Change

I made a change today. Instead of putting dishes on the right side of the sink counter to dry, they now go on the left side. Okay, okay, I can hear your laughter, but this really is a matter-of-the-heart change for me. You see, a month or so ago Ryan expressed his desire to keep the right-side counter of the sink clear of dishes so that it wouldn't look cluttered. My compassion-filled heart responded (in my head, of course), "Well, he who does the dishes gets to choose. So I choose the right-side. It's what I have done for almost 2 years now." But today something was different. We decorated the house with our Christmas ornaments and items, set up Grandma's Christmas Tree for her and listened to Xmas carols most of the morning. Sometime after the decorating was finished, I decided the dishes needed to be done and just yesterday Ryan had been asking if we had a dish-drying wrack to put on the left-side of the sink. He had again expressed his desire to dry our dishes to the left of the sink. I had to do a little bit of organizing; finding a place for a basket of pens, putting away some cleaning supplies we keep to "the left," and putting the sippy cups away which have lived there for I don't know how long. But, after my heart was into the task, it was easy. I wonder how many other habits I am not kicking just because I am stubborn and don't want to change. I am sure I could list a few million. Guess I better take this change stuff one day at a time.

Smelly Cows

We made the long drive home yesterday, and man did those cows stink it up on the 5! I haven't smelt anything so bad in a long time. When we passed the last batch of cows I felt like we were stuck in a porta-potty with no way out! Sage was pinching her nose and almost in tears saying, "It's stinky, it's stinky," and Aspen was screaming at the top of her lungs, "Get me out of the car!" Ryan played DJ and we karaoke'd our way through the grapevine, singing at the top of our lungs, Sage looking at us like we were crazy while she was watching yet another episode of Dora. Our singing put Aspen to sleep and kept us awake enough to make it the last leg home. It feels good to be home, but I can't say that I don't miss the cabin, the snow, exclusive family time and everything else that comes with vacation. Well, time to unpack, do laundry, clean up after breakfast and do all those other things that come with being back home. Here are the photos from our trip.

I'm Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving?

Look what we woke up to!

Vacation within a Vacation

We haven't had Internet service up here in Tahoe, or so we thought. Ryan tried connecting while up in the loft of the cabin and he was able to get a couple bars, just enough to connect to the world. It's funny, we just had this conversation last night about how great it is to get away without cell phones ringing, emails waiting for responses and tasks luring over our heads. It's a true get away. But the generation X in us still wants to be connected to the world, I guess, because as soon as Ryan told me we had Internet service upstairs I became so excited! So, I am on "vacation," as Ryan puts it. He and Sage are playing video games on the new Wii he bought for church (he has to work it in and get used to it, right?) and I am taking a vacation upstairs. Life is good. It looks really cold outside, wind rustling through the ginormous pine trees, but we are nice and cozy in Grandma's mountain cabin. Later today we are going to venture out to get our family picture by the lake, maybe watch some ice skating in the Town Center and then come back to the cabin to enjoy one last night of our mountain vacation. Some funny things that have happened this trip ...

- We were (okay, Ryan was driving) to the store and took a turn really hard (we weren't lost though -- no way!) and Sage said, "Whoa! Like a roller coaster!"
- Aspen covers up her face with a blanket or whatever she can find and plays peekaboo with us.
- Sage is giving her my little ponies "time-outs" ... (oh gosh! Is that what I sound like?)
- I called Sage a little girl and she said, "Mommy, I am a big girl." And I said, "I know you are." And she responded, "But you called me a little girl."

Okay, "vacation" is over. Time to take a much needed shower. Hope there is enough hot water!

Drive to Tahoe

After two cups of coffee, one cup of tea, one really gross energy drink, a gazillion Dora shows, one viewing of The Little Mermaid (all scary parts neatly edited out by dad), one viewing of Curious George, 1/2 viewing of Cars, one stop at McDonald's, one stop at Togo’s, 2 stops to fill up gas (love the Element, don’t love it’s lack of a gas tank), one Rob Bell sermon and one reading of Parent’s Magazine (with very few interruptions!), we have arrived at Lake Tahoe. Leaving at 4a.m. proved, yet again, to be the solution for the 8+ hour drive to the mountains. Sage pretty much watched TV the entire drive and Aspen took one nap and then just hung out with only a few little outbursts of, “I AM SO BORED!” It is cold but not too cold here. Just enough cold to make it feel like winter is here and it’s actually okay to celebrate Thanksgiving now. A total tangent, but we bought these light-up rubber ducks at the store that can go in water and it is the best $5 I have spent in a long time. Sage and Aspen held one each on the way back from the store, and in the dark our car looked like a disco-teca. Sage calls us back to her darkened bedroom to see the ducks, “glow up,” as she puts it. Needless to say, we are having a blast!

Green Snot

Only a mom's blog could have a title like, "Green Snot." But that is what this week has been filled with. Oh, and seal-like barking coughs. Not Aspen as much as Sage, but one sick kid is enough. Ryan was sick too and then lost his voice from Thursday to Saturday ... the house was eerily silent. But, tomorrow begins a fresh new week. We are off to Tahoe for some much needed rest and relaxation. Wait. Did I just say, '"rest & relaxation?" Okay, so what I meant to say is that we are off on another adventure. We can seriously not fit one more thing in our little box of a car. I mean it. Sage's potty almost didn't make it, but we made room! Ryan is ever the expert car packer. Off we go to create more memories and take more pictures than we will ever know what to do with.

Get some tissue ...

I rarely read forwards. Mostly I delete them before even opening them. But I opened one today, and actually did more than skim the amazing story of a dad's love for his disabled son. Click here for the story and video. Get some tissues.

New Shoes

My mom gifted Ryan and I with a one-night stay at the Cliff House Hotel for my birthday last year. We decided it was time to use it and get away for a minute (which is what is it, right? Just a minute). After we dropped off the kids and their 10 bags of stuff and explained all of the eating and sleeping schedules, we were off! Our first stop, Camarillo Outlets. We did some personal(not "need" but "want" shopping) and Christmas shopping at our favorite stores and then went on to the Adidas Outlet. I go to the Adidas outlet not because I have always found the greatest deal, but because I am always happy with the shoes I find there. Since we didn't have the kids with us, this was an easy task. Ryan searched through all the womens shoes and brought me my size of shoe, all different prices, shapes and colors. Then we found some shoes on the sale rack, not a likely occurrence with a size 9 1/2 foot. I am always weary about the clearance rack. I mean, why are the shoes there in the first place? Regardless, I tried them on. They actually felt really good and they were color-designed for me, gray mesh with blue highlights (I think I have purchased this color shoe for about 10 years). These shoes were about $30. A steal! Then Ryan came around the corner with another box and said, "These shoes are only $17. You could buy 3 pairs of them!" Yeah, and run to the end of our driveway and they would be worn out already. Reluctantly, I tried on the "cheapy" pair. But they weren't cheapy at all. They felt great too. So, with two boxes of shoes under my arm, we headed to the check-out. The man at the register rung the total and said, "$36" and some change. What? Come to find out my $30 pair of shoes were actually only $17 too! A deal of the century! I love shopping experiences like this one!

Needs Vs. Wants

I had a run-in with my wardrobe today, or really, lack of desirable wardrobe. We were getting ready for my sister-in-law's 30th birthday dinner and every item of clothing I tried on was either too pilly (is that a word?), too stretched out, or just plain too out of style! Don't let me lead you astray, I have many clothes, and I can even squeeze into most of them despite leftover lovehandles from two pregnancies (thank you Sage & Aspen). But today I felt like I needed to buy the entire Ross store and makeover my closet. I was actually really frustrated. Aspen probably became dizzy watching me go in and out of my closet as I went through various outfits, nothing of which satisfied me. The worst part was when Ryan tried to look for a shirt for me to wear and actually said, "Wow, you really don't have anything in here." I screamed inside, I need new clothes!

A few minutes later I was pouring some tea into a paper cup for the road and I couldn't help but smile at my clothing catastrophe, or so it seemed. What really do I need, I thought. I need food. I need water. I need shelter. And I need clothing to keep me warm. As I was coming out of my self-obsessed fog I thought of many things, but mostly of others who are in need of just the basics. And yet I have the basics, and God tells me he will provide for all my needs, and I still yearn and cry out for more. So what does this mean for me? For me it comes down to perspective and verbage. Perspective: I have clothes. Are they clothes I love? No, but I have clothes. Verbage: I would love to (instead of, "I need to") buy more clothes, when, if at all, that is possible in the near future. Okay, that's better. Now I can sleep without worrying about all those clothes I need to buy!

Normal Day

Today I made breakfast, ate breakfast and cleaned up after breakfast. Then I made lunch, ate lunch, and cleaned up after lunch. Then I made dinner, ate dinner and cleaned up after dinner. There were many fun moments in between. Like when Sage decided to put her toy turtles to sleep in the back room and we had to whisper for close to 30 minutes while they slept. And then we got a good chuckle when she asked, "May I have more Diego please," in response to us trying to teach her "may I," instead of "I want," or "Milk!" I am thankful for the fun moments that somehow erase the monotony of the day.

3-Tea Bag Day

I thought today was going to be a 3-tea bag day. Allow me to explain. Shortly after we moved in with my mother-in-law, I was converted to Lipton tea from coffee. Shortly after Aspen was born, and no doubt due to many sleepless nights, I added another tea bag to my normal one-tea bag cup of tea. I was tempted to add yet another tea bag to my tea this morning. Aspen was awake from 10:30pm to 12:30 a.m. last night. Sage woke up at 4a.m. because she had lost one of her bunnies. Then Aspen woke up for the day at 6:30 a.m. After Sage woke up at 7 a.m. I loaded up the kids in the jogger and went for a nice long walk, a break for me and fun for the kids (I think). I prayed to God, "Help me be the mom you want me to be today. If I get through today it is by your strength only." And what a mellow morning we have had. Aspen took a 2hr nap, Sage has gone potty all by herself 4 times (that = 8 candycorns), and I was actually able to get the dishes done (they were starting to stink up the kitchen!). I guess I didn't need that 3rd tea bag after all!

Life As Sage Sees It

Sage loves taking pictures lately. She asks for Ryan's camera phone and clicks away! She even arranges her animals to set them up for their portraits. It's refreshing and funny to see the world through her eyes. We take pictures of sunsets, she takes pictures of Care bears. Click here to see her first portfolio.

flickr

Running the Race Together

This morning I was Moira Kelly in The Cutting Edge as she races to the practice rink only to find that her skating partner has beat her to the punch. I arrived at the gym sometime before 6 a.m. to see my workout partner (okay, my mother-in-law) going strong on the elliptical trainer, already breaking a sweat -- aka -- I was way behind her this morning! Beyond running a little late this morning, I couldn't help but feel thankful to have a partner to greet me as I walked into the gym, sleep still crusted in my eyes.

We are going through The Blessing of Friendships in our women's Bible study right now. The first chapter teaches about our need for human relationships, dependency on others and having at least one person to whom you can bring your baggage to, open it up and sort through it all. I am reminded of the Wonder Pets' theme song, "What's gonna work? Teamwork!" Isn't that the truth? We need others to encourage us when we are down, laugh with us when we are up and be quiet with us when there is nothing left to say. We also need others to gently confront us when we have gone astray. And it isn't just one way. We should reciprocate these actions to our friends when the need appropriates it.

The apostle Paul, author of many letters in the New Testament, ran the good race. But he clearly did not run it alone. It seems he, at most times, had others around him, supporting his mission. And he, without a doubt, helped others through his teachings and admonishments to strip away their old self and instead, clothe themselves in Christ's attributes.

I couldn't make it to the gym every Monday and Friday by myself. Knowing that my mother-in-law is waking to her bleeping alarm clock just as early as I am encourages me to roll out of bed, throw on my clothes and head off to the gym. But next time I'm not going to snooze!

A Few of My Favorite Things ...

Have you ever had or have a product that you absolutely love? My sister and I were just talking this morning about the special holiday products that show up on the shelves during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her favorite, Coffee Mate's Pumpkin Spice flavored coffee creamer. My favorite, Silk's Soy Eggnog. Last year we only bought a couple 1/4 gallon cartons, but this year we know better. I am going to stock up! Aside from special holiday products, I have my favorite everyday products too. Here are just a few ...

1. Trader Joe's (TJ's) version of Yobaby Yogurt. Comes in a 6-pack and a variety of flavors. The vanilla flavor tastes like ice cream! And even more, it's about $.50 cheaper than the Yobaby brand.
2. Vanilla Almond Breeze milk. I am lactose intolerant, and even soy milk can upset my stomach, but this creamy milk is too good to be true.
3. Oregon Chai "The Original Chai Tea Latte." I love that I can make my own chai treat at home w/out the hassle of going to Starbucks with kids and can save a bundle too!
4. TJ's Strawberry Yogurt O's. Cheerios, but better and heartier.
5. $10 step stool from Target. Sage can brush her teeth and wash her hands without me having to hold her up. It also doubles as a bathside seat.

These are just a few things that have been making my life sweeter and easier these days. God is really way too good to us. Really, Soy Eggnog for the lactose intolerant? It doesn't get any better than that!