SANTA!!

Alas! How dreary would be the world if there was no Santa Claus!... There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. -Francis P. Church

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Fairies

Life has been crazy.  I've been fighting the urge to post several sentimental, time is short, hug your loved-ones posts.  I can't promise they won't be coming... However, this is not one of them.  I'm ever so grateful to have two snickering, witty, ankle- biters to make me laugh on a daily basis.  They picked me up from work last night and this was the conversation that ensued:

Gwen: "GAHHH! Why do you keep saying that? I'm trying to push that button, you dumb fairy!" Directed at her Tinkerbell Leapster game.

Matt: "Wow Gwen, you should really talk nicer to Tinkerbell"


Gwen: Complete with lip-sneer and teen-esque eyebrow raise, "It doesn't matter, fairies aren't real."


Tula: Look of shock and 'I can't believe you just said that' on her face. "UM YEAH, they ARE, HELLLLLLO, the TOOTH FAIRY?"


Gwen: Silence. Solemn eyebrows. Tonguing of the four loose teeth she currently has in her head. 


Tula: Big eyes. Look of disbelief. Slight shaking of the head.


I love this life.

Cyclo-Diva

We hit up our last Cyclocross race of the season on Sunday.  In the days leading up to the race, the girls had convinced themselves that they would be racing in the kids race.  They told anyone and everyone.  They were super excited.  We got them their numbers and did a practice lap.  Tula on her scoot bike, decided that the swings were more appealing than pushing that little bike through the grass.  I couldn't blame her.  Gwen on the other hand ate it up!  It helped having the whole Tacoma Cyclocross team cheering her on.  She killed it.  Matt and I couldn't help but notice that Gwen's bike was not a cross bike, I think if she had had one the finish would have been pretty close. She ended up getting lapped by a kid half her size on a bike twice as big as hers.  We were actually pretty surprised to see that so many little kids had such fancy tiny cross bikes.  I suppose we shouldn't be so surprised, like all sports, the lure of fancy equipment is tempting.  Digressions aside, my girl did great!  We are so proud.  They did 6 laps through the grass track.  When the officials decided on 6 laps all of us grown ups said "6?" knowing full well that half of us would have been wheezing in the 35 degree chill if we had to pull 6 laps on that grass track.  Gwen didn't stop pedaling the whole time. When she finished she had a huge grin, followed closely by a couple brief tears of exhaustion.  It was great to see that accomplishment proudly displayed on her little face.    

Monkeys in the Park

There's something so sad about the last leaves clinging to the trees.

This morning I shampooed the carpet.  I know, I know, I live a captivating life.  As much as I hate having carpet in my home, I really do love the satisfaction of dumping out buckets of filthy carpet water.  I love knowing that all that dirt no longer lives in my home.  Carpet is gross.

While the carpet dried (really really slowly...) Matt and I turned over a new leaf and purchased running shoes (surely, there will be posts about that at a later date) and then we took the monkeys to the park.  It was cold, there was whining, there was fighting about wearing coats, there were threats about not going anywhere... But good god, really, how on earth was I going to keep them off the carpet if I didn't take them somewhere... Bah.  Empty threats, that's real parenting.  None the less, for all of our sanity we went to the park.  The leaves were beautiful, and since we are expecting snow in the next few days, these may be the last of the autumn colors we see for a while.

Trick-or-Treat!

Here is a smattering of pics from this fantastic Halloween season.  We had a lovely holiday.  

The kids scored a ton of candy that will likely last us until Easter.  It was a blast!

We dressed up both for the Haunted Ballet and the big night, Halloween.  Miss Gwen, of course, true to form, could not be bothered to dress up in the same costume for both occasions.  We were unsettled on her trick-or-treating costume until about an our before we left... such as life with a diva.  My little orange cat however, was consistent as always.  What can I say, the girl knows what she wants!

Once upon a time...

I was going to do a Halloween post about the girls but I got distracted.  I was randomly reminded of this picture from high school.  It's a Halloween costume party --really it is, can't you tell?-- at Matt's house when we were all 16.  I know I was dressed as Adam (our bleached bombshell friend in the back) and I have no idea what Matt was dressed as... but that was pretty much typical dress for him in those days.  Flash forward 15 (gasp!), yes 15 years, and this was us this Halloween as the Mad Hatter and the Cheshire Cat.  How quickly time flies.  While we definitely look "mature" now, isn't it funny how some things never change?  Seems quite appropriate that Matt has upgraded from a simple Coca-cola can hat to an Imported British Ale top hat.  Oh, how distinguished we have become in our old age!

Wordless Wednesday

Linking up with Rachel for Wordless Wednesday.  

My favorite part of the rain.

A case of the Thursdays...

I work every other Thursday.  Each Thursday that I have off is devoted to Tula.  We hit up Storytime at the library.  We run our errands.  And sometimes, if I'm feeling like dealing with the wrath of an envious Gwen generous, we grab a coffee and a vanilla steamer and chill.  I love Thursdays.  I think I know somebody else who loves them, too.

Train of Thought

This story is Matt's.  I'm stealing it.  I told him I was, so it's ok.  A few days ago he and Tula were walking home from taking Gwen to school.  They noticed a recently damaged tree leaking sap down the bark.  Matt, ever the teacher, stopped to explain sap.  He then continued on this train of thought offering up... "And if that sap from that tree got buried in the ground and stayed there for a very very very long time, it would turn into a rock.  A very pretty orange rock called amber."  Which elicited several "oohs" and "aahhs" along the way from Super T.  Then, Tula had an epiphany, which Matt expected and waited patiently for... Wheels slowly turning..."Oh! And DAD... We have a COUSIN... named... (wait for it...) named JARRET!!"  And Matt, between bouts of laughter... "Yes Tula, like our cousins Jarret and..."  Tula, interrupting quietly with a proud smirk:  "And Amber." 

Tula the Giant

This is my new favorite picture of Tula.  Anyone who has met my girl knows she's a shrimp, but with this forced perspective she looks a bit bigger.  I like that.  

7 Years Later

Seven years is a long time.  I can't help thinking about all the things you would be doing, all the things you would have done by now.  I can't help wondering what you would think of my little family; a family which has emerged in your absence.  I know the things these silly girls do that would make you laugh.  I can recall all the times in these last seven years, that I would have called on you for help, or for fun, or for nothing.  And somehow, even now, seven years later, I still can't believe you are gone.  

Happy October!

Ok, now I'm starting to get in the holiday spirit.  Bring on the pumpkins.  This weekend we headed south to Vancouver for a visit with family.  It was fantastic.  Saturday we went to BI-ZI farms for a pumpkin patch experience like no other.  We've been to a few patches in our day, but this one was pretty exceptional.  We had a blast.  I snapped lots of pictures, and I had some helpers snap a few for me.  Here are my favorites.  On Sunday, we headed to Portland for a visit to OMSI.  We were a bit overwhelmed with all that is OMSI, and we left feeling like we had only seen and done a fraction of what was possible.  I guess that's a good thing; we know we'll have lots to do there next time.