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."
________________________________________________________________

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."
________________________________________________________________

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."
________________________________________________________________

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.
________________________________________________________________

Singing Do- Re-Mi from The Sound of Music:

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

7-Year Itch & Fir-tee

Round here our anniversary and my birthday go together.

We celebrated 7 years last Sunday. We've had the seven-year-itch....not the usual kind but the Micah variety. His eczema has defined the past 6 months and maybe the next six. Whatever the case I'm grateful I can go through the ups and downs of life with Shane by my side. I can't imagine a more steady, kind, thoughtful, attentive and genuine man; he still makes my heart flutter when he kisses me. He has made these past 7 years my favorite years.

Shane's claim to fame in 7 years of marriage? He has never once said an unkind or hurtful thing to me. He has nothing but praise, loving words and an occasional suggestion thrown in.

And yesterday I turned thirty (or "fir-tee" as Sagie says). I think I'm going to like being over the hill. At least now it sounds like I'm catching up with Shane, who has been in his thirties for a long time.

We celebrated with a night on the town...first date in a very, very long time. We had a sweet babysitter who didn't mind Micah's waking and crying (thankfully only twice).

We ate at a fancy schmancy restaurant...the kind of place where a meal takes 2 hours and you're served sorbet between courses to cleanse the palate. Every bite was a treat. Then we walked downtown and wandered while reviewing aloud the past 7 years...the highs, the lows and everything in between. It was a lovely evening spent with my favorite person.

Here's to 7 more. And at least fifty more after that.

Today this talk is keeping me going.