Christmas 2010

Our Christmas was like a whirlwind from start to finish. It all started when Nolan appeared by my bed at 5:59 AM.

He had already spent the previous 59 minutes patiently reading a book in his room in hopes that the hands on his clock would quickly move up an hour.

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So... we all got up and headed downstairs to the living room where the annual Christmas traditions begin each year.

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(please notice how DARK it is outside at this ungodly hour...I don't think anyone else in the neighborhood was up yet)
This year, Nick made a birdhouse for Connor in shop class at school. He was so proud of it and well he should be-it's cut, sanded, and painted to perfection. Connor was proud to be the lucky recipient!

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I love this kid!

Hazel's big present was "baby". It's a small stuffed fox and she LOVED her "baby" as soon as she pulled it out of the gift bag. She immediately took her new love to her bed and even decorated her bed with a bow she found lying around. She's such a great dog!
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Bacon is a big deal at our house, so Santa brought Nick a stuffed version that says "I'm bacon" and Nolan got a Ba Co N shirt (periodic table of Barium, Carbon, and Nitrogen- yes we're nerds) and he was beyond happy to try out his new drinking straw goggles. (yes we're weird)

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(Left-right... Uncle Tim, Cousin Josh, Sister Sarah, Connor, and Uncle Russ)

Later on that day, Connor's family joined in the fun. Our house was stuffed to the max with all kinds of relatives from across the state.

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It was loud, crowded, and FUN.

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Connor's cousins- Christina and Erik. They are quite possibly the sweetest siblings I know.

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Here's Connor's Grandmother, Marie holding dear sweet Ashlyn. She was the youngest member of the family until we got the much anticipated news that a new baby girl was born to our ever growing family on Christmas night at 11:30!

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Connor's cousin, Kerrie had her very first baby that day down in California. The whole family was on pins and needles waiting and hearing the details as the day unfolded. Luckily, her daughter, Hero, was born healthy and everyone was thrilled to hear good news!

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Our house has a hard time catering to this large of a group but we managed.

I love Connor's family, they are a great group of caring people. Everyone chipped in by bringing food to share, making my hosting duties much easier.

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New babies, handmade gifts, lots of smiles, kids playing, yummy food, hugs abound, close family, and laughter is what I loved about this years' Christmas.

Birthday Perfection

If you are going to celebrate a birthday soon. I totally recommend you do it just as I did the other night. But first you need to find an amazing husband, two very caring boys, and a stellar friend who can fool ya like nobody's business.

Saturday was my Birthday. I'm old...That's as much as I'll tell you. :) No pictures were taken, and that was totally on purpose.

I got to sleep in... Sleep is a big deal to me. I LOVE it.

Then I noticed my house filling up with wonderful scents of bacon and french toast being cooked to perfection by my family. It was delish.

I was instructed to relax on the couch and to watch as much HGTV as my little heart desired. (without hearing any complaints) I have a problem, I am addicted and I'll be the first to admit it.

Then it was present and card time... Nolan was practically bouncing around in anticipation of me opening my gift. My boys made the nicest handmade cards with sweet birthday wishes inside.
I ripped open the wrapping paper and found an iPod touch! Happy Birthday to me!! My other iPod was barely functioning and I really LOVED my ipod so now I'm in ipod heaven! Nick and Nolan were excited for me but mostly envious. They've been pining for ipod touches for months now. Luckily for them, I share.

We spent the rest of the afternoon together and I asked them to play Balderdash with me because I think that game is hilarious. Connor almost rolled his eyes, but agreed to play with the birthday girl! (Connor despises that game.)

I received a birthday text from my dear friend, Karen, stating she wished she could have called but was in a bind 'cause her little boy was sick... I believe her words were "I'm up to my armpits in puke, but I wanted to wish you a happy birthday!" She also managed to ask me "How are you spending your day? Shopping for walkers? Looking for burial plots?" Nice, huh? Nothing like a sweet birthday greeting from an old friend.

Connor had told me he had made some reservations for us to go have a nice dinner together, just the two of us. We don't get "dates" very often, so I was really looking forward to that.

After coming downstairs from trying to get my old self looking somewhat decent for a night out, I was shocked to see my friends Karen and Brad sitting on my couch looking quite dapper! What?!! My hubs and Karen had been arranging this whole birthday surprise for a week or so and I was ecstatic! I love surprises, I love my husband who made my birthday extra special, and I love my dear sweet friends Karen and Brad who travelled across the mountain pass and lied about puke just to surprise me!

We had so much fun that night. We ate like calories were going out of style. We laughed a lot. We got caught up on each other's lives. We learned new things about each other (sippy cups have more uses than I first previously thought). :) I love that the four of us get along swimmingly, it was a perfect birthday celebration in my eyes.

This was the perfect ending to an already perfect day. Thank you Nick and Nolan for catering to my every need and for being so sweet all day long. Thank you Connor for always making birthdays such a special treat. I love you! You and Karen totally pulled one over on me! Thank you Karen for always being my rock of a friend. I can't remember my life without you in it and for that I'm grateful. You are the best!

Oh Christmas Tree

We bought a $10 tree cutting permit from the Forest service in hopes of having a fun family outing to find the perfect Christmas tree.

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As a kid, I have fond memories of doing exactly that each and every year.

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The only downfall to this method is not knowing how tall a tree really is. They look so much smaller in the forest... But when you try to bring the tree indoors you quickly learn your tree is twice as tall as you thought. Which is why the trees from my childhood ended up being square most years. (My dad would hack the bottom and sometimes the tops off, just to get the blasted things in the house!)

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We drove all the way up into the mountains only to be flagged over by a ranger stating that the forest roads were VERY icy and slick. They recommended that all vehicles, even 4x4s, chain up before making the trek any further. Being without chains, we decided it wasn't worth risking our lives teetering along the steep, cliff hugging roads just to get a tree so we had to turn around.

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The boys were pretty bummed out.

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But we were dressed for the weather and had a big thermos of hot chocolate waiting for us in the back of the rig, so.....

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We found a place along side the main highway that looked like a perfect candidate for some fun in the snow to lift our spirits.

We had an epic snowball fight!


Slid down small hills using only our slick snow pants as sleds!

And of course, drank the hot chocolate!

Two happily tired boys just taking it easy in the snow.

On the way down the mountain we drove past a Christmas tree farm where we were able to chop down the perfect tree... and it's not even square!

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I love moments like these, where your original plans get sidetracked only to make way for an even better plan!

A Day spent in the Big City

A couple of months ago, Connor's employer moved from one big city to another BIG city and last Saturday, we got a chance to check out his new digs.

Seriously AWESOME new digs!Yeah... those full length windows are the backdrop to Connor's high tech desk. I'm trying not to be too jealous because when I'm at work I have a nice view of store shelves stocked with prunes and odwalla juice. Not fair.

He gave a tour of the building, several floors of ultra fancy furnishings, and unbelievable views around every turn.

On this 16th level, employees can go outside to walk around the rooftop garden. Life's rough.

Nick and Nolan had to try their best Dr. Evil pose when they spotted this crazy chair...

I can just imagine the serious meetings that take place in this spot!

After touring the place and munching on the most delicious Christmas brunch that his employer treats us to every year (YUMMO) we decided to walk around Seattle to take in the holiday sights since the weather was divine for a December afternoon.

It's impossible for kids not to smile when they are going through a revolving door.

Pike Place was our first stop. I love the energy emanating from that place. Artists EVERYWHERE...selling their lovely creations and playing music to raise your spirits.

We walked a few blocks to do some shopping and we enjoyed seeing all of the holiday lights and bazillion holiday shoppers taking advantage of the lovely day.

I have to admit that we don't make it to the BIG city very often... This was apparent when we spied a man dressed from head to toe in a shiny spandex super hero outfit walking down the sidewalk and Nolan blurted out "Do you think he lost a bet?"

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I had to remind Nolan that you see all kinds of interesting people when you get out of the suburbs and into the city.

It was pretty funny!

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It's nice to finally get to see where Connor spends his workdays. I don't know how he can get any work done with those amazing views right behind him. One of his co-workers said to keep an eye out for "ugly naked guy" who sometimes makes an appearance in one of the buildings nearby. Ick. Just avert your eyes Connor.

F.O.U.R.T.E.E.N.

I can't fathom the fact that I have a fourteen year old today.

Nick is turning fourteen and it's hard for me to swallow. Only 4 more years and that kid is an adult. Not cool. But I will tell you what is cool. Nick. And here are 14 reasons why...

1. You'd be hard pressed to find a person who deeply cares for animals the way Nick does.
2. He will give me a hug anywhere, anytime. Even in the middle of the Zumiez store yesterday... Not many teens would do that!
3. He can kick higher than his head.
4. He loves mixing food to come up with strange concoctions... case in point- egg nog and chocolate sauce. (that particular experiment was a success in his eyes)
5. He is a stellar big brother!
6. He is very coordinated and can learn how to do things at a drop of a hat. (Don't let all of the urgent care visits fool you.)
7. He's got the coolest hair evah! Ladies always stop me to comment on his reddish wavy locks.
8. He can launch himself over hurdles without any trouble and that's no easy feat at his height.
9. He can cook up a mean batch of top ramen.
10. He's a smart cookie.
11. If the world's population had just a smidgen of his caring and thoughtful ways the world would be a much better place.
12. He LOVES little kids, and is so kind and in tune with their wants and needs. They gravitate to him.
13. He is an artist. An amazing artist.
14. He's becoming quite the practical joker lately... and we all know I love a good practical joke!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest 14 year old walking the planet! Hope your day is filled with laughs, more snow flurries, and lots of chocolate! I love you kiddo!

Happy Halloween... (better late than never)

Happy Halloween 2010

This Halloween was a little bitter sweet for me.

Nick has outgrown trick or treating and I don't like it. He was perfectly happy with just staying at home inside the warm house to help pass out candy to the current wave of trick-or-treaters. He changed his tune a little after he saw the haul Nolan came home with... Nolan's pillow case was HEAVY and practically draggin' on the ground. Luckily, I was able to remedy Nick's disappointment by offering him all of the leftover candy we didn't hand out.


Here's old man Nolan.
People constantly asked if he was Einstein or the professor from Back to the Future. :)
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We also attended a fun Halloween party at my sister-in-law's home that weekend.
Costumes were mandatory and a good time was had by all!



This is my niece, Jessica. AKA Sue Sylvester from Glee. I voted for her to win the costume contest...I thought she was a great Sue because she kept calling everyone losers all night!

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Check out Shannon's spider web eyes. CREEPY, yet very cool.

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Claude the scary dude on the left and our pal Gary the zombie killer on the right.

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Here we have two storm troopers... Ben on the left and Jay on the right.


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Oh boy. This is what I like to call "baby's got back". This get-up that I borrowed from my dear friend, Brenda, helped me win first prize in the costume contest. Oh yeah!!!

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Yup, that's the love of my life right there.
Connor dressed up like a taekwon-hobo. It's not cheap to have two kids in taekwondo, especially at belt test time...so it seemed rather appropriate!
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Isn't halloween fun? Life can be too serious too often, so I say celebrate!

Second Degree Black Belts Under Their Belts

This past 4 weeks is a blurr... Very busy around these parts, so much so, that I have neglected blogging about life lately. Still busy, but I'm feeling the need to share what's been going on 'round our homestead.

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First off, Nick and Nolan have reached another milestone on the taekwondo front. They've worked hard and earned their 2nd degree black belts! Let me hear a "woot woot"!

Then (2004)

(Look how cute! Nolan is even sporting his bowl hair cut... I loved that hair cut.)

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Now

October 2010

(no more bowl cut... just a nice wrist brace to support the injury he sustained merely 24 hours before during P.E. class...)

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Poor gimpy, had to sit out during the self defense portion of the test. Hard to protect yourself when you can't grab the intruder attacking you.
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Nick's attacker was this lady, and he seemed to have absolutely no problem taking her down.

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Nolan should be extra proud of his ability to break through 5 different boards because he had to use his left hand for two of the boards and kicked the other three. I was amazed! Way to go Nolan!

(We have video of them breaking their boards, but for some reason I can't upload onto this blog...you'll have to check it out on facebook when I get the chance to load it there. It's pretty darned cool!)

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Each student was required to write an oral report to present in class. Second degree testers had to write about "respect" and first degree testers talked about "How taekwondo has affected their lives". I think this was my favorite part of the whole test. Nick and Nolan did a wonderful job and some of the other students had very touching things to say. I have no doubt the instructors really liked this part of the test too, it was so nice to hear how the students appreciated their teachers' dedication and hard work.

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I'm proud of my kids for working so hard towards this goal. They have spent countless hours in the dojo learning new skills and mastering old ones. I wish I had a fraction of the coordination, balance, and strength they have from learning taekwondo over the past 6 years. Way to go boys! You rock! Be proud of yourselves, not many people can say they've got a 2nd degree black belt...it's quite an honor.

Telling jokes at my expense

It's known by many that I have a small defect when it comes to giving directions. Let it be stated that I DO know the difference between left and right... But for some reason when I have to say them out loud my brain almost always says the opposite of what I really want to say. I like to think of it as a miswiring of some sort, Connor likes to laugh.

Well tonight as we were driving around town, the boys were in the backseat and Nick was trying to tell Nolan where a certain landmark was outside his window. He accidentally said left instead of right and Nolan immediately piped up..."Ha! You just pulled a mom!"

I'm pretty sure the car next to us could hear the uproarious laughter emanating from our vehicle. I'm so glad I can be the butt of jokes for our family. I'm sure as my boys get older there will be many more opportunities for them to take advantage of my constant source of comedic material.

Scarring my children is not on my agenda...

But in preparation for the upcoming Halloween holiday we decided to have a family movie night a few nights back. We decided to amp of the excitement and watch a scary movie together. Over the past year, Nick and Nolan have been exposed to some scary flicks by way of slumber parties and a certain uncle that likes to watch scary movies. They survived and seemed unscathed by these spooky showings, so how bad could it be to show them yet another?

Bad.

Let me just say, I'm feeling like a loser of a mom.

We watched one of my faves, The Sixth Sense. I remembered it as a suspenseful movie with a few scary scenes. But mostly I remember the awesome twist in the story line. I loved it!

Nick and Nolan beg to differ. They were petrified through pretty much the entire thing. They glommed onto me for the entire 90 minutes. They were still scared an hour later, even after watching an episode of Phineas and Ferb to help soothe their fears.

Bedtime rolled around and they seemed apprehensive. We tucked them in, said goodnight, and told them countless times that they have absolutely nothing to be afraid of in their home.

Not two minutes later, there was a crash in Nick's room followed by a blood curdling scream! His bow (that he had just hung up on the wall before hopping into bed) fell off the wall and onto his feet. He was pale and shaking and seemed to think it was the work of some frightening ghost.

Being the sweet and caring mother that I am... I broke into a fit of laughter. I couldn't help it. Connor showed up to chuckle as well. Aren't we awful people? After seeing Nick was not pleased with his parents, I told him that one day you will look back on this and laugh too. He was still not happy with me. We all decided that Nick and Nolan should sleep together in the same room that night.

I think last night was the first night since the movie that they have slept in separate rooms.

I am a terrible mom. I guess we'll have to save "Jaws" for a different year. :)

2010 Eastside Family Getaway!

Last weekend we were the lucky guests of my friend Karen and her fantastic family.

I believe this was our third annual Autumn trip to their place on the East side of the state.

And again, the fun never ceased.

Karen and I have been friends for over 32 years and as we get older and thank my lucky stars that our paths crossed way back when. She is a delight and makes me laugh like no other can. Our families took advantage of the glorious sunny day and set off to hike Badger Mountain. It was fun once we got to the top and saw the amazing views of their city down below. We laughed on the way up how it sounded like so much fun to scale a mountain, but came to the conclusion that exhausted muscles, whiny kids, and sweaty clothes really isn't all that much fun. In all seriousness, we really did have fun!

I shouldn't have complained at all because Brad hiked with a 30 lb kid on his back most of the way...

Connor, Karen, Hannah, Sienna, and Nick... resting on boulder bench.

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I forgot to mention that the main reason for going on a family hike was to off balance the amount of calories we were to consume that weekend. Besides being a gracious hostess, Karen is a knock out cook!

Let's see... Friday night we met them at Miner's, a drive-in diner famous for their amazing burgers and fries. The fry sauce was an added bonus!

Back at their homestead she served up a mean mud pie for dessert...

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Saturday evening we ate the most delicious chicken kabobs ever. (I need that marinade recipe Karen!) Potato salad with bacon...umm.hello. And homemade bread sticks. We were basically in a food coma at this point when Karen brought out the yummy frosted pumpkin bars.

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Next thing I knew she was busy in the kitchen making homemade cinnamon rolls in preparation for our breakfast the next day. See what I mean about being a knock out in the kitchen?

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Another highlight of the weekend was when

we all went for an evening walk after stuffing ourselves silly. The guys threw a football amongst themselves, the boys perfected their skateboarding skills, the girls rode their bikes, and Karen and I chatted while pushing Austin along in his stroller.

What I love about spending the time with these guys, watching our families getting along perfectly. The hubbys like each other and the kids play so well together, it makes for a good time for everyone.

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Thanks for yet another fun trip you guys! We love each and every one of you!

"Super Jump Shoes"

Last week, Nolan was eagerly waiting for a very special package to be delivered via the Fed Ex man...

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This package being dropped off on our doorstep marked the end of a very long wait that started way before the Fed Ex man was involved...

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You see...Nolan has been saving his money for more than a year and a half for what he likes to call "Super Jump Shoes". This is no easy feat when you are his age. Somehow he stumbled upon an advertisement for these bad boys and just had to find out a way to get his hands on them.

(Just so you know...they did NOT cost as much as that web page states...nowhere near)

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When I took a gander at the advertisement for the powerisers I have to admit I was not thrilled with the idea of my baby bouncing around the hood in those death stilts. I immediately told myself that there would be no way he could save enough money to purchase them, it would take him forever and he'd lose interest by then for sure. That is where I was wrong.

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He's scrimped and saved so diligently that Connor told him that as an award for being such a good saver, we could help him out at least a little with the cost. WHAT? Um...I don't think this is such a good idea...death stilts for my Nolan? Uh-oh. Mom was totally vetoed and the next thing I know, the Fed Ex man was dropping off a package that Nolan pined for and I never wanted to see.

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After pulling them out of the box, we read the manual that was more of a legal statement saying their company would never be at fault for any damages or injuries, yada, yada, yada...

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But look at the look of glee on my son's face. He was stoked! He had imagined himself leaping across the backyard, bounding over fences, having the wind blow through his hair as he glides down the street.

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The first time he tried them on he was a little disappointed. There was no leaping, bounding, or gliding involved. We worked on balancing... One step at a time kiddo.
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But by day two I looked out the kitchen window to see this! He was meandering around the backyard! He looks like something out of a Star Wars movie. Some sort of android robot about to stalk Luke Skywalker or something.

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I was amazed at how fast he learned to balance and maneuver with those bizarre things attached to his legs.

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He's only fallen down a couple of times and I'm happy to report he's still kicking. It's no secret that I'm a huge worry wart when it comes to my kids so I'm glad Connor is around to balance me out. If it wasn't for him, they'd probably sit around covered in bubble wrap. :)

It's fun to watch Nolan enjoy his new super jump shoes so much. He really did earn them. Even if we did help him out a little, he stuck to his guns and saved almost every penny forgoing many eye catching toys at the toy store. He learned that saving for something is not easy, but can be very rewarding.

Lincoln City 2010

As most of you know, we like to head to the Oregon coast every August for a little relaxation vacation.

We usually head to Cannon Beach...AKA our second home.

But this year, I made the executive decision to try out a new locale. Let's just say I wasn't very popular when news spread of my poor decision.

We went a little farther south to the town of Lincoln City. I thought it would be fun to see some new sights and try new restaurants and shops. I'll be the first to admit that my choice was not a good one, and we will be going back to Cannon Beach in the future...Not that the beach wasn't beautiful. It was just harder to get to and flanked by ugly old motels. And the town had the main 101 highway streaking through the middle making it VERY unpedestrian friendly. That Highway is CRAZY busy ALL DAY LONG.
One bright spot in our week was the house we rented. It was very nice! The decor was inspiring and very comfortable...we felt right at home.

It had a great rec-room upstairs that came complete with a huge flat screen TV and this amazingly fun shuffleboard sand table. We must have played a hundred games of shuffleboard, it was addicting!

The first day was a tad windy and cloudy...perfect for Nick to give his parachute kite a try.

And who doesn't love a good game of sand soccer or tag on the beach?

Nick and Nolan are die hard wave jumpers. Let me just say, there weren't very many people in the water... But there were a lot of people on the beach looking at them like they were totally nuts.

Connor joined in the fun... Luckily, someone had to stay back to take pictures. :)

We headed to Newport which is a little farther south to check out their aquarium. It was one of the nicest aquariums we've been to. There are several of these tunnels to walk through.

I think my boys could have hung out at the touch tank all day long.

This is the piranha tank...and yes those are my kids inside. (A funny little capsule you could crawl into in the middle of the tank.)

SUNSHINE!

We had a couple of days of sunshine and boy what a difference that makes. The water is such a lovely shade of blue/green on sunny days.

Hazel was lucky enough to join us on this trip. She absolutely loved the beach... She could chase seagulls all day long. She did get a little tired of constantly running to keep all four of us herded together. (She's a Australian Shepherd) She doesn't like her flock to be too far apart!

Ahhhh....another successful trip.

The expressions on these faces pretty much sum up our vacation.

Well be back again next year!