My little sister, Sharon, who is pretty much one of the greatest people I know, is up in our neck of the woods for Christmas. My bro-in-law’s family lives on nearby Whidbey Island, so for the last few years, coming up to the Pacific Northwest has been a two-for for the Cook family. We got a chance to celebrate Sharon’s birthday (exactly my half-birthday) downtown, which had decked its halls for our visit. The kid’s schedules only allotted us a relatively brief visit to the city, but we had so much fun.

We met up with Sharon, Wes, and his parents, Dave, and Tina at the Seattle Center. Abby is fascinated by the Space Needle right now, and insisted on saying hello to it repeatedly, and also asked if she could tickle it. Hmmm…

It was pouring when we arrived, so we avoided this awkward interaction with the Needle. Instead, we hopped on the Monorail (which we discovered is actually a 2-rail monorail) and headed over to the Westlake Center for dinner.

After dinner, we went on a little ride on the carousel. Abby was in heaven.

Then the highlight of Abby’s evening came when she spent some time watching and petting the carriage horses. Its not too often we get to hear her squeal with delight, but this was one of those times and my heart was so happy.

The little man was also a trooper, but insisted on staying awake the entire time, which made for one very long, and loud, car ride home.

After we got off the monorail, and tickled the Space Needle (would have LOVED to be a passerby), Josh and I realized that this would probably be our last trip to Seattle as Washington residents. It was surreal, and a little sad, to think that we would be leaving this place that we had grown to love. I know God will continue to bless us with new experiences, faces, adventures, and places to visit, but there is something so special about the place where you really became a family.

Spending time with my sister, however, reminds me that being close to our families is right where we need to be at this season, and I look forward to posting more pictures of our families, rather than for our families.

Blessings!

Our little man has been chewing, sucking, chewing, gnawing, biting, and chewing on EVERYTHING in sight over the last couple of months. And finally, he has something to show for all his soggy efforts. Bring on the steak!

3 years, 3 Santas. And each one with wonderful memories.

"Starbucks Santa" We missed the chance to head to the mall when Abby was a 4-month-old, so when the Starbucks in our neighborhood hosted Santa and Mrs. Clause, we jumped on it. It turned out that Josh was working that night, and I was still adapting to being a mommy and was not looking forward to going out at night with a little one. But I got Abby dressed, we hopped in the car with our neighbor and good friends, Darby and Jack, and headed out. Ironically, I forgot my camera, but Darby had hers so she snapped a few pics of my little one with the big guy. I think Abby and Jack were the only kids that actually sat on his lap that night, but I will never forget how proud I was that that precious one on Santa’s lap was MY baby girl, and I will also never forget how thankful I am for other friends on tough mommy days (thanks Darby ).

"Everett Mall Santa" This year, we planned out our Christmas a little better, and headed to the mall. We knew the "other" mall would be packed with little ones, so we headed to see the less popular, but no less bearded, Santa. The only people in line to see him, was an adorably dresses toddler, and her goofy parents, who were absolutely giddy at the thought of their girl meeting a real mall Santa. This Santa friend didn’t do too much to draw out a smile from Abby, so picture said giddy parents behind the camera, doing all in their power to make the baby smile (singing, dancing, etc.) To our winded dismay, this was all we got from her, a look that clearly says, "I WILL be in counseling for this one day". Well, maybe, but our memories of this picture will always make US smile.

"Alderwood Mall Santa" Josh refers to this Santa as "Jammy Santa" since he has never taken the time to get his coat dry-cleaned for pictures. Nonetheless, he’s a wonderful Santa, and unlike last year’s Santa, he made Abby feel a little more comfortable. It helps too that Abby is very interested in Mr. Clause this year, and has even been able to chat with him from time to time. We headed out early this morning, knowing full-well that the Saturday before Christmas may be a bad time to go to the mall, but we got a pretty nice space in line. The children were nestled all snug in their double-stroller, Abby with a movie on Josh’s iPhone, and Zack asleep in his carseat, and the line went so fast. Abby was stoked to finally meet him, worked through her shyness, and made us so proud with her bravery and happy heart. And Zack? Well, having just been awakened from his long winter’s nap, was adorably curious as to whom we let hold him. We’re pretty sure Santa wasn’t too keen on letting our little man go. It was a wonderful experience!

Life has been super busy, and slightly stressful lately. While Christmas is in less than a week, and we are moving in 18 days, it is our precious little girl that has made life a little more difficult. The fact that she’s two, combined with her not feeling 100%, combined with her trying to process the move, combined with her sleeping in a "big girl bed" has made for a generally unpleasant disposition. We are trying to be super patient with her, and while our heads know that she is completely normal, our hearts are longing to be in the company of our more compliant, sweet little girl. But, as her doctor put it plainly, she is perfectly normal and acting her age.

So, hooray for normal development. Now, where’s the Advil?

…mold.

Two nights, we came home from looking at neighborhood Christmas lights to the site of water gushing out of our garage. Josh opened the garage door to find water, literally spraying over the entire area. The cold weather had caused a pipe to burst, and which boxes took the brunt of the explosion? The ones full of years and years and years worth of old paper memories, including tons of love notes (from Josh ), awards, "remember when" items, and this…

My Mom

I think my mom is the best mom in the world because every time she bakes a cake she lets me lick the beaters afterwards. She also washes my clothes for me to wear. I really appreciate that. And she cooks breakfast for me.

by Joshua Williams

So, I was in bed too late and up too early, laying sheet after sheet of things like this in front of the fireplace, hoping not to lose some of these. Its all worth it…

Here are some pictures that can’t go un-shown…

Zachary on his hot date. (OK, it was a playdate with precious Nev, and it was only hot cause the fireplace was blaring cause its been SO STINKIN COLD here.)

Abby’s a sucker for big, stuffed teddy bears.

A rare sharing moment for Abby. I’m pretty sure she was taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t move, and she likes dressing up her dollies.

I read that the average child under four can get up to 12 colds a year. Hey, we’re still under quota!

Abby in her "funny hat" (an ornament container) and Princess panties.

The sunrise from Zack’s bedroom window. I’m REALLY gonna miss this silhouette…

I remember these lasting a lot longer and going a lot faster. She was not too impressed.

The little stud before church.

Our 2009 family Christmas ornament.

Since we have been up here, we have spent each Thanksgiving at the home, and table, of Al and Barb. They have generously extended themselves over and over, and have lent us their family for a day when one can tend to long for their own. Sadly, I am still craving the yummy goodness that came out of Barb’s kitchen that day, and still kicking myself for not taking the time to make myself a plate of leftovers. I will truly miss the dishes, and the company, of these dear friends.

Here’s a snapshot of our day…

I rarely get in pictures with both my kiddos. They were both a little mid-afternoon sleepy.

But Abby found her second wind and built a city with Mady and Kim.

The baby whisperer himself (aka. Uncle Andy )

This is where the magic happens…

The gang surrounding Papa Al.

The kids table. All that tasty goodness, and Abby ate crackers. Oh toddlers…

The baby table .

Abby and Ms. Kim, one of her FAV Sunday school teachers.

Poopy diapers don’t stop for the holidays.

Josh and Jolene, hamming it up after a very, very big meal.

Gobble, gobble!!!

While life has been especially busy lately, I think I have been subconsciously avoiding posting about our big news . . . we’re moving back to Camarillo, CA! Josh blogged about it yesterday, thinking full-well that I had already mentioned it to our readers. Well, I haven’t, so I’ve gotten a number of "what the’s?!?!" from many of you. So, here’s the story . . .

The short version is, God’s plan is not our own.

The long version? Josh and I have been feeling a tug on our hearts that we need to be closer to our families, and that our time in Washington is coming to an end. I can’t explain it, other than we have been praying for God to give us wisdom in what to do with this nudge. There are moments when this is an exciting thing. There are moments when it really stinks. On the outside it doesn’t make a lot of sense. Incredible friends, incredible church community, incredible place to live and raise little ones. But, it was this same kind of "nudge" that brought us to Washington four years ago, and we have NEVER regretted that decision. So we are trusting God, again, to provide just what we need, just when we need it, and know that this process will be rich with growth and learning experiences.

We are beside ourselves with the excitement of knowing that we will get to see our kids experience their grandparents, aunts and uncles, new little friends, another wonderful church community, and growing up in our hometown. We are also heartbroken to leave a "family" that took us in as their own, and to leave the place where we really grew up. Our physical AND emotional family expanded, our hearts were opened, our minds were challenged, and our definition of authentic community was re-defined.

When we made the decision to move up here, we had a number of loving, well-meaning people question us about our decision to move so far away from the comfort of our hometown and families. Now, as we’re preparing to move again, we have had a number of loving, well-meaning people begin questioning, again, why we are leaving the comfort of the home of our children. All we know is that our life has been greatly enriched by the physical and emotional landscape of Western Washington, and we are trusting that God will use the familiar of our hometown in sunny So. Cal to enrich our understanding of Him even more. 

We would love your prayers as we begin the (unthinkable, asinine, crazy, what-were-we-thinking) task of packing and moving over the holidays. Please pray for the transition for our kids, our church family, our families at home, and the dear friends we are saying goodbye to (for now ). Also, be praying for monetary provisions.

Thank you, again, for reading and caring. We are looking forward to sharing our life with you from a different part of the Pacific Coast.

Pathetic, huh?

Yeah, I know.  So, right now I’m sitting at a Starbucks in Camarillo, CA scouring Craigslist for possible locations for us to live, and all I can think about is Erin and the kids back in Washington.

I can’t believe that we will be moving back here in less than one month.  That last sentence is loaded with heaps and heaps of mixed emotions.  The picture in this post represents just one of those emotions. 

I think right now I could classify myself as one Pathetic Papa.  I MISS MY FAMILY SO MUCH!  I miss my wife and I miss my kids.  I’m here, surrounded by sunshine, but my heart is back in Washington (which I understand is freezing today) with a beautiful wife, and two kids that are sick with colds right now.  I can’t wait to hop on a plane tomorrow and head home to them.  It just goes to prove the validity of the phrase "home is where your heart is…"

That is so true. 

We are blessed to have a number of incredibly generous and thoughtful people in our life. You know, the kind that remembers special dates, sends notes of encouragement, and randomly gives items that they think we might have a need for. Truly, we are so blessed.

Last week, a friend gave me a gift. She just thought of me, and handed me this bouquet of "just because" flowers. What made this gift so special for me was that they were given to me by a dear member of our church youth group. She’s 16. I NEVER would have thought of blessing an adult like that when I was her age.

This is not an eloquent post, by any means. I just wanted to thank an incredibly thoughtful friend for blessing my heart with such a beautiful gift, and for being a wonderful example of generosity to me and my family. Love you, Jo-Jo!