Jace's first haircut!

On January 3rd, Jace got his first haircut. The pics say it all!

Christmas 2008 v.2 - Eastern Washington

Boxing day saw the Paulson's re-pack the car and head east to Grandma Marcia and Grandpa Ron's house. The weather held for us over the pass and we made it with ease, which was nice as we were followed by another snow storm, so the timing couldn't have been better. Though we had some snow, the weather was beautiful most of the time!



Jace was really curious about the big animals that were outside the window, peering back at him.

The horses didn't mind the snow at all, in fact, some of them loved to roll in it.

Each morning and evening we were treated to 4 of the biggest bull elk going through the neighbor's pasture. The racks on the elk were huge!

We went for a few walks while we were there, so Jace to had to get all bundled up.

Jace liked helping his Grandpa put boots on.

Jace enjoyed the snow more than the first time he encountered it. (It didn't hurt that he had a great new pair of boots and that June was outside, waiting to play with Jace)

When it came time for chores, Jace liked to help his dad with the plowing of snow...

But when it came time to shovel, Jace was ready to move back inside and read his books.

Since this was Christmas, part 2, we had more gifts to open.

However, the best toy for part of the trip was the wrapping paper holder...

Here are some more great pics of Jace playing and having fun with Grandpa and Grandma.

At the end of the night, Jace was one tired kiddo and slept hard, with his polar bear watching over him.

Christmas 2008

As you can imagine, it was a busy holiday season for the Paulson Family. While the white stuff was falling from the sky (causing Seattle to shut down and the streets around our house to become the next best ski slope), we were preparing for a white Christmas with the extended family.

Christmas morning we woke to more snow falling and went downstairs to experience our first Christmas in our lovely new home and open our first round of gifts.



After the gift opening, it was time for a little cat chasing around the front room and kitchen. Sidney thought he had found the perfect hiding place, but little did he know that Jace had been practicing opening gifts! (disclaimer, no cats were harmed during the chase)



After an enjoyable morning, we packed up the car and headed out for the rest of our day. Our first stop was Grandma Jan's house. She had breakfast for us (eggs benedict, a family tradition!), more presents and of course Uncle Justin was there to help celebrate!



While at Grandma Jan's, we ventured down to a neighbor's place and Jace got to meet his first crocodile...



After a great visit with Grandma (and a fantastic breakfast), we packed the car back up and headed to Grandpa John and Grandma Kris' house for the remainder of Christmas day. Because of the snow, the gathering was much smaller than usual, but we were so happy to have a great group of people and Juke, Matt and Janelle's dog. Unfortunately Juke is no longer in our lives, so it was very special to see Jace interact with Juke and how well Juke did with a toddler who couldn't help but hug and pet and hold him...