Beach Weekend

We spent last weekend at Cannon Beach with Erik's friend Mike and his family. It was incredibly beautiful there; the sun was shining and it was actually warm (relative to Portland, that is). The kids had a blast playing in the sand and "trying" to stay out of the water (although it's way too tempting, even as cold as it is). I sadly forgot my camera, but luckily Mike remembered his.

Aiden, Mason, and baby Sofia

Mike, Teresa, and Sofia

Not Again!

We left for school this morning at 7:35a to some snow flurries coming down. This is what it looked like at 9:48a. I haven't experienced a winter like this since I lived in Montana!

Aaahhhhhh!

Check out Ziggity's favorite place to chill...nestled next to the heat vent in the kitchen.

Progress Report

Things are really movin' over at the project house. The kitchen has brand new (and newly painted) walls & ceiling; the scary old breaker box was moved to the basement and rewired to modern day standards; and the bathroom has been gutted (except for the tub and hex-tile flooring) and rewired. Fun fun!!!

Cookie's Visit

Say hello to Cookie, the pet guinea pig at Mason's preschool. He goes home with a family every weekend, and it was our turn to host the little guy this past weekend. He is a voracious vegetarian, happily chowing down the mass of baby carrots, spinach, and romaine lettuce leaves that were presented to him. He wasn't very fond of Ziggity, though, probably because he knew, if given the opportunity, Ziggity would try to eat him for breakfast. We enjoyed his visit, but I am glad to be back to three pets.

yum, dinner!

More Birthday Tidings

I'm feeling guilty that I blogged a happy birthday to my nieces, but not to my wonderful husband, who turned 38 on January 5. His birthday usually passes very quietly every year since it's so close to the holidays and most people have had enough of celebrations. So the kids and I gave him flowers, cooked a special dinner, made him a birthday cake, and lavished him with lots of attention. It's exactly the kind of birthday he likes.

Happy birthday, Erik! We love you!!!

Happy Birthday, Stella & Riley!

My sweet little nieces turned 4 on January 8, and today we get to celebrate with them! Diane is throwing them a big bash, with entertainment from our favorite balloon guy, Joe Mishkin. It should be a fun afternoon.

Happy birthday, girls!!! We think you are both wonderful and love you dearly!!!

And So It Begins

It's official...Mason is following in my footsteps and starting tap dance lessons this January. Thanks to Grandma Audrey's enthusiasm around her starting dance lessons, we now have her outfitted in the requisite leotard, tights, and shiny new tap shoes (thanks, Grandma!). She looks adorable as she taps around the house. And it brings back my memories of tap lessons...the shoes, the leotards, the costumes, the big revue at the end of the year. I hope she enjoys it; I know I'll enjoy watching her!

My Sister, the Gymnast

My sister Diane forwarded these pictures to me the other day. Every once in awhile, she likes to revel in her younger days of being quite a fantastic gymnast. She took the opportunity at the beach this summer to show Stella and Riley one of her moves (specifically, the round-off flip-flop, a classic). I am impressed, and slightly jealous, that she is both limber and spry enough to pull this off in her mid-30's.

Go Diane!!!

(action shots courtesy of her hubby, Steve Schneider)

Soccer Season 2008

This year's soccer season ended on a great note - Aiden scored his first (and only) TWO goals of the season! And his friend Thomas scored his first (and only) goal of the season as well. Between the goals and the cool trophies, the two of them were on cloud nine!

Boo!

Happy Halloween! I attended one board meeting, 2 parades (one at Mason's preschool, the other at Aiden's school), had the neighbors over for a bite of dinner before trick-or-treating with the kids. The kids brought in a good haul of candy and then had fun answering the door and dishing out the goods to the older kids that come later in the evening. All-in-all, the day was great fun for everyone.

Princess Mason and her friend Mary Poppins

Aiden, a big bad black cat!

Fall Leaves

Aiden and Mason couldn't resist playing in a big pile of leaves that had gathered by our project house. And the beautiful fall day just fueled the fun!

Who is hiding in there???

I lost the entire past week of my life suffering through a miserable case of strep throat. I haven't had strep since middle school, and, well, it sucks! I was worthless as a parent and spouse last week, spending most of my time sleeping, complaining that I couldn't swallow anything, or bundled in a pile of blankets to only still have the chills. I would not wish this on anyone!!!

So, today I'm posting about the weekend before I got sick. It was a great weekend - Saturday, Megan Simmons and her girls were in town, so we all gathered at Jill's house for playing, conversation, and lunch. It was great to see Megan, Jill, Kristi, and Ronette...and thanks to Jil for hosting a yummy lunch and a lovely afternoon together!

Kristi (Trask) Acoba; Jill (Trask) Raleigh; yours truly; Ronette (Korman) Simcox; Megan (Cox) Simmons

all of our wild kids!!!

Ava Simmons & Mason

On Sunday, we got up bright and early and went to the pumpkin patch. We did the usual - the kids played on the giant haystack; we took a hayride to the pumpkin fields, and each of us searched for our perfect pumpkin.

What a Difference a Year Makes!

I'd say Aiden has changed quite a bit in the past year, wouldn't you???

Mouse Chase

Apparently cats really do have an inherent need to chase mice. Our little Ziggity, however, prefers mice of the electronic variety. When I sat down at the computer today, Ziggy hopped up on the desk and started "chasing" the mouse pointer on the computer screen, batting at it with his paw and trying his best to catch it in his mouth. It was very cute and kept me entertained for quite awhile.

Awwww!

Ziggity is clearly feeling comfortable with our family. He's been sleeping on Mason's lap for the last 30 minutes...and she's so excited that he chose her for some cuddling, she's managed to sit very still for that long so as not to disturb him!

Meet Ziggity!

Check out the newest addition to our family - Ziggity! We went to the humane society this morning to "just look" at the cats and kittens, and when we saw Ziggity, we couldn't resist his charm. He's a 3-month-old little sweetheart. He's been exploring our house all day and is already happily purring when we pet him. At this point, Chess and Hoover have not met him; I'm not worried about Chess, but Hoover can be a bit territorial with other cats, so I hope it goes well. But Ziggity is so darn cute, how could it not???

You Gotta Try...

Tonight I made "Kate's Easy-Peasy Tortilla Soup" for dinner (named for my friend Kate Bailey French, who kindly brought it to our house for dinner one night). It's really like chili, but we call it tortilla soup because it's served over crushed tortilla chips and topped with shredded cheese and sour cream. Regardless, it seems impossible that something so easy tastes so good, but it does. So, you gotta try it!

Kate's Easy-Peasy Tortilla Soup

1 (undrained) can each of:

red kidney beans

black beans

corn (or equiv. frozen corn)

green chilies, diced (4-oz can)

2 cans of:

diced tomatoes (I like to use fire-roasted tomatoes)

1 pound hamburger, or ground turkey or chicken

1 onion, chopped

1 packet taco seasoning

Brown hamburger or ground turkey/chicken in a pot. Add onion and cook until onion begins to soften. Add 1 packet taco seasoning and mix well. Add canned goods, including all liquids. Heat until hot. To serve, place crushed tortilla chips in bottom of bowl. Ladle soup over top of chips; top with shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped avocado.

Aiden's Letter

Aiden came home from school the other day and wrote me this letter. In case it's hard to read, it says: "Dear Mom, I love you Mom. Today was great. I like art. It is fun. And dad made me a good lunch. I love school." Awwwwwwww.....

Paint Party!

The beautiful weather spurred an impromptu paint party in our front yard this afternoon. We are LOVING this fall weather - hopefully it will stick around for awhile!