John's Birthday

John - or "Old Man" as I call him now - turned 32 last week.

John is such a great husband and dad. Last week, I asked what he wanted to do for his birthday. He said the only thing he really cares about is that his kids have a good time. So... the kids had a great time....

Kenley and Claire spent the night with us before his birthday. They all helped make Dad's favorite cookies.

Sorry Keri   ;-)

The next day, they all helped decorate the birthday cake. The very top of the cake had at least 4 distinct sprinkle layers.

John got a few presents the boys were really excited to give: A swiss army knife that James wrapped all by himself, chromecast, and a few accessories for his smoker and bbqs.

We are so thankful for our Main (old) Man. Happy Birthday Daddy!!

{Winter Catch-Up} Weekend Before Christmas

The weekend before Christmas, we got some great snow. It only lasted until about noon when the rain melted it away, but the boys and Hugo had a blast playing in it.

It is so nice to be getting to an age with the boys where the hour it takes to get ready for the snow is worth it. They wanted to stay outside all afternoon.

Hugo gets way too excited about snow!

(Right before Nate slipped and fell off the bench.. :-/  )

It has become our tradition to have lunch in front of the fire place after we play in the snow. "And Mom, make sure we eat on the tractor blanket!"

The next day, Claire and Emma had their Gymnastics birthday party. The boys loved running around and climbing on everything. It was a great party! Happy Birthday Claire and Emma!

That night, we went to the Ronk Christmas party. Apparently I only took 2 pictures of the evening:

Bethy with food all over her face:

And James with his new sword from Grandma & Grandpa (Thanks a lot! Haha.):

And I just love this picture from nursery on that Sunday. Bethy and her BFF Hannah. (Or I guess half of Hannah!) They're going to be good buddies someday.

The house is a mess, laundry and dishes are waiting to be unloaded, the boys are in the tub splashing water everywhere, and I haven't showered yet... but the little girl is 10 months and 25 days today only.   :-)

{Winter Catch-Up} Sheri's Birthday

We had one of the most fun nights ever for Sheri's birthday this year. Eric treated us all to an amazing evening with lots of surprises for Mom. The night started when most of the kids surprised Mom at the Westlake Carousel.  

I hadn't been to the Westlake area since a few weeks before John and I were engaged (Dec 19, 2004). I went along with the family for their traditional Christmas "dinner and a show" and they had family pictures taken in the park. I got this picture from Wally and Sheri for Christmas that year - and it's still on our nightstand!

Anyway... We rode the carousel - Nate loved it, James had fun but was a little leery, and Bethy cried through the last half of the ride. But it was great fun! (Sorry these are all blurry.)

After the carousel ride, we split up and took a horse and buggy ride around town. The kids, John, and I rode with Sheri in one carriage and Eric and the others rode in a different one.

It was a fun ride around town - you definitely get a different perspective of the city and all the beautiful scenery. The boys thought it was really fun riding around with a horse, but poor Bethy was cold, tired, and inconsolable for most of the ride.  :-/ 

The horses dropped us of at the Sheraton where we warmed up with some wine and took the kids to see Gingerbread Village.

The Gingerbread houses are created and built by some of Seattle's top architectural firms. They are incredible.

After some time at Gingerbread Village, we headed over for dinner at The Metropolitan Grill.

Oh man, I was nervous. We took 3 kids for a 7pm dinner at the nicest restaurant we've ever been to!

It was an absolute blast. THE best dining experience we've ever had. Amazing! They sat our group in the very back of the private dining room. (Which, as a side note, is where all the Seahawks players ate last Sunday night after winning the championship. Go Hawks!)

I didn't get a picture, but John and I both ordered the duo of prime filet and American wagyu filet. SO good. James ordered the KID'S MENU cheeseburger - it was ridiculously huge and maybe the best cheeseburger I've ever tasted.

Even Nate's kid menu-grilled cheese was fantastic!

We ended up hanging out there until 9:30 or so. The boys were so well behaved (phew!) and since it was so late, Bethy hung out in her carseat and relaxed for most of the evening (phew!)

A huge thank you to Eric for an unbelievable evening and Happy "41st" (give or take) Birthday to Mom/Gwamma!

Another beautiful sunset last night...

{Winter Catch-Up} Johnson Family Christmas

On Sunday, the 15th, the Carruthers journeyed to Whidbey Island for the Johnson family Christmas. The Duysings are always wonderful hosts and plan a full evening of activities.

Brothers John, Matt, & Taylor

*One of* my favorite sis-in-laws.

Boys enjoyed their new monster trucks and airplanes from Great-Grandpa & Great-Grandma.

After dinner, it's become a tradition to play pictionary. Men vs. Women. It's also a tradition to swap scores at the end of the game. "Happy wife, happy life."  ;-)

A few family pictures to end the evening:

Grandpa Johnson, Sheri, Aunt Renee, Grandma Johnson

Grandkids

Grandkids & Spouses

Great-Grandkids

James & Great-Grandpa

Bethy & Great-Grandma