ending 2011

2011 was a year of new experiences, primarily picking up and leaving our home of Oregon.  We spent many  hours and sweat making our cookie-cutter starter home as much of our own as possible.  We miss it on a near daily basis - the garden, the pond, the colorful walls that changed with other people's mistakes (Home Depot oops paint), our jobs, and friends.  However, as stated before we are enjoying our new location.  I look forward to more new experiences while maintaining the long-standing traditions.

Since Christmas the boys have discovered rock climbing.  I kind of wish it happened before so we could have incorporated some equipment in the gift giving, but thankfully for Sierra Trading Post a couple harnesses and a couple pairs of shoes didn't put us out too much since I'm signed up to receive email deals.  Climbing once a week for half a year will pay for itself.  Obviously, Kim and I are pretty excited about this new sport and fully admit the purchase of gear for the kids is a bit presumptuous.  Cedar has yet to show much interest.

We decided last minute to get out of town.  We thought we were going into snow by going to Jackson, but it was in the 40s and raining when we arrived.  Not a lot of snow, even on the mountains.  The ski lifts weren't even running.  Since we aren't skiers we weren't disappointed. We went to the Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park.  While in the visitors center we made a New Year resolution (not really, but it's that time of year) to go hiking and backpacking in the Wind River Range, which is only between 1 and 2 hours from Rock Springs.  But first, we need to find that book on Amazon.  When the kids tired of the fascinating things at the visitor center (it didn't take long ... kids) we drove down Moose Road for the few miles it was plowed.  Luckily, at the end there was a hill with enough snow and the kids were able play.  Unluckily, I forgot my snow boots so I didn't last very long.  In addition I was not able to use the snowshoes, which we did remember this time.  Anyway, Ethan's snowball makers he got from cousin Max worked well.  Kim was pretty ruthless with those things. :-)

small silhouette of bighorn sheep on rock at Elk Refuge, Jackson Hole, WY before going to Grand Teton Nation Park

The next day was beautiful with nearly clear skies and a couple inches of new snow.  The ski lifts were operating.  We went back to the Elk Refuge and saw the hundreds of elk again, but the bighorn sheep were closer to the road this time.  Unfortunately, their heads were down foraging for food or their back sides were facing us.  

On the way home we stopped to find some sledding in the mountains outside of Pinedale.  I played hide-and-seek with Cedar in the car.  Yes, I don't know she had fun, but she did.  I was amused at how silly it was.  The boys slid down a partially snowed on hill.  The exposed dirt wasn't an issue.  

The evening's New Year's Eve party was simple.  Chips, dip, soda, cookies, and movies.  Kim and I were asleep by 10:00 or so and the boys stayed up watching movies to who-knows-how-late.  Happy New Year 2012!

Give. Serve. Love. Merry Christmas Memories

Kim made us do a Christmas card this year.  She said it's the rule when you move.  Obviously we're not in it.  Who would've made the kids smile and taken the picture?

After a couple hours of swimming and rock climbing at the gym the kids still had patience for "ginger bread" houses Friday night.  They were so proud of their graham cracker houses - theses are maybe half the pictures they beckoned us to take.  We debated forgoing this event because it just feels really messy and wasteful ... okay, I was tired and didn't want to do it.  But, I'm glad Kim made us do it.  

Looks like Myles heard something inside his house and got the side of his head stuck.

Confidence is key!

Got milk, er ... meringue frosting?  You can always count on Myles to have something.

Ethan quickly changed construction methods after observing two crackers stacked vertically on each other hardly support themselves. 

Christmas Eve morning was spent prepping and cooking food, cleaning, crafting, and getting ready to go to mass.  Yes, a Catholic mass.  We decided going to our own church Sunday morning was not going to fit in the day's plans.  Christmas only falls on Sunday once every 6 or 7 years.  Our first mass was interesting.  We value new experiences and opportunities to learn about and from others and wish to pass that on to our kids. Now I know where the Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan's version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen comes from :-)  ... or visa versa, either way, it was fun to sing, as were the other familiar Christmas hymns.  We came home and opened our family drawing gifts that we made for each other.  Kim will blog about that because that's her favorite part of Christmas.

Christmas morning began with Cedar crawling into our bed at some middle-of-the-night hour.  She has a stuffy nose so her breathing made us all not sleep very well.  At 6:00 she asked me if I could get the boogers out.  I helped her get in the shower while Kim slept.  Cedar thought she saw a bug or a spider.  I poked my head in past the cold shower curtain and didn't see anything.  I told her to sing The Eency Weency Spider.  A few seconds later she started to scream and cry while still singing the words.  She jumped out of the shower.  She showed the "spider" to me.  I told her it was a coffee ground from the body scrub she made (with Kim's help).  The falling water made it jump around looking like a spider or insect ... and a VERY small one at that. Cedar was happier with the boogers out and crawled back into our bed.  I took my shower since it was too late to go back to bed.

Fast forward - the rest of the kids made it downstairs to see what Santa brought and put in their stockings. I went upstairs to turn the heat on and found dog vomit in the family room where Christmas morning was to be spent.  First things first .... then we made the kids wait even longer by making them eat a great huge breakfast that Kim made.  We just know hungry children turn into monsters and ruin everything, so to prevent that Kim made French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon.  With that the kids didn't seem to mind waiting a little longer.  But enough was enough and very soon after breakfast they were ready.  They put the presents into piles and Ethan complained (with control) that we always go from youngest to oldest.  At last, the result of much work, thought, time, and energy of giving became noticeable as anticipation turned into smiles and exclamations of gratitude.

waiting for breakfast with an appetizer stocking orange in the sled Santa brought

warming up his bum over a heater vent

Her first Barbie - thanks Grandma Hendricks

Her first motorized kitten :-) 

Kim proudly stated several times how she did not worry about the mess.  

Oh, Christmas Tree

We went on a Christmas tree hunt for our first Christmas in Wyoming.  Now, Wyoming isn't known for trees, as you can clearly see in the first photo of Kim and Myles, but we didn't have to drive far.  About an hour and a half later, just south of the Flaming Gorge resort store in Utah, we were in the thick of many choices.  I wish we had taken more pictures.  I wanted a family photo, but one of us wasn't very cooperative because he forgot his coat.  When we actually got to the point of getting out to find a tree, Kim gave him an extra long-sleeve shirt she was wearing.  

Happy Thanksgiving

Since going "home" - I don't know when I'm going to stop thinking of where I grew up and where my parents still live as home - wasn't an option for Thanksgiving we decided to take a trip a little closer to home.  Thanksgiving Day was great because we went on a small hike up the mountains nearby and found a frozen waterfall.  I'm pretty sure it's seasonal, but it was so neat to see the snow and ice in this large alcove in the side of the mountain.  Too bad I didn't have the camera with me then.  We'll have to go back.  We spent the evening at the home of a coworker of mine.  It was very kind of her to think of us and invite us for dinner with her husband and kids, and the food was wonderful.  

Today we drove to Salt Lake City for our little vacation.  After stretching out at Sugar House Park, where I nearly fell into the creek at least five times trying to photograph the kids, we made our way to the cheap movie theater and watched The Smurfs in 3D.  It was the kids' first 3D movie, as the tickets were only $3.50, and we all enjoyed the movie.  The kids did not want to recycle their glasses.  My favorite part was when Cedar turned her head and looked at me for several seconds, then leaned over and whispered, "We look like spies!"  Then we showed up to our hotel, the Plaza Hotel just west of Temple Square.  As per the unwritten and annoying-to-parents rule the kids started bouncing off the walls.  We left as soon as possible and walked down a few blocks to Settebello Pizzaria Nepaletana.  Myles lost a tooth before the food came.  It was soooo good and the kids ate well, even Myles with his freshly missing tooth.  They shared the Nutella gelato between the three of them really well, too.  After dinner we walked up to the lights at Temple Square and enjoyed walking around.  The kids were cooperative with me trying to get a good picture of them.  I thought it was too cold for my hand to be out of it's glove taking pictures, but I did it. :-)  There was a point when the kids where a fair distance away up on the steps of the temple for a picture when a kind stranger told us that our daughter was a keeper and that she had big, beautiful eyes.  He's right. :-)  Since the kids were good and the air was cold we got them hot chocolate on the way back to the hotel.   We aren't sure what tomorrow holds, but I'm sure we'll find something.