OH! Christmas Tree!

BEFORE
AFTER

I'm finally getting around to posting the before and after pix of our Christmas tree.
As I mentioned in an earlier post, Sven and Taig picked this tree.
They did a great job - it full and beautifully shaped -
big enough and just right to fit all of our many ornaments that we've
collected over the years. (Santa leaves a new one in each stocking every
year!)
The house is decorated and we had the missionaries over last night.
We've been reading our Christmas stories and shopping and baking
and addressing Christmas cards -
It's begining to feel a lot like Christmas!

Football Banquet '09

So, our house was the place where the boys met to get ready
for the Football Banquet last night.
Jon, who has been Jack's good friend since they were in kindergarten
together, and Christian, who moved here at the start of the school year
from Long Beach, CA, are pretty regular fixtures in the Wiker Home.
They are good boys and I love that Jack has such good friends.
They are all quite good looking, too,
Don't you think?

Basketball Cutie!

Caitlin made the Varsity Basketball Team this year,
which is so exciting for me because that means that now I
can watch her play!
When she was on JV, her games were at the same time as Varsity,
so that meant that I was coaching the Cheerleaders in one gym
while she was playin' ball in the other!
Now, even though I still don't make it to her away games,
I can watch her play while coaching the cheerleaders!
I'm so EXCITED! Her first home game is this Friday and
I CAN'T WAIT!
You Go, Girl!
#30 Rocks my Sox!
GO WOLVES!

Finding the Perfect Tree...

So, normally, when we go to pick a Christmas tree, it's a big ordeal.
It's FUN, but it usually takes a while to find the "just right" tree.
This year, (I don't know if it was because it was so cold out)
it didn't take us long at all. We drove to a spot at the Lazy J,
and looked at trees from the Excursion until we found one that
we thought looked good. We got out and made the little trek to the tree.
From there, we saw one a little farther away that looked nicely shaped and full.
Usually, I'm hard to please and I always have the final say on the tree that we pick.
This year Sven and Taig found one that they liked a lot - and it was a GREAT TREE!
Just like that - we didn't look any farther. (Erik said that usually we find a tree right when
we get there, and then we hike around for an hour and 1/2, and end up deciding on the one
that we picked at the begining!)
The best news is that once we got it home, in the stand and unwrapped - it was even better looking
and bigger than we thought it was to begin with! It is really a beautiful tree! Probably one of the better
ones we've picked - and we've had some pretty cool trees over the years!
I'm so excited and the kids can't wait to decorate it - I'll have before and after picks once we get
it all dressed up for Christmas!
Good Times!

Cutting down the tree...

Ok, now to wrap it up:

How cool is that??!

LOTS of WORDS Wednesday!

I decided to change up the Wordless Wednesday post today and do the opposite - all words, no pix! Mostly because it was my turn to drive to Little Montessori today, and it was such a beautiful drive. It was a gorgeous autum/almost winter morning and there were so many things about the season that just made me HAPPY, but I didn't have my camera with me (an unusual occurance, for sure!) Usually when I see something cool or beautiful and I don't have my camera, I'll whine and say something along the lines of, "wow! I wish I had my camera" or "darn! I forgot my camera" - to which my sweet husband will reply that my eyes are the best camera ever! My poor kids and hubby have become so acustomed to me taking pictures of EVERYTHING - I think it sometimes drives them CRAZY! They'll say sometimes before we go somewhere, "ok, as long as you promise NOT to take pictures" or "is there going to be time to have fun, or are you going to take pictures the whole time?!" Alright. I think I've gotten better, though. I realize that sometimes you miss out on the moment instead of just enjoying it, trying to get the perfect pose or smile. I've tried in recent years to be conscious of not taking too many pictures, or even leaving my camera behind in SOME instances or for certain occasions - even though I almost always regret it! I've also gotten better at not vocalizing the fact that I'm disappointed at missing my camera! I want to say that it's not really as bad as it sounds, but that would probably just be me trying to justify the fact that I do really take LOTS of pictures of EVERYTHING!

Which brings me back to my drive this morning. Instead of being disappointed that I didn't have my camera, I really tried to drink in the sights - to enjoy every little detail. I saw lots of things that made me happy to be alive - happy to live in such a beautiful place.

The sky is blue and the sun is shining brightly on this particular morning, which tends to make me think that it's warm out, but it's not - it's crispy chilly - I definitely need a jacket and to turn on the bun warmers in the Excursion. I wait for the warmth of the vehicle to settle in, and for the windows to de-fog. As I drive, I see the Christmas Wreaths hanging from the street lamps all throughout town, along with the large garland ornaments that hang at each intersection.

I LOVE this time of year! All of the tiny store fronts are decorated for the season and in some instances, the Christmas lights from the night before are still lit.

Strait No Chaser is bellowing out the Christmas carols, courtesy of my CD player. (No Silly Songs with Larry this entire month!)

Only a few yellow and orange leaves cling stubbornly to the branches of the mostly bare trees that line the Dungeness River. There's snow on the mountains, and a thick frost completely covers the ground - a reminder that winter is just around the corner, and with it, all the FUN that it brings!

There are a few large blowup Christmas decorations in the yards of houses that are completely bedazzeled with Christmas lights and other decorations. One, in particular, makes me laugh. It's a Santa with a motorcycle jacket sitting on a Harley. Some homes have Christmas trees lit up in the front window for all who pass by to admire.

I drive down the Old Olympic Hwy, past the little mom and pop grocery store, and past Johnston Farms with a large sign that reads:

PUMPKINS

TOMATOES

APPLES...

and possibly some other fruits and vegetables that I can't recall now.

We passed some cows that the boys rather enjoyed - i had to roll down the window so they could "MOO" at them.

I wave at the couple walking their dog on Shore Road.

All in all, it was a pretty enjoyable ride. I'm glad I took the time to realize the beauty all around me. It's like The Secret at work. When I decided to appreciate all the cool things about this particular drive, there was more beauty than I can remember from my other pre-school drives.

Good, the more communicated, GROWS!

Have a Happy Hump Day, and take time to realize all the beauty around you - and do it with the best camera EVER!

Love,

Carmen.

Pix of Jack and Christian...

So Jack and Christian have been bugging me to take some pix

of them in their football jerseys. Christian's mom lives in

Southern California, and they wanted me to get some shots

so I could Facebook them to her.

It was fun and I think we got a few good ones!

This was my fave pic of the day!

Great Season, WOLVES!

"The scoreboard cannot and will not ever reflect how much WE LOVE YOU." Thanks, WOLVES for an AWESOME season!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY!

In keeping with the spirit of FOOTBALL, I just had to post this photo today of my little Sven with one of my BFF's little cuties! This picture was taken at a WOLVES game when we first moved to Sequim. We had so much FUN together at the playoff game last week, and I was reminded of this photo. I just knew I had to post it! I know that me and this certain BFF will be going on a little excursion tonight with some of our other BFF's - we're off to see NEW MOON! But I am hoping that we will be able to enjoy this week's BIG GAME together, too -it was so much fun enjoying the game with a friend! LOVE YOU, VIC!

THANKFUL THURSDAYS:

Winds swirl, leaves curl, Fall is right on time...

Awesomely beautiful autumn photo collage made by my friend, Tara from

TARA STATON PHOTOGRAPHY

I'm so happy with how this turned out - just gorgeous...

SPORTS: Sequim Wolves win first state game, advance in the 2A -- Port Angeles Port Townsend Sequim Forks Jefferson County Clallam County Olympic Peninsula Daily NEWS

SPORTS: Sequim Wolves win first state game, advance in the 2A -- Port Angeles Port Townsend Sequim Forks Jefferson County Clallam County Olympic Peninsula Daily NEWS

WOLVES WIN at State Playoffs! Movin' on...

The Two Coach Wikers

Erik's victory tonight against the Burlington Edison Tigers not only moved the WOLVES forward into the Quarter Finals next week, (breaking their first round playoff loosing streak, and making Sequim High School history by going farther in State than any other Sequim Football team EVER!) but in doing so, he also defeated the Coach of his high school team's cross town rival! Coach Shear remembered the Wiker Boys from their high school days at West High in Anchorage, AK. Erik played that team all through his high school career, and never once did his team beat East High. They were State Champs 3 years running! I'm sure tonight's Big Win over Coach Shear and the Tigers was just a little bit sweeter because of that!! Way to go Coach Wiker and the WOLVES! I love you, Coach! We'll be there CHEERIN' for the Wolves at Next Week's game against defending State Champs, Lyndon High School!

Veterans Day 2009

To celebrate Veterans Day this year, we took the boys to Port Townsend to play flashlight tag in the bunkers. We were just there last week when Tara took our family pix. The boys were bummed because they didn't have much time to play that day, so we promised we would take them back again soon. It was the perfect activity, and the weather could not have been more beautiful. A welcome change from the cold, rainy, windy days we've been having, the SUN was shining so brightly that my eyes were hurting! That doesn't happen all that often - I was soooooo HAPPY! The big boys had fun playing flashlight tag, while Erik and I went exploring with the little boys, and Lars led the way. Afterwards, we went to Chetzamoka Park to play on the tire swing. Our plan to end the day was to take the boys to Waterfront Pizza (YUM!) for dinner, but the boys decided they didn't really want to eat out, and they suggested that we have a date night. How sweet is that??!! They must have known that we needed some together - alone time. So we dropped the boys off at home and left Jack in charge of dinner. Erik and I went to Tarciso's Italian Restaurant and we had a nice, much need visit with one another without a lot of interruptions from little voices. It was nice and relaxing. After dinner we hit Wal-Mart for some shampoo and conditioner, (romantic, I know!) and then we rented a movie. You know sometimes I am so busy adding up my troubles that I forget to count my blessings. Today was so enjoyable. Erik helps me to realize that I just need to stop sometimes, and appreciate all the good that's right in front of me. I have a great family, with the best job in the world! I'm so thankful!