Snow, More Snow

Sledding fun!

Santa Snowman

Our outside tree with lights looked gorgeous under the blanket of snow!

The police cruiser went undercover.

We are finally thawing out here in the Tundra of the PNW, and I thought I'd give a glimpse into what it was like for the past 2 weeks of snow:

It all started the day Matt was in Utah on a business trip with my car at the airport. It had snowed all day and when his 5 hour delayed flight finally made it back to town, he had to navigate some hairy roads and hills to make it home. The interstate hadn't been plowed and it was a mess! Fortunately most people were already home by then and he managed to eek my car into the neighborhood just behind our house, as there was no way he could make it up the hill to our house.

The coming days were a mix of snow off and on, followed by my mom's flight arrival on Monday. On Tuesday, Matt and Colin took the ladies of the house in to Seattle to the Nutcracker. This was our first time to the the PNW Ballet's Nutcracker, and it was great! Seattle roads, especially in Belltown, were just a mess. Seattle refuses to use salt (environmental reasons) or any kind of chemical de-icer, and they use rubber-tipped snow plows. They just considered these past 2 weeks of snow a nuisance that must be tolerated; commuters and drivers considered it a hazard and a nightmare!

It rained Christmas eve over the snow, making the packed snow into a mucky road slush that was even harder to drive through. Rain over snow is a weird phenomenon. and then....

....It snowed here Christmas morning, adding to the white beauty and slush. We were happy to have the snow plow arrive in our cul-de-sac the following morning. It's a rare occasion to have roads groomed even into our neighborhood. It was so helpful, though, as roads were getting difficult and scary to drive before the arrival of the glorious snow plow!

I will always have a lasting memory of the UPS man who deserves kudos for his service to deliver on Christmas eve. He parked half a mile away and trekked through the slush and snow with his hand truck to deliver Christmas packages to us and to others. He traversed up and down hills to get to us and our neighbors on foot. That's more than we can say for USPS, who didn't deliver for the 3 days before Christmas. The next time we see our UPS man he's getting a great big thanks!

Christmas 2008

My mom's flight made it into town on time (can you believe it with all the weather problems?) and we enjoyed having her in town the week of Christmas. The snow was around all week and just kept coming every few days, making for some crazy road conditions. We were so glad to have Matt's 4x4 truck to navigate getting out of our neighborhood and around in un-groomed parking lots.

Colin is a little camera shy; actually, he hates the camera, so this is the best we could do for the Christmas Eve picture after church. He did pretty well sitting in "big boy" church and really enjoyed clapping with the rockin' tunes from the Three Wisemen.

Take a picture quick before I dig into presents, mom! Notice Elliot in the background sneaking behind the tree to get at the curly ribbon, which he just loves, and which makes him so sick!

This was a year of Cars. he just loves everything Cars related, especially McQueen, which he is holding here. He also really likes pirates and has a pirate ship fleet that will have many fun pirate battles. He also enjoyed reading the "Pirates Night Before Christmas" this Christmas season.

After enjoying presents, Dad and Colin headed down the hill to go sledding. Colin enjoyed riding backwards, which is what he and his dad called, "Mater style," since Mater drives backwards in the movie Cars. Remember...all things Cars!

Snow Play

This afternoon I pulled Colin around our cul-de-sac on his sled. Talk about a good cardio workout! Needless to say, we didn't make too many rounds! Remind me of this in August when it's roasty and 90 degrees (smile!) It's actually fun out there because it is super powdery and somewhere in the mid 20's. Good thing I bought snow boots at Target a few days ago because we sure did need them today!

Colin greets the neighbor's snowman. He kept telling me the snowman needed a hat.

Yep, the snow is up past Colin's knees. He tried his best to follow in my tracks to make for an easier path.

Update on Elliot

Thanks for those of you who have asked how Elliot is doing. As I reported last month, a cancerous skin mast re-appeared on his head and he had surgery the first week of December.

He did well in surgery and once again sported a gorgeous e-collar for a few weeks, which he is happy we have now removed. The surgery successfully removed the mast, and we will hope yet again that this is the last of it.

Non Snow Day Cookie Baking

Yesterday on our non-snow, snow day, we baked cookies.

As is the tradition at our house, we use non-traditional shapes, such as ducks and fish (both salmon and angel fish.) Salmon are actually very Christmas-y if you paint them in their spawning green and red (see above.) And for some reason Colin liked the stars and dictated they must all be blue. Then he proceeded to eat them all, so we have no more stars.

To Snow, Or Not to Snow....

Colin's Police Cruiser is Snowed In

...That was the question...

Yesterday was Colin's last day of preschool and was to be his Christmas Party. I was so disappointed when they cancelled school (we follow the local school district closures.) They were cancelling not because it was snowing but because forecasters said it would snow later in the day.

So, erring on the conservative side, we sat at home and baked cookies all day. And it warmed to a balmy 38 degrees during the day and the last traces of snow from over the weekend were completely gone. The roads were bone dry. No snow. Nada. Zero. Zilch! Even when I went to bed at 11 pm last night there was still no snow.

But "funny" thing happened in the middle of the night. The snow started falling in buckets, and it hasn't stopped yet. No school today, of course, and stranded motorists are everywhere! It's kind of pretty to watch from home, but the only problem is that Matt has my 2 wheel drive car at the airport and his flight returns in a few hours. Hmmmm. I took the truck in case I needed it in getting Colin from school yesterday and it looks like he's the one in need of his 4x4 truck to get home from the airport. Murphy's Law, you know.

It's hard to explain to outsiders how just 2-4 inches of snow can shut a city down. I grew up in parts of Texas that could easily have 2 feet of snow in a bad storm. Four inches of snow would have never closed school. Let me explain. In Texas, we had NO HILLS to navigate. Add to the cold weather a layer of ice under the snow and put your vehicle on a steep incline and see if you can even make it down the street (I live at the top of a hill in my subdivision...) Then, add to that a lack of snow removal equipment, as well as people who rarely drive in the snow, and you get one big mess. Really, it's the ice that makes it so scarey around here. Once you get going, the only thing to stop you going down the hill is your neighbors car or house. Doesn't sound like much fun to me, right?!

Best Mashed Potatoes You'll Ever Eat!

The first week of December was our "busy" week for the holiday season, as we then had Matt's company party on that Saturday, Dec. 6. The party was held in the Pampas Room of El Gaucho, a locally renowned steak eatery. If you don't like steak, this isn't the place for you. Fortunately I am the offspring of a whole family of cattle ranchers, so I was right in my grove.

I won't bore you with another picture of us in tux and formal...it was the same "get-up" as the Group Health Gala back in October. And besides, I was having so much fun visiting with all of my former co-workers that I forgot to whip out the camera.

Our dinner was divine! I had a steak topped with some very caloric tasting lobster and creamy sauce...and then the sides came around. And this is where is gets super yummy. The mashed potatoes are the best mashed potatoes I had ever eaten -- they were filled with lobster! How yummy, clever, and oh so tastey!

As is also the tradition at these parties, each employee gets 10 tickets to put into various gift bag drawings...Matt stuffed all of his into the bag for Purple Cafe, and won! While others were competing over the flashy Gene Juarez Spa, Nordstrom, REI, etc, Matt went for one of the "quieter" contenders and his strategy worked...so guess where our next date night will be?

Women's Christmas Friendship Dinner

Nadene, the mentor mom for our table, designed and created this gorgeous centerpiece.

These were the guests at our table.

The day after the big Providence Gala, my MOPS group hosted a table at the annual Women's Christmas Friendship Dinner. For the past 2 years I have hosted a table on my own, and having to provide and set-up all the items myself is always a challenge -- it takes over 2 hours alone just to set-up and decorate a table for 8. This year, three other women from my MOPS group provided various components for the table and set-up was a breeze!

We used my Christmas tree dishes (gotta love Christopher Radko for Target) and had a gorgeous star centerpiece (designed by Nadene), as the theme of the night was "Star of Wonder." The entertainment for our evening was Taproot Theatre's "The Foolish Wiseman," and they did a great job. It was indeed a fun evening among friends!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

ps -- Our evening at the Providence Gala wasn't complete without a visit with Santa. This guy was the real McCoy! None of this fake cotton beard stuff! He reminded me of the late George Roberts.

Providence O'Trees

This was a mid-course palate cleansing sorbet served in an ice sculpture - wow!! What a magnificant display.

And this was the version of the ice sculpture at my plate.

The aviation-themed tree was super fun, and the Fisher-Price Little People, in particular, caught my eye. I'm with a 2 year old all day long...what can I say?!

This was the Dr. Seuss tree and display.

Last week we attended the Providence O'Trees Gala as a part of Matt's work, and I was so excited to go as I have seen video footage of the auctioned trees on TV for the past many years....

This delightful evening, a fun "excuse" to get dressed up in our formal attire, was a great way to start our Christmas Holidays. The evening included both silent and live auctions, and the live auctions were conducted while we ate dinner and were "entertained" by Evening Magazine's John Curley.

Designers decorate themed trees that are auctioned at a premium, and part of the exciting part of the evening includes milling about, looking at the trees and meeting the tree designers. I liked the one with the aviation theme, which had aviation toys on it (Little People's blue and pink planes - see the pink plane above), and well as other toys Colin would have loved. The Dr. Seuss themed tree was fun, as well!

And no, we didn't go home with one of those gorgeous trees, but we had a ton of fun!

Happiness Comes in Small Packages

16 oz pkgs of Candy Cane Joe-Joe's to be exact. Mmmmmmm!

OK, so I do have more to blog about than Joe-Joe's right now, as last week was a busy holiday week. I'm taking a breather and will post more throughout this week to update you on our adventures of the week. Until then, sit back with a glass of cold milk and Joe-Joes and listen to some Christmas tunes....

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day -- yes, Colin is not fond of the camera!

Colin was happy to chase these free roaming geese at the Denver Zoo. Forget the animals in their cages!

Colin and Grandma "go fishing" at the Denver Children's museum.

Colin adored the dog at his Grandma and Grandpa's office. She played endless amounts of fetch and then waited for her treat from Colin.

We spent last week in Colorado for Thanksgiving and enjoyed the week with Matt's family. Colin had fun exploring the Denver Children's Museum, as well as the zoo. Thanks for the special treat, Grandma and Grandpa!

Colin was a good travel buddy this trip and only screamed briefly out of protest when we he figured out he had to sit in his car seat on the plane and couldn't sit like Mom and Dad in the plane seat. He is definitely exerting his opinion on certain things he never cared about until the past few weeks. On the way home we skipped the battle and just gate checked the car seat, which also let him sit in the middle seat between us.

We enjoyed seeing all of the home updates Grandma and Grandpa have done to their home - they have been hard at work over the past few years and it looks great! Thanks for having us out to Colorado!

In Memory of Ms. Adel

Adel and Colin, January 2007

The Tuesday morning after Labor Day in 2006, I returned back to work from maternity leave. I honestly had not fully expected to return at all, but this was something I needed to do for our family for a time.

The first day I brought Colin in it was a little past 7am, and Ms. Adel, Colin's care provider, was buzzing about the room with her coffee while she listened to Phantom of the Opera. I can still remember it so clearly, as though it was a foreshadowing of our coming relationship together as parent/care provider:

No more talk
of darkness,
Forget these
wide-eyed fears.
I'm here,
nothing can harm you -
my words will
warm and calm you.
Let me be
your freedom,
let daylight
dry -your tears.
I'm here,
with you, beside you,
to guard you
and to guide you . . .

Ms. Adel had such a special way of understanding just how to work with Colin through feeding challenges -- how to get him to nap just right. I never doubted her ability to care for him in a way that at times far surpassed my expectations. I was emotionally running on empty much of the fall while she cared for him (5 months total) and she was my lifeline.

Many days when I went to pick him up, she was singing to him a Russian lullaby and she was speak to him such beautiful Russian words. Colin was lucky to have her full love and adoration, as were do many other children at The Ark.

Sadly, Ms. Adel passed away just 2 short days ago. We are shocked and saddened that she is gone. Thank you, Ms. Adel, for standing beside us as new parents and guiding us and for loving Colin.

I had so much I wanted to share with you about Colin from the last time we spoke. We will think of you often and will tell Colin all about you.

Family Fall Pictures

I wanted to share with you some of the pictures we had taken last month in the beautiful fall foliage -- Emily did such a great job, as we realize photographing Colin is probably harder than herding cats....

Iron Chef Competition

Our team's meal is the one on the left.




Chef Matt prepares the gorgonzola cream sauce.

The heat was on last night as we enjoyed a fun evening at Matt's company team-building event. His division divided in half and competed in an iron chef-style event at the Blue Ribbon Culinary Center.

Each team had 1 1/2 hours and one chef each to plan, cook, and present a meal to a judge for competition. After cooking the meal, we would then all share in the "spoils of war" and have dinner together.

Put together a room full of super competitive, Type A consultant personalities, and even the details of making a molten lava cake can get a bit "hairy!" And thus the term "having too many cooks in the kitchen."

Our team was given secret ingredients of steak and chocolate (yum!), and the competition was given secret ingredients of salmon and pears. From there, we met with our chef and hatched a plan for our dinner.

Matt was on the "steak" prep crew, preparing the steaks and a chimichurri sauce, as well as the gorgonzola cream sauce for the asparagus. I worked with others to create the oh so yummy molten chocolate lava cake and freshly prepared caramel sauce. Our team also made a risotto and some awesome asparagus, using a 60 second pyramid cooking method. Sounds fascinating, doesn't it?

We were led by Chef Mike, an absolutely awesome chef, and it was so much fun! The feverish pace to have our plate all prepared at 8 pm sharp to beat out the competition was intense, and it's amazing that that many amateur cooks in a big kitchen can actually get dinner prepared in that amount of time.

Our competition created a salmon cake topped with avocado and a chipolte cream sauce, as well as a potato salad and a side of veggies. For their desert, they prepared a pear cobbler with whiskey infused fig sauce and whip cream topping.

Both meals turned out really well, and it was a fun, fast paced way to get to know everyone better. And, of course, this was indeed a competition. And yes, we WON!!!!

Thank You, Veterans!

When I was in 8th grade, I gave an address to hundreds of people gathered in the highschool auditorium of my small home town. I can remember the preparations that went in to planning my speech and rehearsing, as well as the exact dress I wore for the occasion. And although the lines of my speech have faded in memory, the memory of the Veterans gathered that day will always stay in my heart. There were still a few WWI veterans in attendance at the time, as well as many WWII vets who still wore as many portions of their uniform as they could still fit into.

Words cannot properly express how thankful I was then, as I am am today,for the sacrifices made by the veterans in our country. Uncle Clint, Great Grandpas Sturm and Walker -- we thank you for your service to our country.

And this year we have special prayers for someone special serving in Iraq. We recently heard from Colin's soccer coach, who is currently serving in Iraq. Coach Dan, we pray the Lord continues to keep you safe and that He brings you home safely.

O.W.L.ing

For the past few months, Matt and I have been taking an intense parent education class called, "It Takes Two To Talk," which follows the same titled workbook created by our great friends north of the border (Canada, for those of you geographically challenged!)

This class is designed to equip parents with strategies and extra support to use on a daily basis when interacting with your child to develop language. This hands-on class is with 5 other similarly-suited sets of families, and is led by a fantastic speech pathologist who then does video sessions of us with our children to provide feedback.

And we have homework and our guidebook to read, as well. Who knew the business of communicating with a 2 year old could be so multi-faceted and rigorous!

It has been a great support for me to hear from other moms, in particular, who struggle to communicate with their own children. It's a blessing to meet each week with others who understand us so well and who offer what had worked for them in their families, as well.

Many have asked what we are learning in this class. One thing they emphasize from the beginning is an acronym "O.W.L." which stands for Observe, Wait, and Listen. This is what we are do with our kiddos to see what they are interested in so that we can develop their communication skills around the things they are interested in (they learn best when we connect with what interests them most -- duh, isn't that how it is for us as adults, as well? How easily we forget!) So now, we have an OWL magnet on our fridge, compliments of our teacher, to remind us to OWL. If only she knew it's on our fridge with about 40 other animal magnets and kinda gets lost.

And I kinda get lost when OWLing, too! OWLing is harder than you think, but we're trying! One day at a time and with God's grace, we are trying!

Halloween Weekend Fun

We had fun this past weekend with a Halloween Party with friends and then a busy weekend with Grandma in town from Texas. We saw The Green Sheep, a children's play where you sit in the sheep pen looking for the green sheep (just like the book by Mem Fox). We also hit the children's museum, as well as the aquarium. Now that it's colder outdoors, it's nice to have some fun indoor activities to check out!

Thanks for the visit, Grandma! Colin had fun watching the Texas/Tech game with you! Go, Tech!)

The Unwelcomed Return

A few weekends ago we sat cuddled on the couch watching a movie -- our furry feline lay between us and was enjoying some quiet time with his adult humans while the little on was off to the Land of Nod.

It had been a particularly long week, as Matt had spent the majority of the week in Hawaii on a project with work, and now we were enjoying some quiet time, watching a movie. Elliot got an extra dose of loving, as he particularly enjoys when Matt give him a good rubbing between his ears and anywhere on his head.

But sadness hit us with this all too innocent cat cuddle. Matt discovered a lump on Elliot's head. It was small and would have gone unnoticed by most people for quite some time. But you see, Elliot has had 2 rounds with cancerous mast cell skin tumors, and this is exactly what they had looked like before.

We spent the following few weeks hoping it was just a bug bite, and knowing in our heart it was not. I prayed for him lots and wished it would just go away. it didn't.

So today I made the trip I am all too familiar with and hauled Elliot in to our local pet hospital for the typical procedure - aspirate it with a needle to grab cells for testing. It all went very quickly and Elliot was a trooper and didn't do too much hissing in the process. Hey, I'd hiss if someone stuck a needle in my forehead just to sample a bump on my head. A bump, mind you, that is no larger than the head of a small pencil eraser.

And the vet, like the two times before, said the sample contained mast cells, indicating this is another tumor. Though we don't need to operate tomorrow, over the coming weeks he will need to make a return visit. I was also offered the opportunity to seek out an oncology specialist in our area to discuss alternate treatments and regimens going forward. But no one knows the cause of this particular cancer, and no one knows a way to prevent it.

So I cuddled up my 14 lb. Indiana farm kitten into my arms, offered him a sweet hug and rubbin' on his scruff, and then placed him back into his carrier. Sad, not surprised. Hopeful this is the last time; prepared for the battle ahead.

Yes, cancer is an ugly and unwanted guest in our house right now. We love you, Elliot!

A Tip for all Caffeine Addicts

A friend recenly tipped me off on a way to save 20 % on your future Starbucks purchases -- at Costco you can now buy $100 worth of giftcards for just $79.99! And if you forget about it the next time you are in line at Costco, never fear -- their marketing machine is out in full force handing out Starbucks cards to stuff into your cart right before you empty your wallet at check-out.

Fall Foliage Family Pics

Two years ago, our friends The Dangs took family pictures out in the fall foliage. for the past 2 years I have noodled over that idea and I decided this year we would give it a try.

Thorough a recommendation of another friend, we decided to have a photographer meet us at the local Botanical Garden, and WOW! We went early to avoid crowds, and the lighting and fall foliage AND the weather totally cooperated. Actually, they more than cooperated -- it was the perfect fall morning!

Because of our cool summer and mild fall, we have had some incredible shades of gold, red, brown, and purple -- God's paintbrush is just so alive and exciting to watch unfold!

We jumped into God's painting for a morning of fun and photos, and I think you will agree that Emily did a superb job! For a sneak peak, go to her blog.

Best Buds

It's been so fun to see Colin develop friendships with his buddies! This great smile is because he is sitting by his buddy and enjoying a fun afternoon of play outside. What could be better?

Fishpond Halloween Party

Colin and his preschool friends enjoyed a fun morning - here they are about to go trick-or-treating at the church office - we have a turtle, shark, car, Mickey Mouse, 2 princesses, and an airport traffic director. Very fun!

Colin and Mrs. Campbell put stickers on Colin's trick-or-treat bag.

These are the spider-shaped sugar cookies I took for the party. It was a Little Miss Spider themed party, so they decorated the cookies with sprinkles and icing and enjoyed other yummy treats and goodie bags from other parents. Lots of fun!

Halloween Fun in the Office

Who knew Halloween could be a season and not just a one day celebration? Last Friday we went in to Matt's office for their annual Halloween party. Several offices were decorated so the kids could trick-or-treat, and Colin's favorite area was the spider themed office.

Colin is a sea turtle; not a crocodile, and not a dinosaur. He had a choice and this was very specifically what he wanted. It's a very cute and comfy looking costume, and nothing like the ones we had as kids! This was his first experience trick-or-treating where he understands the concept of trick-or-treating, and he did not want to give up his treat bag even for one second. He even held it later that evening even while we had dinner!

Sea Turtle on the go! There is more candy to be had!

Doesn't every sea turtle wear crocs and socks? If he had been a crocodile, I suppose that really WOULD have been appropriate.

Birthday Party Fun

8th Birthday: Jama, me, Belinda, and Mikael

Today was a fun day at MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers). We had a guest speaker today who had a business in birthday party planning, and I could have sat and listened to her talk for another full hour -- fascinating! She provided a wealth of information and examples related to choosing a theme, planning party activities (with built-in transitions), conducting the birthday "circle" for the gift time, decorations, food, crafts, and even creative ways to handle the misbehaviors of little party guests.

Although I have yet to plan a birthday party of this magnitude, it's nice to have some information and ideas to use when planning. Who knew there could be such a great "birthday party formulary?!)

And then at our table we had further discussion around birthday traditions, and what birthdays were like for us growing up. I remember my birthday party from when I turned 8. I was joined by just a few friends, though I recall others had perhaps been invited. These were my friends who were my best friends on up until I graduated from high school, and two of them were brides maids in my wedding. You see, I don't think we remember all of the gifts we got, but I think we remember our time well spent enjoying the company of good friends. I am always wise to consider this as a parent moving forward.

As a fun element in our morning, each table was decorated with a birthday party theme by one of the moms. For those of you with girls: one of the table themes was a cheerleader theme -- the mom said she had UW cheerleaders come to her daughter's party and teach yells and do face decal painting and gave the girls purple and gold pom pons. And it was free because college cheerleaders can't charge for this. You could also get local high school cheerleaders and donate money to their club fund.

And to cap off our fun morning, a cake decorator spent time with us talking about icing cakes. We each had 2 practice cupcakes, and I learned about using thin rice paper to trace designs to then decorate a cake with much more detail using edible food markers-- wow, who knew?! And I even learned how to make a rose, not that I'll be needing that for any boy birthday cakes, but fun to learn, nonetheless!

It was such a pleasure to spend the morning with other moms, gathering ideas for my mommy toolbox.