Snowbound!

Strange to think about snow on a day when the mercury hit 82 degrees, but Lucie and Ryan have gone more than four years without having ever experienced snow. And while that is mostly due to geography, it's a little sad. Fortunately, the streak is scheduled to end next month when we head to the mountains for a long weekend.


Since that trip (and probably all snow trips for the next few years) will be focused on sledding and snowmans, I decided to sell my snowboard gear. I haven't been on snow since 2003 and better to free up valuable garage space for L & R's Christmas presents.

And even though L & R demonstrated great form at age 2 1/2, we'll probably wait another year or so before strapping them in.

Christmas Spirit

Even though this is our second Christmas in the house, we only managed to put up a paltry little tree last year. This year, Lucie and Ryan insisted we prepare early to avoid a repeat performance.

So last weekend, with Grandma and Grandpa's help, we got started. First order of business was a wreath for the gate. Nearby pine trees contributed pine cones while L & R made paper snowflakes with Grandma.

Next up was outdoor lights. After last year's holiday let-down, I bought LED lights on clearance sale and, for eleven months, the boxes have been gathering dust in the garage. It took a few hours to install the hooks (nothing says Christmas like dangling 15 feet up armed with a hammer, drill, hooks, and electricity...) and tuck power cords out of sight, but our house is now officially lit every evening. And while the brightness of the LED lights is a little underwhelming, at least it only costs us 20 cents per week to light them up.

Finally, we decided not to get a tree — just didn't make sense this year. After much discussion, we arrived at a compromise: the lights intended for the tree would be put up in L & R's room instead. The lights are turned on each night at bedtime and turned off once no creatures are stirring.

Me, I want a hula hoop

Lucie and Ryan made their stage debut at the preschool Christmas show last week. There were so many sweet and funny moments throughout the night, my favorites including Ryan's enormous yawn on stage, Lucie's chipmunk ears falling over her eyes, and how little Fiona (next to Ryan) kept looking over at him for clues on the final words to "Away in the Manger".

Lucie wore a dress that was my Christmas dress as a girl, sewn by my Mom with a matching one for Rachel. It fit Lucie perfectly. She was so proud to wear it, declaring to her friend's dad that "This was my Mommy's dress!"

The kids were exhausted when we got home, especially after the post-show sugar cookie rush wore off. When I tucked a sleepy Ryan into bed, I told him how proud I was of his singing. "Oh Mommy" he murmured, eyes drooping shut, "it was nothing."

Tech-Savvy Boy

While we weren't paying attention, a little boy has become quite proficient with all kinds of gadgets and buttons around here. It started with an interest in learning to use our digital camera. In no time Ryan had mastered taking photos, deleting photos, changing the date/time stamp, and mysteriously turning on a chirping noise every time a photo is snapped.

That was just the beginning. Now Ryan can hook the camera up to the computer, upload photos and add them to his personal folder in iPhoto, all on his own. He's very proud of this achievement, and meticulously arranges his roughly 84 uploaded photos, routinely going through his assortment of random (and mostly unflattering) shots of his parents, firetrucks outside the grocery store and poses of his loved ones, batting helmet, and train tracks.

Once Ryan mastered the digital camera, he became quite intrigued by the Netflix envelope that occasionally appears in our mail. For many years we had kept this a secret, maintaining that only "Mommy & Daddy shows" could arrive in a red envelope. Everyone seemed okay with that, until we were all sick one week and I began searching Netflix for some kids' movies to get us through a long stretch indoors. Once Ryan caught sight of the Diego and Little Einsteins movies on the computer screen, the jig was up. Our queue has never been the same since.

This all seems so different from my childhood, when developed photos came in paper envelopes at Longs Drugstore, and movies were a slumber-party treat on a rented VCR from the video store. Now our four-year-old now knows how to work a TiVo remote and greets me at preschool pick-up with, "Mommy, mommy -- did you get Daddy's text?"

Thankfully, low-tech games involving a blanket, a giggling sister and yelling "BOO!" out the door at the rain (I don't get it either) are still some of the favorite activities in our house.

Happy Birthday Daddy

As our kids love to do, the countdown to Daddy's birthday was started over a week in advance. Everyone from Lucie and Ryan's preschool teacher to the guy behind the counter at the smoothie shop was kept well informed of how many more days remaining until December 1st.

Once the day came, it did not disappoint. L& R each got a "Happy Birthday" helium balloon at the grocery store, we celebrated with mint chip ice cream cake, and the first windows of the long anticipated chocolate Advent calendars were revealed. No wonder these kids were excited. It was a wonderful celebration for a wonderful-in-every-way Daddy and husband! We love you.