Ode to Tchaikovsky

Violet, Ronin, Caleb & Stella at the Nutcracker.

FYI. I thought this was interesting...

Caleb's favorite part was the battle scene when the Mouse King gets killed. There was lots

of action, swords, loud noises, etc. Except he wanted it to be a Rat King and not a mouse king

because he loves mice.

The Arabian dance is my favorite, I love the swarthiness of the oboe.

I get a little choked up when I hear it for some reason. Actually, seeing

the Nutcracker makes me a little sentimental. It reminds me of Christmas

in Boise, going to see at the Morrison Center, dressing up, drinking

hot chocolate during the intermission and my mom wildly, air-directing

the Nutcracker March to a pretend orchestra...ah, the memories.

Choo-Choo

One of our favorite things to do is go to Pioneer Park & the Train Museum which is a minute from our house. They put the trains away for the winter but every December they bring one out and we go for a ride...no matter the temperature. This year we lucked out as it was slightly zero. So we all huddled in and sat under blankets. The trains are open air and the air is bitingly cold. out eyes were watering. Branden & I kept looking at each other, both thinking but not saying aloud.... why do we do this? It is too cold for open-air train rides! After the ride we eat terrible, store-bought, hydrogenated-laden sugar cookies and drink hot chocolate and sit on Santa's lap. A few years ago we all sat on his lap and that is the picture they use to advertise the event. There is one of Sawyer at 9 months, agog at Santa almost on the verge of bursting into tears. In the summer time we hear the train whistles everyday. "Everybody loves the sound of a train in the distance, everybody thinks it is true".........(name that song?) So we feel connected to the trains I guess. Anyway, I digress.......

As soon as Caleb got with ear shot of Santa, he started rattling off all the gifts he wanted (like Ralphy in the Christmas Story). Sawyer was more amused by 'the Grinch' roasting chestnuts on a BBQ outside the museum.

Sawyer sledding

on the new deck
pickin' blueberries
fair time & giant cabbagges

kisses
first day of school
raspberry picking with Auntie

Bridger baby
the boys and sunflowers
I am a slacker, big time slacker. However, I do have several excuses as to why I am so lame but I will spare you the details......
Summer came and went, we had a glorious summer. It was hot and dry, Branden was busy and we picked lots of berries. We had a visit from my mom and Amie, both of which were wonderful.
We are having an extended fall at the moment. Three weeks ago it looked like winter was here to but the weather turned and there is no snow, leaves are on the trees and our grass is even a vibrant green. The tramp is still up for Pete's sake and it is October 8th! This time last year the tramp was a distant memory. At the moment Dennis and Diana are here for a visit and the boys are loving it. Caleb has a special bond with his "Daddy Grandpa" and I there will be lots of tears when they go. Diana is wishing for snow for her photography shoot and I am sure she will jinx us with it. No, no snow.
The boys are both in preschool. Caleb loves it and Sawyer likes it when he gets there, but it takes a fair amount of coaxing and bribing to get him out of the house. When we ask what they learned at school, they reply "everything, I learned everything today".
Bridger baby is a little butterball. He is fat and happy, sleeping through the night and is in that really cute cooing, laughing stage (where it makes you want have another baby stage). I just want to squeeze him (not too hard of course).
Bran built a deck of the front of the house, a shed out back, got a moose and is now taking some time off.
Life is good.......and we feel blessed

Bridger baby!!

Hard to believe that it is already August. Bridger Joseph was born June 25 at 10:46 pm. It was a beautiful Thursday evening. Bran got home from a fire around 5, we went to dinner at 6 and my water broke at 6:30 (that was loads of fun in a skirt, let me tell ya). Everything went smoothly with the c-section, although the recovery was rough. Thank goodness my mom came up for a few weeks to make the transition. I don't know if I could have done it with out her. Thank you mom!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Make a Smilebox photobook