January Happenings

I can't believe that we're already in the last week of January. If the whole year goes like this, I'm going to be pulling the Christmas decorations back out in a blink. This month has been incredibly WET here. We need the rain, the mountains need the snow, and the reservoirs need the refill. But I have to say, it's been tough spending the better part of a month inside with a mud-loving pup, a highly energetic kitty, and a collection of restless sniffley kiddos.

The kitty (Phineas) and the pup (Lina) in a rare quiet moment.

I think we're all over whatever bug has been floating around the last few weeks. I finally got over my bug... and then Colin brought home a brand new one that he then immediately shared with his little brother. Both boys have missed a little school this month because of it - but I think we're all finally bouncing back.

Colin was our big birthday boy on the 12th. I can't believe he's already 7 - that's a big number for me. From 0-6 they're still "little" kids... but something mentally switches for me once they hit 7. Now I don't feel like I can think of him as a little boy anymore.

Our January Birthday Boy

We celebrated his birthday by going to his favorite pizza restaurant. It's this HUGE place with about a dozen big dining rooms each with a different theme. There's the extreme sports room (lots of videos of skiing and surfing being shown on multiple TV's), the music room with music videos playing, the cartoon room, the sports room, and a couple other that I'm forgetting - all decorated in theme and with TV's showing various entertaining stuff. Of course, Colin's favorite room is the only one without video screens and loud music. He likes the "cabin room" - it's all decked out with rustic decor, a wood beam ceiling, and a big stone fireplace with a cozy fire burning. I have to admit, it's my favorite too. Paige can't understand why he doesn't want to go into the one that has 12 screens of Spongebob Squarepants playing. But Colin likes his quiet place - and we usually have it all to ourselves because almost everyone else in the restaurant seems to be drawn to all the music, lights, and noise.

The food is all buffet style: a ton of pizza, pasta, salads, soups, and desserts to choose from. Colin likes to pile his plate full of pizza and carrots, and then retire to his quiet table and eat. And when we've all finished eating, we go out to the main game room that has every activity you can think of. They have skeeball, video games - all kinds of stuff that you can play (with credits you purchase) for the chance to win tickets that you can then turn in for prizes at the end of the night.

Paige and Aidan are actually riding on that fuzzy, spinning thing...

The building is so big, there is also a little indoor roller coaster and spinning ride - which both Aidan and Paige love to ride. Colin has no interest in that and instead likes to just play all the games - especially the ones where he can pretend to be driving a race car.

Something more Colin's speed - he loved this race car game!

The name of this place is John's Incredible Pizza... but Colin calls it "Pizza Planet" because it reminds him of the pizza place in the movie Toy Story. So the last two years he's asked to go to "Pizza Planet" for his birthday. And if I'm reading the indicators right, I believe we'll be going back for Aidan's birthday as well.

Aidan trying out the motorcycle game

Last week I had to attend the informational meeting for parents with kids starting Kindergarten next year. That's right... Aidan is off to Kindergarten in the fall. Now THAT makes me feel like time is flying by. Schools are assigned based on where you live, so Aidan will be going to the same school that Paige went to for 5th grade (right after we moved into this house). However, because Colin is in a special class, he doesn't go to that school but goes to another one that is about the same distance away - but just in the other direction. I'm trying to decide if I should put in for a transfer for Aidan so he and Colin can go to the same school. The only concern is that I don't necessarily know where Colin will be going in the future. The teacher he has this year also teaches 2nd grade, so I'm sure Colin will stay where he's at next year. But after that, depending how he's doing - he may be recommended for another special class that could possibly be at a different school, or may even be "mainstreamed" back into his home school, which is the one that Aidan is supposed to go to in the first place.

Anyway... not sure what exactly we're going to do there, but the first step either way is to register Aidan for the school he's supposed to go to, so we got his paperwork in for that last week. I'm kind of sad that my baby is off to Kindergarten next year... but kind of excited too. All three kids, in school, 5 days a week! I feel sort of guilty that I'm secretly so tickled about that.

Paige went to her school's winter formal last night. She looked so pretty! No formal date this year... she just went "with a group" that all hung out and danced together. According to Paige, all the boys at her school are stupid and immature, and she doesn't like anyone right now. That's right, Paige... stay true to your standards. I certainly doesn't break my heart that she's not all distracted by boys and boyfriends - there is plenty of time for that. But I hate to have to be the one to tell her that boys never really get "more mature." Sorry hon...

Paige all pretty for the Winter Ball at her school

So, the forecast says we may actually see the sun for a bit on Tuesday and Wednesday - but the rest of the week looks pretty gray. I normally love the winter storms and rain, but even I'm looking forward to warmer spring weather at this point. Yeah... it's been raining THAT much. I'm hoping to sneak the kids up to the snow at some point to play and sled. The weekend storms have been pretty bad though, and I haven't been brave enough to suggest driving up to the snow in the midst of of the crazy weather. I know Hank has driven in the snow a lot... but in a minivan during a white-out? Maybe next weekend will clear a bit and we can give it a try. In the meantime I'll need to borrow some snow clothes, or pick some up at a 2nd-hand store somewhere. We are sadly under-prepared for actual ice and snow... and without some semi-weatherproof gear, I predict my boys will play for approximately five minutes and then insist that we take them somewhere warm and dry with lots of hot food. Hardly worth the drive up the mountains.

Well, I am off to fill out the "returning student" paperwork that I have to turn in for Colin tomorrow, work on a project that I told Colin's teacher I would help with, and finish up some tax stuff for Hank's business. How come I'm not actually in school, but have all the homework?

Have a wonderful week, and we'll talk to you soon...

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Okay... trying something new this year. I've decided I'm going to start writing a little update each week of what we've been up to - both so we can share it with all of the grandparents (because I know I don't call enough), and also so we'll have a "living journal" that we can look back on for as long as we keep it going. Whoo hoo! So let's get started...

We had a great Christmas! The boys woke up at 5:42 - I mean bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and ready to get at it. You should have seen the look on Paige's face when we went in to tell her it was time to get up. The boys were squealing and saying, "Paige! It's Christmas time!!!" She looked at them, looked at the clock - and I swear I thought her eyes were going to roll into the back of her head and stay there.

She got into a slightly better mood once she got downstairs and saw all the gifts. I like that Hank doesn't let us put anything under the tree until after the kids go to bed on Christmas Eve because then there's the big dramatic moment when they see everything on Christmas morning. Aidan was running around and couldn't figure out where to start first. Stockings? Tree? Donuts? I stalled him with donuts until I got the video camera up and loaded. So we captured some video... although I haven't learned how to pull the video off of the camera on to the computer yet. (had the camera for over 3 years - never taken any of the footage off yet. oops) So at SOME point we'll have lots of fun video to look at.

Colin was more methodical. He had to check and make sure Santa ate his cookies and milk (he did) and that the reindeer ate the apple we left out (forgot to buy carrots) - and then that all of the stockings were filled, and that there were presents from Santa under the tree (Santa even brought presents for the new pup, Lina, and the new kitty, Phineas). And then he was absolutely convinced and then just kept hopping up and down screaming, "Santa came! Santa came!!"

Colin was quite happy because he got everything on his list. He was so determined that he get everything, that he actually brought his list with him to show Santa who made an appearance at his school's "Candyland Carnival" before school let out for the holidays. It's too hard to read below, but his list says - "Dear Santa, Toy Tools, Helicopter, Tinkertoys. Colin."


Aidan's list was simpler. Cars. Trucks. Trains. Pretty much anything with an engine and wheels. And of course... he got a nice representative sample of each. He also got some Lincoln Logs to go along with Colin's Tinkertoys. The boys LOVE them both. I love the expression on some of my friend's faces when they found out that's one of the things they got. "They still make those?" Yes they do... and the boys have been playing with them all week - at least until I got tired of stepping on them and made them pick them up. Here's a picture of Aidan all worn out on Christmas afternoon, passed out on the couch holding the foam sword that Colin bought for him at the dollar store. Guess that's what happens when you wake up at 5:42 am.


Paige got lots of BOOKS, her favorite things. Plus some boots, clothes, CD's, DVD's... and did I mention books? She was quite happy, and had her nose in a book from Christmas morning until it was time to go to her dad's house on Sunday the 27th. She and I and her friend Liz went to see The Nutcracker on the Saturday before Christmas. We didn't go last year, but except for that I think she and I have gone every year since she was seven. A fun holiday thing... we get to dress up and go out to dinner and then see the ballet. I think I'll keep doing it with her until she just doesn't want to do it anymore. The boys haven't been yet. I plan to take them once they get a little older and can sit through 2+ hours of dancing without soda and popcorn.


My favorite gift this year was my Kindle - lets me download books and read them on a really easy-to-read screen. Good thing... because my eyes are officially getting old. I will always love real books, but I like this if I want to get a new book without having to buy a big heavy hardcover. Plus I can read with just one hand (you just push a button to turn the page). That leaves a hand open for coffee... :)

Hank got a new coffee maker this year (surprise). It has a bin that you can load in 1/2 pound of coffee beans, and then just program in how many cups you want and how strong and it will grind the appropriate about of beans. He is quite tickled with it. I think last year is the only year that we've been married that he didn't get a coffee maker of some sort. No coffee maker or Nutcracker last year- weird.

So, we had a nice dinner, just family - and then the day after Christmas I crawled back in bed to try and shake this cold I've had forever. It didn't work. I still have it. In fact, I'm back in bed today trying to shake it again.

We did have a fun New Year's though. We threw a party, and because we were ringing in a new decade, we had a "Celebration of Decades" theme and each couple were assigned a decade to represent. Hank and I were the 20's, we had neighbors that were the 40's, and some of my Sierra Moms friends and their husbands came and were the 50's, 70's, and 80's. The couples that were the 30's and the 60's ended up not being able to make it - and we had some friends stop by for a while and then had to head out to another party so they were unofficially dressed as "current day."


Everyone dressed the part, and then brought drinks and appetizers to represent the decade too. Our 50's couple brought the makings for Gold Cadillacs, our 70's couple brought beer and mini hot dogs, our 40's couple brought m&m rice crispy treats - because as I understand it m&m's were invented in the 40's, and rice crispy treats were also popular then. It was a lot of fun... but I'm still not over my cold so am back in bed again today after taking down the Christmas tree this morning. The rest of the decorations will have to wait until next week when the kids are back in school.

So, that's it. I hope everyone is doing well and is enjoying your new year. We love you, and will have more updates soon...