Here it comes . . .

The Christmas activities have begun. Thanksgiving being so late this year, I feel like Christmas is jumping upon us. This weekend we had a fabulous cookie exchange with the ladies at Church. I am so bummed we didn't take any pictures of Debbie's beautiful house all decorated and the huge table of trays upon trays of cookies. We had about 25 people bring 3-5 dozen cookies . . . that is about 900 cookies! Don't worry, a vast number of them were given away : )
A big surprise- I won the cookie contest! I made white chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies and added dried cranberries and orange zest (a last minute impulse). I am notorious for "over-spicing" but it seemed to work to my advantage this time. I actually attribute all good flavors in baking to the Mexican vanilla we get from people that have been on Caribbean cruises! So, if you're lucky enough to be headed South, pick yourself up some.
After the cookie exchange, we took off for the Washington State forest to cut down our Christmas tree. A huge debate this year- do we go to a tree farm(like usual) or get a permit and cut it down in the "wild"? So funny. I had read my friend Gina's post about cutting down a tree and how they had to hike up a very steep hillside. Somehow I had glazed over the fact that she suggested not bringing small children next time and focused on the making sure to be prepared for mud and cold. So I had my 3 yr old and 18 month old all bundled up and in boots. We decided on the permit because it was $10 versus $35 you usually have to pay at a farm- plus this is the Evergreen State, right? We should get a tree in the forest. When we got to the area that they instructed us to cut our tree in, I saw the steep mountain side flash by and said "we can't climb up there, why did we think this was a good idea? the kids won't be able to do that!" It was so funny. Stephen looked at me and said "yah, trees grow in the mountains honey." I said "well, I thought there would be a nice flat area we could just go out a pick a tree from."(joking now) Stephen: "yes, that's what they call a tree farm." Ha ha.
Well, fortunate for us the girls had fallen asleep during our drive. We spotted a river from the road and I had seen several areas of flat ground near the river that had little trees growing up nice and round- safe from the shade of the big trees around. So we parked and Stephen took his saw and trudged off in the direction of the river. I sat in the car and watched droves of SUVs, Subarus and minivans pass our Buick with bushy trees roped to the top of their cars. Our windows got foggy as the girls slept on and I thought of all the dreadful things that could happen to Stephen out in the woods by himself (he was wearing camo pants and I was sure he would be mistakenly shot by some stupid hunter) and counted up how much everything would cost on my Trader Joes wishlist from the ad I had picked up from our mail. ( I know, save yourself from paranoia by day dreaming about expensive, cheeses for entertaining).
Just as the girls woke up, Stephen came walking back dragging our cute little Charlie Brown tree. We don't have a lot of space and find it wise to put our trees on top of the end table to help keep it out of reaching hands, so we almost always get a small one. So small, it fit inside our cavernous trunk! No prize-winning, bushy tree strapped to our roof, boo-hoo. We put the boots back on the girls and took a nice little hike through the woods back to the river where Stephen had picked our tree. It was so beautiful! Aspens, spruces, big . . . other trees. Nice river and lots of gray river rocks. It was really nice, even if I did grumble a bit at first (there were steep places too!). The ground was spongy- I have always wondered what that was like when I read about it in books. Spongy ground, hmmmm.
So, we took our tree home and Stephen got the lights on. Because of the Church Christmas Devotional last night, we haven't gotten it decorated yet. I'll post a picture of it as soon as we're done!
This week there is the Church Christmas party, more cookie making and giving, and Stephen and I are singing in the choir for the Christmas program this Sunday. We have a beautiful line-up of songs, it is so nice to participate. "Tara" you say in shock "I didn't know you were a singer?" I'm not, I am an Alto-follower. I position someone beside me or behind me that can follow the notes and I mimic them. The real goal is to not throw them off in the process. Have a happy week of Holiday fun!

Turkey Day and Odessa's Birthday

We had a nice weekend with my parents here from Boise. Stephen was home for 4 days straight and I didn't know what to do with myself, it was so nice to have all the help with the kids and around the house. We had one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I think I have had- but that is funny because it seems to get better each year. The best Thanksgivings were really back when all our extended family would get together - 2nd cousins and all. I don't remember the food back then, just the number of people and tables that snaked through my great aunt's house. So while the food seems to get even better, the memories and associations with family will always be precious. This year we featured some new side dishes including brussel sprouts! Even our potatoes had a leek and parsnip in them, they were so good.

Thanksgiving Day was also Odessa's birthday. By 7 pm she was asking "is it time for my party yet?" Poor thing. We had eaten pie late and kept putting off cupcakes until we absolutely thought we could handle it again! She got plenty of fun presents from Grandparents and a HUGE book of horses from us. (thanks for the tip Kristyn, she loves it)Our neighbors came over to sing Happy Birthday and I got her a mylar balloon later that night and she played more with that than any of her presents after that! It's funny to think back to how much I walked after Thanksgiving dinner 3 years ago trying to get Odessa here. She came after a day of post Thanksgiving shopping : )

On Friday we checked out the activities for Winterfest at the Seattle Center. Then we headed downtown to walk around, spook the shops and people watch. Saturday morning my parents treated us to a fun breakfast at a neat restaurant in Queen Anne that is built in a remodeled old house. Then we took them for a long walk along Lake Union to check out the boat houses- they are so fun! It makes me think of miniature doll houses or something- they are all so unique and scaled down in size.
We are looking forward to Christmas in Boise THIS month (can you believe it?). It really is nice to be close enough to family to make these holidays possible. Stephen put some lights and the stockings up. We have a fireplace and he wanted a fire so much he burned a bunch of paper. The girls danced around singing "fire, fire, fire!". A little family of pyromaniacs I have here. Hope all of you had a great weekend as well.

Leftover throw together

I am going to quickly post a recipe I just used some of our turkey in. We are a little tired of the turkey, gravy and potatoes routine, so I thought I would spice it up a little.

In some olive oil I cooked
1 chopped onion
1 seeded and chopped jalapeno
2 cloves garlic
1+ Tbs tomato paste
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2-1 tsp cumin
dash sugar
salt / pepper

When soft, I added:
1 can chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 can rinsed black beans
1 can diced green chilies
a dash of chicken bouillon for more flavor

Once that simmered, I put in a bunch of cut up turkey- mostly breast
We will top with sour cream and maybe some cheese and tortilla chips. I wish I had some cilantro and a spritz of lime would be good. . . hmmmm.
Well, you've got to do with what you've got to make do. ha ha

6 words or more

Ada and Odessa had their check-ups last week. I thought it was a good idea to do their 18 month and 3yr check ups together to get them over with. Ha ha. 2 naked toddlers crawling ALL OVER EVERYTHING. Odessa kept trying to get the blood pressure cuff off the wall, they switched the light on and off, stole the Dr's stethoscope. Every time they would crawl onto the exam table and then get precariously close to the edge, a nurse or Dr would freak out. I was thinking "they've fallen off worse" and "well, if we hadn't waited over 30 minutes in your waiting room, they wouldn't be quite this bad". Meanwhile, I felt like I was juggling, snatching one of them away from something and trying to keep the other from jumping off the exam table. All the while trying to carry on a conversation with the Dr. "Well Doc, as you can see, they are very active". When he got to Ada, he asked me if she was saying many words: "Oh yes." "More than six?" Me: "this morning she said 'fall down- ground'" Doc: "Oh, so stringing a few words together, that's good." It's funny with our second child. With Odessa I was eagerly anticipating every little milestone. With Ada I am just surprised when she starts to crawl, walk, talk.
With Odessa, I had her on a strict feeding schedule. With Ada I would feed her just to have a break- no rhyme or reason. With Odessa we taught her sign language so to avoid the frustration of toddler speak and not understanding one another. With Ada we were just pleasantly surprised she picked up some words. The difference is hilarious to me.
Yesterday on the stage at church (our secret napping place). She was playing with a ball someone left. I bounced it for her and it rolled away. She said "hey, why do that?" and then pointing, "get it!"
I thought, "Yah Doc, she is saying more than 6 words!" And picking up her sisters sassiness too- is that a milestone? What a "fun" few years I am in for.

Flippitybidgitty

The girls are playing a new game called "stop and go" or "freeze and ice melt". They LOVE this. They can call out "stop" (or "sop" as Ada says) or "freeze"and mom or dad will freeze. Then they get to wiggle with delight as they observe us obeying their commands instead of vice-versa for once. Ada is especially good at drawing out your frozen agony and waits forever to say "go" (Odessa prefers "ice melt"). They do this at dinner and somehow it gets them to eat more than usual because they stay at the table longer to play the game! It is so funny to watch Ada's sly grin while she makes you wait for your "go" command.
Feeling very proud of myself. I took the bus both today and yesterday. What a planners wife I am. It really is so simple, what's the big deal ; )? If you were here, you could witness Stephen's dramatic roll of the eyes- I have been such a stinker about public transportation. Key point: I have been ALONE on these 2 bus trips- no kids.
Today I went to a downtown grocery store to observe/help sample out a new nutrition bar: Zing. I am going to be helping this company sample their product occasionally nights and weekends at some local grocery stores. Three Dietitians from Bastyr developed the bar since there was not a bar on the market they could recommend to their clients. Hands down, this is an amazing bar. I can't pick out one thing wrong with it except my friend with an all-nuts allergy can't eat them. I am super excited to work with them and save up some money to become my own consultant as soon as I can.
Last night I took the bus downtown to meet a group of gals to see the Twilight movie. During the movie, I kept looking at the girl to my left, then my right, gauging their reactions. I was amongst "non-talkers" for this movie. When the lights came up and the credits rolled, one said "what did you think?" to the two of us. The gal on my right leaned forward out of her chair "I hated it". And I sighed a great big sigh of relief. Ok, I did not hate all parts of this movie. It had its good moments. I have been analyzing why it was so bad for me. I have loved b-rated movies in the past, why not this one? The books, of course. When you read the books, you can flesh out the scenes and characters with your imagination. Even though I am drawn to them, I have always said the books are not the best. However, the characters are well written, especially their emotions. Of course no one in a movie could replicate what you imagine. I felt the alterations to the plot were poor and a lot of the acting left much to be desired. Even some of the special effects . . . .well- I could go on and on. I guess I have finally grown up and seen a few good films and good art. You recognize poorer versions for what they really are. And maybe the books are b-rated too . . .
Anyway, all this and I woke up this morning and thought "hey, I want to see that again". Mostly to try and view it from the perspective as if I hadn't read the book and wasn't comparing every line and scene to those that were written. That's how they will make their millions I guess. However, we'll be waiting until it comes to Netflix if we see it at all . . .

Feng Shui Veterans Day and Two Worlds Collided

Stephen had Veterans Day off. Occasionally he gets in these moods where he wants to rearrange all the furniture or organize a closet or something. I love that I don't have to do this. Three years living away in college, I think I kept my furniture in same place the whole time. He always seems to find more space somewhere when he does this. I am so glad the bedroom is all put together and that he found a space for my favorite old ratty recliner. It's the one I sleep in when I'm pregnant! No, I am NOT pregnant. Yes Gina, we still have it, and yes, Bri, we find a place for your curtains in every place we live- usually in our bedroom because they are so beautiful!
Another thing that I wanted to (journal) write about. When Odessa and I were in the ER, I had a strange experience. I used to work in a hospital, and the medical part of dietetics was always the most interesting to me. I really enjoyed working behind the scenes, reading the charts, trying to get the Dr's to go with my diet recommendations and working with the nurses (they are really the ones doing all the work). It's a completely different part of my life and feels a million miles away right now. But sitting in our room, I had a clear shot of the nurses station and I could pretty much guess what the mood was and what they might be talking about. I understood the schedule written out on the white board, and I really missed the familiarness of all of it- a lot. Here I was, having a very intense "Mom" moment taking care of Odessa and a very intense pull towards my "other life". They have never been flush-up next to each other like that before. I am glad I stay at home with my kids for now, but I think this experience showed me that I might actually like to go back to clinical dietetics someday as well. I used to think I would never go back to a hospital. Something to think about in the future!

That's one expensive Teddy Bear

Last week and weekend was supposed to be nothing but fun. Erin and Ambrose from Chicago were here visiting. The kids really like them and there were all kinds of touristy plans for the 3 days they were here. But the kids had been sick all week, and were waking up multiple times at night. That meant staying home from some of the activities with the kids and NO SLEEP for Stephen and I and our poor guests. Even though Odessa was too contagious to leave with a sitter and we had to take her with us, we did eat at a wonderful Vietnamese restaurant on Friday night, the Tamarind Tree.
Then Saturday morning Odessa had some stomach pains that made her writhe with pain and totally freak out. I have never seen her so serious about a pain (I can usually tell when she is over dramatizing). I figured I would have to scratch plans to go with our company on a Ferry ride to stay home with her. Then all of sudden, she was fine. So we all went. The sun came out and the ride was gorgeous. We took the ferry to Bainbridge and then drove over the bridge to Pulsbo on the peninsula. Pulsbo is such a cute little town, I really enjoyed our walk along the water and looking at the quaint old store fronts. I stole these photos from Erin.

On the ferry ride back home, Odessa suddenly had another "attack". She got through it though and then at home, she had another. We had all decided maybe she was having some cramps and gas because she hadn't gone #2 for at least 2 days, which is unusual for her. But her fever all of a sudden was back up to about 102 degrees, so I decided to call ask-a-nurse before giving her any medicine. Any of you not familiar with ask-a-nurse services? They can be very useful, especially nights and weekends. After asking me a lot of questions that I felt pertained to much more serious conditions (like if Odessa was limp and unresponsive) I figured she would say push the liquids and give her the Ibuprofen. No, here is what our conversation sounded like: nurse- "Ok, the recommendation is that you take her into the ER immediately". me- "um, what?" nurse- "will you take her in to the hospital within one hour?" me- "uhhhh, yes, we can do that". nurse- "which hospital will you be taking her to so I can send the chart?" me- "ummmmm, Swedish in Ballard I guess" nurse- "what would you have done if you hadn't called our services tonight?" me- "given her a stool softener and monitored her for more pains I guess".
So Odessa and I trucked off to the ER, a first for this mom. Sure, I have been in one once to check in as a laboring prego, but taking your child is a whole other ball of wax. They worked really quickly on her at first, taking her vitals and getting her in a little pediatric gown. She looked so tiny on that big bed in that little gown. The first thing she would say to anyone was "I'm ok, Dr. I'm not sick". Great, I thought, this is a huge joke. They decided to rule out a UTI, appendicitis and bowel issues such as her guts twisting on themselves. The nurses came to tell me that they were going to put in an IV and a catheter (for a clean catch) and that Odessa was going to HATE them and to be prepared. Well, she flinched when they put in the IV put didn't say a word otherwise, she was interested in watching them take her blood. They told her she was so brave and she said very politely "yes, I am". I couldn't keep from laughing.
The catheter was another story and for a brief moment I felt that horrible mother pain for your child that makes you squirm and your eyes well up and you feel like you are causing the pain yourself, you feel so horrible. She was a champ for her x-rays. To get her through all this, they had given her a teddy bear. She loved it and hasn't let it go for more than a minute since coming home. Yes, we came home that night. Turns out she had a bad case of . . . . constipation. The recommendations? Fluids and a stool softener. Grrrrrrrr. Wasn't that what I was going to do in the first place??? So, 3 hours later and who knows how much money, we are one teddy bear richer and one ask-a-nurse wiser. Sure, I am glad we made sure there was nothing else more seriously wrong with her. But now that Ada is fiercely jealous of Odessa's bear, I think we will try and find an easier way to get her one.
As for our week and weekend, we still had a great time with Erin and Ambrose and I swear our kids never get up much at night! . . . except when they are sick. We have ear plugs for future visitors. One fun memento of this weekend is the fact that when something good happens I say "hullah!" in my head, like Erin is always saying aloud. I am a big one for picking up sayings and little idiosyncrasies. Just ask my roommate for 10 weeks almost NINE years ago, Paula from Saskatchewan. I still say "eh?" at the end of important sentences. Some sayings are so useful, they should never be dropped, eh?