Merry and bright.

Before the unwrapping began

Christmas Eve events:

• Skiing in the morning (Sage went down her first blue and rode the chair lift solo!)
  
• Sage hunted for the baby Jesus while dressed in shepherd's clothes (she even slept in them)
  
• We ate good grub: Roast Leg of Lamb, Butterhorn Rolls, Rainbow Quinoa, Carrot Souffle and Parmesan Broccoli
• Read "The Night Before Christmas" and the Christmas story from Luke
• Forgot to set out cookies and milk for Santa..shoot!
  

Sage wanted Shane to open the first present....a sports movie (Hoosiers) from her.


Micah surrounded by some of the goods

Christmas Day:

• Ate waffles with whipped cream and berries and waaaay too much sausage
• Napped and played and did absolutely nuthin' else
• Sage watched Finding Nemo all the way through (usually she gets to watch half a movie on movie days---I try not to let her languish too long in front of the boob tube)
  

Trying out her new wheels. Santa also brought that hula hoop and jump rope you see in the picture.


Micah and his sock monkey from grandma. We decided he needs a lovey so that when he starts sleeping through the night (ahem...soon) he'll have a buddy.


Dress from Grandma S. And quacker from Grandma M....most annoying toy ever but she loves it.

Favorite presents?

Shane: Don't laugh but we got him a box of Honey Nut Cheerios (the fake, organic kind)...he hasn't had them in years and he had about 6 bowls in a few short hours.
Sage: harmonica (she takes that thing everywhere)
Micah: Shape sorter
Alicia: Best present hands down was from Shane. Long story short but we lost a bunch of pictures (about 5000 of them) when our computer crashed months ago. Most of them were from Sage's babyhood. I was very sad about it but resigned to it. Shane magically got all of our pictures restored. I cried and Sage looked pretty confused (why in the world would somebody cry over a gift?).

A perfect Saturday.

Riding the bus back from the lodge. Micah decided that dirty bus seat
tasted better than anything the lodge had to offer.

Shane here. I don't often write in the blog, so you know if I do, it's gotta be something special. One of my best memories of growing up is skiing at Lake Tahoe. Living in Boulder, we've joined the rest of the town and bought season passes to El Dora, a resort 30 minutes from our house. Sage is a good athlete, but had never skied before last month. She spent the first 3 days holding onto my hand or pole as we went down the hill. There were mostly happy times, but a few tears came after hard falls, cold weather, and getting frustrated.

I bribed Sage with a $10 bill if she was able to make it down the bunny slope all by herself and lunch at the lodge if she could make it down the green hill one lift over. Two Saturdays ago, she was so close, but didn't quite make it. Once going down the hill that day, she tried to negotiate with me. If she skied down just half of the hill, could we go to the lodge for lunch? I told her that I had high standards and that only when she skied down the whole hill, including getting off the chair lift and not falling while skiing and not touching me at all, then she'd get lunch. While laying in the snow after falling, she was cold and started crying, and said, "I don't like standards."

I knew that this past Saturday she was going to do it; the weather was warmer and we were up there early. On the 2nd or 3rd run, Sage did it! It was one of the happier moments for me as a dad. We went over to the next hill and she went down that one on her own as well. The next 5 runs, she was totally on her own, even asking if she can could on the chair lift by herself. She earned her rewards.

After Sage and I finished, we went back to the car where Alicia and Micah were hanging out. It was Alicia's turn to ski with Sage. From where we parked, I was able to see both of them as they skied down. I was relieved that every time Sage make it to the bottom she would patiently wait for Alicia. Sage taught Alicia everything that she knows and they both did well.

Compared to other kids in Boulder, Sage is getting a late start in skiing, but I have a feeling that she's going to pass many of them soon. Check out the video and you'll see that she looks like a natural. Even started using her poles and doing really great!!!

Micah, you're next...
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now it's Alicia. I just love seeing Shane be the proud papa....he's not one to brag about our kiddos but he sure is proud of Sage. Skiing was lots of fun last week. Sage and I got in 6 runs together. She was coaching me all the way up on the lift and even on the mountain, "Great job Mom!" and "I can hold your hand if you want."

By the way, we did eat at the lodge that day. Local ski resort is code for cruddy lodge...the food brought back memories of my elementary school cafeteria. We had a snack there and then went to Sage's favorite place for dinner, Larkburger. Mmmm...truffle (as in mushroom) burgers and truffle parmesan fries. Yum.

Listen Up

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Such beautiful words (video not so much).

A wonderful Christmas time.

Sage and her best buddy, Aurora, getting ready to make molasses cookies

This Christmas is definitely going to be a lot more fun than last Christmas. Last year we were friendless (we'd only lived here 4 weeks), homeless (still living in a vacation condo) and jobless (still hashing out contract details). Oy....glad that time is past.

This year is off to a good start. Christmas tunes playing, tree decorated, lights hung outside and presents wrapped and under the tree.

Sage and I made a different kind of cookie every day this week. We used our cookie scoop to make little dough balls, placed them on a cookie sheet, froze them for an hour and popped them into ziploc baggies. Now our freezer is full and ready for baking and cookie deliveries this coming week.

We're serious about our treat making. This was the line-up:

Monday: Gingerbread men (for our tree)
Tuesday: Chocolate Chip Cookies
Wednesday: Peanut Butter Cookies
Thursday: Em's Sugar Cookies (divine!)
Friday: Molasses Cookies
Saturday: Buckeyes


CCC and Buckeyes for a neighborhood cookie exchange today.

The Buckeyes are kind of like a Reese's Cup for grown-ups (hence the sea salt sprinkled on top). Delicious and addictive.

{buckeyes}

via smitten kitchen

Yield: 36 to 42 tablespoon-sized candies (we got about 52)

1/4 cup (2 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 7 graham crackers)
1/2 teaspoon salt ( if you use natural pb this is a must!)
2 3/4 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks or 5 ounces) butter, melted and cooled
12 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72%), coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons coarse sea salt

Make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and peanut butter together until combined. Add the graham cracker crumbs and beat for 10 seconds. Add the sugar and butter, and mix on the lowest speed until it stops floating off everywhere, then increase the speed until the ingredients are combined. Scrape down the whole bowl well, then mix again. The mixture will be quite sturdy and a little dry — perfect for shaping. Set it aside while you prepare the coating.

Make the coating: Melt the chocolate either over a double boiler, stirring until it is completely smooth or in a microwave in 30 then 10 second increments, stirring before you start it again until it is completely smooth. Let it cool to tepid (about 100 degrees) while you shape the peanut butter centers.

Assemble the candies: Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Scoop out slightly more than one tablespoon’s worth of filling (I used a scoop that made them a little smaller) and use your hands to form it into a ball. Place the ball on the prepared sheet and repeat the process until all of the candies have been shaped. They can sit close to each other but make sure they are not touching.

Using a fork or large skewer, dip each ball into the chocolate and roll it about so that the entire candy is coated. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Chill the buckeyes until they are set, about 30 minutes. Buckeyes will keep in the fridge for about a week.

A test.

Home birth midwives don't have much use for ultrasounds...if you want one great, if not great. I didn't really want to pay money for a five-minute ultrasound just to tell me the sex so I ran over to Target and picked up a little test called Intelligender. Similar to a pregnancy test... green means you're having a boy and yellow, a girl.

And it turns out we're having a boy! It will be fun adding another little guy to the crew.

The only tricky part about boys are the names. I have a long list of girl's names but those boy names plague me. We need something strong, easy to spell and say and not too common. Good thing we have a few more months to mull over this.

Buck

A note: We have a lovely buck (male deer) who would come and spend autumn days sunning himself in our backyard. We would always make sure to tell Sage when he was around..."Sage the buck is back." Now on to the story.

Yesterday Sage and Shane saw a woman on the street corner with a sign that read,

"Down on my luck, need a buck."

He read the sign to Miss Sage and she replied,

"We have a buck at our house. But he hasn't been around for awhile. Why does she need a buck?"

Shane explained.

Critters

Sage and a deer in the backyard

Run-in #1:
Recently I was waiting Shane's arrival after work. It was late, the house was dark and I was upstairs. I heard a bang and some shuffling, thinking my hubby was home I ran downstairs and yelled out my "hello." No answer. More shuffling. Suddenly I remembered that the back door was open. My adrenaline started pumping. Thinking there was an intruder I started flipping on lights and made my way to the mud room by the back door. Heart pounding, I turned the corner and saw....a wily raccoon in my kitchen trash. He hissed at me and not knowing what else to do I stomped my feet loudly and off he ran.

Run-in #2:
Early one morning a few weeks back Shane heard a crash outside. He looked out the window and saw a bear in our trash. In the light of morning we assessed the damage: backyard full of dirty diapers and two big piles of bear poo. Lovely.

Run-in #3:
Shane hitched a ride with a friend to Priesthood Session on Saturday night while the kids and I went off for a night with some friends. Shane arrived home around 8:15 PM and knocked but no answer. As he waited on the porch he saw a bear a couple houses down. The bear lumbered along on the sidewalk and then crossed the street. Waaaaay too close for comfort.

Our neighbor next door has had a bear cub and mama in her tree. Bears have also been spotted strolling around the alleys in the neighborhood.

The neighbor 3 doors down kept finding decapitated raccoons lying around his yard. He wanted to know what was creeping around at night and killing those 'coons so he set-up a motion sensor camera. After a few days he had a photo of a great big mountain lion.

This is why we don't go out in our backyard after dark.

Santa came early this year.

Ready to roll.

Generous old man that he his he brought us ski equipment, a rack for the car and season passes to Eldora, the resort in town. The season began 2 weeks ago and Shane and Sage have been up 3 times now.


Riding the chair lift for the first time.

Sage's first day out the bunny slopes were closed so they went straight to the green runs and hopped on the chair lift. Boo and I sat by the lift and watched Sage and Shane on their first run together. Needless to say it took a long time and many spills to make it down the mountain. After that Micah and I went on a walk then headed to the car for some lunch and snuggles in the open trunk. The skiers joined us later for some grub then back to the mountain.



It was a nice day for everyone. Micah napped in the car after lunch and I dozed a bit and by the end of the day Shane and Sage managed to squeeze in more than dozen runs! On the way home as Sage snoozed Shane told me that she did really well. She loved going fast and had no fear and never fell again after that first run. She'll be coming down on her own in no time.

Today this made me laugh...

Listen Up

The members of Pat McGee Band are machines; they do something like 200 shows every year. They've been around a long time and their sound is still fresh.

Wouldn't you know there's not a single decent youtube video of these guys so go here to listen.

Surrendering.

Our old kitchen...I miss that dishwasher...a lot.

I did it.

I finally caved and hired a house cleaner. Today was Yuliana's third time here. All it took was much badgering on Shane's part, Elder Uchtdorf's talk (slow down in times of turbulence) and then my SIL telling me that during a recent crazy, stressful time in her life she had a cleaning lady.

Fifteen months of sleepless nights have resulted in one tired mama. First it was the nursing woes...Micah and I would be up for an hour plus each time he nursed at night. I thought that was rough. Ha! Try getting up 6, 7, 8,9 times each and every night (for 10 months) to comfort an itchy baby. Sometimes it's easy and I just pop a binky in and we drift back to sleep. Other nights I'm in for the long haul....the walking and comforting, rubbing tummy or ears (his magic spot).

What took me so long to get some help? Some part of me felt that having a cleaner would be admitting that I'm a failure. I love keeping my home neat and clean. I love making everything from scratch (errr...used to). I love keeping it all together. But keeping it all together has been a distant memory this year. Unfolded laundry sits in baskets for a week at a time, floors gather dust and crumbs, dishes pile up all day long and we eat many a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner.

That said Shane is a marvelous helper. Guess who does the dishes most every night? Guess who makes yummy hearty breakfasts for his wife every morning? Pancakes, bacon and eggs, always something good to fill my belly. Guess who patiently takes Micah each morning at 4:30 AM so that I can get a few hours of real sleep? Only trouble is most nights we get the kids down and he hops on the computer and gets right back to work. Not much time (or energy) to clean at night.

We already love Yuliana. She comes once a week, cleans and even does some cooking. She showed up on her first day with homemade frijoles, tomatoes and peppers (from which she made homemade salsa) and tortillas. We gobbled her dinner down that night and we both agreed that it is worth every penny to have a clean home and delicious food that we had nothing to do with.

Listen Up

Thankfully the days of icky, sticky, painful break-ups are over. Even so I love Francis Dunnery and his ode to breaking up and moving on.

At last.

Micah is signing. We knew how darling it is to see a baby communicate this way since Sage was a big signer but it's even more thrilling to see Micah catch on...every milestone is long in coming with him and we've eagerly anticipated this day.

He signs: milk, more, apple, dog, light and up. We're working on other signs like: change diaper, daddy, mommy and lots more.

P.S. Micah doesn't really drink milk...we just call it that. It's millet, pears, salmon and ground beef blended with water and herbs and supplements. Bottle feeding is just the easiest way to get lots of calories in him.

Listen Up

In the words of Goldilocks, Matt White is just right.

Notes on Pregnancy

From the front....what baby?


Ohhhh...there it is.

I had Sage take those photos because I was in denial. Until I put this belt on and suddenly instant baby bump.

It seems like everything happens a little faster the 3rd time around. I'm 14 weeks along and already I've pulled out the maternity clothes. That skirt in the picture? Maternity. These skinny jeans I'm wearing at the moment? Maternity.

And this time I felt quickening pretty darn early. Would you believe it if I said 9 weeks? That definitely surprised me. I think Shane thinks I'm imagining things.

I love being pregnant. I feel really really blessed because besides peeing 4-5 times/night (I'm up with Micah...might as well empty my bladder and be comfy), craving steak and potatoes constantly, a humongous belly in the works and feeling a bit tired pregnancy is easy peasy. No morning sickness, no back pain, no nothing. I don't think I fully appreciated how easy it is until this time; I have a feeling it might be impossible to care for Micah (day or night) if I was sick and miserable. So in the midst of all the yuckiness of eczema there are still blessings to count.

Now I just need to find a midwife. There are a dozen or more home birth midwives in Boulder alone. Yikes. I'd better get a move on it.

Happy (sort of) Halloween

This Halloween we had: a sick Sage, a costume that never got finished (mea culpa Sage!) and a pumpkin eaten by squirrels. Oy.

Luckily Sage felt well enough to go to our friend's Halloween party last night, she happily agreed to a last minute costume (a repeat of 2 years ago) and we replaced our pumpkin.

Halloween is pretty much over for us now except for carving that pumpkin today and the traditional english muffin pizzas tonight.

All's well that ends well.

Listen Up

Audra McDonald takes lovely show tunes and brings them to life. This song is a tender one that I sang to both my babies.

Listen Up

M.I.A. kills me. Dare you not to get up and dance.

P.S. If you saw Eat, Pray, Love you might remember this song from when Elizabeth arrives in India.

Ear Candy

As a kid I loved deliciously scary books by authors like Roald Dahl and John Bellairs. And it seems that Sage inherited my delight in dark tales.

We've been reading Lemony Snicket's books, "A Series of Unfortunate Events." We're in the midst of book 5 (of 13) and loving every minute. It's always fun when you enjoy a book as much as your kiddo does.

Today in the car Sage quoted a bit for me from Book 3 (she's been listening to it non-stop during her quiet time):

"It was like the orphans were on a train that only stopped at stations of misery and horribleness."

That about sums up the experiences of the Baudelaire orphans, heroes of the series. Sounds miserable eh? It is...but it makes for a great time.

While zooming around on her bike.

Sage commented,

"Look at the pretty flowers! I don't have time to stop and smell them."

Listen Up

This song from Florence and the Machine gets my groove thang shakin'.

Life is full of surprises.

And this one will be appearing in May of next year.

Listen Up

Amos Lee is so soothing.

Worker Bee

Trimming the grapes

Sage is a good little worker. Each day she empties all the trash cans in the house, unloads utensils, cleans her room up, clears the table and once a week she rolls the big huge trashcans in at the end of trash day. We are glad she is learning to work BUT lately her attitude hasn't been so hot. In an effort to help her work cheerfully I taught her "Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel." I explained what shirking means and how we never want to shirk what needs to be done. She loves the song and I often hear her singing the chorus as she goes about her chores:

Put your shoulder to the wheel push along,
Do your duty with a heart full of song.
We all have work let no one shirk,
Put your shoulder to the wheel.

On a recent Saturday as we were all cleaning the house, Shane stepped away for a minute to check a score online. Sage saw him and quickly informed me, "Uh-oh! Daddy's shirking."

Listen Up

Mindy Gledhill's new album, Anchor, is magic. This song makes me want to fly away somewhere with Shane.

Best. Store. Ever.

Wow. I love this place. Name brand stuff, in great condition for dirt cheap. Just got some Kenneth Cole Peep toe heels for $6 and some red Steve Madden Platform heels for $12. Also got some Joe's Jeans for $15. The shirts are all between $6-10 and they are darling. There are tons of designer jeans: Sevens, Citizens and many more usually between $30-$50. And you can find belts, jewelry and great purses.

I try and go once a week (it's around the block from me) just to see what's new...there's always a great find.

Best part is Plato's Closet is all over the place. Go here to find one near you.

Mama-cation

My "baby" Robyn and I

You've heard of vacations and staycations...well last month was my mama-cation. I ran away from home for 5 days and went to Utah to see two of my favorite girls, Emily and Camille.

Day One (Saturday):
Shane and kiddos drop me off at airport and pick up my MIL, Shelly. She watched the kids so I could go....I could kiss her feet. I Fly into SLC , pick up my rental car and speed off to try to get to my pedicure appointment but find out I'm too late. Darn! Run over to Temple Square to meet my first "baby" (first missionary I ever trained) Robyn. We hug and talk and eat and walk and talk some more. I could have spent a whole day with her just catching up. It's funny because the love you feel for the missionaries you train is a kind of mama love. I'm so proud of her.

Arrive at Em's and get a tour of her beautiful new home. And then stay up late trying to cram too much talking into too little time.

Day Two (Sunday):
Sleep in until 7:45 AM!!! A miracle to sleep that many hours in a row. Em makes a mean bowl of oatmeal (peanut butter and cinnamon are two secret ingredients--brilliant Em!) and I gobble it all. Then off to Stake Conference---lucky me it's great. Home for an almost 3 hour nap---hallelujah-- and then dinner at Uncle Charles'. A delicious, restful day. Camille arrives that night and the party really gets started. We're bedmates....good because I LOVE chatting in bed, bad because we stay up waaay too late.


Shannon and I snarfing KK.

Day Three (Monday):
Rush off to Provo and pick-up sister-in-law Shannon on the way. Find a great parking spot by the MOA and off to our first class, "Teaching Children Joy."

Lunch at the Skyroom. The place I could never afford to eat as a freshman. Not quite as yummy as I remember but fun just to be there and reminisce.

After a long day of wonderful classes we hit up Krispy Kreme. Nothing beats a hot fresh, sugary, fatty donut. Except a second one.

Day Four (Tuesday):
Wake up in the wee hours of the morning sick as a dog. Let's just say I never strayed far from the bathroom. No Provo for me. I spend the day napping, watching Netflix and reading. I hate being sick but maybe it's my body's way of saying "You NEED to rest!"


Last fling at the Creamery. Sorry I ate all your fries Em.

Day Five (Wednesday):
Find the perfect parking spot yet again. Big deal at Education Week since there are 20,000 people attending. First class of the day, "Drawing on the Powers of Heaven to Realize Your Righteous Desires." Shannon and I hold back the sobs (barely) as our lovely teacher tells the story of losing her husband in a car crash on their 20th anniversary. After the accident is in the hospital for months and has 6 children to care for. That put my life and trials in perspective.

Do some damage at the Downeast Basics $5 sale. Two dresses, 1 tee, 2 swimsuits and a cardigan later I am all shopped out and we head to the Marriott Center for some Sheri Dew. Note to self: These boots aren't made for walkin'...cowboy boots might look adorable but they don't feel so good when you're haulin' around campus.

We eat at the Museum of Art (yum!) and then I wander about soaking up all the glorious art. More classes then homeward bound.

Watch a scary movie called "The Lovely Bones." My first scary movie in almost a decade (I swore them off on the mission). I decide no more...just can't do it. My heart is too weak. I can't take the suspense so I drag my suitcase downstairs and pack and peek every now and again at the screen. Say goodbye to Em and Camille since I leave at 5 AM.

Five wonderful, uplifting, delicious, hilarious days. Shall we do it again ladies? Say next week?

Micah talks.

At least he did this morning. And Shane is my witness. Thank heaven he was there or he would never have believed me.

We were saying our goodbyes to Shane as he headed off to work and Micah joined right in,

"Buh-bye Dada."

Melted our hearts.

Listen Up

Jess Penner makes me smile.

Listen Up

This may be the one and only song featuring my name...pronounced correctly and all! Emilie Simon is very French, tres funky. And given my current state the lyrics are fitting, "Alicia is sleeping."

Thrilling

Wearing Sissy's (Sage) shades

Every milestone that Micah reaches is so so exciting for us. When he first got eczema it was as though someone hit "Pause" and he's been stuck at 6 months old ever since-- in weight, size and progress. But here and there he starts doing something new and it gives us a reason to cheer.

2 weeks ago: began signing "up"

1 week ago: began holding bottle all by himself

Today: waved "bye-bye" to Shane. I got a bit teary eyed, it was just so sweet! These days whenever anyone mentions Shane, Micah perks right up and starts saying "dada." He love love loves Shane and always wants to be in his arms.

Update: Today (9-2) Micah clapped for the first time. Hope he keeps up the good work.

Listen Up

Love her or hate her, once you watch this video you'll have to admit that Imogene Heap is genius.

And so it begins.

First day of school came and went around here...two Fridays ago to be exact. Sage is going to a Waldorf charter school. We love Waldorf Schools; their basic philosophy is to educate heart, hands and mind. The kids at Waldorf do things like build treehouses and plant gardens, learn languages and play instruments. All lovely and good only trouble is tuition is somewhere in the neighborhood of $12K/year. Not happening for us...not for a few years at least. Luckily here in Boulder not only do we have a lovely Waldorf school, that we hope to send the kiddos to down the road, but we have charter schools galore. There are 8 or 9 charters in our town alone.

In January we entered a lottery and out of 200+ kids that were entered in the kindergarten lottery we were one of the 26 who got a spot. Hooray!

Our school BCSIS (Boulder Community School for Integrated Studies) is classic Boulder:

When we drop the kids off, all the parents and children gather outside the door and sing this song in Swahili (that's a wild guess)..."Funga alafia ash-ay ash-ay....I greet you with my mind, my heart, and go in peace."

A few classmate names that stood out:

Aurora
Elias
Sala
Axel
and best of all
Disco Diamond

The snack schedule:
M: rice and soy sauce topped with sesame seeds
Tu:hummus and carrots
W: lentil daal
Th: Lara bars
F: cheese and crackers

Every Thursday the kids go hiking. And get this, the teacher has the kids call her by her first name, Batya.

This is Boulder, wild and crazy and wonderful.

Dinner on the Deck

Sage did her own hair...very fancy. And check me out...I look as tired as I felt.

We try to do as much as we possible can out on the deck. Games, stories, meals...any excuse to soak up the view and the fresh air.

Yesterday afternoon was Farmer's Market where we picked up lots of yummies. I was feeling lazy (and tired) so we ditched our dinner plans and had a Farmer's Market meal instead---caprese salad. Mozarella, tomato slices, sprinkled with fresh basil, drenched in olive oil and balsamic vinegar with some sourdough to sop it all up.

Yum yum yum. Simple pleasures make us happy.

One

Our baby boy is one. All day I sang him every birthday song I know, "You've Had a Birthday" "Happy Happy Birthday" and "This Month is Such a Special One." He love love loved it....everytime I sang he smiled and giggled.

We celebrated with a slice of pear (one of the few foods he can eat) topped with two candles (Sage's idea---one to grow on).

Just in time for his birthday his first top tooth broke through. A few days later the second one came along. That makes four teeth total.

Shane and I tried for almost 3 years to get pregnant with Micah. When at long last I found out Micah was on his way you can imagine our joy. Then at his birth more joy. And Micah continues to bring us joy inspite of the challenges of eczema.

What a first year it's been for this kiddo. We think he is a brave, patient, darling boy and we think we'll keep him...eczema and all.

P.S. My sister Kassie was here on Micah's b-day and she took photos on her camera, put them on her laptop and then it crashed. Not sure if we'll ever see those again.

Jane Austen's Fight Club

If you're a Jane Austen junkie (oooooh me me!!) then this is funny. And if you're not....well no guarantees.

Listen Up

Alpha Rev. I like.

Casa Nueva

We decided we're up for an adventure. As long as we're going to rent this year why not rent a fun place like say a circa 1887 Victorian in the historic district?

I don't know whether to laugh or cry when I think about living there. No dishwasher (but I know a pretty good one named Shane), 60-year-old stove, no garage, creepy basement, no air conditioning--that's what fans and windows are for, right? Right? Riiiiight.



OK enough whining. It's 2 seconds from Pearl Street, Boulder's amazing downtown area. It's in the nicest part of town and just as quiet and lovely as can be.



Colorado jungle. Oh I mean our new backyard. But the consolation for all the yard work? Huge blackberry bush, plum trees, apple trees and grapes.




And here's what sold us: the infinity* deck off the master bedroom--if you can call it a master--our King bed will just barely squeeze in here. The view is perfection. We plan to spend our evenings out here and hopefully sleep out under the stars together. Micah did you hear that? I want to share my bed with my husband again...hope you'll cooperate.

*Infinity meaning a single guy lived here before and therefore there is nothing between the edge of the 2nd story deck and the ground. We plan to remedy that asap.

Listen Up

We're moving this week(end) and this is our theme song from Loudon Wainwright III.

Waiting for blessings.

Everywhere in nature we are taught the lessons of patience and waiting. We want things a long time before we get them, and the fact that we want them a long time makes them all the more precious when they come.

--Joseph F. Smith

Listen Up

Lindsey Ray. What a lovely voice and lovely lyrics to match...."you're the keeper of my heart."

Stressed spelled backwards is....desserts.

When Micah's eczema got bad in February my mother-in-law, Shelly, came to help. After a week I dropped her off at the airport and then drove straight to our health food store. I bought bags of kettle chips, 3 different kinds of cookies and a couple chocolate bars.

I polished it all off by the next day. And it helped me endure what I didn't think I could endure.

Ever since I've stocked a treat cupboard with goodies just for me. At the end of the day when my children are bedded down I go to my cupboard, pick my poison, flop on the couch and stuff my face.

And I feel better.

P.S. All good things must come to an end; when Micah is better there won't be any more sugar and carb binges. BUT for now I'm enjoying my vices.

Bella

Just watched this one recently. So sweet and tender.

P.S. You can find it on Netflix Instant

Everything's Gonna Be Alright

Playing. We treasure these happy moments as they don't come around every day.

Around 5 AM each morning I rouse Shane and he and Boo (that's Micah to you) leave on a walk (or run depending on how tired Shane is). A long walk. 2-3 hours long. Meanwhile Sage and I sleep.

Shane takes the night shift most every Friday and Saturday. It's exhausting. Micah wakes 6-8 times every night and some nights he can't be consoled and that means holding and walking for long periods of time. Just yesterday morning Shane woke me around 5 AM, handed Micah to me and off we went on a walk of our own.

Nothing like some good hills to remind me that I haven't done any exercising in 6+ months (save weekend hikes). It's sad to admit this but exercise is dead last on my list of priorities these days...sleep takes the cake. Any moment I can sleep I will.

Boo and I walked through the historic district and I admired all the gorgeous Victorians and tree lined streets. Some day we'd love to live there.

The walk was lovely but around 7th and Spruce Micah decided it was time to start scratching and there was no stopping him. The only thing to do when the scratch fest begins is pick him up and pin his arms to his side. So there I was holding a wiggling, fussy baby and pushing the B.O.B. on top of that. I sighed a few times to myself and wished for the day when Micah is healthy and happy and I won't have to lug him home 20 blocks.

We walked and walked through the early morning stillness and as we approached home I heard music blasting from a little cottage. It was Alicia Keys singing her heart out: "Everything's gonna be alright."

A tiny smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I remembered that some day Micah will be all right.

"Some blessings come soon, some come late, and some don’t come until heaven; but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come."
-Jeffrey R. Holland

P.S. Micah is getting better slowly. We've had lots of missteps and tried everything under the sun. Finally our dear friends Bryan and Paige referred us to their friend, Jane, in Australia who has been through the same eczema hades. She is sharing with us what worked for her children and we are seeing results at long last. We hope and pray every day that maybe, just maybe, he'll be better in time for his first birthday in a month. We'll keep our fingers crossed.

I should have mentioned this sooner.

We absolutely have insurance.

It's catastrophic insurance with a very high deductible (think 5 figures) but it's there just in case. We pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 per month for family coverage; if ever we need medical care before meeting our deductible we pay cash.

You can count on one hand the number of times we've needed medical care during the past seven years. That is until eczema came along. Micah's hospital stay is the first time our insurance will actually kick in and cover something and boy are we glad to have it.

So no, we won't be paying $62K to Children's Hospital. Phew!

Listen Up

Such a catchy song from Ingrid Michaelson. I just heard this on Christie's lovely new website and I can't get it out my head.

Daddy Day

Yesterday around 1 PM*

Around this house we think Shane is pretty great so we decided to spoil him today. This is what he ate:

• German pancakes with fresh raspberries and strawberries and fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast.
• A Chicken Pot Pie for lunch---courtesy of the Farmer's Market. I think that Chicken Pot Pie is repulsive so I never make it but I'm always happy to buy one for Shaner.
• Steak with caramelized onions and mushrooms for dinner. Chocolate mousse and strawberries for dessert.

And this is what he unwrapped:

A B.O.B. stroller for runs with Micah

A lovely painting created by Sage

And last but not least...a nose hair trimmer. Just what he's always wanted.

We were so happy to have a day to celebrate our favorite man.

*If you look closely at that picture you'll see Micah all strapped down and blindfolded. No this is not a POW camp...it's our bedroom. He gets strapped in for sleep to prevent him from scratching otherwise we wake up to a bloody baby. And the blindfold helps him sleep longer...no lie. Why he sleeps on a mattress on the floor is a story for another day.

A Conversation with Sage

S: I love you as many as the sand in the park.
A: I love you too Sagie.
S: As much as the sand in the park?
A: I love you as much as the stars in the sky.
S: Dad said that once. I don't think there's much stars in the sky.
A: There are millions and billions of stars in the sky.
S: More than the sand in the park?
A: Yup.
S: I can't believe my ears!

Boulder Love: Part 2

Off to Bands on the Bricks. I caught Shane mid-chomp.

Recently I met a dad who summed up why he loves living here,

"Bottom line is you can't beat the quality of life here in Boulder."

I wholeheartedly agree.

Late this afternoon the kids and I strolled around the Farmer's Market (just a few blocks from our little townhome). We sampled delicious food, listened to a marimba band, watched some break dancing and enjoyed the sunshine. We bought luscious tomatoes, greens, mushrooms, snap peas and a fresh loaf of sourdough.

Sage and Shane just left for Bands on the Bricks. Every Wednesday night on Pearl St (the main drag---just a few blocks from us) they have family friendly bands playing in front of the courthouse. This is Boulder so they hopped on their bikes and cruised on over. This is definitely a biking/walking kind of place.

Boulder is so mellow, so laid back, uber-hip without even trying. There's always something fun going on.

I love my town.

Listen Up

Eric Hutchinson sings some of my favorite feel good music.

Yum Yum Monday

{chocolate mousse}

5 TBS cocoa (not Dutch)*
4 TBS coconut oil*
3 TBS sugar (I use rapadura)
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/4 c. cream
1 tsp. vanilla
3 egg whites
1 TBS sugar

1. Put 1/2 inch of water in pot. Boil water then lower heat to a simmer. Meanwhile find another pot that fits snugly into the pot of boiling water. In this pan place cocoa, oil and sugar. Melt, stirring frequently. Put aside and let cool until slightly warm.
   
2. Combine yolks and cream and gradually add melted chocolate. Mix with a wooden spoon. Add vanilla.
3. Beat whites in a scrupulously clean bowl. Add sugar when soft peaks form. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. watch carefully because if the peaks gets too stiff they mess with the consistency of the final product.
4. Fold whites into chocolate mixture with a rubber scraper (think folding an envelope).
5. Chill until firm, about 2 hours. Or if you're all about instant gratification like us throw your bowl in the freezer for 20 minutes. This mousse is super duper rich so we like to cut it with banana and strawberry slices.
   

*You can substitute 5 oz. of bittersweet chocolate (60% or higher) for cocoa and oil

We got the bill from Children's Hospital yesterday.

The grand total?

$62,295.26

Sage Spouts

(while visiting us at the hospital):

"You know what's great about hospitals? You don't have to clean your room."
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Another hospital visit where she gleefully related eating a yogurt parfait from Whole Foods...in the bathtub :

"Dad and me were getting into all kinds of trouble."
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Sage recently went on a school field-trip to the Haagen-Daas store downtown. She couldn't wait to tell me about it when she returned home:

"I got ice cream at the Hoggin-Dog store."
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When I make a mistake I usually say "Crap, crap, crap!"

Someone was listening and when she made a mistake recently I heard:

S: "Crab. crab. crab!"

Glad she heard that one wrong.
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Singing Do- Re-Mi from The Sound of Music:

"Do, a deer a female deer, Re, a tropical sun."