Snow! And lots of it!

We've been having lots of fun with all the excitement that snow brings: numerous hours sledding, watching Murphy run through the snow and eating it, sharing wine and fires with good friends. The snow is beautiful and white, but I'm not a snow driver...so cabin fever is setting in, mostly because I still have a couple of items to buy for Christmas which is in 3 days. Luckily, Scott LOVES to drive in the snow when he is home from work. Here are a few images from the past couple of days:

Me and Thomas at the starting line of our sledding race:

Nathan after a wipe-out:

Scott and Murphy:

The cousins whose sledding goal was simply to crash into each other:

Brrr...

Seattle has been under a blanket of snow the past week. The temperature has only risen above freezing briefly here and there, so the snow is still here. In fact, this morning when we got up, the thermometer read 14 degrees. The forecasters are predicting much more snow tonight, and blizzard-like conditions. Very strange for the Pacific NW. The boys have missed much school, but they are not complaining. Honestly, it's been a bit of an inconvenience when it comes to Christmas shopping, but the bright white landscape is a nice change from the typical Seattle grey. We'll see what tonight brings.

'Tis the Season

We visited Santa on Sunday. Nathan had a master plan: he would tell me he was asking Santa for Gift A, but he would quietly tell Santa he wants Gift B. Gift B is what he really wants the most, so if he ended up with Gift A as his Santa gift, then Santa must not exist. He was encouraging his brothers to do the same. But his plot was foiled. There were enough nerves that they all really wanted Scott and me present for the conversation with Santa, so we heard exactly what they want. Nathan wants an electric guitar. Thomas wants a pocket knife. Drew wants a trampoline.

We've done a bunch of baking already this year. My pants feel tight. Our tree and house have been decorated for over two weeks now, and there is a blanket of snow and ice on the ground, with another snow storm predicted to hit tonight. I'm enjoying the holiday season very much this year.

Back on the Horse

I'm very disappointed with myself. Where has my blogging self been? I've missed the entire fall of 2008, and it was a good one. Scott started a new job that he is happy at. All three boys are in school, well Drew is 3 days/week, which has provided me with predictable time to myself for the first time in 9 years or so. Murphy is growing every day and we all are crazy about him. Our weekends were filled with many soccer games and fun times with friends. But without my regular blogging, simple moments, funny conversations, and the mundane have not been captured. At least I was good about taking pictures.

So, here's a glimpse of the Fall of 2008 for our family:

MURPHY:

Murphy and his dad, Axle

One soccer game too many

ARIZONA:

At the beginning of October we travelled to Tuscon with our good friends the Petersons to witness another humiliating Husky football loss at the U of A. The game was frustrating, but the weekend was fabulous:

The Hilton

Game Day

Husky Warm-Up

Post-game

HALLOWEEN:

This year we had Slash from Guns N'Roses, the Grim Reaper, and a friendly ghost:

FALL SOCCER:

N&T played soccer this fall. Nathan has been on his team for three years now, and it has been fun to watch the boys develop their skills and perfect their game (some more than others :) ).

Thomas' team, the Orcas, were a force to be reckoned with. They had an undefeated season,

and were an exciting group to watch!

THANKSGIVING:

Thanksgiving this year fell on our 15 year anniversary. To celebrate this milestone, the 5 of us, and Murphy, rented a cabin on a river in one of our favorite areas, Plain/Lake Wenatchee area. We relaxed, hiked, met up with our friends the Haywards who own a cabin over there, saw bear tracks, ate a great Thanksgiving meal, played games, took bubble baths, and just enjoyed each other away from our crazy daily lives. We had so much to be thankful for and to reflect on over the past 15 years.




Well, that's the update in a nutshell. I know that the reason why my blog has suffered coincides with joining Facebook. Am I able to spend time on both time-suckers? Probably not, and I realize that the huge chunk of time missing from my entries is more important to me than browsing Facebook. I hope to get back up on the blogging horse and chronicle our amazing life. Until next time...

Murphy!

Murphy is here! Turned out we didn't get the one with the orange collar. I think the breeder pulled the old "bait-n-switch", but we're fine with that. Apparently the one with the red collar is the calmest of the litter..."perfect for your family", says the breeder. He is incredibly handsome and calm. With Day #1 under our belt, no accidents at all in the house. He slept in my lap while we drove home, took multiple naps today, even a few in his crate. At bedtime he squawked for a bit in his crate, but he is sleeping soundly right now. We'll see how the night goes.

Murphy is Irish (like me) meaning Sea Warrior...perfect for our beach-loving family.

Orangey it is!

Scott talked with Stephanie, the breeder, last night and it looks like "Orangey" (look below at the puppy with the orange ribbon) is her pick for us. "Orangey" was my favorite. He is the puppy I played with the most, and he ended up falling asleep on my foot while we were standing there talking. I'm very happy.

Now...what are we going to name him?! Our top picks so far:

Murphy
Coach
Gus
Mac
Brody (ie)

Hmmm.....the boys and I like Murphy. Scott likes Coach. The other names are only attempts to try and replace Murphy or Coach. Stay tuned.

New Family Member!

One of these handsome gentlemen is ours as of September 7th. The breeder will match the puppy's personality with the personality of the new owners--us. I can hardly wait to bring him home and fill the complete void left by Henry's absence.

Now all 5 of us need to agree on a name! No small feat I am learning.

Oregon Summer

This was the summer of Oregon for me. I spent three very short days with my girls from college in Portland. Lots of catching up, yummy food, yummy drinks and many laughs. Why can't we live closer to each other?

















And this past week we were fortunate enough to pull off a spontaneous family vacation between Scott's jobs and headed south...very far south...to Sunriver. Loved it! I have to say this might have been the best, or at least the most happy and relaxed, family vacation to date. Biking and swimming were a highlight for the boys. Canoeing the Deschutes River was pristine and calming for me and Scott. I know we'll be back.

HENRY

Henry was born May 12, 1998 in Idaho. His breeder's daughter lived in Everett, put an ad in the paper for black lab puppies, and we went to meet pick out a new companion for us and for Shelby who had started to slow down a bit at age 8. We picked Henry over his litter mates because he seemed calm and friendly when we first met him. When we brought him home, he WAS calm and friendly, and stubborn. This little 6 week bundle of black fur thought that HE was the Alpha of the family. We had to show him that that wasn't the case, and he eventually came around. He adored Shelby and always wanted to kiss her, but she didn't have any interest in this young pest.

Henry was a handsome and strong boy that was always up for anything. He just wanted to be part of our pack and go anywhere we went. He was so loyal to our family and not really interested in strangers who stopped to pet him. We often attributed this to the fact we were able to bring him home at 6 weeks. He was so bonded to us from such a young age. He was very tuned into my emotions. When I was happy, he would be right beside me, often jumping up next to me trying to be part of the excitement. He loved it when I danced. When I was mad and frustrated, he would take himself to his mat. And when I was sad, he would come and place his head on my lap and look up at me with the most beautiful brown eyes as if to say "everything is going to be alright."

He loved to retrieve, especially in the water, and we often thought he might swim himself to his end if we let him. His favorite place in the world was the beach at the beach house. He loved to retrieve his tennis ball over and over as well as dig a hole in the sand to drop it in. He loved the smells of all things dead and alive on the beach and would taste almost anything just once. Henry's biggest downfall was that he was such a garbage eater. I never got used to that. He also loved to lick the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I never liked that either.

Henry had the circadian rhythm thing down when it came to his meals. Dinner never deviated from 5 pm. He started to get agitated around 4:00 and wanted to make sure we knew exactly what time it was.

Henry was my constant work-out companion. He was always up for a walk or run. He even went for a 3 mile walk the morning he died, only 4 hours before we had to put him to sleep. I couldn't wrap my brain around that. How could I have walked him in the morning, and by 10 am he was gone? He was so handsome until the very end. He stayed black, never really greying or turning white like so many older dogs. His personality and handsomeness made him seem like he was years from aging. Perhaps that is why his death was so hard.

Henry was a great watch dog and I always felt like he had the pulse on what was going on in the neighborhood. No-one could approach the house without his knowledge. He was our alarm, as well as our exuberant greeter. He greeted me however with love and affection. He was my true buddy.

Henry, we all miss you. We all love you. We can't believe you are not here.

Take care sweet boy.

Henry is Missed

Bed check 5 minutes ago:

Goodbye Henry

I can't believe I'm writing this, and I know I can't write anymore at this point. We had to say goodbye to our dear Henry this morning very unexpectedly. He started to loose control of his legs on Wednesday, and by today he was having non-stop seizures that the vet could not control with medicine. Their professional opinion: a large brain tumor was causing his problems. Prognosis was poor. He was miserable. We didn't want him to suffer. He was fine on Tuesday, and by Friday morning he was gone. I miss him terribly. We all do. Thomas hasn't stopped crying or talking about Henry all day. His first real loss. This sucks.

Soccer Camp

Nathan and Thomas are both attending soccer camp through the U this summer. They both have a bunch of friends there and seem to be having a great time. I think the unlimited supply of Gatorade at any time is a huge bonus for them, but if that makes them happy, I'm happy.

Today, after camp, Thomas told a story of accidentally dropping a penny into the pot of the Honey Bucket. I had a vision of the situation, but didn't think twice about it. About two hours later, it hit me out of nowhere. The "penny" he was referring to is not a coin. No, the "penny" is a "pinny": the light mesh jersey the players use during the scrimmage to designate teams. Thomas dropped his pinny into the toilet in the Honey Bucket! What?! I then asked how on God's green Earth could this happen, and I'm not convinced it was an accident. His story had a few holes in it. After the untimely death of the pinny he said he came out and told his coach what had happened, and his coach said it was OK. I'm still shaking my head in disbelief.

Bye-bye pinny.

Camano Island

We spent last Saturday afternoon with good friends on Camano Island at the McGary vacation home. What an amazing spot. It really got us dreaming more than we already do about owning vacation property. So close to home, but we really felt like we got away. The boys had a great time, and were more than sad to leave at the end of the day.

Happy Birthday Thomas!

Thomas' birthday party this year was a hit, and probably something we hope to repeat next year with him, or with Nathan...finally, a positive when it comes to a boy's summer birthday! Thomas invited his favorite friends over for a BBQ, scavenger hunt, s'mores over a campfire, and a backyard slumber party in the tent. I think they all had a blast, and we did too. Scott had the pleasure of sleeping in the tent with the boys. He had to go out at 10:30 pm to quiet them down, but they soon fell asleep. Everyone slept well through the night (except for Scott, thanks to our teenage neighbors and their backyard antics at 3:30 am). All and all, a great party, an affordable party, and a night full of memories.

Happy 4th of July!

Ocean Park 4th of July Parade.
Sparklers for the first time.
He looks a little timid here, but Thomas was soon trying to light the beach plants on fire with his subsequent sparklers. Not good.
Drew did not like the sights or sounds of our neighbor's fireworks.

Are we still in the city?

Our friends, the Clarks, have a huge slope in their backyard that is completely engulfed in ivy. The space is unusable for play and to remove it by hand would be incredibly difficult and time consuming. Enter 29 goats and 1 sheep. These ruminants are chowing down on the ivy, weeds, and everything in between in preparation for the installation of a new landscape. We had to see it for ourselves, and I think we all were smiling the whole time. It was quite a sight to see, and an odor to smell as they were there for almost a week.