Feeling Wonderfully Welcome

For the kids’ winter break (a decadent full week), we hit the road to spend some time with friends and family. First stop was the home of Becky, Todd, Jessie, and Dyllan who lived across the street from us the first six months of our time in Connecticut. Each time we see them it amazes me how the fun and familiarity come right back, despite the passage of time. This time Arwen and Jessie were inseparable, while Gavin and Dyllan were Wii buds. Becky and I did some serious catching up, and we all feasted on Todd’s marvelous cooking. After a trip to church together, Becky took us on a drive past her growing-up haunts and her office. That afternoon I persuaded her to share her career day presentation about her work as a mechanical engineer with Gavin and Arwen, and Jessie shared her Daisy Scouts and Brownie achievements with Arwen, who’s been begging lately for a “shirt like Gavin’s - only pink - with a Bobcat, a Wolf, and some arrow points on it”. We shared lots of hugs and photos before driving off that afternoon. How great it was to see them again.

We arrived at the home of some friends from Seattle with just enough light left in the sky for us to see the amazing sign on their front door welcoming us. What a fantastic touch! Gavin and Arwen were swept away immediately to play with the kids while we adults caught up. It was hard to believe it had been nearly five years since we’d seen each other. We made up for it quite thoroughly, talking late into the night and adventuring during our short time together the next day. We set out for Monticello first thing after breakfast with the older kids. What an amazing place! Though we saw only the first floor, Jefferson’s personality was apparent throughout. His energy and ingenuity were dizzying, and I was overcome by the placement of the expansive vegetable gardens. We will have to go back and see it all again at the height of the growing season.

Our next stop was at the airport to retrieve Chad, who had stayed behind on church business for the long weekend. A few more hours in the car got us to the home of Laura and Mitch, some more friends from Seattle where we also met up with Chad’s sister and her family, who recently moved to the area. Over the next few days we hiked in to a gorgeous waterfall, played with little cousin James, hung out at the park in near-freezing temperatures, jumped on the trampoline, scouted out our friends’ amazing tree house, soaked in the hot tub, and Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa. Evenings after the kids were in bed we played games, sipped cocoa, and chatted. It was a fun-filled few days. Many thanks to Laura and Mitch for their amazing hospitality, and to Tiana and Nate for becoming fellow East Coasters.

Before long it was time to head back home. I have to say, I really love road trips with the family. There’s something about heading away from home, enjoying the scenery together, and being away from the demands of everyday life that can’t be duplicated. We split the trip, spending the night in a hotel with a pool and one of the most fantastic on-the-road breakfasts I’ve ever seen. It was the perfect last night to a very fun vacation.

Back in the saddle again!

There may still be plenty of white stuff on the ground, but we have had EIGHT consecutive days of school (excluding weekends, of course). We’re all getting back into the old routines and we’ve even had some sunshine and a couple of balmy days in the 40s. Life is looking good!

Back in the Seattle days when Gavin and Arwen spent a couple of days a week with Chad while I was working, they did all kinds of fun things together like hanging out at the fantastic Mountlake Terrace pool and sharing Grand Slam breakfasts at Denny’s. Last week they had a bit of a blast from the past on the way home from school. After-school time tends to be strictly business with me, but with Chad at the wheel one afternoon they pulled off on the way home, trudged across the frozen expanse of a nearby park, and tried the ice on the edge of the cove. I found some pretty excited kids when I got home from class. (This semester it’s a senior seminar in Economics titled Women and Work – fascinating stuff.)

Friday night through our end-of-the-week haze we managed to agree on a fun family activity and found ourselves peering at each other over the Scrabble board. We’d never played all together, and I quickly decided I could see us doing this together for many years. Unfortunately, despite Chad’s family’s dedication to games he and I are wired for completely different varieties – he thrives on strategy games which make me cringe, and the literary-based games like Taboo that get me excited are anything but relaxing for him. Besides being a fantastic compromise of our individual gaming preferences, Scrabble gives Gavin and Arwen a chance to stretch their literacy skills. Plus, family nights tend to end well with ice cream with chocolate sauce on the menu.

With a high proportion of the snow days as well as a sick day and the dental visit having fallen on Tuesdays, I had missed hanging out with Arwen’s class. I usually go in for the last half hour of the day and sit in “bunch” with Arwen on my lap and a kid or two snuggling up to me to listen to Ms. Sarah read a story before helping the kids pack up to go home. Last week was the much-anticipated 100^th day of school, and the kids were sporting their 100^th day headbands. Arwen elected to put hers together at home that afternoon. I was impressed by how studiously she sat herself down at the table with markers, scissors, and glue and stuck to the task till it was done. Poor Gavin is discovering that third graders have little time for such celebrations. Oh, the woes of growing up!

For Valentine’s Day we pulled out the collection of paper hearts I cut out to decorate Chad’s apartment 12 years ago when we were dating. Once they were stuck all over the dining room we had our second annual dinner of bruschetta, minestrone, and stuffed shells with a couple of additions. I’ve managed to hook everyone here on zucchini lately by sautéing it with butter and plenty of garlic. We also dusted off a chocolate truffle torte recipe initiated a few years ago for Chad’s mom's birthday. While it as all very festive, I find myself struggling at times to strike a balance between making the holiday special for the family and maintaining personal sanity. All you who are as hooked to holiday hoopla as I am, please let me know if you’ve figured that one out.

Hope you all had a great Valentine’s Day!

"I Dub Thee a Wolf"

Amid more of the same (I’ll spare you the ‘S’ word that cost us another two days of school last week), we had a very exciting happening this week. Back in August Gavin joined Cub Scouts with gobs of enthusiasm. He has loved his weekly den meetings and the excitement of getting together with the pack each month. Thursday night was the annual Blue and Gold dinner, made extra special since Gavin was receiving his Wolf. Given the knight-themed evening, it was only fitting that he should kneel and be dubbed a Wolf. After sharing a no-utensils medieval feast with us, Gavin engaged in some swordplay and put on a skit with his fellow Scouts. We’re so glad for the good times he has with the other boys and for all the hard work of his dedicated leaders.

Friday Chad and I beat the odds and made it to the temple while the kids were at school. Given circumstances beyond our control (the 'S' word again), it was our fourth attempt in as many weeks to make it to Boston. Now that we’re able to get there more regularly together, I’m seeing the benefits of the two-hour drive – that’s more uninterrupted conversation than we get during the rest of the month.

Friday night was the culmination of three family pizza parties. We started out watching the original Toy Story a couple of months ago and finally made our way to Toy Story 3 last weekend. We really enjoyed the story and I was pleasantly surprised at how engaging and not predictable it all was. The kids even managed to stay in the room for most of the movie.

A month or so ago Arwen started begging me to take her to the dentist. If you think you read that wrong, you didn’t. She and Gavin have such a great time with Dr. K that they look forward, sometimes for months, to their next visit. Today was the big day. They were not disappointed.

Disclaimer for this second video: Only the grandparents are likely to watch the whole thing, but even a few seconds will show you what happens when Arwen gets ahold of the camera:

Will snow days never cease?

If you think you’re ready to hear about something other than snow in our neck of the woods, you’re not alone! Actually, it’s not the snow I mind so much as the loss of our usual routine. Five weeks into back-to-school since the holidays, and we have yet to have a full week of classes. After the sixth snow day today, I would be lying not to admit that we’re all getting a bit rough around the edges.

Even the birds are having a tough time of it. We found a flock of them outside our dining room window this morning. The tree they were roosting in usually makes it through the winter with berries intact, but given how long the birds haven’t been unable to forage on the ground, they’re going for anything they can get. Within an hour three waves of different birds had left the tree completely bare. Makes me wonder how these little guys are going to make it through the season.

In my yearning for something more exciting than snow I unexpectedly signed myself up for a new class this semester. I am one of ten students in a senior seminar titled Women and Work in the Economics department. Unlike last semester’s course, this one has a healthy representation of men. Already I am digging learning all about the feminist view of neoclassical economics, a model based on assumptions of scarcity, self-interest, and competition in a world also characterized by abundance, altruism, and cooperation. Should be very interesting.

In between storms this week we made the first of what I’m sure will be several visits to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. What a great place! Real burgers, simple and straight up, and a large fry that fed all four of us. Plus a refreshing departure from long days together in the house.

A couple of years ago Chad and I started a tradition of watching the full set of extended version Lord of the Rings movies during the month of January. Last year we were disappointed to not even get started. We’re a bit late this year, but glad to be doing it. Being especially sensitive to violence and suspense, I’m still a bit surprised by how much I love these movies. (I haven’t managed to make it more than halfway through the books, though Chad’s read them scads of times.) There’s something about watching something so bleak and stark at this time of the year that just fits. And as hard as some of the darkness was for me initially, I have come to really appreciate the symbolism in the struggle between good and evil. Hopefully we’ll make it through the trilogy before spring!

Last weekend we hosted a couple of friends while their parents were away overnight. Amid all the running, shrieking, and playing, the highlight hands-down was the discovery of the vintage race track hiding in the wall of our basement. Unbeknownst to us, the kids decided it was time to figure out what was behind the mystery panel. Though we’d planned to keep it quiet until we could fix it up and surprise them, Gavin’s excitement over recruiting the grandpas might yield faster results than we can produce ourselves right now. The next morning I crept up the stairs and discovered all four kids in the guest bed, recording and then listening to themselves on Sam’s iPod.

And the snow goes on . . .

Can we say TONS of snow here? More than I think I’ve ever seen in my life. My prayers were answered with Gavin and Arwen back at school for two days last week before theirs were answered with another snow day on Friday. By that time we had gotten smart enough to create a plan balancing work and play in stages throughout the day. The highlight for me was a tea party planned by both kids involving all the stuffed animals. We managed to stave off both general restlessness and crabbiness over too many chores, arriving at the evening’s pizza party not too much worse for the wear. After cowering at the capers of Sid in the original Toy Story, we had fewer retreats up the stairs and some out-and-out laughter over the mock-Star Wars dialog between the fake Buzz Lightyear and Zurg in part two.

Thursday night I attended a highly inspiring Relief Society meeting about home storage. Our church encourages us to prepare for emergencies, including building up a supply of food, water, and financial reserves. While Chad and I have worked on this over the years, we were in need of a jumpstart and the information my friend Kelly shared was just what I needed. Among my favorite tidbits were an online Food Storage Analyzer where you can enter an inventory of your storage and get a list of just what you need to round out your food supply. Also the Pump-N-Seal, a popular item for storing dry goods in glass jars. I sampled some boiled wheat (not bad) and freeze-dried strawberries (delish!) and garnered enough motivation to inventory our storage and hopefully take it to the next level. Thanks Kelly!

Saturday morning Chad and I split up to take Gavin and Arwen to their respective birthday parties. While Gavin navigated the sledding hill and downed hot chocolate, Arwen wielded a flamingo mallet in a game of hedgehog croquet and attended a Mad Hatter’s tea party. Definitely a highlight for both of them.

And in the last of our news this week, after two and a half years of managing the music for our church congregation, I received a new calling. I will be teaching Gospel Essentials, a weekly Sunday School class focusing on the basics and fundamental principles of the gospel for those investigating or new to the Church. I’m excited for the chance to both focus on basics and work with a fabulous group of people.

After a couple inches of new snow today (in which I got some useful instruction in winter driving), we’re looking at several more in the forecast over the next few days. Any ideas of fun at-home activities???

Holding out for Back to School

With 18 inches of snow still on the ground after last week’s storm, we’ve all but given up on the illusive back-to-school routine. Between weather-related closures, the weekend, and yesterday’s holiday, Gavin and Arwen have spent exactly one day of the last week in school. That has translated to lots of unstructured play and time together around here.

Chad managed to miss out on some of the fun at home by taking on some of his own with our friend Brad who was completing the family’s move. Delayed by the storm, they set off a day late for Texas, spending 30 of 36 contiguous hours on the road to arrive in time to unload the car and get Chad to the airport for his flight home.

In the moments I’ve stolen Gavin and Arwen away from Legos and Wizard 101 we’ve enjoyed reading aloud together. The other night we were up late finishing Bridge to Terabithia after I made the mistake of reading right into a critical twist of plot at bedtime. While the book sparked some difficult emotions for the kids, it is beautifully written and generated some meaningful discussion for us all.

One of my own few official resolutions this year is to read more on my own. And I got more help than I bargained for from a book club friend who selected Gone with the Wind for this month’s discussion. What a long yet enjoyable read, not to mention a great source of insights on women’s lives in the South. I managed to finish the book and the movie with five minutes to spare before last week’s get together. While I enjoyed the movie, as is often the case I got so much more out of the book. Unwilling to let go at the end, I found myself reading article after article about the various sequels. If you’ve read Scarlett and/or Rhett Butler’s People I would love to know what you thought. As much as I want to read more, I’m having a hard time picking up a tome of equal length without a glowing recommendation.

Sunday we had our traditional Martin Luther King Day dinner with Nancy, Ben, and kids. There’s something amazingly stabilizing about family traditions – celebrating the same holiday with the same food and amazing company year after year. After studying the involvement of women in the Civil Rights movement last semester, this year I was inclined to broaden the circle of appreciation to the thousands of others who helped sculpt the increasingly integrated society we enjoy today. Also to reflect on the blessings of having Gavin and Arwen attend school with such a diverse group of students in an environment “where uniqueness is treasured.” Here’s to hoping they’ll be back there tomorrow!

Sledding Spectacular

After the first week back at school, we’re beginning to settle into our post-holiday winter routine. The lack of exciting events to report on is wonderfully balanced by the comfort of putting things in order, investing in stabilizing activities, and setting new goals.

One of our family Christmas gifts was a new set of cordless phones. We’d done without the caller ID display since it stopped working a couple of years ago, and the buttons were no longer responding to a reasonable amount of pressure. For Arwen, with the phones came a new interest in communicating with people outside our family. After school she’s apt to exclaim, “I want to call someone!” and dive into the speed dial. One afternoon I overheard “Who is this?” and found her talking to the 13-year-old son of one of my friends. But her most frequent (and admiring) contacts are her grandmas.

One of our challenges with Gavin this year has been carving out time for him to just be a kid. Determined not to overschedule his afternoons, we reluctantly turned down an opportunity for him to study Chinese, Russian, or Arabic after school this fall, only to be offered the opportunity for him to participate in Mentoring Mathematical Minds. Despite the doubling of his daily homework (which challenge he has risen to) it has been a fantastic program, exposing him to advanced concepts like algebra in a way that works for third graders. Having given up sports this year in favor of continuing piano lessons and starting Cub Scouts, Gavin is often in need of active play. Thank goodness for a little sister willing to duel with light sabers, wrestle, and play Legos, and for an awesome playmate down the street. Also for the two days a week devoid of after-school activities and early dinnertimes when he can take advantage of these great assets.

With the pace of life as it is, we really appreciate the time we get together as a family. I was fortunate to grow up in a family that ate breakfast and dinner together daily, which made it easy for Chad and me to establish the same habits. Family meals are our most consistent time to connect with each other and catch up on the day’s activities. Weekends often give us a chance for work and fun activities together too. With the onset of winter we’ve resumed our tradition of Friday night pizza parties. This weekend by popular request and in honor of Gavin’s favorite Christmas present we watched Bionicle: The Legend Reborn while we chowed on our amazing value of a Big Y party pizza.

After an hour of cleaning up the basement Saturday morning (a constantly recurring task), we had planned an fun outing to a kids rock concert by a great local artist. Discovering the show (while fantastic) was geared for younger kids, we took off for an impromptu session at the local sledding hill instead. After a busy week, it was great to just hang out together.

Tonight we’re anticipating a big storm and looking forward to a snow day tomorrow. Can’t wait to see how many of the predicted 12-20 inches will fall!

Happy New Year!

Our New Years week was everything a stay-at-home vacation should be. No alarm clocks, some outdoor frolics, no meal plans, spontaneous playdates, and tons of time together. It was particularly great having Chad home with us.

After a few days of sitting around we packed up for a walk around the neighborhood. Things stayed pretty tame until we’d been hanging around the playground for awhile. Then the snowball fight broke out. I somehow managed to avoid the fray enough to snap the photos. (The downside to our laid-back vacation was neglecting to get pictures of much more than that.)

We spent New Years Eve with some friends, Holly and I on our dueling Christmas ukuleles while the guys challenged each other at Dominion. We even dusted off my old favorite, Taboo, and tried some new contortions of Uno as well as a round of Carcassonne that took us right up to midnight. I have to admit to feeling more drowsy than the kids by that point. I’ve not yet succeeded at convincing everyone to celebrate at a more reasonable hour – please let me know if you have any suggestions.

Chad ended the break with a rendezvous with a thankfully short-lived stomach bug. Once he’d recovered we found ourselves setting the alarm for back to school. As much as I look forward to patterning our next vacation after this one, there’s something nice about getting back into the swing of things. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!