Thanksgiving 2011

Typical Thanksgiving for us this year. :)

Headed out the door with my girl.

Started out a bit different -- loaded up the van and headed towards Rick's to pick up the Subaru (Loren was driving separate so he could run off to the football game) and noticed the power steering problem was getting worse (started Tuesday).  Stopped at the dreaded Mart (Wal) to pick up some fluid and discovered the heater wasn't working either.  Made it to Rick's, Loren popped the hood, and steam billowed out.  Apparently a radiator hose had a hole and was spraying coolant all over the serpentine belt.  Thankfully we had the Subaru right there so we loaded up and headed out -- who wants to deal with car issues on Thanksgiving?  Off to Grandma Dean's we went.

There we found Grandma Dean with Ray, Mom with Kris, Uncle John, Uncle Scott and Aunt Chris, and cousins Steve, April, Sequoia (4), and Miriam (2); Michelle and Harrison (2); and Stephanie and Damian (4).  The most kids we've had at a holiday in a long time!  Ate way too much delicious food and enjoyed catching up.

My super handsome stud muffin.  This was handed down from Becky Brown whose son I believe wore it for a wedding.  We don't really do many weddings and we're heathens that don't go to church, so we don't really have many excuses to dress up the kids.  :)  So why not holidays?

Addie is a another story.  She had a beautiful yellow dress my mom had given her on in the morning, but of course changed her mind by the time we were ready to leave.  So she picked a too big black tee with a too big denim skirt, white tights, new reindeer slippers, and a denim jacket.  ??

Boys will be boys.  And boys will have battle scars.  I swear he's always got a mark on his face.  This, I believe, was Hayden vs. keyboard tray.

He was just too stinkin' cute in this get-up!

Thanksgiving this year happened to also be my mom's birthday.  The girls, of course, had to help her open presents.

Look at those dimples.  :)

A few of the kiddos out playing with Steve.

I mentioned Addie's skirt was too big.  She eventually lost it and just went with tights.  She took a walk like this.  That's my girl.  ;)

Hayden was completely wore out by late afternoon and finally fell asleep in the car. We then ventured back to Rick's to watch some football and finish stuffing ourselves. Both kids were tired and whiny -- Addie said she wanted to go home, so we loaded up and left Loren to enjoy the game in peace. A few minutes down the road Addie started crying that she wanted Daddy. So we ran by the house to pick up pjs and blankies and headed back to Grandpa's for the evening. Once Hayden got some more sleep in the car and we got some medicine for Addie's earache, the two ended up really enjoying themselves. Loren and Ryan yelled at the poor playing 49ers and I just sat back and worked on some knitting. :)

Happy Holidays friends. It's only just begun...

A Typical Sand Outing

Hit up the zoo today. Yes, it's freezing outside. But that was Addie's choice. I tried to talk her into Festival of Trees, but no go (oh well, saved us money). So off to the zoo we went. Surprise, surprise, it was totally dead. But a lot of the animals were out.

They stayed bundled up in the stroller most of the time.  Here we are checking out the meerkats.

And froggies (Addie's favorite!).

My wild-haired little bird.

And super stud muffin.

The standard tiger pic.  :)

Finally got my camera back out after being stuck in the van with dead batteries for months.  My phone has been substituting, but I just don't think the pics are as good.  So now I'm attempting to unload the camera and finally update this blog a bit!  :P

Pics and Thanks and...

... I've been way too neglectful! But I am starting anew. I'm really going to try harder to keep up on this thing! And in usual tradition, I will begin with a pic post. :) I just got our pictures back from Erin Henderson at Sweet Smile Creations, who always does a phenomenal job! I'm guessing those of you with kids can relate -- getting ready for a photo session is stressful. Trying to get out with the kids ready and avoiding a major issue before leaving (about 1 minute before heading out the door we found Hayden eating a fuschia non-washable marker), and then just crossing your fingers that they cooperate enough for at least one decent pic of each. But Erin is a mother herself and very patient and understanding. The only part I hate is having to pick which ones I want printed and then finding space on my walls to display them (because I don't want to take down the ones from last year).

These were taken at the Boise Train Depot. We were originally going to hit Kathryn Albertson's, but apparently everybody else had that idea because I swear all of Boise was there!

Such a boy pic. Love it!

Loren found Addie a grasshopper while we were there.

This is just so Addie.

I didn't want to do family pics this year and Loren refused to be in any, but I did dress the part just in case. Addie refused to let me go at first, so Erin took a few of us to warm up, but then I got off the hook. ;)

Isn't he just such a stud?

I am completely in love with this pic. I currently have a Monet on the wall behind my computer at work, but I'm thinking it needs to be replaced with a canvas print of this. It just melts my heart.

I think this should go on a card.

Addie had gotten school pics taken at daycare -- that didn't turn out overly well. I was going to order some anyway simply to capture the moment, but these are just SO much better!

My little ham. I wasn't actually going to get them new clothes (because they have WAY too many) for this, but I saw this sweater at the mall and just HAD to have it. Then of course Addie needed an outfit to match.

Love this. So creative. And the pink petals match her perfectly. :)

Seriously, what a stud. This pic reminds me of a senior picture, or maybe something in a modeling portfolio. It's totally a "What's up, ladies?" kind of pic.

We kept trying to get the two of them together, but Hayden would always run away. Erin was fast on the trigger to capture this one. I just love Hayden's face. Can you tell how he feels about being hugged by sissy?

This is such a Hayden face.

Alas, we got it! Patience paid off. If I remember right, I'm pretty sure this was the last picture taken. I set Hayden down and ran -- and we finally got a pic of both of them sitting AND looking at the camera! Victory!

I am also attempting to do my month of thanks again. I really love the idea and did it last year on Facebook, but I think I'll do it in blog form this year. I feel as though people are getting sick of my posts on Facebook, so I'm trying to ease off a little. But I will continue to post every pic of my stinkin' cute kids, cuz, well, they're stinkin' cute and I want to show them off. :P I attempted to save all of my posts from last year, but I know I missed some. Here were the ones I saved:

• I'm thankful to be a woman with the superpower of not only growing and birthing two beautiful children, but also providing all the nourishment they need for their first 6m+ of life.
• Today I am thankful for my highly spirited toddler that constantly keeps my on my toes and drives me crazy, makes me laugh, and melts my heart all in a minute's time. And thankful she is currently sleeping. :)
• I'm thankful for my 6am alarm to get ready to go to a job I love, for my wonderfully hot shower, and the fact that I have to choose what I wear and what I eat for breakfast.
• I'm thankful for my ultra-fab mom for raising me to be the woman I am today, that she's only 20min away, and that she's such a wonderful grandma. :)
• I'm thankful for photos, capturing moments in time, sweet memories and my constantly changing babies (and especially thankful for digital cameras so I can ensure I get at least one decent pic!).
• I'm thankful for my wonderful hubby, my best friend that keeps me sane (although I'll admit he may occasionally drive me insane), puts up with me no matter what, and is the best father to our children -- so happy to spend our lives together.
• I'm thankful for my health; my physical and mental wellbeing (I'm only a little crazy!), my freedom from chronic illness and ailments, and the health of my family. :)
• I'm thankful for getting a year older today because it means I got to spend one more year with my wonderful family and friends. :)
• Thankful for my sweet little Bubby who steals my heart every time I look at him.
• I'm thankful for my puppers (although they may bark obnoxiously and are entirely too overzealous at the door) - my welcome home crew, my motivation to get at least a little exercise, my super snugglers, and my examples of true loyalty, forgiveness, and unconditional love.
• I'm thankful for my car payment, gas bill, and mortgage because it means I have safe and reliable transportation for my family and a nice warm place to come home to.
• I'm thankful for my big brother; we're not as close as we were as kids, but every time I do get to hang out with him I wonder why we don't do it more often. Also thankful for my sis-in-law for whisking him away on adventures and keeping him happy.
• I'm thankful for every peaceful moment I have to knit and to Tami for teaching me this wonderful skill. :)
• I'm thankful for having the opportunity to go shopping for our Christmas family tonight. And thankful I rarely have to go to the mall. :)
• I'm thankful for good music, the kind that brings back good memories, that makes you want to sing at the top of your lungs and bust a move no matter how ridiculous you look, be it in the car, in the grocery store, or at home (often prompting a dance-off with the toddler).
• I'm thankful for my super cozy bed and all my super snugglers I get to share it with. That's where I'm headed now!
• I'm thankful for my sense of humor and everyone and everything in this world that makes me laugh. Can't wait for date night with my hubby (I think it's the first since Hayden was born) and Daniel Tosh ♥ tonight!!!
• I'm thankful that I have a box and garbage bag of toys to donate (just skimming the surface - thankful for the declutter, but really that we have enough to give to someone else) and that Addie helped me decide what should go (she was in a very agreeable state today -- even let me throw out all her candy). :)
• I'm thankful for my confidence; that my parents raised me to believe that I could do anything I set my mind to, that my teachers and coworkers always saw my potential (beyond what I saw), and that Loren makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
• I'm thankful for fitting *snugly* into *some* pre-pregnancy jeans! Chicka-chicka-yea! A little way to go, but thankful for my good genes, that I'm healthy enough to stay active, and that I can breastfeed (shedding pounds is an added bonus!).
• After spending the last hour pretending to be Addie's "baby", I am thankful for being self-sufficient!
• I'm thankful for all the time I get to spend with my babies because I know they grow up too fast.
• I'm thankful for a lazy day spent with my hubby and littles.
• I'm thankful for memories and that the good far outnumber the bad.
• I'm thankful for multiple invitations for the holiday today and am sending lots of love to family and friends that I'm not spending it with. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Looking forward to my guilt-free gorging today...
• Although the system may drive me crazy at times and I by no means think it's perfect, I'm thankful for our health care, that we had a super nice doctor to see for Bubby, and that we have insurance.
• I'm thankful I've had the opportunity to continue my education. Again and again. :) And will be especially thankful when this final proposal is submitted tomorrow... (I'm also thankful I did the rest of education pre-babies because they sure are making it hard to sit down and do this!)

So, my intention is to not repeat anything I said last year. But darn it, I said a lot of good stuff! I had 2 in mind for today and yesterday, and both were taken already. So I will think on it and return... (hopefully sooner than 3 months from now!)

Ramblings

So this isn’t going to be the picture-laden blog I usually do. Partially because I don’t have pics loaded on the laptop to use, partially because I can’t actually load this blog right now because I’m on a plane, and really because it’s not my usual kid-focused blog. :P Just rambling about stuff going on with me. So I’m on a plane back to Boise from San Antonio (well technically this plane only goes to Salt Lake and then I get to enjoy a 3.5 hour layover). Linda and I came down to go to AHIMA’s Assembly on Education (AoE), which is their conference focused on HIM education (yes, there really are other HIM teachers out there – it’s that popular!). ;) It was actually quite great. We of course skipped some sessions (yes, maybe more than we should), but we got some wonderful ideas, had some great conversations, and did some of the ever-so-important networking (seriously, it can’t be underestimated – invaluable!). We got in on Sunday, in the evening. After checking in we explored the Riverwalk. Very neat, but hot as hell (it was around 104 most of the time we were there, and humid! A lot for this little Idaho girl) and busy. We ate at Iron Cactus, a Mexican restaurant and tequila bar (I know my girl Leisa will be incredibly disappointed in me, but no, I didn’t even have a margarita) that was rather delicious. Monday was the first day of sessions and I went to a focus group at lunch. That evening we had a little reception for the convention and had snacks and some drinks (hey, we got 2 free ones, couldn’t pass it up). Tuesday was more sessions, but we decided to skip out just for a bit. We hit the Riverwalk again (it was really the only thing around the hotel to do), took it over to The Alamo, and then checked out La Villita. It was super cute and we ate at a great little café. Wish we’d had a bit more time to spend there, but we had already ditched out for a few hours (and it was getting pretty darn hot), so we headed back. But then I ditched some more to hit the pool. Finished out the day with a session and back to the Riverwalk we went. We ate at County Line, a BBQ restaurant that was also delicious. I decided to forego the alcoholic beverage (although it sounded delicious) for a dessert (more on that later). Had a few more sessions this morning and now here we are. Linda is sleeping next to me and I’m typing away on the laptop. It was nice to get away and I think we got lots of great ideas, but boy am I ready to see my babies!

So, more about this whole dessert thing. Another eventful thing I had this weekend was the Katy Perry concert (yep, I’ll address that in a few…). Well after getting back from vacation, I told Leisa it was time to kick into gear for this concert (yes, it’s a necessity to look hot for a Katy Perry concert). So I said I was going into workout mode for the next 2 weeks and that I would give up sweets, other than a small piece of dark chocolate now and then. Well it turned into a challenge between Leisa, Amy, and I – and included at least 30min every day of exercise and no sweets (and if you know me, you know I’m a sweets gal). I went so far as to say no sugar, but in reality I found that to be nearly impossible (particularly when we had just done a very large grocery shopping trip and I was finding that I couldn’t eat anything in my cupboards). So I just decided no sweets and as little sugar as possible, without having to restock my kitchen. The exercise part wasn’t too bad, although I often found myself realizing I hadn’t done it by 8:30pm and having to take the kids for a walk. Loren helped by encouraging us to go for bike rides. But this sugar thing killed me! I was miserable. I felt sick to my stomach, was super tired, and was just a plain ol’ grouch. I was about to give it up (this was about a week in) until I read online about sugar “withdrawal” – and those were symptoms! I was beginning to think my body really needed that sugar – well it thought it did, but I think I finally passed that point. By the end of the second week I was actually feeling pretty good. Anywho, we all made it through and yes, we did look smoking hot for the concert. And I’m actually not craving sweets anymore. So since Monday the 11th, I hadn’t had any dessert (and I’m a girl who has dessert at least 1-2 times a day). But I think I’m over the cravings now. So my dessert of choice during this trip (since my 2-week challenge was over) was cheesecake – it was rather delicious, but I actually only ate half (granted it was a ginormous piece). So I’m trying out some new eating habits. We’ll see how long it lasts…

Okay, I think my last order of business is Katy Perry. I know, I said no pics, but I forgot about the concert!

Now, I seem to have a thing for wigs. I just find them so fun! And quite a while ago I had found this fabulous shop on Etsy, Miss Violet Lace, with the absolute most gorgeous wigs! I literally want every single one of them. So when I got tickets for Katy Perry, I knew I needed one of these fabulous wigs. But how to choose? Oh man, it took me HOURS and months to pick out what I wanted. And then it was only because I had taken so damn long, I had to pick one that could ship quick. So here is my wig.

I absolutely love it and can’t wait to find more excuses to wear it (although I’ll really only find excuses to buy more). We met up at Ulta in Nampa first and got our make-up done (thank you Stacy Ritter!).

Then headed in to Boise so I could drop my car off. Had intentions of going to dinner, but we are girls after all and of course everything took longer than planned – so we grabbed Jack in the Box (so much for that fabulous diet) and set out for BSU. Parking was quick and easy and they even had a shuttle to the door.

Thank goodness too because not only did I have heels on (and I never wear heels), but I discovered that my fabulous dress had a hiking problem (as in hiking up). Since I had wild hair I wanted a wild outfit, and wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit (my usual “party” attire is jeans and a tank top) – so why not a skintight teal animal print one-shouldered number?
Made it in before Katy started – grabbed a cotton candy martini (delicious, but I’m not sure there was any alcohol in there), hit the bathroom, and found our seats. She was fantastic!
Actually sounds even better in person, just as gorgeous as she is on TV, super funny, and totally into her fans. And great “presentation”. Totally loved it. My favorite number was the “I Want to See Your Peacock” performance (love the song and the costumes were phenomenal).
Ariel was SO into it. It was so fun to see all the little girls having a blast. My only issue was the girl next to me who I’m not sure moved all night. Really? You get floor seats at Katy Perry and you stand still and blankly stare? Lame! ;) I’m pretty sure I danced enough for both of us (and she got to enjoy an elbow now and then). After the show we dropped Ariel off and went out downtown, but it was kinda boring and well, we’re moms and were kinda exhausted. ;)

The only other thing I was gonna talk about was my bucket list, but I can’t actually access it right now. I can think of at least 7 things I’ve done and can think of a few that definitely aren’t going to happen, but I’m also thinking of some substitution options. More on that later.

Day 3: Saturday Market

Still not fully recovered from our hike and long day at the zoo (and me still not feeling well), we weren’t going to let that keep us down. The boys headed out early for golf (Ryan of course chose a course 20+ miles outside of Portland because there are only over a dozen courses actually in Portland) and we loaded up the kids and hit the MAX to downtown for the Saturday Market. And what a market it was! I had been before, but it was in early spring and I assume when the weather isn’t as good, the market isn’t as big – because I didn’t remember all of this! It just went on and on. There was no way we were getting through all of it. Addie was still a bit whiny (she probably still wasn’t feeling very good, and was still recovering like we all were) and ended up talking Ba into buying her a frog, a frog purse, and some frog soap (hmm, theme?). Cassie and I drooled over several things, but of course had to scope out options before committing. We both ended up with a skirt and dress, and some jewelry. We found a fun fountain for the kids to play in (although silly mom forgot to pack appropriate clothing, so I had a toddler in her underwear in the middle of downtown Portland – oh and should I mention she was later a naked toddler in the park after she peed her pants?) and enjoyed a variety of foods.

It took her a bit to warm up to the idea. Cassie and I both had to go play with her before she got into it. And once she was into it, the clothes came off!

She was actually re-dressed after the fountain, but ended up disrobing again in the park.

They had fun playing while Ba took a rest and Cassie and I ventured off for food.

Have I mentioned yet that Hayden is walking?

It was quite a hot day for Portland (I believe the high was 85) so we wore down fairly quickly. We headed out around noon, catching the MAX back to the van parked next to the hotel (we checked out before we left and just parked at the Park n Ride lot next to it). After loading up we ventured out to hit Trader Joe’s – a must-stop for me and Cassie. We loaded up on groceries and caught up with the boys there. Just had a couple more stops on our way out of town. Loren had to hit Belmont Station, which is known for an insane amount of different beers (he was like a kid in a candy store) and then I wanted to stop at Hayden Island (only the best named island ever).
That wasn’t the best decision, we found, when we hit horrible traffic. But we eventually made it, got our picture, and headed out to Tokeland. It’s only about a 3-hour drive, but after several long days, that trip felt even longer than the drive to Portland. We made a pitstop in Raymond for dinner and finally made it to the house around 9pm. We picked our sleeping arrangements and crashed. The 4 of us slept on what I believe was a full -- a bit scrunched but at least low to the ground. :) Ryan and Cassie took the "Love Shack" -- the small cabin in back (complete with a dead bird for company). It felt good to be somewhere we could settle in for a few days...

Day 2: Portland Zoo

After our hiking and puking adventures, we were all rather exhausted Friday. But we were determined to make the most of our time in Portland, so we headed to the zoo – that, and Addie had been talking about the Portland Zoo for months (asking, anytime we saw an animal in a book or on tv, “Do they have that at the Portland Zoo?”). We decided to drive because we weren't sure how convenient the MAX would be with the kids, stroller, and all our stuff (very convenient, it turns out), so I turned on my navigation and away we went (sidenote – I’m not quite sure what we did without smartphones before. We used it constantly on this trip. What a great travel companion! I lovelovelove my Droid!). After a few wrong turns (nice to know I’m not the only female Loren doesn’t listen to), we finally made it. And it wasn’t even open yet. Got a great parking spot (shaded when we left) and unloaded. Perfect when we arrived – great temp (although a bit chillier than we originally anticipated – and we hadn’t packed jackets with us) and not many people. That changed as the day wore on, but we still had a good time. Addie was rather whiny, which was a bummer because she had been so excited – but I think she was just tired after our hike and was probably still not feeling well.

She insisted on wearing slippers. And yes, she wore them the entire time.

I got Hayden this adorable hat at the $.25 sale at Other Mothers hoping I could sidetrack him long enough he would wear it. It lasted about 10 seconds. :(

Hayden even got to ride a dinosaur!

Tyrannosaurus Rex, nonetheless! Bet you didn't know they had dinos at the zoo! They had an extra exhibit -- my mom, Hayden, and I didn't go (it cost extra, and frankly, we didn't really care), but Addie insisted she had to go so Daddy took her. Apparently she was terrified the entire time. But later commented how much she liked the dinos. ??

We awed at the beautiful exhibits and lands of the park (quite amazing in comparison to our little Boise Zoo) and got to see a very neat show of birds flying right over our heads.

And of course the petting zoo is always a hit.

We were, however, rather disappointed in the Africa exhibit (I’m not sure we even saw a single animal) and couldn’t seem to find the rhinoceros or hippopotamus (yes, two very large creatures to miss!). Eventually they both crashed out. Addie ended up sleeping through the crocodile (which she was waiting for) and the sea lions.

But Bubby woke up just in time to see the sea lions -- last stop and one of our faves! He was enthralled and they were so cute. One of them kept playing with the kids at the window and they would squeal in delight! Adorable!

He likes to show his belly off.

I did awake her for the gift shop, as I had promised her one toy – which she actually chose rather quickly (I was surprised because we often spend half our time at the Boise Zoo wandering through the tiny shop). It was a bag of turtles – surprise (she is all about turtles and frogs these days)! We then ventured back to the hotel to meet up with Ryan and Cassie, who had driven up that day. After a bit of downtime we all headed out to catch the MAX downtown (with my handy phone app Portland Transit Lite) so the boys could do a Brewery Crawl. Never heard of it? Me neither. They actually map out walks to different breweries – depending on how much you drink at each, I suppose you may be crawling by the end! Although it took us a bit to figure out the tickets (we had ridden it before, but always in the fare free zone, so never worried about tickets before), we boarded and headed in. What a great system. I envy them every time I visit. No, it’s not fancy, but so fast and easy! No problem getting the stroller on – just parked it in the handicap spots – and no carseats to deal with or problems with finding parking. We got off near Pioneer Place and headed out on foot. First stop = Deschutes. By this time we were rather hungry and figured we’d just grab a bite at the first brewery – except it was a 45min wait. So we mosied on and ended up stopping at Rogue – not on our list, but a brand the boys like. We grabbed a bite and Loren, Ryan, and Cassie got 4 tasters each. The day of travel and hiking and an entire day at the zoo had wiped us out, so us girls (and Hayden) decided to head back. I left my phone with the boys so they could have a map to figure out their next destination and off we went. Luckily I remembered how to get back to the MAX and we figured out which one to board (almost got on the blue line when we needed the red). We got back and settled in for the night. I awoke around 11:30pm and noticed the boys still weren’t back. I called and heard of the issue – apparently the red line only runs until 10:30pm. No more public transit to our hotel after that. Oops! So the boys boarded the blue, and then ended up walking about 3 miles back home. Oh the adventures of the big city! :) So much for my public transit planning (I just assumed the MAX ran 24/7 – guess now I know!).