Meeting Holden

We made a quick overnight trip to Seattle to see Dylan & Erin and meet baby Holden, who is already 5-1/2 weeks old. He is so precious...I'd forgotten how little newborns are...and he makes the cutest noises when he sleeps. And he sneezes in 3's...seriously, he's quite the sneezer, doing so often during the day, and almost always 3 in a row. It is so very cute.

We were had an unexpected, pleasant surprise when we arrived at their house. About 30 minutes after we got there (around 11:00a) it started snowing! And it wasn't just a skiff of snow...huge, fluffy snowflakes came down for most of the afternoon. And I thought we would enjoy our first snow of the season in Red Lodge over Christmas! Silly me. We had a blast playing in the snow...we built a couple of snowmen. had snowball fights with the neighbor kids, and enjoyed hot cocoa and a warm fire afterwards.

Thanks for having us, Dylan, Erin & Holden. We love you guys and are so happy for you!!!

Holden's first snow...he's bundled up in the sling under Erin's coat!

Mason gave a good effort at trying to catch the giant snowflakes on her tongue

Stop the Madness!!!

Today I received 12 (yes, 12) catalogs in the mail. Seriously, is it necessary to completely bombard consumers with this much information? It's bad enough that I've been listening to holiday music since the day after Halloween. And I'm worried that if I keep getting so many catalogs, my mailbox will eventually be ripped from the side of my house. Where is the meaning in all of this??? Bah humbug!!!

You Gotta Try...

I realized today that my blog is quite heavy on the antics of my kids, and quite light on, well, many other aspects of life. It seems then, that this blog is not really living up to its title, is it? I mean, it's not called "My Many Monochromatic Days," right? As I pondered this some more, I decided that I'd enjoy blogging from time to time about my second favorite thing in life (behind my family), and that's food! While cooking, I frequently think to myself..."I must share this recipe/food product with others." Thus the entry "You gotta try..." was born. I know it's not much of a stretch for me to talk about food as much as I talk about my kids, but hey, it's my best attempt, at this moment, at thinking outside the box.

So, you GOTTA try Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix. This is my go-to dinner when I'm feeling dinner challenged. In one hour you can have yummy mixed bean soup. Just add some chopped vegetables (leftover roasted vegetables work great), and even some chicken if you're feeling crazy, and voila...nutritious, hot, delicious soup in no time. Portlanders can find this at New Seasons or Fred Meyer (in the natural food section). Others can find it on-line.

Magical Mushroom

One of the things I love best about having kids is that they keep me present, in the moment, grounded. A perfect example of this happened in our front yard today.

We had just returned home from an outing to the mall. After being inundated with holiday music, decorations, sales, etc. (as only the mall can do), my head was swirling with everything that "needs" to get done over the next few weeks...shopping, holiday cards, treats for neighbors...the list, at that moment, seemed endless and a bit overwhelming.

I was suddenly brought back to reality by the shouts of Aiden and Mason. "Mom, come outside, quick!" "Mom, you gotta see this!" I couldn't begin to imagine what thrilling thing had just occurred, nor could I wait to find out.

They made me close my eyes and led me outside to the front lawn (precariously down the front steps, mind you). I opened my eyes and looked to where they were pointing. Growing in the yard was a single mushroom. They were so excited with their discovery, considering they hate mushrooms as a food item. And I had forgotten all about everything I "need" to do as I gazed at my two kids happily looking at this lone fungus growing in the sunshine. I, of course, deemed it a photo-worthy moment, especially so I can look at the picture whenever I "need" a reminder of what is important.

Thanks, Aiden and Mason, for keepin' it real.

Thanksgiving, Round 2

We went to the Simcoxes for our second go at Thanksgiving. It was so much fun...lots of kids running around, Ronette chef-ing delicious food (in between sips of wine), and an evening topped off by a raucous crowd (ie., the kids) singing "Happy Birthday to You, Cha Cha Cha!" to Craig, who turned 41. Thank you for having us, Ronette, Craig, Carsten & Cole. We were of course comatose from all the food and fun on the "long" drive home.

the kid table - Aiden, Claire, Carsten, Kennedy, Mason, Cole

(two sets of twins, did I get it right???)

the happy hostess and the birthday boy

No More Mop-heads!

The only thing on our agenda yesterday was to get the kids' hair cut. I took them to Jessica, who has been cutting my hair pretty much since we moved to Portland. She did a great job, and I think they had fun going to "mom's hair place." BTW, if you are looking for a new hair stylist, Jessica is awesome, and she is so sweet! She is at Bellamar Salon on NE Fremont. And they serve the best Aveda tea there.

Thanksgiving at the Beach

We spent an amazing weekend at Cannon Beach, complete with an early Thanksgiving celebration with our friends the Raleighs and the Simcoxes (minus Craig, who was pheasant hunting in Idaho). We were fortunate to stay at the Bingham's beach house (Don Bingham and Erik were fraternity brothers at UM), and true to the Oregon coast in late fall, we enjoyed blustery weather, some sunbreaks, a bit of rain, and amazingly, a rainbow. Thanks a million to the Binghams for lending us their beautiful home; and thanks to our friends for spending Thanksgiving with us. We are truly blessed.