Joyeux Noel...part 2

Yes, yes, I know I am slow on this.

We woke on Christmas morning when daddy got home from work. Well, Luke woke up, I was allowed to sleep in another hour. I'm quite grateful for that! But then the fun began.

Luke could not hold his excitement at being able to finally tear into the presents without getting into trouble. I add that caveat because he tore into two gifts on two separate occasions and presented his treasure to us with pride. Imagine his disappointment when it was taken away and he got to spend a few minutes in time-out for that little trick. But he learned, and now he was ready to devour the paper. He thought it was great fun and couldn't get enough! He even enjoyed the orange & apple I put in his stocking (momma & daddy got one of each, too, don't worry!). The orange instantly became a temporary baseball while the apple became an instant breakfast. Goofball kid...but I can't complain that he loves his fruit.

He thought it was great fun that he was allowed to help us tear the paper off of our gifts, but he also thought our stuff was very boring. It didn't make sounds, it didn't have Lightning McQueen on it, and it wasn't something that he could put together to drive stuff on or use as an airstrip. His toys, however? He was in complete heaven! I'm also proud to report the few items of clothing were much appreciated as he attempted to wear all of it at the same time, pre-washing. The books he received were all read (at least in part) before noon. And the puzzles were sadly told they had to wait until we could find a spot on the floor to put them together. What a great kid to patiently wait for that to happen!

Once things were somewhat picked up, family was called, and everyone was fed I took off to deliver some cookies to friends in Penrose. Daddy took a well-deserved nap and Luke joined him for a bit. I wasn't gone that long, but they were both up & playing by the time I got home.

All-in-all, we had a fantastic day that was full of nothing but family fun. As much as I enjoy being with extended family on holidays, it is pure love to have Christmas morning involve just me & the boys.....

Joyeux Noel...part 1

I had so much fun preparing for Christmas this year. Luke's third seems to have been the most fun thus far, and he was certainly ready! After quite some time of exclaiming over the lights, helping me put up the decorations, doing a really good job of staying calm while we gave toys to OTHER kids, and deciding he wanted nothing to do with the Christmas program at church, Christmas Eve finally rolled around.

Daddy had to work, but Luke and I went to the 5:30 candlelight service at our church. That's earliest Christmas Eve service I have been to in a very, very long time. When I lived in Hawaii I went to an 8pm service, but that WAS the late service. Otherwise, it's been only 11pm services since I was young and my parents decided I was old enough. That is, however, much too late for a little child. I was actually quite surprised at just how crowded it was! I figured most of the kids went to the 3:30 Barn Service, but there were still quite a few at this one. Luke was fidgety, and he even let the entire congregation know he wanted to talk. "Can I talk NOW??" And a round of laughter. I was really amused, but also mortified. He survived, though, and he loved the candles. Then came time for us to have a special treat for dinner: Christmas pancakes at IHOP!

This really was a treat because we don't go out that often. I was just sorry Daddy couldn't join us for this one festive occasion, though. You see, this was the reward for the gift Luke gave us, fittingly on Christmas Eve. A year ago this month (January) he had been fully potty trained as was doing really, really great. When I had my pulmonary embolism in February, all that training went down the toilet. It was so bad for a while that he would have a full-fledged panic attack if we even attempted walking into a public restroom....which ended up painful for the parents, but we dealt. For the past almost year we have been fighting to get him back onto the potty. On Christmas Eve morning he marched into the bathroom, sat on his potty, then hollered to us at the top of his lungs "I POOPED!" And that was all it took! He's been in big boy pants ever since!

We got home a little after 8, later than Luke's bedtime, but it was a special night. I let him watch a Christmas show, we continued tracking Santa on NORAD's map, and he was too excited to go to sleep. Eventually he caved, and Santa was able to make his visit. I finally climbed into bed somewhere around 2am, and the sugar plums danced in our heads all night long....

New Year's Eve....

I know I still need to post on Christmas and my crazy child. He definitely gave us a unique present this year, but it's one we're more than happy to have. More will come on that later...

For now, I want to remind everyone that this is a night that is so much fun for everyone. Last year I posted about the AdAmAn (add a man) Club from our area and their annual climb up Pikes Peak to shoot fireworks at midnight. What a fantastic way to ring in the New Year, and let me tell you just how jealous I am of them this day! It is glorious outside. Not too cold (should be in the teens on the summit), just a little bit of wind, robin egg-blue skies with no clouds. Absolutely gorgeous!! And perfect for climbing! As I write this the team is about 2-miles from summit, meaning they have about 2 hours left to climb. They should summit about 3pm MT. They can then rest a bit, enjoy a donut and something warm to drink, set up for the 5 fireworks at 9pm in honor of the original Frozen Five, and make sure all is ready for the midnight show. They've also assured us that they have extra fireworks this year for a bigger show. Yay!

This year they've done things just a little bit differently. Sure, they've done the same thing of leaving Manitou onto Barr Trail yesterday morning, camped at Barr Camp overnight, and left the camp this morning around 9am. Sure, they've flashed the mirrors and let everyone in the Springs know their status. But this year they've joined cyberspace! They're tweeting and Facebooking status updates.

So, for now, the point of this post is to let everyone know that. Make sure you check them out! Follow them on Twitter at TheAdAmAnClub, and on Facebook at The AdAmAn Club. In honor of this, I will TRY to get a few pictures of the fireworks tonight. I just don't know how well it will work since I'm far enough away and it's dark...but I'll definitely try...

Salty Thoughts...

As I glanced out my kitchen window last night I noticed how the dark clouds with a flat edge contrasted the sky and I was instantly swept back to my days in Hawaii. To see how easily the pale blue sky fell right into the dark blue ocean always fascinated me. Unless it was night, I always gawked as I drove home from the Tunnel to Hickam, or crossed to the Windward side of Oahu via the Pale, Like Like, or eventually the H-3. There were times it was tiring to see the white clouds hanging low on the mountains and have to convince my brain that it didn't mean snow (unless we were talking about Maui or the Big Island, of course), and it was often frustrating to have a great amount of rain but never any lightning & thunder, but it never got old to see that great big body of water we know as the Pacific Ocean blending into the sky along the horizon.

I had someone look at me very oddly on Christmas Day, too. I had cookies to take to friends in Penrose, so hubby asked me to stop at the gas station to get him some more Dr. Pepper. Nevermind the fact we had plenty of cans in the garage, he wanted the 2-Liters. He's addicted. Now way around it. Regardless, I started giggling while waiting in line because the "Woohoo" song came on. I don't know the real name, I've always called it that. It came out the same day I landed in Hawaii and the only part of the words I remember are "WOOOHOOO!" So, that's how it came to be dubbed. Everytime I hear something that was popular while I lived there, I grow calmer, or warmer, or smell the ocean, or smell the sweetness of the pineapples that grew in the fields above my head at the Tunnel, or think of the boat (that would be submarine, not ship, and not a sail boat), or many, many, many hours sitting on the beach or in Aloha A'ina Park watching the ships & boats entering or leaving Pearl, and countless miles run on the roads, sidewalks, and bike paths on both Hickam & Pearl. Or it all floods back to mind. This day it made me warmer, and I told the person who looked to see what I was giggling about that this song made me instantly feel warmer because it reminded me of another time. I'm sure they thought I was completely out of my gourd, but it was the truth.

Hawaii has been on my mind a lot lately. It's not just because it's cold here and I still wish there was a place that had mountains as fantastic as the Rockies out my back door while beaches and that glorious salty scent of the ocean out my front door. There are reasons the place is on my mind. No, we are not moving. No, we are not taking a vacation (what the heck are those, anyway??). It's reasons that will come forward in due time. But they're such sweet memories that nobody needs a reason to think of them, anyway...

And The Fire Danger Is...

I couldn't help but take this shot at the beginning of the month. It was a whopping 2 degrees outside with 8 inches of snow on the ground. I started laughing.

Here's your sign!

Winter Wonderland....

I thought it might be fun to talk about our interesting early winter weather. When we get a good storm out here, it doesn't make much news. It's a little frustrating at times, but something those of us who live in Colorado have to bear with. It's a pretty widespread belief that Colorado equals mountain towns and skiing (sound familiar, Utah folk?), but what so many people in the nation, including the national media, have no idea that the areas with the major population are actually on the desert plains EAST of the mountains! Seriously, for us to get the snow we have this year is unusual. Even more unusual is the below zero temperatures. The first week of December we here in Pueblo had 8 inches of snow, didn't get above 10 degrees during the day, and were as cold as -18 at night. That is very, very early! We usually don't see that kind of cold until the end of January, and it lasts less time than this snap did. Yet, there was barely a breathe of mention about it. Oh well, life goes on.

But this weather that started back before Halloween has made me notice something. I'm truly shocked at the amount of kids who aren't properly outfitted for the snow and cold in a state that is no stranger to the stuff! Sure, I gave the benefit of the doubt in October because it was still early and many stores still didn't have a full stock of winter clothing, but in December? Really? Luke and I were toasty and enjoyed our snowy start to this month simply because we like to be outside and I'm one who will search the universe to get appropriate clothing. He is set with his snow pants, warm boots, gloves, hat, and coat. The most expensive thing being his boots because I kept being outbid on Ebay, so I bit the bullet and paid the average $25 for them. But while we were out there in appropriate gear that cost next-to-nothing, the other kids I saw were in light coats, no hats, no gloves (not even knit!), jeans, and tennis shoes. They'd be out for 5-minutes, MAYBE 10-minutes, then go back inside because they were cold. And we didn't see them out again. I know it costs money to outfit your kids for weather like this, believe me. I know! But even my parents, who for many years could barely afford to rub two dimes together, always managed to find us snow pants, boots, hats, gloves, and coats so we could play outside in the winter, and it didn't break the bank (thanks, guys! I REALLY appreciate that you did that for us!).

Anyway, I realized that we didn't have a sled for us, or for Luke. Griping about improperly geared children and I was neglecting this part of my son's life? Um, whoops. Luckily, I knew we could find some at Sports Authority and we dashed to the mall to buy one....but not until we trudged our snow packed road, ran down a bit and slid on our butts. We soon found neighbors in their windows laughing at us, and the dog was all-t0-pleased to join the fun. Upon our return, I immediately decked us out, inspiring giggles while I envisioned Ralphie's little brother being bundled up in A Christmas Story. Out the door we went and up the hill.

It didn't take long until the boys across the street came to join the fun. I took advantage of the moment and broke the camera out. Luke was having a ball! Sadly, just 2 days later, our snow had nearly all melted. We're still waiting for more (though current rumor has it we've got a good chance at a White Christmas..I hope so!)

Now for the contrast: the East Coast. My big brother and only sibling lives with his family in Virginia on the mouth of the Potomac River. They get some snow, but nothing spectacular. That's hard on a man who grew up in the Salt Lake Valley of Utah! Well, they received one whopper of a storm this week and it's my turn to be jealous. Actually, it's quite nice because they'll be moving to Shreveport, Louisiana in April, so Virginia is working on giving them some incredibly sweet memories before they leave. I'll steal and post the pictures of my beautiful niece and nephews playing in their approximately 2-feet of snow when I get them, but for now, I'll just share a couple that David took after just one short night of snowfall.

Global warming? I'd have to vote for a Global Cooling cycle, and I am enjoying it!

Neglect...

Good grief, I have neglected this blog! I love to write, and while I may not be the most gifted at the stuff, I get a lot of satisfaction from it. Why then have I basically forgotten about this very fun outlet for nearly a month? There's not one specific answer, but a lot of it does revolve around school. Some revolves around time with family and the ever-present "welcome to the Holiday Season" illnesses. Not much of an excuse, but it's the best I can offer.

There are certain times during the semester that I become a writing fool. I can handle it since I do love to write, but it takes time away from the recreational aspect of the outlet for me. Especially since the majority of what I write involves a great deal of reading, research, and figuring out what information I am actually going to use in the space allotted papers that deal with typically very past events. Not always the easiest of tasks, as was the case this semester. I chose to write on Sir William Wallace, who gained most of his American notoriety when Mel Gibson took his role in the film Braveheart. Talk about a tough man to find reliable information on! But the work paid off as I somehow managed to use every inch of space I was allowed and gained a 98 on the paper. Relief!

Mid-November also brings about a little bit of a frenzied time preparing for the Holiday Season. While it is only the three of us hanging out at the house this year, it does take a little planning. It seems like there's often a business trip planned around this time, we tend to get sick more often, and meals take more planning. Luke can't seem to shake cold, after cold, after cold. I actually managed to take the full-fledged Norovirus on this year (vs. past years when I was the one who grabbed the mild version) and decided to become friendly with the porcelain bowl and bathroom floor. The nice thing about it was that I didn't have to worry about the Thanksgiving calories! Jeff has managed to just get a few sniffles, so far. I guess we can't complain, really. It beats our usual "illnesses!"

As with all good things, it is time for me to refocus on my approaching finals. While I don't expect to have this blog be quite so quiet through this time, I do need to get through these final assignments and tests. So I now return to studying through the rest of the evening.....