Christmas Ideas

Earlier this week I was so inspired from our MOPS Christmas brunch. We had a very insightful pastor come and speak to us about how to keep Christmas simple and meaningful, followed by discussion at our individual tables about the struggles and joys of Christmas in our families. I came away full of ideas of how to enhance my family's Christmas seasons in the future. Even though I called Rick right away about all this, I know we both are so forgetful so I thought I'd jot them down here and share them with you.

Samaritans Purse: The pastor's brother and his wife have ten children and to keep Christmas simple in their household they give their children the gift of giving. Each child is given forty dollars to spend however they would like from the catalog Samaritan's Purse, which is an international relief organization.

Jesus Ornaments: For the month of December every day you put a new ornament on your tree that has a different name of Jesus written on it. After you place the ornament on the tree, you read a passage or quote about that particular title.

Secret Elves: For the 12 days of Christmas your family draws names and secretly does nice things for each other daily until Christmas.

Nativity: Place a child friendly nativity set below your tree in front of all the presents to remind your children that the real gift of Christmas is the birth of Jesus.

There were so many other great ideas but already I have forgotten them! I'm glad I at least documented these so I can start on some of them next year. If you have any other Christmas traditions or ideas please share!

Baby Update

People that are near and dear to me seem to be having babies lately!

On December 13th, my brother Steve and his beautiful wife Jamie had a big handsome baby boy named Charlie who weighed in at 10 lbs 1 oz and was 22 inches long. This is a large baby by any standards, but Jamie is only 4'10" with a petite frame and so I am especially impressed. I wish we lived closer... I am dying to meet Charlie!

My brother Kevin and his gorgeous wife Rachel had a sweet little girl also named Adelaide (we love that name in our family... one half of the cousins have it!) Adelaide was born October 15th and was 8 lbs. 10 oz and 21 inches long. Rachel's labor was really long- she is so incredible! I got to meet Adelaide a couple weeks ago and will see her again this Christmas... so excited!

My good friend Shelley and her husband Mike recently had a precious baby boy named Liam. This is Shelley's sixth child, yet she still remains so relaxed and easy going- she is amazing! I met him for the first time today and I am in love!

Santa is Scary

Over the weekend I took Adelaide to a Christmas party so she could sit on Santa's lap. Well, apparently Santa is really scary. She super freaked out when I tried to put her on Santa's lap, but settled on a pouty face when I held her next to him for a quick picture.

She mostly resembles Rick but sometimes resembles me when she makes her sad face.

1st Popsicle

Yesterday Adelaide had her very first Popsicle. I didn't grab the camera in time but when she first got a hold of it she held the cold part in her hand and started biting on the stick instead. Eventually she figured it out and seemed to enjoy it. :)

Headbands to the Extreme

Normally these girls have a hard time keeping their headbands on but this particular day Adelaide and her friend Dakota couldn't get enough of them! I know, they kind of look like hospital patients with brain injuries.

Adelaide & Dakota

Little Miss Tech Savvy

I recently got a smart phone and I am still trying to get the hang of it- I am a little technologically challenged. I seriously think Adelaide (who is technically not allowed to touch my phone) knows how to use it better than I do. I have seen her pick it up and gently swipe her fingers across the screen to unlock it. Funny girl!

This is not staged... she got up on the bed next to her Dad , put my laptop on her lap and pretended to talk on the phone... wants to be like her daddy I guess.

Figuring out how to use Mommy's phone.

One Hand Out

It has been chilly here in Boulder so when Adelaide and I go on our morning runs I bundle her up. Well apparently Adelaide doesn't like to be so cozy. This morning she was a little whiny for the first mile and then suddenly she was quiet and happy. I looked down at her and noticed one of her arms had escaped out of her jacket. Once it was free Adelaide enjoyed the rest of the ride despite the funny looks we received from other joggers and their dogs.

happy & free

Baked Pears

I have never baked a pear before in my life, but let me tell you that these stuffed pears are so delicious! I originally saw this idea in one of my vegetarian cookbooks but then I found a recipe I like even more on the blog Live Laugh Eat. I only changed her recipe slightly:

Ingredients:

3 pears

4 oz goat cheese

5 dried figs

1 T honey

1/4 C chopped pecans

dash of cinnamon

sparkling cider

Directions:

preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the goat cheese, figs, pecans, honey and cinnamon in a bowl.

Cut the pears lengthwise and cut out the cores.

Spoon the filling into the pears and place in a baking dish. Pour apple cider into the pan so it creates a shallow bath. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Enjoy!

I served it on its own platter alongside a spinach salad with poppyseed dressing and it was a big hit... Even Rick liked it and he normally hates goat cheese.

Missing my Grandparents

Two nights ago I woke up at 4:00 in the morning from a dream about my grandpa. I was in a large room with tons of people and I heard my grandpa laughing and looked over to see my dad and some other people talking with him. By the time I made it over to them my grandpa had left and then I woke up. So now I can't stop thinking about my grandpa and how much I miss him... He is one of my greatest role models and I was always impressed with how kind, wise, charitable, loving and adventurous he was. Sometimes before I make a decision I think to myself "What would Grandpa do?" and I find that always helps me take the better path. I especially think of him and my grandma around the holidays because I have so many fond memories with them during this season. The day after Christmas we would go up to the Santa Cruz mountains and chop down our Christmas trees and then head back to their house to put up their massive tree and eat Thanksgiving leftovers. On the drive down the mountain the grandkids would sit in the back of his truck alongside the tree and sing Christmas carols. We would go up to their cabin in Tahoe most winters and go sledding, eat Grandma's snow ice cream, and play games. I miss those days and I miss my Grandparents but just thinking about all this brings a smile to my face.

Me Grandpa & baby Jessica

Best Juice Ever

Rick gave me a juicer two years ago for Christmas and although I was initially super excited about it, I haven't used it much since we moved to Colorado. I am suddenly motivated to use it again and that is partly because of this delicious recipe I spotted online. I have adapted it slightly and here is what I used to make the best juice of my life:

Ingredients:

1 large apple

2 carrot sticks

2 oranges

1 lime

1 mango

1 inch cube of fresh ginger

Directions:

Cut everything small enough to fit into your juicer, scrub the carrots, peel the oranges, lime and mango, and cut a little cube of ginger. Throw it all into the juicer and enjoy!

I think I especially like this juice because it's cold outside and this feels like a little tropical getaway in liquid form.

Movember is Almost Over!

I have to say I am pretty excited that Movember is almost over... only two more days! We just got back from a trip to Arizona for the Thanksgiving holiday and Rick's mustache was a big hit among family and friends. We attended Rick's 10 year high school reunion (I know, I am married to an old man!) and there were some other Movember participants there so obviously they bonded. I went Black Friday shopping for the first time in my life and I came across this lovely shirt:

I almost got it but didn't because the month is almost over and I don't want to encourage the mo the other eleven months of the year.

Adelaide Gets Groovin'

My second blog post. Normally, Emily is the mastermind behind this blog, but since she refused to post this video, I had to get in on the blog action myself.

Disclaimer on Emily's Behalf: In this video, she was practicing for a youth dance festival that she was choreographing.

Adelaide Gets Extreme: Part 3

Adelaide's extremeness increases every day. Here is some video of her latest father-daughter trick. It makes the days of simply balancing on Rick's hands seem like no big deal.

Movember is Here

What is Movember you ask? Well, I gathered from their website that it is the marriage of 'The Mo' (slang for mustache) and the month of November. This event challenges men to grow a mustache for the entire month and simultaneously raise awareness and funds for cancers that affect men. Rick's face is participating by growing yet another mustache and you can check out his Movember profile here.

I guess I have mixed feelings about all this- I am proud he is helping to raise funds for a worthy cause, yet I find myself counting down the days until December when I will hopefully be able to touch my husbands freshly shaved face again. You know what, it's not even that I need it to be clean shaved- I love the scrubby unshaved look as well, the early stages of a beard.... I'm just not a huge fan of the 'stache, it kind of makes me feel like I share a bed with an ice cream truck driver.

Check it out for yourself:

Happy Movember!

Adelaide Gets Mobile: Part 2

It was fun watching Adelaide master crawling but it has been even more fun watching her learn to walk. She has been walking now for a few months but we have finally documented some of her journey. Enjoy!

The Bet is Still On

So back in July Rick and I began a workout bet that is still going strong. However, we quickly grew tired of only running, biking, or swimming six days a week so we have made some changes to our original contract.

A workout can consist of any of the following:

2 mile run
30 minute workout video
30 minute workout class
1 hour or 7 mile bike ride
2o minute swim
1 hour power walking
Day of sports including water-skiing, wake-boarding, snowboarding, skiing, etc.

Also, we have established that if we both fail on the same day we must donate to a mutually agreed upon charity.

This bet has been an adventure so far... There have been days where I didn't have time or forgot to workout until around midnight and have had to hit the gym while half asleep. It is amazing what gets done when you have bragging rights on the line.

Xylophone

Adelaide has recently discovered her xylophone even though it has been in with her toys forever. She spends long stretches of time playing cute little tunes on it and I am surprised at how gently she does it. Maybe she will be the musical type?

Indo Partners

Adelaide is no stranger to the Indo Board, She rode it while in the womb. But lately she has been riding it alongside her Dad, hands up style. I would be lying if I said this didn't terrify me, but it is also pretty cute.

Toothbrush Lover

Adelaide loves to brush her teeth. I guess she was insanely jealous of all the fun I had brushing my teeth and now whenever she can get a hold of a tooth brush she wanders around the house scrubbing away. What a character.

Family of Robots

I had this amazing vision of being a family of robots for Halloween this year. Rick and his dad whipped up our costumes using boxes, paper bags and paint that dried just in time. It took about 30 seconds after we put them on to realize how impractical they were. Adelaide kept trying to pull hers off and simultaneously run away from us. Meanwhile, Rick and I would try to chase her as fast as possible in our very inflexible, uncomfortable, and toxic smelling boxes. When we did finally catch up with her we were incapable of picking her up because our boxes didn't bend that way. So basically we ditched the costumes and called it a night... Lame I know. Instead of trick or treating we put Adelaide to bed and watched Titanic on TV which threw us both into a bout of depression.



We did manage to get one picture though:)


I hope you all had adventurous Halloweens!

Halloween Countdown

We are so excited for Halloween and are really enjoying this time of year. Fall is so beautiful in Boulder. Last year we had an early snow so we didn't get the full experience of how wonderful October can be until this year.

We love counting down the days on our Halloween Calender.

Spoooky.

We have gone to a couple pumpkin patches with corn mazes.

Cute mini pumpkins.

I love the decorative squashes.

Adelaide with pumpkins.

Growing Up Too Fast

Apparently Adelaide is ready to go bra shopping.

Hooray for the Giants

Can I just say that we are beaming with pride since the Giants have made it to the World Series and won their first game last night! I have always loved the Giants and have so many fond memories of going to their games in San Francisco. I have been trying to brainwash Adelaide into thinking she is a Bay Area girl and dressed her up in orange and black for the Rockies vs. Giants game last month.

Go Giants!

Surfing in Colorado

One of the things Rick misses most about California is surfing. It was so nice for him to have surf sessions as a relaxing workout... He would come home from the beach tired but feeling great... I think "enlightened" was the word he would often use to describe his mood. Contrast that with the "I hate running" I hear from him most days after a quick jog. Since there are no waves here in Boulder we have the next best thing... A coat rack made from his first surf board. Rick's brother Nick is the creator of this masterpiece. Isn't it quirky and fun? You almost don't want to hang anything on it because it is so amazing.

Bright & Sunshiny Day

Sometimes we wake up with this view from our window since we live less than a mile away from where hot air balloons take off. I'm pretty sure that such an adventure is only allowed on days with perfect weather- clear, sunny and not too windy. We love that we can rely on these delightful balloons to be our weather forecast every once in a while.

Claustrophobia?

Adelaide does not love her snow suit. I tried it on just to make sure it would fit for the winter and she was not a happy camper. We had this same problem last year too. Perhaps she is claustrophobic? I can relate to this because I absolutely cannot handle my feet being covered- I hate how the sheets are so tightly made on hotel beds and would probably cry just like Adelaide if I were forced to sleep in a zipped up sleeping bag.

"Get me out of here"

First Kiss

I know Adelaide is a little young, but she definitely has a crush. His name is Jack and although he is a few months her junior, he has captured her heart. Last week Adelaide gave him lots of kisses followed by big grins and the clapping of her hands. What does this mean she'll be like when she is 16?!

It was clear that Adelaide enjoyed this, but we're not quite sure how Jack felt.

Aimee's Visit

I have been absent from my blog for a little while because I was busy with an old friend visiting from Australia. In college I did an exchange program in Perth and lived with a family that had 5 very energetic kids. They are the cutest family ever and I'm so glad I got to know them during my time abroad. I think of them as my Australian family. One of the daughters, Aimee, who is now 15, came to visit me for two and half weeks. We had a great time exploring Boulder and Denver and took a road trip out to Utah for a weekend. Her mom Carrie also came out for a couple days. We miss them and their cute accents and slang now that they are gone.

We went to the Hammonds Candy factory in Denver where we were treated to fresh, warm lollipops. Adelaide loved them so much she stole Aimee's and consequently became a big sticky mess.

I took Aimee to the farmer's market where we ate yummy lunches. On the way out the police were very forcefully waking up a homeless man trying to sleep and I think it kind of freaked Aimee out. She had never seen a homeless person in her life until coming here.

We played rock band at the Wittwers and Aimee got into it. She especially loved doing the song "Here Comes the Sun" and she convinced us all to play it over and over again.

Aimee and I got some much needed pedicures.

Aimee stated pretty early on that "You Americans are obsessed with pumpkins!" I never really noticed this until she said it, but seriously look around- pumpkins are everywhere in the fall! I am guilty as I have pumpkin soap, pumpkin candles, pumpkin lights, pumpkin tea towels, and a pumpkin kitchen mat. So of course, I took Aimee to a pumpkin patch.

We had a cheesemaking class at church and I don't know if Aimee was very interested in the cheese aspect, but she loved holding this baby!

Aimee really loves Harry Potter. Someone drew this with chalk outside the Boulder library.

We took Aimee and a friend Meghin to the Rockies vs. Giants game. I was obviously rooting for the Giants and was sad that they lost but it was still such an awesome game.

Aimee.

Rick.

Me.

Adelaide's tiny head.

We planned a weekend road trip to Utah so we could show Aimee Salt Lake City and BYU and visit with my brother and very pregnant sister in law Rachel.

Aimee, me, Emily and Rachel after the LDS General Conference.

Aimee, me , my cousin Jared and his wife Kat.

Kevin, Penny the bird, me, Aimee and Rachel. Aimee loved the way that Rach talked and couldn't stop talking about how Rachel reminded her of Jamie Lynn Spears.

At the mall I tried to warn Carrie about the pushy sales people but we still got trapped. The straightener was amazing though.

Of course they had to enjoy the magic of Love Sacs while they were here.

Aimee and I went shopping A LOT while she was here. I kept thinking, "wow, this girl can shop," but once Carrie came I realized where she got it from! Going shopping with these two was the most fun I've ever had and I didn't even buy anything. They got excited about everything and just went crazy as you can see. So Fun.

Exhausted after a long day of shopping. We got to the shopping center around 3 and didn't leave until after 8.

Adelaide loved Carrie and Aimee and is so bored with me now that her two new friends are gone! Thanks for visiting Carrie and Aimee!