Snowed In

Last Saturday I worked; about the time I started to pack up to head home, I noticed that it was looking a bit white outside. I soooo hate driving in the snow, so I was less than pleased about this. Well, it was worse than I thought. It was ice falling. By the time I got to the car and scraped all the windows (no ice scraper in the van of course) it had turned to freezing rain. The normally 30 minute drive turned into well over an hour. It was nasty, we got about a half inch of ice coating everything. Well, then it turned to snow.
Sunday we woke up to about an inch or so-over the ice! Church was cancelled so we just hung out and played. It snowed all day! When all was said and done, we got 7 inches. Pretty cool. Hayden got an extra long weekend when school was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday. Thanks to warmer temperatures and some wind, we have gotten rid of most of the white stuff, but ruins of a few snowmen and a snow fort are still hangin on-barely! Luckily we got to send Hayden back to school too.

A Tooth-To Go Please!

Marlee's first tooth has finally arrived. Whew, what a relief. Hayden and Sage both got tooth number one at 6 months, so as the big 9 month mark has been inching closer, I was getting slightly worried. She didn't seem to mind though, no crankiness or any other tell-tale signs. Actually, she seems quite pleased with it. She happily chews on anything she can get in her mouth, not exactly a new game, but seems like she knows that soon, she will be able to leave a mark.
As the little pearly white tooth popped through, she decided that sitting still was old news and took off crawling-forward. Yeah, she was getting by going backward, but look out, here she comes at quite a clip in the forward direction! Heath and I had been saying just a few days before that we suspected her to be about ready to take off, and sure enough, she did. She is pretty proud of her mobility and I think that she knows that she is getting closer to tagging along with her brother and sister. I think that is her motivation, she wants to be part of their fun so bad. So out came the baby gate and an added emphasis on vacuuming. My concern is that she is already thinking long and hard about walking, she is pulling up on furniture, toys and stairs...Running will surely follow....




Here she is learning last week, she is even faster now.

Snowy Day

A bit of snow fell this week. I love the snow! I love to watch it, it is so peaceful and pretty. Growing up, it always bothered me when people would walk in our yard and disturb the snow.
Well, with kids of my own, disturbed snow, means kids at play, and that makes me happy. I used to love it when they cancelled school, now I just hope they don't. What a paradigm shift!

Sage likes to make snow angels, but since it was still snowing quite a bit, she did not appreciate the flakes in her eyes


The kids love the movie Frosty the snowman, I think they can both just about recite it. Well, last year, Hayden really wanted to make a snow man just like Frosty, but we never got enough snow to even bother putting boots on for. It has snowed a few times this year, but just like last year, it has been a light dusting, gone before lunch. So tuesday, when we had over an inch or so, we were able to make our snowman. Our snow was great for packing-real wet! Wouldn't you know it, I was out of carrots (I put off grocery shopping because of the snow) so we used broccoli for the nose and buttons. Hayden was concerned that he didn't have arms, but I thought he was quite a guy!

8 months

Now that we are well on our way to 9 months, I guess it is time to talk about Miss Marlee's 8 month milestone. Oh, it was a good month for her, family visits, Christmas, shopping, birthdays. She got to try so many new foods: Cheese, Puffs, combination foods, lumpy stuff, mmmm. She is a great eater; eager to have whatever is on the spoon-even peas! Yogurt is still her favorite.
She is great at raking up little snacks or scraps of paper or whatever else is lurking on our floors. And trust me, there's lots on the floor. Santa brought her biter biscuits which she loves and can make a mess that is down-right impressive. Speaking of Santa, Marlee got to meet the guy, she wasn't particularly sure it was all it was hyped up to be, but was agreeable to one, just one, picture. Newspapers and wrapping paper were found in abundance over the last month and this delighted Marlee. She got ahold of the Sunday paper and her little fingers were black as can be. Got to watch her though, because she does like to eat the stuff.
The cold weather doesn't seem to bother her much, in fact, I think she quite likes it. She will bark at us though if we touch her with cold hands. We saw a bit of snow and she smiled at it and sorta seemed to be in a trance as she watched it. Me too.
She can say mom, and dada. However, it really doesn't seem as though she means it, just sorta baby babble.
Marlee did a fair amount of traveling during the past month: two trips to Seattle and enough errand running to equal another trip too! She definately does not like to travel at night. She prefers to be able to see Hayden. I was shocked and amazed at how well this baby will ride in a stroller. I don't know if it is people watching or the bumping into racks of clothes or what, but stick her in the stroller and she doesn't make a peep-I'm talking a couple hours here! It was amazing. She enjoyed her first Christmas and got lots of fun stuff, however its the stuff that Hayden and Sage got that really interests her.
All in all, it was a fun month that was over before we really got used to it. The holidays are stressful, but my Marlee seemed to provide a little extra peace and joy. Love ya baby!

Christmas

I'm really hoping this video works. I had a great time looking through all my photos from Christmas; trying to narrow my favorites down to just a few wasn't happening. It is really great having a photographer come to Christmas! Thanks Jamie for all the amazing shots. We really did have a fantastic time at your house!
We got many great and wonderful things this year, we are quite blessed. I post this list of favs because it sorta makes me laugh. Sometimes its the little things that really get us excited. To see Hayden's face when he found his pack of gum, you would have thought that it was pure gold. (he would not have gotten very excited about a block of gold though!)
Favorite gifts:
Heath: Bike
Lori: Family cookbook
Hayden: Blueberry Pomegranate gum-his own pack!!! & mini air hockey table
Sage: hair brush with squishy handle
Marlee: Bongo Drums, or maybe just the wrapping paper and bows.
Thanks again to all for spoiling my children!

A December to Remember

so much... where to start. Well, some of you might have noticed my month long absence. There was just too much going on! Seems each December that its over before it really starts and when all is said and done, I just need a really long nap. The whole thing stresses me out to the point where I turn into a complete basket case. Well, despite the sleepless nights, the shopping, the parties, the traveling and fretting and all that other stuff, we still managed to do some pretty cool stuff and have a whole lot of fun. So, on to the highlights:

One of the coolest parts of the month was the ABC birthday bash. We did a joint party for Avery and Sage. OK, my sister Jamie is totally responsible for this one(and she did an awesome post way back when the event actually took place-way to go Jame!). There was very little stress on my part, Jamie handled all the details. And boy, were there ever details! Two cuter birthday girls you could not find. Hayden was the bartender, he would bring you a drink even if you didn't want one. What a guy! My little princess got spoiled rotten (think she might have had a great head start on that) She got a princess dress, all the accessories she could dream of, roller skates, a pound puppy, a stuffed pony, lots of cute clothes, and a gorgeous cinderella doll that is to look at and not play with...to name a few. It was a great warm up for Christmas. Thanks to all; she is really taking her time getting thank you cards out.

Around here, we don't seem to get to Christmas until all the birthdays are taken care of. Heath celebrated his birthday with the Maroon Cougars, his basketball team. It was even a snowy day; who doesn't like a little birthday snow? We took him to Red Robin for dinner too. No cake, he prefers pie.

Then it was my turn. We got a babysitter for kiddos so Heath and I could enjoy a nice dinner at Anthony's. YUM! Almost worth having a birthday (I hate my birthday!) The mousse at Anthony's was fabulous, but then Heath got me the chocolate cake from Costco-you know, the 5 layers of fudge and chocolate and probably no calories that is a giant slice of heaven, yeah that's the one! Good times!

well, there is more, but the hour is late, so it will have to wait until tomorrow, sorry!

Top 10 of 2007

OK, so where did December go??? As always, the whole month flew by in a blur of wrapping paper, gingerbread men, birthdays and 3 year old tantrums. Stay tuned for more details of our family's holiday happenings. Today however, it is time to reflect on the year that was 2007. I like to recap with a top 10; its sorta what I do.

10. Treasure Hunting Our new favorite family pastime is geocaching. Heath bought a GPS and we have had a great time exploring. Treasures we have found include a Washtucna Jr Firefighter badge, a pink yo-yo and a live giant man-eating snake.

9. Christmas and other celebrations. We could probably do a top 10 of just celebrations, but will lump them all together. Whether it was piñatas on Camano Island and in I.F., an Easter egg hunt in Seattle, ABCs in Maple Valley, or an evening of bad pizza and chaos at Chuck E. Cheese in Kennewick; we found many places and reasons to have a party. Christmas morning was especially special; we spent it at Jamie and Kyles where it was warm and cozy and wonderfully festive.
8. Boys vs Girls Heath and Hayden went first with a night at the Monster trucks in January. It was all about licorice, ear plugs and big trucks-pure testosterone! Then it was girl’s night out at Disney Princesses on Ice in October. Sage got all dressed up for the occasion. Our little Cinderella thought she was in heaven while she watched the show alongside several of her friends and their moms. It was a magical night.
7. San Antonio Trip Heath’s company sent him to San Antonio for the AGC conference in March and Lori got to tag along. The kids went to Idaho. We loved strolling the river walk and the boss even took us to Ruth’s Chris steak house for the greatest dinner ever! It was exciting even if we didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament games going on across the street from our hotel.
6. Independence Day We spent the 4th of July in Idaho riding 4 wheelers, jumping on the trampoline, and getting thoroughly sunburned. Even though Grandma D gave us a bit of a scare after her surgery, we got to visit with lots of family. Sage and Marlee loved the fireworks; Hayden-not so much.
5. 5K After months of logging miles on our treadmill, Heath and Lori ran a 5K in Idaho on Thanksgiving day. It was 17 degrees at race time but that didn’t slow us down. This was Lori’s first race. Grandpa, Dalton and Gretchen also took part in the fun. Good times were had by all once we warmed up and regained feeling in our fingers and toes.
4. Hayden’s Rookie Year He played T-ball, Soccer, and Flag Football through the YMCA. We loved sitting on the sidelines and cheering him on. Heath coached his basketball team this fall, they were the Maroon Cougars. Which of the sport was his favorite? Who knows, but he loved every minute of every game and practice.

3. Farewell to Diapers She was a little slow to catch on, but finally Sage is potty trained! Whew, 2 in diapers was a killer. What strange conversations one has while potty training children…
2. Kindergarten Hayden went off to Kindergarten. He says his teacher is the best drawer ever and absolutely loves riding the bus. He has completely amazed us with all that he has learned already. He is getting to be a good little reader. Lori cried on his first day, but now can’t wait for first grade when he will go all day.

1. Marlee Our little angel Marlee was born on April 30th. She has brought so much joy to our family. She loves her brother and sister, spitting, rolling into corners and riding in the backpack. It has been so much fun watching her grow and learn over the past 7 months. Great things are in her future.

7 months

My Marlee turned 7 montsh-like almost 2 weeks ago. Slacker mom...

Anyhow, she continues to grow and learn and do all the wonderful things that she is supposed to. We marvel at what a sweet baby she is. She loves to grab a handful of hair and pull me in for a big ol wet kiss. I get most of the kisses. I love that. She is getting so big, her little feet are at the very end of the infant carrier, almost time to say good bye to that. We put away the bouncy seat, and the play gym as she has out grown them. She has become a great sitter, I pretty much never prop her up, she does just fine on her own. Can roll anywhere she needs to go-reminder to self, never ever leave her on our bed alone, she is at the edge in about two seconds.

Marlee seemed to take a break from solids for a spell, but her appetite is back thankfully. She enjoyed her first Thanksgiving, however I think she would have liked a slice of pumpkin pie over the pureed sweet potatoes. She got to have yogurt for the first time-yum! She loves it, in fact sometimes that is the only thing she is willing to eat.

Each night about 7:00 she wants to be stripped down to her diaper so she can roll around. No matter how foul her mood, this always makes her happy. She is ticklish and it is about the greatest thing ever to listen to her laugh and laugh.

What she does not like is riding in the car after dark. Not sure if its that she can't see anything , or a bad time of the day or what, but she lets us have it. And we did a bit of traveling this past month so she had plenty to be mad about.

Highlights:

Sitting in the Highchair

Watching Hayden play basketball-so many little people running around!

First Ferry boat ride. Who could forget the middle of the night playtime with Dad at the hotel?

Thanksgiving in Idaho-going to the museum, riding in the backpack and geocaching.

First snow.

Poor thing, her 7 month milestone was sorta overshadowed by Sage's birthday. She took it all in stride though. She was happy to share the spotlight.

3!

Sage has turned three and is sooo fun. She is currently trying to master holding up three fingers. This girl is a social butterfly, and talks like she is 13! She loves to be a big girl, and desperatly wants to go to Kindergarten with her brother. Occasionally she goes to his class with me and feels right at home. She is going to be so ready for preschool next year. One of her most favorite things to do is paint, and also spends lots of time coloring. I was a little worried that she was not picking up her ABCs but we made up a little song to help her with her name and now she can tell you how to spell it and a few other names. Really cute.

She brings so much joy to our lives, I can't imagine what we would do without her. She is totally a daddy's girl. Heath can not tell her no for anything. Her big brother is her best friend. They play together so well, and cause lots of trouble together too. She would do anything for him. She even has started to show affection and concern for her sister. Me and Sage have a great time running errands while Hayden is at school; she is my little helper.

Her obsessions still include Dora, but she has expanded out to include the Disney Princesses. Cinderella is her favorite. So to celebrate the 3 year mark, we celebrated with a Cinderella cake.

She was a little nervous to cut it, but after spending all day telling her how yummy it would be and preparing her, she consented.

Pink is her favorite color and flavor. She always asks for pink lemonade, pink milk, pink anything. Macaroni and cheese is one of her most favorite foods, along with chicken noodle soup (Campbells, not homemade); however Saturday lunch with Dad is something her and Hayden both look forward to all week long: hot dogs and gatorade (eww, I soooo do not endorse this)

She loves to sing; loud, and mostly songs like ABCs, wheels on the bus, Book of Mormon Stories, I am a Child of God, Old McDonald, Twinkle Twinkle; but sometimes she throws in a few more grown up tunes: Lime in the Coconut, Wee who Whoo hoo (Sweet Escape by Gwen Stefani), Real Gone, Life is a Highway, Party like a Rock Star ("its Avery's song!").

Sage is full of energy, she wiggles and chats all day long. Not sure she can sit still even if she needed too. I love that she sucks her thumb and snuggles with her pink blankie. She loves her nap and if I don't get her down, she will find a spot and take care of it herself. She has a very strong personality (not sure where that comes from). We love her so much. Happy birthday Princess Sage!

Our Thanksgiving

A bit late, but here is the recap of our trip to Idaho for Thanksgiving. Good times! The 5K was an excellent start to the trip (details below). And we figured that all the calories we burned running would allow for major binging the rest of the day! I made a chocolate pie, after all, it's not Thanksgiving without chocolate pie, right Dad? (as if he reads this) Heath made 4 pumpkin pies. 5 pies for 6 adults and what seemed like about 35 kids but indeed was only 5 kids--overkill? No way, those pies didn't last long, especially considering Heath and his family are strong believers in pie for breakfast. Who am I to disagree?

Since we learned to make butter in Hayden's class, I thought it would be fun to make it with the kids. Gabe did about four shakes and since it wasn't butter, he lost interest. Most of the other kids gave up shortly after that as well. But Gretchen, Heath, Will, Dalton and I got it done. Grayson came back at the end to turn out some fine butter as well. Tasty stuff.

I must say, Grandpa's mashed potatoes were some of the finest I've had in years. It was extra special to have Great Grandma D at dinner.

So forever as long as I can remember, my dad has carved the turkey. Well, since Dad was hundreds of miles away, Heath stepped up. Ummm, watch out Martha, he can carve a turkey like nobodies business! Wow, what a guy. Gorgeous presentation as well. Iron chef Idaho?

Miss Marlee dined on sweet potatoes and banana yogurt. mmmm.

On Friday, after some Christmas shopping, we visited the Idaho museum. It was lots of fun. They are currently having an ice age exhibit. Heath was amazed to find out that there used to be whooly rhinos. Pretty cool stuff. The kids liked the kids play area, it had caves to explore and trees to climb and lots of other interesting things.

Friday night we had a little birthday for Sage. Craigo's for dinner of course. Stuffed ourselves silly again. Hey, we were really stretching those 5K calories.

Aunt Gretchen and Grandma had picked her out a Dora cake, which she was tickled with. They had also got a pinata. We stuffed all our leftover halloween candy in it and let the kids whack away at it in the basement. Hope the exploding candy didn't leave any dents in the wall! Saturday we went geocaching. It was way fun but we only found 2 of the 4 treasures. It was a beautiful day, a bit chilly, but nothing we couldn't handle. Burned off a bit more of that pie.

Then we celebrated Will's birthday.

Favorites:

Heath: Pie! The race

Lori: The race, Christmas shopping with just Heath for the first time in 6 years

Hayden: Riding the go-carts at TSR, Jumping on the cushions in the basement with the boys (yes, all the money spent to entertain him throughout the weekend and he picks the random free stuff)

Sage: getting pink milk at the hotel, getting her pink camrea from grandma and grandpa for her birthday

Marlee: Riding in the backpack outside when we went geocaching, rolling all over the living room playing with all the different toys.

Elfin good time

my funny elves! Prepare for a laugh
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1114402884

Turkey Trot

Last Thanksgiving I was early pregnant-too busy throwing up to really appreciate the holiday. I recall Heath calling his parents to wish them a happy turkey day and when he got off the phone he told me that his sister and dad had done a 5K turkey trot. I thought that was pretty cool. I have never gotten any thrill from running, probably because I have never really ran. Well, in my delicate condition, I decided that I would run in 2007, and it would be especially convenient as we would be in Idaho.
Fast forward a year…after lots of time on my treadmill, we arrived at race day. Heath, Harry, Gretchen, Dalton and I were all in on the fun. It was a gorgeous morning, temperature about 17 degrees F at race time. Brrrr, not quite what I had planned for. Well, despite the runny nose and frozen toes, I did it! 5K-3.2 miles. My time? 28:20. Is that good? Is that bad? I don’t know, this was my first ever race. I ran the thing, any time was going to be good. I didn’t think I would ever be able to run 3 miles. I placed 119th out of 282. I’m no Kody or Stacy, but its certainly good enough for me! (you guys are my heros)
Kudos also to Heath, You are so awesome! He was 45th, his time was 22 minutes 17 seconds. Pretty sure he could have done even better, but he ran the first little bit with me. There is no way I ever could have done it without all his encouragement and advice.
And well, gotta say way to go to my father-in-law. He did pretty great too. He had intended to walk it, but instead ran the whole way! Nice! Dalton sooo impressed me too! Good job buddy.
It was a really fun morning. Hopefully this will be the start of a really great tradition.

Thanksgiving 2007

One of my greatest blessings.

Hope your Thanksgiving was great. Bring on Christmas.