Christmas "I can't Believe It" Storm

It's now Christmas Eve, and since Sunday December 14th, we've only driven our car once (we went on a date Thursday Dec 18th, and boy are we glad we did), and I (Scott) have walked to Fred Meyer 4 times (ok, once I got a ride from our neighbor). Every time we look outside we keep saying to ourselves "I can''t believe it." So, we've called this the "I Can't Believe it" Snow Storm of 2008. We've been getting a good dose of Cabin Fever, but we've also had a lot of fun. We're going to post a series of mini posts with fun things like our incredible dancing Stanley (that's right he's already dancing!! Sort of). Some different things we've been doing in our neighborhood, incredible snow photos, and also other fun things. But first, Merry Christmas, and may your Christmas be safe, warm, and Christ-centered. So keep reading, and we hope you enjoy catching up with us.

The Christmas We'll Never Forget

Call us cheesey, but we like "The Little House on the Prairie." Heather has an old Christmas video of it called "The Christmas They Never Forgot," and so far it has become a tradition to watch it every year. We have a corny line that we repeat to each other, "Merry Christmas Ma. Merry Christmas Pa." Well, this is our Christmas we'll never forget. Like in the movie, we're snowed in and not going anywhere. On our back patio we have about 2+ feet of snow built up. On our street there is a good foot or more of snow. And unless you have a high undercarriage and chains you're not coming in or out. For example, this big 4x4 pick-up truck which came all the way from Washington did fine until it got to our street. And then it got stuck in the street and couldn't get into our neighbor's driveway. Some neighbors came out and helped put chains on the truck, and only then was he able to park the truck. Another neighbor of ours wanted to see if he could get out in his little Honda Accord. He snow plowed straight into a huge drift, and I had to help dig him out so he could get his car back into his garage. The benefit of this however, is that we've been able to enjoy Christmas as a family, and haven't had to worry about the commercialism of Christmas, because we can't get out to buy presents! We've done the "What God Wants for Christmas" nativity together, and reached out to our neighbors. (More of that in another post) Here are some pictures we've taken of the snow. How has your snow storm been?

Our Social Life during the Storm

During this snow storm, we have had the chance to socialize with others. It's hard being stuck at home for so long. Here are some of our outings (or gatherings at our place). The first one actually was before the storm. Two weeks ago we had the opportunity to go to a Michael W. Smith concert at Rolling Hills. My (Scott's) parents had tickets, but Steve was leaving for Bend Friday morning, and Sue was helping Grandma Bettie after Grandma's surgery. Since Heather had mentioned trying to get tickets (they were $45 each. Ouch) my parents decided to gift us the tickets. It was a great concert, and Melinda Doolittle from American Idol was also singing.

That weekend Heather played at Good Shepherd for the Christmas Services. She played extremely well, but then had to drive home alone Sunday afternoon which was when our car was first completely covered with snow. Since then, we've been stuck at home.

We did get out on Thursday (Dec. 18th) Scott had work in the morning, but was sent home because the school district thought the storm was going to hit bad. It was snowing really hard in the morning, but after the decision was made to send kids home, the snow had stopped. We were able to go on a date that evening while Steve and Sue babysat (thanks Mom & Dad!!!). We had dinner at Taco Bell, and then worked on some Christmas shopping. Little did we know that we wouldn't get out after that.

On Saturday we had our good friends Matt and Elizabeth over for baking (the girls) and games (the guys). Heather and Elizabeth made sugar cookies, fudge, and fruitcake cookies. Matt and I played Settlers of Catan, Mario Cart (N64) and Goldeneye (N64). Matt and I also got to go out in the storm (Matt loves driving in the snow) because we had Redbox movies to return. It was incredible seeing how big the storm was (we've been isolated in our house). We also had an amazing Christmas dinner with them, which Heather made. Turkey, green bean casserole, pasta, salad, and bread sticks. It was a fun time, and Stanley was even able to open his first Christmas present from Matt and Elizabeth (Uncle Matt and Auntie Lizzie to him). They gave him the most adorable Christmas outfit.

As the storm became worse, it wasn't possible to get out. So we looked to our neighbors for some sort of social interaction. Two of our neighbors, Ernie and Marilyn, are an elderly couple who live two doors down. Earlier in December Heather enlisted me to helped Ernie put up their Christmas lights. This past week, we've gotten their mail (just getting out to the mailbox is a challenge for some), helped shovel Ernie's car out of the snow, and picked up a prescription at Fred Meyer. We also had a chance to meet some more neighbors when we had a neighborhood potluck. We were going to have a Stanley's First Christmas Open House and Potluck on Monday, but with the weather, no one was able to come. So we went around our neighborhood and invited our neighbors for the Potluck. Ernie, Marilyn, Chad, Wila, and Nadia attended, and we had a great time getting to know our neighbors better. Later that evening, another neighbor, Mike, stopped by, and we invited him in for some hot chili and good conversation. Mike is the neighbor who will jump out and help other neighbors. He tried to get a plow into our neighborhood to clear our street. He also helped someone put on chains late at night when they couldn't get into their driveway.

Through this whole storm it has been fun seeing the neighborhood come together. Another one of our neighbors is having a Stuck at Home Christmas Party for those whose Christmas plans changed because of the storm. Chad gave Scott a ride to Fred Meyer on a day Scott was going to walk to get diapers and other necessities. Scott helped Ernie shovel out his car when Ernie tried to get out of his driveway. Mike let some neighbors stay at his place when their power was out for over a day. And the list goes on. Our prayer is that we can be a light in our neighborhood, and be the house willing to take someone in, offer them a hot bowl of chili and a listening ear.

Stanley, meet Snow

Technically, Stanley's first snow was only a few days after he was born. We went up to Welches to visit Nana and Papa Gene, and it was snowing in April! But, his first REAL snow (although he won't remember this either) has been the worst snow storm in Oregon in 40+ years (although I wouldn't be surprised if this is now worse than the 1964 storm). It's been so bad here in Gresham, that the Governor declared a State of Emergency for Gresham, so that they could bring in some extra man power to clean up the streets. Anyway, Stanley hasn't really been able to get out in the snow because he's been fighting a cold. He has loved sitting by the back door just watching the snow fall and accumulate. There are a few pictures of that in the "Stanley's Standing" post. But we have been able to take him out twice. The first time was not too pleasant. I (Scott) took him out and set him down on the snow, but instead of snow it was ice! Needless to say, he slipped, fell over, and promptly protested being outside. The second time we took him out, I took him with me to get the mail, and then set him down in some nice soft powder. That was more fun for a little guy. He got to move his mittened hands around and enjoyed it. However, when Stanley is presented with anything new, he gets this real serious look, as he examines the surroundings and decides what to think about this new thing. He did the same thing with snow. So it was hard to get any pictures of him smiling, even the second time when he was enjoying the snow. Oh well, that's our little observer.

Attempt Number 1: Unsuccessful

Attempt Number 2: Success!!!

Dancing Stanley

During our time cooped up indoors Stanley has developed (or mastered) a few skills. His first mad skill is his dancing ability. We discovered this innate rhythm when we gave him a Christmas present early, an Incrediblock. The incrediblock is made by FisherPrice, and there are these Peek-a-Blocks which have characters or items inside. For example, a few items in the blocks include: a Zebra, a Clown, a Cow, a Dump truck, a jingle bell, and some mirrors. When Heather first saw these, she was hooked, and we've increased our collection slowly. The Incrediblock is a giant block with some incredible fun things to do with it. One of the things it does is make music when you put blocks down a chute. Well, here's what Stanley did when the music started.

And if you thought that was cute, here's Stanley dancing to Feliz Navidad. Watch out Tom Reagan, this boy has moves!!!

And here is one of his early videos, lost in the archives, of Stanley first developing his dancing skills.

Stanley's Standing

Stanley's second skill that he's pretty much mastered is pulling himself up to a standing position. He can grab pretty much anything he wants, couch, ottoman, chair, bar stools, Incrediblock, bookshelf, dishwasher, Mom or Dad, window sill, etc. It started off with him pulling himself up to his knees, and then as he became more proficient at it, he went for the full fledged, on my feet , Mommy look I'm standing maneuver. Here are some pictures of him working on this skill.

The first time we caught him standing.

Here's how talented he is, he was able to pull himself up to the window sill that is at his eye level! How'd he do that?

Here are some more pictures of him standing put into a collage.

With this new skill comes another important skill that Stanley hasn't quite mastered yet. Getting down. Watch this fun video to see how that's going so far.

The Wacky Overby's with Cabin Fever

Stuck indoors for these last 10 days, we've done some wacky things. Here are some pictures commemorating some of our antics. You might notice that daddy isn't in very many photos. That's because he's usually the one instigating the craziness! Explanations: (Left to right, top to bottom) Stanley pulled himself up on the laundry basket (with Daddy's promptings), Stanley in Daddy's sweatshirt (guess who helped), Stanley in a box of one of his early presents (the hat and bow tie), family self photo, (taken by Daddy), Stanley in the mixing bowl, Mommy getting ready for work (she had a show with Nana), Stanley making a funny face, oops there goes the mixing bowl with baby, Mommy taking a break in the snow after a walk, Stanley helping Daddy with laundry, Stanley thinking Mommy and Daddy are silly, Stanley sunbathing in bed.

Snow Day 2008

In the northwest, when it snows everything shuts down. This week is no exception. Yesterday (Sunday 12/14) it started snowing in the morning and as the day progressed the temperatures dropped and more snow fell. We ended up with about 4+ inches of snow, and I (Scott) got the day off today. We'll see what happens during the rest of the week. For anyone from the Midwest/Northeast who might be reading this and thinking "those in the northwest are such wimps." My answer is yes and no. Yes, we have a tendency to freak out when anything white falls from the sky or at the hint of something white possibly falling from the sky. No, because snow happens so rarely (unlike other parts of the nation where snow is the norm from December until March) that we don't have the infrastructure to handle it as well. If you don't head up to Mt. Hood regularly, why to you really need studs on your car? Also, it seems as if when we have storms we tend to get more ice which also makes driving more dangerous. Correct me if I'm wrong on this, I don't know what Midwest/Northeast storms are like.

Anyways, we appreciate the break (although it will make it harder on my classes when we come back). Well, today the temperature is hovering around 21 degrees, and we realized last night that we were almost out of diapers! Today, I had the task of making it to the store to get this much needed necessity. Instead of driving (our back tires are starting to go bald), I decided to walk. It's only about a mile and a quarter to Fred Meyer's. I wouldn't call it an horrible task, because I saw it as a fun adventure. It was a great walk, and while I was there I also rented two movies from Hollywood Video (Prince Caspian and Get Smart) with coupons so they were free . It was cold, and I was able to use my nice down jacket Heather got me for Christmas 2 years ago. I haven't really had a chance to use it prior to this. Like I said, storms like this don't happen to often.

So today, we're bundled up inside, drinking hot chocolate, and enjoying our time together. I'll try not to think about work too much. It is what it is, and I'll figure out how to catch up when I get back. Besides, temperatures aren't supposed to get above 30 until maybe some time next week, which I'll have off for Christmas break. We might even have more precipitation on Wednesday. Until I go back to work, this is my mini pre-Christmas vacation. For those of you who also have the day off, enjoy it and stay safe and warm. For those of you who had to go to work, be safe on the roads. Here are some pictures of me bundled up for my trek, and also an extra video of our future composer, Stanley Mac Overby. (Aaron Young you'll appreciate a reference in the video).

Merry Christmas.

8 Month Tribute...

Stanley Mac

December 14th, 2008

8 Months old

My sweet baby Stanley. I love you so much and I just thought I’d take this moment to tell you so. You are such a wonderful baby. You are so fun to be around with your contagious smile (they have your 4 month picture up at GTMC and say that you always make them smile and that you’re their mascot and you make everyone else smile as well, especially Daddy and I), your excited curiosity (you get into everything now and are learning so much), and your good looks, of course (everyone comments on your sweet chin dimple and your bright blue eyes). I enjoy those things about you but those aren’t even the most important things I love about you. It is your heart that I love. I love your sweet spirit, your mild manner, and your soft heart. When someone displays a big show of emotion (crying, laughing, or shouting) you well up with emotion and cry out loud but are easily consoled. You are sensitive and I love that about you. Please remain sensitive throughout the years especially to the Holy Spirit as he guides your way. I also love that you are mine and that you need your mommy and daddy so much right now. You are SO loved.

What are you doing these days? You’re crawling all over the place but mostly using your perfected “army crawl” and occasionally doing the “real crawl” and the “Pyramid” or “triangle” stance. You also like to pull yourself up on things into a standing position. With all your moving around you have been getting hurt quite a bit. You fell out of the pyramid stance on the kitchen floor and landed right on your nose causing a painful first bloody nose. You slipped while holding yourself up on Daddy’s bedside table and bonked your head really hard making Mommy fear that you might have a concussion. The result was a really nasty “goose egg”/bruise and some vomiting but thankfully no trip to the ER. The very next day (yesterday) you were playing on the floor with Daddy and powercrawled right into the wall. It breaks my heart to see you in pain. Fortunately you don’t get hurt like this too often. You really are good at getting where you want to go, especially to cords and anything else we don’t want you to get your hands on. You are also very social and you love to be where the action is. Everyone loves being with you and the child care workers love having you with them. This social personality makes it hard when we put you in your room for naps which is often met with a protest. You say Dada and Daddy quite often and I really can’t wait until you start saying Mama or Mommy that much. You also like to be tickled and play peek-a-boo and it’s then that you show us some of your greatest laughs.

So here’s to the first 8 months of your sweet life and to all the discoveries and adventures ahead.

We love you!

A Conversation Between Mommy and Stanley

For most people this video will probably seem pointless and uninteresting but to us it is absolutely adorable.