those double kid-seat shopping carts, and both boys were happy and patient throughout the entire spree. They enjoyed greeting fellow shoppers, pretending to drive race cars and motorcycles, and snacking on animal crackers.

This was a very pleasant trip to the grocery store; no tears or tantrums by any of us.

Sesame Street Live!

One of the perks to Gary's job is that he occasionally receives free tickets to

events that are sponsored by the TV station.

One such event this past weekend was Sesame Street Live!

The stage lit up with familiar songs & puppet characters!

Below, Gordy claps his hands in delight.

These photos are a little dark, but you can still see that the boys thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Sitting for a long stretch of time is a tall order for Grayson,

so he and I enjoyed the final 20 minutes of the show from the more spacious upper tier to the auditorium. We didn't miss any of the show, and Grayson appreciated the extra space for dancing to the music.

Grayson wore his Elmo shirt in honor of his favorite cuddly, red monster.

Gordon's Letter to Santa Claus

Gordon and I wrote up a little note to Santa last week:

We're planning to go meet with ol' St. Nick in person this week, at the mall.

Photos of that encounter will be coming soon, if all goes well.

Grayson & Mommy Time

Grayson and I enjoyed some special time together today while Gordon was at preschool.

We went to the mall to pick up his 18-month portraits at Sears,

and then meandered around, looking at Christmas displays, lights, trees, snowmen...

and some special trinkets at the Hallmark store.

Grayson was especially drawn to a little push button toy which played

that silly, barking dog version of "Jingle Bells."

You can see his fascination with it in the photo below.

It took some persuasion to get him to give it up so I could put it back on the shelf.

Sticking with the dog theme, we then wandered

over to the pet store.

Here you see Grayson playing

peek-a-boo with chihuahua pups.

Grayson liked the bunnies, rats, and parakeets also.

Finally, we wrapped up our trip with a little self-reflection.

What a charming and sweet little boy.

"Lion Park"

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny day -- and today is looking to be the same.

The boys and I took a long walk, spending some time at Sunset Park.

Gordon enjoyed running around on the newly remodeled tennis courts.
Though his face doesn't show it, Grayson had fun too.
This is why the boys refer to Sunset Park as "Lion Park."
Hope your day is sunny too!

A Week of Thankfulness

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend in the mountains! The weather was remarkable, our traditional turkey dinner was delicious, and we enjoyed good company and a lot of time in the great outdoors. Here's a little slideshow of photos from the past week, leading up to Thanksgiving weekend:

We hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving also!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We hope each of you have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving Day tomorrow!

Christmas Decorations

Neighbors are already starting to put up their Christmas decorations!

Yesterday evening, the boys and I took a little stroll to see the sights.
It's fun to see all the lights, snowmen, reindeer, manger scenes, angels, and trees!

YAY! 'Tis the season...already?!!

Snow in the Mountains!

We were met with a fresh dusting of snow as we arrived at our

mountain getaway on Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, Gary watched the boys so I could take a little hike with Abi.

The sun was just dipping down toward the horizon as we ventured out.
The air was so fresh and crisp;
Abi & I enjoyed our first walk in snow for the season.

My cell phone doesn't quite capture the brilliant colors of the sunset,

but here's one of the better photos.

Winter Wonderland!

Grayson's 18-month Portraits

Grayson and I headed to Sears today while Gordy was at preschool.

Time to get some updated portraits!

These are the proofs e-mailed to me; they're not top quality,

but you can still see how well Grayson posed for the camera.

Grayson noticed this football and basketball as soon as we

entered the studio, and wouldn't let go of them throughout

the entire session.

Again with the football & basketball -- and an adorable smile.

Grayson did a great job!

Such a serious little sweetheart!

We love you, Grayson!

The Little Gym

Monday evening, we went to a special toddler class at The Little Gym.

Dear friends invited us to "Bring a Friend Night," and we had a lot of fun!

Here are Casey and Abigail --

Casey and I used to teach together...and then we had our babies together!

Abi was born the day before Grayson arrived, so we were all at the hospital at the same time.

It's so fun to watch our babies growing together...!

Grayson loved the bubble catching, stomping, and popping activity!

Gordon got to be 'the big kid' at this class, and he really enjoyed
all the equipment and space to explore.

Here are Grayson, Abigail, and Gordon,
playing in what Gordon decided was a 'doughnut.'

What a fun time!

Thank you so much for inviting us, Casey!