Roxy

Here she is! The kids had been asking for a dog for... years now. I told them that when D turned three years old, we would get a dog. That way, there would be no babies and dogs (a combo I refuse to try and repeat), and R would have plenty of time to get used to the idea :)

Well, once we got back from Phoenix, it was Priority One to find a dog. A couple days ago, we went to the animal shelter to look at a particular dog, when little Roxy caught our eye (she was called America then). So, after a little time getting to know her - her likes, dislikes... her political affiliations - we decided she was the dog for us!

Roxy has been so good! It has been a rather smooth transition so far. She's so sweet and really good with the kids and she's HOUSE TRAINED!!

13.1, Part Deux

Last weekend, I completed a running commitment that I had failed to accomplish in the past. There had been a couple other attempts at training for and completing a half marathon, but something kept me from actually following through (first time it was an injury, second time it was pure lack of motivation).

So, Rock n' Roll style in Phoenix was the location of my victorious run. My goal was to complete the race in 2:15:00 and I finished in 2:16:07 - I'm totally satisfied. My training was thorough and I don't think I could have run any faster without killing myself :)

The race was HUGE - around 20,000 participants just in the half marathon - crazy! The weather was sooo wonderful and the music was pretty good (it's called Rock n' Roll because they have several live bands along the racing route).

R, the kids and my parents all came to cheer me on. They were so fantastic - waiting in several locations to cheer me on - they were a great boost for me!

Visiting Phoenix was so much fun. We lived there about six years ago, so it was great to visit our old neighborhood and we even got to see a couple of old friends, despite the whirlwind nature of our short stay.

R has already decided he will run in Phoenix next year just to have an excuse to visit again! See you there?

(Q took this picture of my finisher's medal. He also accidentally took an unfortunate photo of my backside that I will not be posting :)

Random Bits

I saw this sign in an airport a few months ago. I, of course, added the sarcastic warning at the bottom. I thought it was a rather silly sign at first, but then I thought it is always better to be safe than sorry... right? Right.

This "Glamour Shot" was taken by my seventeen year old niece, L. My seven year old niece, M and my L were dressed-up, made-up and "forced" to pose for several adorable pictures. This one is a classic. I especially love M's little polka dot shirt.

Almost eleven years ago, R and I were given an ice cream maker as a wedding gift. We used it once about 6 months into our marriage. Since then the ice cream maker has been in a box, stored in our basement/attic/closet (depending on the apartment or house). A couple months ago we were cleaning out our garage and we came across the ice cream maker box. We decided that we'd give ourselves 6 months to use the ice cream maker. If we failed to do so, it would be given away to a more attentive, loving home. Well, I am happy to say that we did it! We made homemade ice cream. And do you know what, it was totally worth the years of carting/storing that thing - the ice cream was soooo good! I have a really special place in my ice cream-loving heart for homemade berry ice cream because my grandparents would make us ice cream, every time we visited, with strawberries or raspberries from their garden. So, THANK YOU to whomever gave us the best wedding gift we took for granted.

These are the most recent creations from my cake decorating class - mums and apple blossoms. Incidentally, I've caught on pretty quickly to most of the techniques, but I totally suck at making roses - which is interesting because roses made out of icing generally gross me out. It's like, where's my motivation... ya know?

Just after Christmas, my mother wanted all the grandkids to put on a nativity play with these really cute costumes she bought. Most of the cousins were really into it, taking turns being Mary or Joseph, or using the shepherd's crook to hook each other's necks. For some reason, D was just not feeling it. Maybe next year :)

If you sent us a Christmas or holiday card; first of all, thank you! Second, here is proof that the gesture is appreciated - each year we create a Christmas card shrine and spend much of the holiday basking in the love we feel that radiates off this wall of Christmas/Holiday greetings!

Hoot

The other day a nice neighbor knocked on our door to tell us there was an owl hanging out a few houses down the street. R and the kids grabbed the camera and headed out for a gander (well, D was stuck in the house because he was choosing to not wear pants at that particular time). Apparently, the owl sat at the tippity-top of a neighborhood tree for a couple of hours. The night before I could hear some hooting and thought maybe it was an owl - what else it would have been, I don't know... someone's outdoor ambiance turned up too loud?

This little story kind of reminds me of something that happened last summer. When we first moved to Albuquerque, it was monsoon season. There would be afternoon rain storms and then right after the sun would come out and we'd have multiple, huge rainbows across the sky. One evening as we were looking at a couple of particularly beautiful rainbows, L exclaimed, "Rainbows are real! I thought they were only on t.v!"

M's Discovery - Christmas 2008

Piece of Cake

I started taking a Wilton's cake decorating class. I'm two lessons into Class 1 and this is my creation from last night's class. I never would have thought that decorating cakes would be such a fun, creative outlet. So far, I love it and R and the kids also love that I keep making cakes for practice.

What It's All About

Both of my kids have Christmas parties in their classrooms tomorrow - I suppose they are technically "Holiday" parties, which is fine with me. 'Tis the season for kindness and acceptance of all religions, cultures, etc. For our family, they are Christmas parties.

L's class is having their party at lunch time. Parents and siblings are invited, so D and I will be attending. We were asked to bring pickles to the party. Two jars of pickles - one spears, one sliced. I'm not exactly sure the need for that many pickles, but I'm probably being short-sighted. L isn't very excited by our requested contribution, especially when she found out that Q was asked to bring cookies to his class's party.

So, today Q and I spent some time baking cookies while listening to Christmas music. I LOVED it. Q was really into it - he did most of the work - and he kept saying how great it was that we got to spend this time together... just the two of us. I kept thinking that this is one of those moments that you may have imagined before having children, but couldn't really understand how wonderful it feels. Teaching and sharing my part of the world with my children has been better than I ever could have imagined.

Our snickerdoodles turned out very yummy - great job, Q - but the cookies were only the catalyst for one of my new, favorite Christmas memories.

In the Snow, Up Hill Both Ways

Growing up in Montana, EVERYDAY was a snow day and school never closed. We wore moon boots and carried our shoes in our backpacks (and if one shoe fell out of your backpack on the the way to school, you just had to wear your moon boots all day because your mother had better things to do than bring you another pair of shoes - that is understood, so you didn't even try to call). In Montana, back in my day, you walked to school and you walked home from school EVERYDAY. It mattered not if snow was dumping on you and it's below freezing.


Schools in Albuquerque are closed today. It snowed, so schools are closed. I just don't get it.

We Love R

Here's a look back at the last few years (the digital years, that is - someday I will scan in old photos, but for now we will have to settle for a digital selection): R has always been very active; playing tennis throughout adolescence and college, running, biking, swimming, wrestling his wife and kids on occasion. He ran his first full length marathon in 2001 and placed second in his division (you would think all that hair would've slowed him down). Since then, he has run five full marathons (including Boston) and several other distance races.

R loves his family. He has four older sisters who he thinks the world of and parents that he respects and loves to no end. He also loves the family he inherited through marriage and puts up with all the typical in-law stuff without a complaint :)

R has an amazing mind. He is a budgeting genius (just ask anyone he's worked with), so I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that he is also very creative ;) He does all kinds of analytical work from 9 to 5, then comes home and draws amazing pictures, paints beautifully and redesigns every surface he comes across. He's always trying to think of a new way to do something, to make it better.

R loves, loves, loves his kids. He is an amazing father - I tell my kids that they don't know how lucky they are, and I wholly believe that they won the Dad Lottery. I am forever grateful for the way he cares for our children.

R loves being outdoors. Camping and hiking are two of this favorite activities and he loves to share them with his family. He is a fearless explorer!

R is one of the most responsible people I know. He takes his duties seriously and rarely complains. Hard work is never below him - he'll always dig in with two hands. He is also eager to learn new skills and has an impressive knack for doing anything he tries!

R is incredibly handsome. I'm not one to gush, and I don't tell him often enough, but he has a look and way about him that is very appealing (okay, I'm starting to blush... sorry).

R is one to gush, however. He rarely lets a day go by without telling me I look pretty or I've done something well. I know I always have a fan in R, which makes my life really rich. To know the person you care the most about is always there and will do whatever it takes to make life happy... well, that is truly a piece of grace. I was given R - though I'm not sure I deserve him. I suppose I'll just do my best to earn his kindness each day. I love you, R.

Another Excuse for Cake

R just celebrated his 34th birthday! He had to work late on his actual birthday, so we waited until Friday night to get our partay on.

We ate at a noodle place which was pretty good. We've had better, but considering that these were birthday noodles, they were special to us.

R was in a giving mood and suggested I experiment with his birthday cake. I made it from a Williams Sonoma recipe - it tasted really good, but I ended up with a few crumbs in the icing. Regardless, we stuck flaming candles in it and R blew them out (with the help of D, who was still in birthday mode).

R went shopping for clothes for most of his birthday gift, but the kids and I did give him a small token of our appreciation for what a wonderful dad/father/person he is. He had been talking about the movie "Flash Gordon" (the 70's version) for a long time; he watched it when he was a kid and loved it and hasn't been able to find it. I found "Flash Gordon". He was very excited and we decided to watch it as a family (it is only PG). The movie was really... surreal. I'm glad that R was able to relive something exciting from his childhood, but I don't think I would recommend this movie to... people (sorry, R - the 70's were a strange time).

Let the Madness Begin!

Three Rockin' Years

I suppose a birthday is a fitting time to reflect on a person's life. Seeing as D is only three years old, it's a pretty quick reflection. I think he has done pretty well with what he was given thus far :)

Here's a look back; D... this is your life:

You were born in Edison, New Jersey - past your due date, the OB/GYN was kind enough to induce labor - you were 9 lbs. 3 oz. You weren't the cutest newborn in the nursery... in fact, your birth experience left you looking kind of beat up.

You were a beautifully behaved baby from day one. You started sleeping through the night at six weeks (no exaggeration) and you were pretty mellow during the day. You did, however, have terrible eczema and typically looked... well, beat up.

By the time you neared your first year, you were looking creamy white and itch free. You started walking by 10 months and were still an easy-going little guy.

As a third child, you have always been relatively patient while being able to "hold your own". Your main obsession through the years has been trains, but you have also enjoyed super heroes, cars and any kind of sport involving a ball. While you are a typical boy, you also allow your sister to dress you up and play house.

Despite your typical toddler struggles, like learning to share and feeling frustrated with limitations, you're usually willing to just go with the flow (sometimes, I call you the Flow Master - which might be the name of a toilet... sorry). You've developed a quick wit and you have a very extensive vocabulary.

Life is better with you around. Our family is so blessed to call you our own. Thanks for three beautifully rockin' years.

Happy Birthday, D!

Yesterday was D's third birthday. We had a mellow, family celebration which included a Power Ranger cake. D had been talking about having a Power Ranger cake for months. He doesn't really know much about Power Rangers; just that they are sort of like super heroes and Q thinks they're cool - oh, and they come in different colors.

The cake wasn't exactly a smashing success. I didn't have the food coloring I needed, so I had to improvise! It did taste good, so all was not lost.

D was really excited to be having a birthday, and a more than a little possessive about the fact - if anyone mentioned their own birthday experience, D would get all worked up and demand, "It's MY birthday, not yours!"

Today is R's birthday and the poor guy has to work really late, so we've put off celebrating his day until Friday. Hopefully, D will be feeling a little more generous with the birthday wishes by then.