Tending Roses

May in Review: Recital and Preschool Graduation

2009-09-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

A quick review of some of the May happenings...

Sparkle had her first dance recital. Here she is dancing to "Red Robin"...

Then Sparkle "graduated" from preschool. Both Sugar and Sparkle performed in the end of the year program.

Our little letter "G"...

Getting three-year-olds to perform is a bit like herding cats. Sugar is in the polka-dot shirt in the middle of the edge of mayhem...

Our graduate...

A girl and her Dad...

Back to School

2009-09-04T13:05:00.001-07:00

Getting Back Into Routine

2009-09-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

I guess I have disappeared from the blogosphere for a while. I haven't really meant to...I just get distracted easily or maybe not so easily. It has a lot to do with the summer break and three kids home constantly. Since Sugar is slowly growing out of naptime, this summer felt significantly different than the summers of the past. We were free to stay out until later afternoon, or spend the whole day on a fun outing. We bought a membership to a neighborhood pool for the first time. Many days of quiet mornings, lunch and afternoon at the pool or play dates at parks with friends, or letterboxing, walking, going to the library. Full days to go to the mountains or to some fun kid destination. A wonderful summer in many ways...but my particular pursuits...like blogging... have taken a back seat to the new summer routine.

Now here we are in September and school has started for the older two kids. Slugger is a 3rd grader and Sparkle is now in kindergarten (half-day). After almost 3 weeks of school, we are beginning to settle into the new routine. Sugar will be in preschool soon, but that doesn't start for another week. So...as the routine settles in I am finding a bit more time for some other pursuits again, including blogging. Hopefully, I will be around a bit more....

April in Review: The YMCA.

2009-07-06T21:19:00.000-07:00

In Colorado, April was the snowiest month of this past winter. Well... April is not really winter, technically. Seasonal debate aside, April is not normally the snowiest month here in Colorado. However, this past April almost every weekend brought a new storm and more snow. In the midst of this snowiness, what is a Coloradan to do but make a break for the mountains? Just what we did. Not just anyplace in the Rockies, but the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. This is one massive YMCA. Seriously, it is humongous...and gorgeous. It's a superb destination...beautiful setting coupled with multiple activities for kids and grown-ups alike. In a short two night trip, we managed to go sledding, play board games endlessly, go hiking, make crafts in the incredible craft room, go roller skating, enjoy the indoor pool, check out the game room and gym, and eat and sleep (at least a little). It was a fabulous weekend getaway. We went with dear friends who have kids all the same ages as ours. The kids got to bunk together and the grown-ups didn't have to be the entertainment all the time. An excellent combination.

The beautiful scene out our window after the snow storm that arrived just after we unpacked...

The sledding gets serious...

A little of the board game obsession...

Some good old fashioned roller skating...

A cute little ending to a great weekend...

April in Review: Slugger Turns 8!

2009-07-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

My oldest is eight. I am still in awe even though this new age has had a few months to settle in at this point. He is reaching a new level of independence and "young man" status. I can tell him to go take a shower, and he will. I can tell him to get his own food out of the fridge, and he will. I can let him take the dog for a walk around our cul-de-sac, and he will. So many little moments and previews of the man to come. Striving for more independence and learning to handle progressively more responsibility, yet, still my little man with a kind heart and love for his parents, his sisters and his friends. Amazing.

This year Slugger opted for the non-"party" option and decided instead to invite three friends to come with him to his favorite entertainment place, Mr. Biggs. We ate pizza and cupcakes then hit the "Foam Factory" and shot balls out of cannons, threw balls at every one in our near vicinity, and generally ran around in an exhausting fashion. That coupled with laser tag, mini-golf, and lots of video games made for a full, loud, and very fabulous celebration. Slugger declared the "non-party" a hit. Mission accomplished.

A great example of the eight-year-old boy craziness...

A boy and his sister, who happily joined in the craziness....

The whole crew. Boys really can fashion some type of weapon out of most anything...

Slacking on the Bloggin'

2009-07-06T20:50:00.001-07:00

I've been distracted by many things....letterboxing, facebooking, painting almost every room in our house, and generally being busy. Pretty much anything but blogging lately. After several strong hints or not so much hints but kindly reminders from Grandparents and even a couple friends, I am going to attempt to re-enter the blogging world. So, get ready for some catch-up!

Letterboxing

2009-03-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ok, I admit it...I am probably more hooked on Letterboxing than my kids. I love maps. I love treasures. I love puzzles. I love being outdoors. Thus, I love letterboxing. The kids like it too..but they are mainly just a good excuse for my new hobby.

What is letterboxing? A letterbox is a "box" that is hidden somewhere, really anywhere, mostly on public land. However, a letterbox can be located other places...a store, private land or someone's yard...just as long as permission is given to place it. The box usually contains a handmade rubber-stamp and a notebook. Sometimes the stamps are storebought...but I am yet to find one that isn't a handmade original. To find the letterbox, you follow clues, sometimes complicated, sometimes simple, sometimes like following a written treasure map. The boxes are planted to remember pets, favorite artists, birthdays, trips...really anything the letterbox creator can imagine. When you find a box, you stamp your letterboxing book with the stamp you find and stamp your "signature stamp" in the book found in the letterbox. Letterboxes can be tupperware boxes, film canisters, pouches...just about anything that is waterproof and hard to find. The first time I found a "box" I wasn't completely sure that I hadn't found something else... like a drug stash... except that I was in the place I was led to by the clues. Thankfully, we were on the right track! I have since come to understand that letterboxing is really a culture all to itself. It's own lingo, types of boxes, and even gatherings of letterboxers around the world. I'm still a novice, but the kids and I have had lots of fun hiking, exploring and discovering new places around the city. If you are interesting in trying it out or learning more, check out www.letterboxing.org. There are letterboxes all over around the country and around the world!

Here's a picture of a letterbox we found on one our recent excursions...

The kids and I have really enjoyed the excuse to get out of the house and the sense of adventure added to exploring the parks and open spaces in our area. Although, I have learned that what may seem like a short "walk" to me still needs the full preparation of water bottles, rest breaks, and even a snack if needed. No slacking for mom!

A Believing Dress

2009-02-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

Definition: A dress that is magic, but nobody believes in it.

Used in a sentence: "Can I wear my believing dress to school today?"

Rodeo Days

2009-02-04T09:22:00.000-08:00

January is Stock Show Time in Colorado. In celebration, the girl's school hosts it's own Rodeo Days. Here's some of the fun.

Cowboy Grub...beans and biscuits...

Milking cows...

Riding horses... Sugar's horse is "Sparkle". Sparkle's horse is "Chocolate". They learned how to ride their horses. How to say, "Giddyup" and "Whoo". How not to run their horses into other riders...

These cowgirls had a mighty good time.

BUGZ

2009-01-22T20:01:00.000-08:00

Slugger finally performed in the long awaited "show" (I am NOT allowed to call it a play), BUGZ, that his second grade class has been working on for months. Slugger was an Army Ant and had to go into school early several times to work on his choreography with the other Army Ants. The "show" was a musical performance with all types of bugz...ladybugs, caterpillars, butterflies, cockroaches...and many more. And as Slugger's line in the production concluded, "Except for those stinkbugs we are nice". The whole collection of various bugz goes on a picnic excursion together and learns how to include the stinkbugs (whose outfits were covered with "stinky" socks) in their little bug party...after many musical numbers and such. It really was an incredible performance. Three full classes were in the production and every kid had one line. Sixty-five or more kids getting to the microphones, in the right order, at the right time, and remembering their lines. Plus all the singing and dancing. I truly am seriously impressed.

Here is a small (and a little dark) picture of the Army Ant performance with Army Ant Slugger right in the middle...

A Little Bit of Sisterly Love

2009-01-10T08:39:00.001-08:00

A Little Bit of Christmas

2009-01-10T08:01:00.001-08:00

Some fun pictures from Christmas....

Sparkle got to be Mary in her preschool Christmas program. She was beyond excited.

Sugar's first Christmas program at preschool. I love this age! A little bit like herding cats. In this picture, they are singing, "Jingle Bells". In a later number, a little boy next to Sugar started blowing on her ear. After he wouldn't stop, she abandoned her post and started running around the stage. Truly entertaining.

Auntie Jessica came out to join us for Christmas. We sure enjoyed having her. The kids loved having a fun Auntie around to play games, read books, and make cute messy crafts with them.

My kids favorite Christmas tradition, our "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" cake. (I didn't say it was pretty...although, I did get a cake decorating kit from Nana this year...so next year, the pressure's on!)

Apparently, the cake was good enough to lick off the table...

Merry Christmas 2008 and Happy New Year 2009 from our family!

Sugar Turns Three

2008-12-19T14:18:00.000-08:00

My baby is now three years old. Hard to believe and easy to believe at the same time.

The fun thing about turning three is that it seems to be the first year my kids seem to "get" their birthday enough that they have a specific idea in their head about what they want to do...yet, it seems to be limited to something simple. Slugger wanted a "yellow" birthday, Sparkle wanted a cake/cupcakes. Sugar was initially determined to have a "Hawkgirl" party (from the Justice league). But, I just couldn't pull off this obscure party without a lot more work than I had time for this season. So...thankfully, a three-year-old is also easily influenced. A trip to the party store quickly changed her mind...and a Curious George party emerged. Sugar had three little three-year-old (-ish) friends join her along with family and some older siblings. A little crazy...but Birthday Girl was happy...so I am too.

Monkey cupcakes...easy, but a big hit.

I'm reading, "Curious George and the Birthday Surprise". Apparently, I am very concerned about George. Truly a deep and moving book.

Blowing out the candles...

It was all very exciting...

A Trip to the Nutcracker

2008-12-19T14:02:00.000-08:00

Nana and Papa took Sparkle and I to see the Nutcracker at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in downtown Denver. (Thanks, Nana & Papa) I have been looking forward to taking Sparkle since I first bought her a pink sparkly book with a picture of the Sugar Plum Fairy on the front when she was three. She has been utterly fascinated by the book ever since and it was so fun to finally be able to take her. We went to the matinee with lots of other little ones attending...which is good because Sparkle is one of those kids who comments and asks questions about EVERYTHING. "Why are the mice dancing around Clara?"...."Where is Clara?" (every time she exits the stage)..."Can I be Clara?". Her new life goal is to take dance so she can be Clara. It has been hard to explain to her that such things don't happen immediately. I love the dreams of a five-year-old.

Christmas Tree Cutting and Thanksgiving Feasting Colorado-Style

2008-12-03T17:13:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, we resumed our annual Christmas tree cutting tradition. This year, besides a couple of good friend's families that joined us, we were also joined by LT's cousin R and his wife, K, who just moved to Colorado after getting married this summer. We have enjoyed having more family close to us in Colorado. We actually had Thanksgiving dinner at their place this year. R & K made a fabulous dinner accompanied by Nana and Papa's yummy pies and Kringle (a wonderful Norwegian treat). We left full and satisfied.

R's mom & dad (LT's Aunt J & Uncle J) made the trip out from the Motherland (i.e. Minnesota) to visit for Thanksgiving. Since they were here for the long weekend, they decided to come along for the ride too and try their hand at picking out a Colorado Christmas tree. We enjoyed some of the North Platte Fire Station's homemade Monster cookies, climbed on fire trucks, and headed out into the woods to find the perfect, in a Charlie Brown kind of way, tree. It had snowed about 6 inches the night before. Just right for sledding, throwing snowballs, and drinking some well deserved hot chocolate. Another year of Christmas Tree cutting adventure.

KS & Aunt J

Uncle J & R

LT and our Charlie Brown tree for this year.

A little sledding action.

Slugger, after launching some sledders down the hill.

Enjoying some well-earned cookies.

Stone Soup and Thanksgiving Feast

2008-12-03T15:58:00.001-08:00

For Thanksgiving, the girl's preschool always makes "Stone Soup", based on the classic French folktale of how a young man (or soldiers, depending on the storyline)convinces a greedy woman to make soup from a stone. The kids all get to add their own can of food to the "Stone Soup" and all the parents and family are invited for a feast. The kids get dressed up in costumes and make crafts to decorate the tables. They love hosting their family and friends, and it is fun to see all the hard work the kids (and mostly the teachers!)have done.

Nana came and joined Sugar, Sparkle and myself for the feast.

The Lower 48

2008-11-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

The past week my Mom and Dad came to visit. They are on a month long vacation here in the lower 48 (or "down Outside" as the Alaskans might say). My kids thoroughly enjoyed having Granny and Granddaddy here to play games, listen to their knock-knock jokes, and let them eat ice cream for no particularly good reason at all. LT and I enjoyed having Mom & Dad around too. I really appreciated a long day shopping and having lunch with Mom while Dad (with a little help from preschool) watched the girls. Mom and I always used to go shopping and have lunch together and I have to say I still truly enjoy it...especially since it is harder to do with small kids and many miles between us. The miles may grow fewer in the next couple years as Mom & Dad contemplate moving down from Alaska to somewhere within 1000 miles, but no decisions have been made, so I will take my time with them when I can. Somehow, in all the busyness I managed to take one picture of Dad...not much a picture documentary, but I figure we must have been having fun doing other things.

Sugar's Face Painting

2008-11-21T13:43:00.001-08:00

Sugar decided to try water color paints on her face. I think the pictures say it all.

A Little Blogger Fun

2008-11-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is a quiz that answer's the question, "What should I be when I grow up?". Here's what I was told...

You Should Be a Social Worker

You are deeply caring and empathetic.

You are able to take on other people's problems as if they were your own.

Sensitive and intuitive, you understand human emotions well.

Helping others gives you the most joy in life. You feel like it's your purpose in life.

You do best when you:

- Have a lot of responsibility

- Greatly impact someone's life with your work

You would also be a good philanthropist or stay at home parent.

What Should You Be When You Grow Up?

Trick or Treat

2008-11-04T14:15:00.000-08:00

Wonder Woman, a hockey player, and Cinderella. What more do I need to say?

Fall Festival

2008-11-04T14:05:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from the girl's preschool Fall Festival...

The Gift of Imagination

2008-11-04T13:46:00.000-08:00

I have imaginative girls. I love that.

Lately, the favorite game has been "babies". Birthing babies (stuffing blankets or stuffed animals up their dresses, then miraculously pulling them out when they are born), caring for babies, rocking babies to sleep on the swing, sending babies to time-out, even occasionally burying their babies under the leaves in the backyard so the can rescue them. The two stuffed cats, Dancy and Kitty, who function as their "babies" are a little muddy and looking more and more worn each day, but who would think that the simpliest toys often make the best ones.

LT's Trip to Israel

2008-10-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

I have a world traveling husband. Seems like this year especially has taken him some interesting places. In June, during my blogging hiatus, he took a 10-day jaunt to Germany, France and Switzerland to see some clients. I wasn't too jealous until he sent me pictures of Lucerne, Switzerland. Beautiful lake, beautiful mountains, quaint little waterfront. He did bring me a Swiss watch and t-shirt. Really nice, actually. But I would have traded them for a chance to stowaway in his suitcase. Maybe someday.

More recently, specifically this last week, LT took another business trip to Tel Aviv, Israel. It was a trip that had been "out there" as a possibility for a while, but when it actually happened, it was a last minute trip. LT decided he was leaving Friday, October 7 and actually left the next Tuesday. A whirlwind trip with almost a full day of travel time (at least 15 hours actually flying) on either end of a six day trip. After his business was through, he and a co-worker got a chance to take a private guided tour through Jerusalem. He got a local's view into some of the historical and biblical sites throughout this ancient city. They went to the Wailing Wall on a Shabbat (no pictures on this day), saw the walls of the old city, stood on the Mount of Olives. He brought back spices from the market (Saffron, and another mix of several) and slept in a hotel on the Mediterranean Sea. A little high on the "tense places in the world to be" scale, but an interesting trip none-the-less. Here's a few pictures from his trip...

Looking down on the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount

Streets in Jeruselem

A Camel

Squirrel Creature

2008-10-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

As defined by Sugar:

Squirrel Creature - (pronounced squaall cweature). Otherwise known as a scarecrow. A happy little fall decoration adorning our yard. Has a tendency to be destroyed by the malicious, yard-decoration-shredding squirrels that inhabit our particular block. Thus, being a creature that squirrels will destroy. Thus, a squirrel creature.

(FYI -Our squirrels also have a particular taste for pumpkin and have been known to descimate those little round vegetables of fall fun into shredded little pieces all over our front porch with a matter of hours. Thus, the slightly more tacky, but significantly more durable plastic pumpkins currently on our front porch.)

Making Pizza

2008-10-07T14:52:00.000-07:00

Last week, Sparkle's preschool class had a field trip to a local pizza place. I admit, I was skeptical to how fun a trip this would be. I tend to be pretty protective of my preschool mornings since it is often the only grown-up time that I get during the week. However, one of the preschool dads invited our class to visit his pizza place and see the inner workings of a pizza restaurant. The kids got to make their own pizza...add their own toppings and consume the end result. Plus, they made salads and pizzas for the moms who came on the trip. Needless to say, this greatly endeared the restaurant to our hearts and stomachs. The pizza was fantastic and the kids really enjoyed themselves. All in all, a great outing. A shout out to Lil' Ricci's Pizza! Thanks for a great experience and some really yummy pizza!

Pickles are Not Vegetables

2008-10-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

What is a Pickle?

Here's a question that seems to have a straight forward answer. Most of you are probably thinking, "a salty cucumber that is good for consuming on hamburgers, as a sandwich side, or straight out of the jar." All true....but if you are around me much, you might have heard me mention, "I am meeting with one of the Pickles", or "I have to read this for the Pickles", and you might think...."I believe this gal has gone a little loony". But no, really I haven't. In my world, the Pickles are a dear group of friends that have joined together to form a wonderful book club. We started meeting almost 2 years ago and have enjoyed reading many different books, some loved, some hated and some met with a bit of indifference, but always worthy of a greatconversation and a lot of laughs, some crying, and a lot of getting to know each other. We are a group of many different opinions, generations and approaches to life. Yet, we love each other and have found that we greatly enjoy each other's company. As for the name, it comes from the first book we read together, The Persian Pickle Club, by Sandra Dallas. We loved the sense of community and commitment that the women in the novel demonstrated...something we found we all long for in a society that can tend to be isolated and removed from each other. So, someone suggested the name and it stuck. And no (if you read the book), we don't plan on "off-ing" any of each other's husbands.

Last weekend, I got to spend time with most of these wonderful women on a weekend getaway to Grand Lake, Colorado. (Missed all of you who couldn't come.) We stayed in one of my fellow Pickle's family cabin right on Shadow Mountain Lake. The fall colors were beautiful, the company was fantastic, and it was a lovely weekend away with my dear friends. We did some hiking, boating, shopping, and above all...a lot of talking! It had been over three years since I had got away for the weekend with girlfriends like that and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There is something about good old-fashioned girl time that renews me and gets me ready to come back and tackle the routine of raising three lively and energetic kids. What a gift.

Soccer, Soccer and More Soccer

2008-09-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Soccer season has come again to our house. This season, instead of one little soccer player, we have two. Sparkle has decided to try her hand at the game and watching 5 year-old soccer has added some amusement to our lives. Slugger is passionately playing again...this time with bigger goals/fields, 2 practices/week, goalies and 6v6 players.

We've had 3 games and I am yet to determine whether Sparkle will actually have a true interest or not. The game is definitely new to her, and she is not a terribly aggressive little soul...so, we will see what a little more time and experience bring. She is enjoying herself, which is the goal of the entire experience...but she would also enjoy sitting on the sideline creating a large pile of grass. So, let's just say the jury is still out on her long term interest in the game.

Slugger, however, is in his 5th season and loving every minute of it. Goalies have been added this year, much to his delight, and the intensity of play has definitely ramped up an entire notch. Definitely harder to watch from a "that's my child and they just went flying through the air" standpoint. At the same time, it is pretty exciting to watch a good game with actual passing, some pretty cool take-aways, and some well earned goals.

Sugar, although too young to play, is finally old enough to stay off the field during the game without a lot of management by Mom and Dad. She does tend to raid the snacks of the rest of the team members and joins the other gaggle of siblings who play with sticks and hide in the trees. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday. She is already showing a pretty good soccer kick for a 2-year old. Maybe soccer will be in her future?

A Little Chat

2008-09-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, I took the girls for a late lunch at our local bagel shop. We got there after the main lunch crowd, so there were few other people in the shop and no line. I went up to the "order here" end of the counter to contemplate our lunch options. Meanwhile, Sugar decided it was time for a little "chat" with the clerk who was waiting for our order. Sugar grabbed a chair from a nearby table, pulled it over, and stood on top of it, so she could have a more "eye-to-eye" conversation. After she jumped up on the chair, she promptly, and quite enthusiastically exclaimed, "I'm Sugar!" The clerk, sensing Sugar's enthusiasm, promptly responded equally as enthusiastically with, "I'm Lisa". Sugar, now with her audience firmly in hand, proceeded to give her life story from her current two-and-a-half year old perspective:

"Ryan and Kayla got married."
"We danced."
"Sparkle's my sister."
"Slugger get on the bus, he goes to school."

All of this was accompanied by head nodding and facial expressions to convey the seriousness of her statements. After a couple minutes, my adult need for a little less talk and a little more food kicked in and I shooed Sugar away and ordered our food.

A couple minutes later, while I was waiting at the other end of the counter to pay for our food, Sugar decided to carefully select yet another chair and come visit. My first instinct as a mom was to stop her and make sure she wasn't causing a disturbance or hindering the flow of the still non-existent line. But, I realized, she wasn't really hurting things, and it was keeping her occupied. Plus, the clerk seemed reasonably amused by her antics.

This time, Sugar gets up, faces the clerk and promptly announces with a serious face, "Mom and Dad got married." I resist the urge to explain that this marriage wasn't a particularly recent event and just let Sugar do the entertaining. After another small chat, I collected the food and the girls and head to the door. As we leave and say our goodbyes, the clerk makes sure to say, "Thanks for making a quiet afternoon a lot more interesting."

"No problem," I say, "Life is always interesting with these girls around."

A Little Treat

2008-09-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

Shortly after feeding the dog, I had this interaction with Sugar....

(I look strangely at Sugar's mouth, noting that something is being consumed that I did not give her): "What ya eating?"

Sugar: "I'm eating my dog food."

Some Cute Pictures

2008-09-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

My friend Melissa needed some new kids to experiment with for her new photography business...so Sparkle and Sugar spent a fun morning getting their pictures taken last Thursday. I think they turned out super fabulously! (Is that a word?)

If you want to see a sampling of them...check out Melissa's blog.

http://www.melissahatcherphoto.blogspot.com/

A Visitor of a Different Size

2008-08-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

This is Samson. He came to visit us for a week when we traded some dog-sitting with some friends. This is Samson trying to fit into our Lucy-dog's bed. A little tight since he was at least twice the size. He is a sweet dog with an extremely tolerant of kids disposition. The kids had a lot of fun playing with him.

Sparkle and Samson.

The girls and our Lucy.

Starting Second Grade

2008-08-29T08:38:00.000-07:00

Slugger started second grade last week. In the rollercoaster of my mother' s heart it seems like such a long time coming, and absolutely amazing that it has come so fast all at the same time. In this picture, he is ready to head off to the bus for his first day...new rolling backpack in hand and a 7-year-old attitude on his face.

At this point, he is officially getting into the groove of being back in school. The first day (only a half day), he was completely wiped out...so I was anticipating some serious tiredness for the full days, but he seems to have gotten into the routine quickly. Of course, not too much homework has come home yet, so we will see if that has any influence on the enthusiasm level. Otherwise, Slugger likes his teacher and is quickly making and renewing acquaintances with friends. Definitely his favorite part of school...seeing his friends. Not the most academic of pursuits, but definitely high on his list along with recess, PE, and music. Actually, he seems to enjoy his schoolwork too, but has more to say about his other pursuits. He also makes sure to give me the daily play-by-play of the soccer game at recess.

The Motherland

2008-08-14T14:42:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a 10-day trip to Minnesota, or "The Motherland" as LT affectionately refers to the state of his birth and childhood. We went out for LT's cousin Ryan's wedding. The wedding was actually up in northern MN in the town of Nevis (near Walker, MN). So, besides spending a few days in this beautiful part of the state, we spent the better part of a week down in the Twin Cities area seeing lots of family and just generally playing around. The trip was full of fun, family and great experiences. Not necessarily relaxing (traveling with 3 small kids rarely is in my experience), but a good family road trip. We enjoyed meeting some new family as well as catching up with those we don't see often enough. Here are a few of the highlights:

Sparkle, Slugger and me try out our favorite ride at Nickelodeon Universe...the Log Ride!

Sugar's favorite...Dora, Boots and the "Diego Bus" ride.

Dock jumping at Leech Lake in Walker, MN. (About 3 hours north of the Twin Cities).

Swimming fully clothed in Leech Lake. (The kids were magnetically drawn to the water)...

The aquarium @ the Mall of America.

A Purple Cast and Other Torture

2008-08-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here is the broken finger update:

When I went to see the hand specialist two weeks ago...the Dr. had x-rays retaken and determined that the bones in my hand had NOT moved (big sigh of relief), but that there was still a chance they still could. If the bones did move...I would need surgery to place a pin in my finger because the bone movement would cause problems with my joint. So..it was important that I immobilize my hand for at least 2 weeks. The doctor gave me a couple options...primarily discussing a 4 finger splint (with my fingers in an ackward salute position) or a cast. Among the factors to be considered...my 3 small and active children, my high activity level and difficulty slowing down, and a slight tendency to try too much...plus, I was leaving in a couple days for a trip full of kids, waterparks, weddings and roller coasters.

So...I opted for a hard splint that day. I actually went to a fellow occupational therapist who specializes in hand therapy and she designed this particular torture device. Very interesting to be on the other side of this process. Will definitely give me some more empathy if I go back into practice.

After about two days of this splint...I realized this would not work so well on a 10 day trip to Minnesota with 3 kids who are relatively oblivious to the whole thing. Particularly with my strong willed, strong bodied and unpredictable two-and-a-half year old. So... two hours before we left on our 14 hour road trip...I went in and was fitted with a purple, waterproof cast. It immobilized 4 fingers and my wrist. LT affectionately referred to it as my "club". All that to say...it was a very good choice. I was able to swim, do some mild tube waterslides, roller coasters, and generally have a good time while still being "good" and not stressing my hand too much. But, I was about as excited about it as I look in this picture.

On Tuesday (2 weeks later), I went back in, got the cast off, x-rays redone, and was released to "buddy" taping my finger and starting hand therapy to regain my movement. Ugh! Who would know breaking one little finger would be such a pain. Yet, all-in-all, it has gone really well; three weeks out I am starting rehab and hopefully will be back to near normal in another 3-6 weeks.

What's in a name?

2008-08-13T18:01:00.000-07:00

A conversation with Sparkle and Uncle E on "How to talk in Australia" :

S: How do you say, "hello" in Australia?
E: "robandbobareyouruncle."
S: (Give's E a quizical look) How do you say, "hello" in Australia?
E: No wait,wait... actually, that actually means that you really liked something or it was really good in Australia. So, when you are done with your dinner tonight...you should pick up your plate and say "robandbobareyouruncle". So..remember, tonight, pick up your plate, set it down, and say, "robandbobareyouruncle".
S: What's a plate?
(I break out in hysterical laughter.)
S: What would my name be in Australia?
E: I don't know, what would your name be in Australia?
S: Olivia

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

2008-07-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

First, the bad.

I broke my finger. Ouch. Double ouch. My left, middle finger to be exact.

Now for those of you who need more details..I broke it Thursday morning while I was doing Personal Training. A 18 lb weighted bar dropped about two feet from where it was resting, propped up against a seat. I was doing these torturous exercises called "Burpies", that is a scary mix of a donkey kick-ish move and a basketball jump. When my hands where on the ground for the donkey-kick/jump part, the bar slipped from it's perch instantaneously and rapped across my knuckles. My wedding ring saved my ring finger from more than a good bruise, by my middle finger didn't fair as well. I took myself to urgent care a couple hours later on the advice of a friend. Now I have the x-rays and splint to document my first broken bone.

Next, the ugly. Well, let's face it. My finger is plain old ugly right now. Bruised. The color of a squished spider on a concrete sidewalk. And yes, it does give the image that I am indulging in a not-so-polite American gesture. Oops.

Finally, the good. If I am going to break my finger...it is a clean break. All the way through, but at this point, the bones have remained lined up and in place. So, if all goes well, I will just have to wear some type of splint for a good number of weeks. I have to follow-up with a hand specialist this week to make sure that is the best treatment option, but unless something changes, I won't need surgery. Oh yes...and I am RIGHT-handed. So...a lot less grief to have my left hand not so useful right now.

The Princesses of Egypt

2008-07-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, we have had new residents come live with us. They have introduced themselves as the Princesseses of Egypt. They desire to be addressed as "your Majesty" and have a love for headbands, fancy dresses, and high fashion. They are at the very forefront of the fashion world. Mind you, they are not so snooty as to require their own entourage of hairstylers, dressers, etc. They much prefer to be their own consultants.

Last night, I took these lovely young ladies out to dinner and to the shoe store. At the shoe store, Princess Sparkle would find the most lovely, shiny, colorful shoes possible and present them to me for inspection. She would show me the shoe with a flourish and a low bow to the ground. Then she would cry, "Your shoe, your Majesty." After I tried on the shoe...she would proclaim, "Oh, you look just beuuutiful, your Majesty." Oh course, Princess Sugar had to join in the fun. I was presented with quite a selection of the very fanciest shoes. We were one of only a few customers in the store and the echoes of their little voices carried quite nicely. I think we made just about everyone's day.

We'll see how long these houseguests remain. You never know who will show up around our house.

A Billion Years Later

2008-07-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

Ok..maybe it hasn't be a billion years...but at least a good number of months since I posted. I tried...really...but I couldn't get a picture to upload and got distracted...very distracted...for at least 2 months. Oops.

So..here is a summary as best I can manage it.

Much home improvement has been accomplished since Christmastime. Here's a picture of LT installing the pre-finished hardwood floors that have been our amazingly large undertaking this year. This picture is from early April. LT is installing the floors in the eat-in kitchen area. I must say...they look beautiful! The den, front living room, foyer, and kitchen are all done. The only room left is the dining room...it has been the only room left for a couple months now, but we are working on getting our energy mustered up to finish it. Additionally, half walls have been demolished, dry wall repaired, new carpet installed, and good progress has been made.

We have also had a slew of birthdays. LT turned 34 in March, Slugger turned 7 in April, and Sparkle turned 5 in June. Here is a bit of the birthday craziness...

Slugger had a "Lego" party at a local "bounce on jumpy things until you drop" kinda place. The perfect place for a bunch of seven-year-old boys to wrestle and run and generally act like themselves without getting into trouble. The day of his party became a bit more intense than expected when Sparkle woke up early in the morning with a fever and sore throat. It is handy to have a husband in the medical device industry...a quick strep test confirmed the need for a trip to the doctor and some good antibiotics. But...we were left with one very sick kid and a birthday party both LT and I needed to be at...so I desperately sought someone willing to sit and watch movies with my sweet, sick girl. After many a phone call, my wonderful neighbor (who is an RN) volunteered to help. What a major relief and blessing. So, besides missing his sister, Slugger had a fabulous time jumping, "knocking off his friend's heads" (see below), and enjoying his yellow lego cake.

Here is the birthday boy with one of his friends... (the shag hair look (which I love!)). As for Sparkle's birthday....turning five was a big hit. She had been planning this shindig since her fourth birthday...and after many theme changes...she set her heart on a princess party. Although I tried to steer her to something more off the beaten path, her mind was made up and her sight was set on anything resembling a princess. I negotiated including knights in the party for her brother's and one other brave boy's sake, but otherwise it was princess, princess, princess. Here she is blowing out the candle on her castle cake. The cake ended up looking like a page out of a Dr. Suess storybook, but it just added it to its uniqueness. Really. We decorated princess hats and shields, went on a treasure hunt, got chased by the "mean queen" and battled a fire-breathing dragon pinata. (Actually, the dragon looked a lot like a purple triceratops with wings stuck on his back...but thankfully 5-year olds are endowed with great imaginations!) In fact, one of the guests, who spoke english as a second language started to cry when I warned them of the impending duel with the dragon. She thought it was real!

I had to make reassurances that it was a very pretend sort of dragon. Plus...it delivered lots of yummy candy after it was defeated.

Here are my favorite two princesses....Princess Sparkle and Princess Sugar. My apologies to Disney.

Along with birthdays, LT and I celebrated our 12th anniversary with an absolutely fabulous night out at an absolutely wonderful restaurant (Opus for all you Denverites). A grown up night out with unbelievably good food, excellent wine and my favorite company. Couldn't have asked for a better way to celebrate 12 years of love and friendship.

Here is a few more moment from our lives over the past few months. Hopefully it won't be another billion years before I blog again.

A successful author...

Sisters...

A dad and his girl.

The Desitin Incident

2008-02-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

Sugar is playing upstairs. Sounds innocent enough. I hear her playing in her room. Not much she can get into in there. But, when I go looking for her...I discover that her ingenuity has once again won the day.

Apparently, her doll was "poopy" and had an "owwie" bottom. Dolly needed a diaper change and "medicine" for said "owwie" bottom.

Note the now permanent white stain on poor old doll's rear end. A rocking chair dragged across the room and a mommy who forgot to remove the Desitin to it's proper, harder-to-reach place, created the perfect climate for this particular incident.

Aaah, the inspirations of a two-year-old.

Christmas and other moments since then...

2008-02-16T20:55:00.000-08:00

Ok...it has been a couple months since I have posted much of anything. So here's a quick overview of the family moments since then.

Snow Day.

Slugger still had to head to school, but Sparkle, Sugar and I got to play in the white sparkly stuff.

Christmas.

Quiet. Well, I guess as quiet as anything can be around our house. We spent the day with Nana and Papa. The kids had a blast. We made a birthday cake for Jesus, ate a lot of Nana's yummy cookies, and enjoyed the fun new presents that arrived under the tree.

Sparkle's beautiful new sweater. Made by Auntie K. Her favorite two colors...pink & purple.

Sugar got Dora, Dora, and more Dora. Her Dora car and Dora "dancer" outfit. She is a bit of a speedster on the car. Traffic violations galore.

Slugger is ready to go fishing. Another sport for him to get excited about!

Remodeling.

Probably why I haven't been posting much lately. Most of our free time has been eaten up by our latest remodeling scheme. It all started innocently enough. We just wanted to put hard floors in the office. That exploded into hardwood floors throughout the main level. We have finished the den. We also painted, removed popcorn ceiling, and put on new molding. We just moved on to the rest of the house. Last Saturday, we demolished the existing parquet flooring, plus the little half wall in the picture below. Now we are slowly, slowly installing the new, pre-finished flooring. Lots of work, but it looks beautiful so far. I love having a handy husband. I will publish "after" pictures when there is an "after" to show.

No Pictures Please.

2008-02-16T20:50:00.001-08:00

The papparazi can be so demanding. What is a two year old to do?

Sugar's Dora Party

2007-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:00

(This is actually posting a long time after I started writing it!)

Sugar is two years old! Hard for her mommy to believe some moments and very real in others.

Smack in the middle of her "Dora" phase, Sugar got a Dora party...much like her older sister's fourth birthday. Dora plates, cupcakes, and lots of Dora presents. It took Sugar a few tries to get the hang of opening presents...but once she got it she really got it. (Actually, just yesterday, she decided to open one of the Christmas presents under the tree...wasn't hers...but looked fun to open). The trick on her birthday was getting Sugar's older siblings to let her open her own presents. I think they were the most excited of all of us.

Happy Birthday, Sugar!!

The Cutting of the Tree

2007-12-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Year 5. 2007.

I can't believe that this year marks the fifth year we have treked to the mountains near Pine, Colorado to roam through the woods and collect our own, slightly lop-sided, but decidedly unique Christmas tree.

I still have the picture of our first adventure displayed in the living room. Slugger, at 1 1/2 years, sitting on a tree stump in the middle of the pine forest (no snow to be seen). This year, Sugar, at almost 2 years, is older than he was then. How have 5 years skipped so quickly by?

This years hunt was highly successful by Wild Rose's family standards. We bagged our tree quickly, probably within 30 minutes of looking. We actually roamed around an extra 15 minutes after finding a pretty good tree at first looking, just to say we had really "looked". LT didn't have to carry the tree up any major hills and tells me it is much lighter than some of our first year's picks. We did end up cutting off at least 4 feet just to get it into our living room. It is sticking up into the last available inch of skylight in the slightly vaulted ceiling. But, lights are strung, ornaments are hung, and Sparkle has declared it "beautiful". All is well.

We had fun eating breakfast with 30+ friends and heading up caravan style to the mountains. Thanks to our brave friends who hosted all of us for morning munchies this year! The tradition would not be nearly as much fun without the crazy lot of dear friends we go adventuring with. Somehow, we got elected (in our absence) to be the "leaders" of the caravan. The pressure! Having to choose a pull off spot where 10 cars or so could pull off too and find good tree hunting was intimidating. But, all was well. We found a spot, did some treking, sledding and general playing around. We drank hot chocolate, a little brandy, and ate some slightly chilly graham crackers. In all seriousness, I love the cutting of the Christmas tree. A toast of hot chocolate to wishing for many, many, many more years to come.

Littleton History Museum

2007-11-27T19:24:00.000-08:00

About a month ago, before there was snow on the ground, Sparkle had her preschool's annual field trip to the Littleton Historic Museum. For the first time in several years, the weather was actually not rainy or snowy. The last several years the field trip has gotten postponed until the spring. I guess I should explain that it is a largely OUTSIDE museum, with two working farms from the 1800's. They have volunteers dressed as pioneers who are farming, weaving, and blacksmithing. They have various farm animals: turkeys, cows, pigs, sheep. It is a charming place...although I admit to being slightly less enamored with it after having gone at least 10 times in the last 5 years. However, it is particularly beautiful in the fall with the harvest in and the leaves changing.

Sparkle and her class - Look Geese!

Sugar and I tagged along for this field trip. The kids climbed on wagons, used hay bales for a jungle gym, and generally ran around and had a good time. Usually, my favorite part is seeing the blacksmith transform a lump of metal into a crude nail, but this time around he wasn't on duty. We did get to see two women spinning the wool (from the sheep on the farm) into thread on an old-fashioned spinning wheel. I am really glad I can just go buy a wool sweater at Kohl's. Know what I mean? Fascinating how much work it took to do....well, EVERYTHING.

Sisters.

A day well spent.

Sugar & Dora

2007-11-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

Ok...This makes me laugh on a regular basis.

Sugar has developed a clear love for "Dora the Explorer". This love began with her sister's 4th birthday party (a Dora party), and has continued to grow for the last 6 months. In the store, she notices everything, and I do mean everything, with a Dora logo on it. She currently has a Dora towel, toothbrush, and sippy cup. "My Dora" coming from her mouth could reference any of these items.

For all of you who are ignorant of the "Dora" age... here are the basics: On each show, Dora (who speaks both Spanish and English) and her monkey sidekick, Boots, set off on an adventure, following a three-step map through various entanglements, until they reach their final destination, in which case they do a little dance to celebrate. Inevitably, along the way, Swiper the Fox, tries to swipe something important to completing their adventure. The only way to stop Swiper the Fox from "swiping" is to say "Swiper, NO swiping!" (usually a couple of times). If his sneaky swiping is foiled, he cries out "Oh, man!". Somewhere along the way, Sugar has picked this little phrase up. Cracks me up every time. So, for your viewing enjoyment: (Sorry, I took it sideways and can't figure out how to turn it!)

Turning 35

2007-10-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

If I am honest, I have always loved my birthday. Since I was a kid, when October rolls around, I begin to get a bit giddy. I love the fall in the first place, the cool days, the changing leaves, the sweatshirt and jeans weather and the anticipation of the holiday season right around the bend. Then, you add "birthday season" on top of that...and I am eager with anticipation. Admittedly, growing up, my birthday was always something of a minor holiday in my family. My younger brother and I had the awe inspiring timing of managing to be born on the same day, three years apart. Technically, I actually chose the day, and he just decided to copy me 3 years later. So, since the day of my third birthday, our shared day has always been double the parties, double the cake, and double the excitement.

So, even as an adult, I find that sense of excitement begins to well up within me at this time of year; a love of the fall, a certain giddiness about the season. At this point, as we are fully into November, my birthday has long come and gone; a fun day, actually a fun weekend/week, full of friends and family and nice surprises. I felt loved and cherished, cared for and honored. My giddiness encouraged and my anticipation justified. Besides welcomed phone calls and thoughtful gifts from family/friends, and a sneaky surprise celebration from my book club, LT took me out to breakfast (The Original Pancake House...serious yumminess) as well as set up an evening out with some dear friends. We had a wonderful dinner out and attended a play, Much Ado About Nothing, at the theater complex in downtown Denver. It was wonderful! Along the way, we learned NOT to be late to the theater. If you are late, they make you sit in the special "late person" section watching the play on a only slightly adequate video feed, until they can seat your party, by order of lateness, in the easiest to access seats. (Note to self: In another three years, when we go see a production again, do NOT be late.) Even with the "late penalty"(which truly only added adventure to the evening), we had a sweet time. It is amazing how having three small children makes the quiet evening out, with other adult friends, a true novelty to be enjoyed.

All this is to say, I find myself feeling a bit reflective. Turning 35 feels like a bit of a marker, a birthday with a bit more of a "bump" to it. Not a big bump, just a small moment to go "Hmmm", but somehow still a moment with a little more weight to it than some of the other years I have recently come through. Maybe it is because so many of the "warnings" you hear about with preventative medicine and giving birth and "increased risk" seem to start with the "for 35 and older" label. It feels like this subtle transition from "young adult" to "adult". Basically, I can no longer deny that I am a grown up. I am realizing that in my head, I no longer think of myself as a child play acting like I am an adult, who just happens to have adult responsibilities, but I am beginning to actually think of myself as an adult with adult responsibilities. Funny, that after 15 years or more of officially being an adult, I am actually beginning to feel like one. Not that this mental shift has just somehow just mysteriously happened on my 35th birthday, but it is the result of in a quiet shift in season. Strange. Slightly silly, but true none-the-less.

I will leave you with this birthday picture of me and the kids. Sugar, in this picture, felt that she needed to assert her independence be sitting a couple feet away while eating her baggie of Life cereal. A moment in time commentary on the changing whims of her toddler personality.

A Day in the Life of a Soccer Mom

2007-10-21T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm a soccer mom.

It's true.

I accept it.

I suspect for some, this would be a hard truth to embrace. For me, it is simply part of who I am. I have a child who plays soccer. Eventually, I will probably have more than one child playing soccer. I live in the suburbs. I'm a moderate politically. Soccer mom. I don't drive a minivan, but I do drive a slightly overlarge SUV. I have three kids. I like Starbucks (actually it borders on obsession) and any restaurant with a drive-through. Most importantly, I spend a good chunk of my time driving to soccer, e-mailing about soccer, bringing snacks to soccer, and hanging out at the not-far-off-from-mass-chaos games of six year olds.

Please understand, I actually LIKE soccer. I played in high-school, so I feel it is not some fluke or whim of societal pressure that brings me to the point of encouraging my children to play soccer. Somehow, in my inner self, my actually playing soccer when I was younger justifies my children playing as not just jumping on some suburban bandwagon. Perhaps I am simply deceiving myself. I like to think not.

In all seriousness, soccer is a great sport. Lots of running, lots of exercise, lots of team...stuff. Slugger is actually very enthusiastic in his participation. It fits in with his love of all sports worldview. At the moment, he actually prefers to call soccer, "football", like the rest of the non-U.S. world. Although very culturally aware of him, this tends to create frequent confusion for his soccer mommy . When he asks questions like, "When is the football game?", or "What was the score of the football game?"...my answers tend to be along the lines of ..."The Broncos are on tonight.", or "Huh?".

So, for at least one more Saturday this fall, my life will involve cleats, shin-guards, and kid's snack foods. We will pack up the three kiddos, the captain's chairs, the "Go Navy" water bottle, and head out for our weekend ritual. We will grab a Starbucks, set up our "station" on the sidelines of a slightly makeshift field and enjoy the sun and the community of other parents and families committed to spending their Saturdays cheering on a mob of "Under 7" boys. We will watch as they learn in yet another venue of their lives how to work hard, keep going when tired, not cry when you don't get your way, and not to rub it in when others aren't having as good a game as you. Life skills us adults do well to remember. Meanwhile, I am learning not to yell louder than the coach (it is a little confusing for the kids), to keep an eye on my almost-2-year-old so she doesn't take off with anyone's keys or water bottles, and to juggle actually watching the game with gabbing with the other parents.

So, for at least this short section of my life...I am a soccer mom.

I accept it.

I embrace it.

I love it.

LT's Big Fish Story

2007-09-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

So..LT went fishing. Apparently, he did lots of fishing. Mind you, I wasn't actually present to verify the fishing, but I am told pictures don't lie. In this case, the pictures are of some pretty-good sized fish, at least pretty-good sized trout. I am also told that it is pretty-good fun to go fly fishing for these pretty-good sized trout. I am not sure that I would agree with that statement, but I will grant that fly-fishing is pretty-high on LT's

"Favorite-Things-To-Do" list. I personally am glad that the trout did not actually make it to my doorstep to verify their capture with their shiny, ooky presence. They were judiciously "catch-and-released" back into the river to swim free again. Not that I have an issue with eating fishies, I just don't personally care to consume them.

In all (or at least a little more) seriousness, LT spent four days up in Wyoming fishing with some buddies. One of his friends is a member of a fishing club that owns rights to a section of river and a rustic cabin up that way. So, LT jumped at the chance to go relax, wade around a river all day, and catch some of the biggest trout he has ever captured fly-fishing. He came back sun-burned, scruffy, and with his fly-fishing need satisfied for the time-being. (Actually, he is already itching to go again. )

I will leave you with this parting picture of LT's fishing buddy, JJ, smooching a fish. A little strange, but very amusing. Hey, I'm glad fun was had by all. However, I am still particularly glad that none of those shiny, ooky trout made it home.

Wipe Carnage and Other Tales of Toddler Mayhem

2007-09-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, the days of motherhood. Sweet kisses, cute faces, and sheer exasperation. Sugar, my 1 and 1/2 year old daughter, is sweet, just like her name, but she also has a good dose of spunk and adventure. Enough spunk to cause her mother to sigh and take a moment to breathe deeply and calmly on a fairly regular basis.

Yesterday, I seemed to need to pause and take those calming, deep breaths a few more times than usual. At the risk of encouraging some of this carnage as "cute", I took a couple pictures for your viewing pleasure.

First, we have the "wipe carnage". Apparently, she learned from Daddy that she could remove the sticker seals from a new box of wipes and stick them on her belly. Not only is it great fun to have stickers on your belly...but it also fun to take the wipes out and spread them all over the house. Mom (that would be me) was ignorant of this new skill and left an entire box of Costco wipe packages within easy reach. Needless to say, I came upon the battlefield, shrewn with the carcasses of helpless wipes, with much dismay. Deep breath, calm voice, don't laugh.

If only this were the first such incident of the day. Earlier in the afternoon, I had walked outside to smell something peculiar. Something "poopy" smelling. After some investigation, I discovered that Sparkle (4) and her visiting friend had thought it would be interesting to use the Tonka excavator to scoop a fresh pile of doggy dung into the back of the waiting Tonka school bus. This little feat was attempted by preschoolers, mind you, and not particularly neatly done. After washing up, changing some "damaged" pants, and discussing the greater ills of playing with dog excrement, we moved on with our day.

Shortly thereafter, Sugar woke up from her nap. I sat her on a stool at the counter to have a piece of bread for snack. Apparently, I did not remove the bread bag from her general vicinity. Big mistake. I came back from attending to something else to find she had reached over, grabbed the bread bag and preceded to remove every piece of bread, taking at least one bite out of each slice. One lone slice of bread survived. Good thing that is all I need to make a sandwich for Slugger's lunch.

That was yesterday.

Today, Sugar decided to have lunch sitting ON the counter.

Deep breath, calm voice, don't laugh.

Rabbit Moon

2007-09-07T13:50:00.000-07:00

Just finished the book, Rabbit Moon by J.D. Payne. It is a bit of an obscure book...it is even a bit hard to find on Amazon (but it is there!). It came to me via my Alaskan relatives. It is a bit like a Tony Hillerman novel, but with more emphasis on the characters and relationships than the details of the mystery. Although the suspense was most definitely there. The main character, Marin Sinclair, is an anglo woman who spent most of her teenage years on the Navajo Reservation. She is a woman conflicted by many things, including the difficulty of reconciling the Navajo culture with her own. It is well written book, with lots of interesting tidbits about the Navajo, but I do have to warn you that the ending left me feeling vaguely unsatisfied. I still have some questions that feel unanswered.

If you live near me and want to borrow it...give me a holler.

Up the Alaskan Highway

2007-09-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

First, a little background. My background. Just to get us all on the same page. Even though I now live in the beautiful and colorful state of Colorado, I actually spent most of my childhood (from age four to eighteen) in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Now...just be clear for those of you who are making assumptions...NO, I am not Mormon, and YES, I do ski). I spent many a pleasant day in the mountains near Salt Lake, skiing, hiking, biking and even just sitting around. It is the home of my childhood. My family, however, no longer resides anywhere close to SLC. In fact, most of them now live about as far away as you can get and still be in the USA. My brother, now known to my kids as Uncle D and his lovely wife, Auntie K, moved up to the utterly gorgeous state of Alaska almost eight years ago. They have spent the last couple years up in a small town off the Alaskan Highway nearer to Fairbanks. (If you want to hear more about them...check out the "My Cute Nephew" link...Auntie K does a fabulous job on her blog!) My mom & dad, known to the grandchildren as Granny & Grandaddy, got the adventuring bug about three years ago. After 27 years of living in SLC, my dad accepted a job in Anchorage. My folks packed up, sold the house, and moved the whole homestead (including 500 lbs of rock collection) up to Anchorage. So that leaves me, and Auntie Jessica, as the only immediate family that still live "down outside" (in the lower 48 States).

All this is to say that when I go visit my family, I get to do what most tourists long to do... I travel to the Great White North. So, this past June, I packed up the kids and made the five and a half hour plane flight to Anchorage. (LT came up later.) Other than a lap baby who thought my face looked more like a pin cushion for her finger and a slight incident that soaked one of our seat cushions, we made it to Anchorage without me going completely crazy.

We spent a few days at my folks, riding bikes, taking walks and visiting the local indoor water park. Then we packed up again and took off driving, along with a lot of baby boomers in RVs, up the Alaskan Highway. We took two days to drive the long way (8 hours) to my brother's house. Did I mention that Alaska in really, really, really big?

Here's a picture I got of Mt. McKinley or Denali as it is known locally. The tallest mountain in North America. It is so big that it creates its own weather. If you look closely at this picture, you can see the peak coming through the top of the clouds. This is taken from a viewpoint off the highway.

We spent a night in a little cabin near Denali National Park. My kids didn't sleep too well with the midnight sun (it really doesn't get very dark even in the early a.m.) coming through the not-so-dark window curtains. But we had fun seeing a little of the park and checking out the sled dog demonstration. Here is Grandaddy, Sparkle, Slugger, (and the tip of Sugar's head in the backpack) pretending to ride the sled.

From Denali, we drove up through Fairbanks and on to Uncle D & Auntie K's house. At the time, they were living in a rental while they were building (literally building themselves) their new place. Since then, they have been living on their land in a tent trailer and will soon be moving into the basement while they finish the rest of their house. It was Slugger's first time meeting his cute little red-headed cousin, Squirt Boy. Slugger was very, very excited. Here is a picture of the of Uncle D, Auntie K, and Squirt boy on the front porch of their new house. Did I mention they are doing a fabulous job building it?

LT, meanwhile, flew in to Fairbanks. I went to pick him up in the early a.m. of June 21 - the Summer Solstice - or the longest day of the year. When his flight got in an hour late at 2:30 a.m. LT commented, "Wow...it is really light outside." It really was light outside...at 2:30 a.m. Technically, the sun is actually down at that time, but it is still dusky, not truly dark. It is very surreal. Despite getting a lot less sleep than usual, we really never felt tired. It is amazing how our bodies respond to the light.

Here's Uncle D with Squirt Boy. Gotta love that red hair!

We went to the lake, ate at the local drive-in and saw lots of moose! The kiddos and I actually saw a mama & her twin mooselets (what is a baby moose called?) walking about 100 yards from the rental house. Very cool! Here's Grandaddy, Sparkle, Slugger, and Uncle D going for a canoe ride.

LT & Uncle Dan went fly-fishing on the Clear Water River. They floated down the river and caught graylings. While on their expedition they saw a moose hanging out in the river. Here's Uncle D with a grayling and LT fishing...

We had a great time visiting. My family is dear to me and I enjoyed the time spent together. LT flew back to Colorado and Granny, Grandaddy, the kiddos and I headed back down (the shorter way) to Anchorage and eventually we returned to Colorado. But...I savored the time well spent with those I love and can now say I have seen more of Alaska (a lot more) than just Anchorage.

Here's one last picture of the cousins...Slugger, Sugar, Squirt Boy, & Sparkle Girl.

Two Old Women

2007-09-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

I just finished the book, Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Willis. It's a really quick read...took me only a couple hours. I admit it has been sitting on my shelf for a while...not my usual genre. But...I have to say, that once I sat down to read it the story was truly compelling. I pulled it off the shelf and started the story while lying on my stomach, propped up on my elbows, only to re-emerge 30 minutes later when my shoulders started falling asleep.

The book is based on an Athabascan Indian legend that has been passed down by generations. It is a simple story on the most basic level that has a depth of moral and relational interactions that I keep going back over and over again in my mind. Not only does it give you insight into a different culture (which I find intriguing), but it speaks to more cross-cultural truths about determination, forgiveness, and community. Definitely worth the quick read. Thanks to Dan & Kat for giving it to me!

First Kid Camping Trip

2007-08-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

I love to camp. Really & truly. I grew up going camping with my family all over the western USA. I love drinking multiple cups of hot chocolate on a cold morning, watching the stars at night in their full God-given splendor, or just finding a comfy, quiet place to sit and read a book. I find myself wonderfully overwhelmed by the magnitude of beauty that is God's creation. It is a time of fun, but also of sweet peace and rest.

My dear hubby, LT, enjoys camping as well, although being a Minnesota boy, he would take a nice cabin in the woods any day. But he also likes camping and backpacking, particularly if fly fishing is somehow involved.

Yet, somehow in the six years since LT and I have had children, we have never managed to actually get out and go camping. We have hit a few nice cabin trips, but we have never done anything remotely involving camping. The prospect of camping with the kiddos has always been a bit much for us. It's not the prospect of taking the older kiddos camping that intimidates us, but rather the idea of taking a baby. Having had three kids, all 2 - 2 1/2 years apart, we have always had a baby or toddler in one form or the other. Having to bring along a pack-n-play, multiple layers of pjs, diapers, and sippy cups, plus being prepared to be woken up at the first crack of light or being kept up most of the night...these are the aspects that throw us into "Do we really want to do this?" mode. But, this past weekend, we finally decided to gather our courage and give tent camping a try. We went with some dear friends who have kiddos similar in age to ours. They, however, are much more experienced with the whole "camping with kids" scenerio and weren't intimidated in the least with what to bring, how to manage all the stuff, and how to fit all this stuff into a car already filled with three kids, two adults and one dog prone to carsickness (actually, that was us...our friends don't have a dog).

I must confess, the trip didn't get off to a good start for us. We got out of the city later than expected, hit the Friday night rush into the mountains, got stuck in construction, had a slightly fussy baby, and LT realized he had forgotten his fishing rod. Then, to make matters worse, we missed the turn-off and drove 20 extra miles. By the time we got to the campground, it was getting dusky. We took a road that looked like a loop of the campground only to find out it was just a four-wheel drive road. While the kids were saying, "Wheeeee" to all the bumps, the dog's (Lucy's) Dramamine wore off and she threw up. With puke contained to a blanket and one red Croc, we turned around and pulled into our campsite with the sun getting low. With us a bit frazzled, our worried friends (we were really late by then) helped us set up camp and feed our children.

After a bumpy start, and a iffy first night's sleep, the rest of the trip went well. The kids loved camping. They got dirty, wet, chased each other with sticks and got to sleep in a tent.

Our middle daughter, age 4, who prefers to be called Sparkle Girl or Wonder Woman right now, thrived on camping. It was completely Sparkle's element...dirt, dirt and more dirt plus sleeping bags, friends and rocks to arrange. Here she is sporting her spunky hair, mosquito bitten nose, and hot chocolate covered jacket.

Our son, Slugger, age 6. also enjoyed camping. He got to sleep in a tent with his buddy, go exploring, eat smores, hunt imaginary foes, and generally have a rough and tumble time. Here he is chowing on a smore with his buddy. Yummy.

Our baby, Sugar, now age 1 1/2 years, was a real champ. She lost her shoes frequently, discovered she liked marshmellows, and generally was a trooper. She, like Sparkle, was a different shade of dirt when she got home.

All in all, the kids had a blast. It was great experience for them and for us. But, I think that it is good that we get almost a full year before we will think about whether we will go next summer.

Tending Roses

2007-08-31T14:26:00.000-07:00

The inspiration for my blog title and address come from one of my favorite books, Tending Roses, by Lisa Wingate. The book is a sweet book about small towns and family. In the book, one of the main characters, who is now older and wiser, speaks of her rose garden, noting that those times when her garden ran wild, when her children were small or her life was full of family and friends, were some of her best and most cherished memories. So, for me, who is now in the thick of changing diapers, chasing toddlers, learning elementary school bus routes, and rarely having a clean house, a fully weeded yard, or a neatly organized picture collection, I frequently remind myself that the garden of little growing things that I am tending now is certainly much more important than the one growing outside my window. I hope frequently that my "Wild Roses" are not just a sign of apathy, but an indication of time well spent elsewhere. Of course, in my spare moments, I love to see scrapbooks get organized, flowers get planted, and rooms get painted, but I hope that I will not miss the important moments and enjoy living in the now.

The purpose of this blog is to share those "now" moments with you. It is hard when we live so far from each other to share the little and big moments that make up our lives, so I am hoping the pictures and stories I post help you get glimpses of our family and the reasons the roses run wild in my yard. (Ok...just so you know, I don't actually have any roses...but it sounds better that way!)

Love,

P