Snow Day

We spent the weekend listening to conflicting weather forecasts about when the snow would hit and how much we should expect. So I was very surprised to be awakened at 5:00 AM by an automated phone service called Connect Ed telling me that there was no school. I peeked out the window to see our yard blanketed in white. I tried to sneak into Alyssa's room and turn off her alarm, but I couldn't find the right button and ended up waking her up.

We hung out with the neighbors, took a walk to the store for chocolate syrup to make cocoa, and watched the Food Network looking for inspiration for dinner. I made grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch for everyone. The kids had snowball fights and went sledding down our steep, dead end road.

The neighbors came for dinner and we watched The Learning Channel. Now we're just waiting to see if the forecasters are correct and more snow is on the way. Tonight I'm going to leave the phone on my nightstand so if I get a 5 AM call again I won't have to jump out of bed to grab it.

Celebrating Alyssa's Birthday Again

My folks came up from Portland this weekend to have Alyssa's family birthday celebration. Friday evening included presents and a very yummy Italian dinner at Johnny Carino's. Penne, spaghetti, lasagne, fettuccine, and bowtie were enjoyed by all. Since we didn't have a birthday cake we even had dessert which is something we rarely do at a restaurant. Noah and Alyssa had the best dessert, the chocolate cannolis. My mom and I split a very strange version of bread pudding. It was a very dense cakelike dish with caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. There were no signs that it had ever been bread. My favorite bread pudding is made from day old cinnamon rolls swimming in a bowl of cream from The Turkey House.

I got a present too. My dad delivered a new stained glass piece of art for our home. Alyssa helped design it. The reeds, cattails, dragonflies, and the frog reflect our watery environment living near an estuary. I am certainly fortunate to have two talented artists in my family. I wasn't expecting this new piece of art till my birthday in March. I walked right past it twice, and my family laughingly pointed it out to me.

Saturday of course brought two basketball games for Noah. Both gyms were in unfamiliar territory, and we were lucky to find them on time. The boys lost the first game. The whole team seemed to be out of sorts. Noah pulled in 14 rebounds and scored five points, but the boys who usually lead our scoring attack were cold. The second game was very exciting. You'd never know that Noah's team had suffered a crushing defeat just 90 minutes before. They played with great energy and excitement and came away with a victory.

On Friday I'm taking the afternoon off to take Alyssa to get her license. Then I'll have to find a nearby errand for her first solo drive. I'm not looking forward to this new chapter of our lives where I'll have less control of her activities. But she's a good girl and I know she'll be responsible.

Long Weekend

Our weekend started with Alyssa's birthday party Friday night. She took 7 girlfriends to the opening night of the movie "27 Dresses". A very cute "chick flick," Noah and Forrest would have been bored to tears. After the movie we went to Coldstone Creamery for ice cream. The employees made Alyssa turn bright red when they sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Her friends know her so well. Alyssa got jewelry, scrapbooking and card making supplies, cash, and gift certificates for manicures and to Target. Her real birthday is still nine days away, but she really wanted to take her friends to the movie on opening night so we celebrated early.
On Feb. 1st she'll have had her learner's permit for 6 months so we can go get her license. She already passed her drive test last month so all she has to do is go in for her photo. I'm taking the afternoon off on the first to make an event of this momentous occasion.

Saturday night Noah and Forrest went to the Monster Truck Jam with some friends. They missed the first half hour of the show because the freeway off-ramp was so backed up. The boys had a great time regardless. Who doesn't love noise, dirt, and huge tires?

The rest of our weekend revolved around Noah's basketball tournament. His team was the only 6th grade team to enter so they had to play in the 7th grade bracket. There is a huge difference between 6th and 7th grade boys. The first team they played had one player who was over 6 feet tall, and the second team had two 6'2" boys. Noah's team has four boys who are all about 5'6" (including Noah). They were giving up 8" to those twin towers. The 7th grade is also when the boys graduate to a full size basketball. Noah and his friends are still using a junior size ball in their regular season games. The boys played with a lot of heart considering they were so outsized. Their coach was very proud of them. They played close in all three of their games for the first half, but eventually they got worn down by the larger boys. The bigger ball was a disadvantage to our shooting, especially to our smaller guards who have small hands. Somehow Noah's team ended up playing the top three seeded teams in the bracket. I watched two of the lower ranked teams play, and I'm sure Noah's team could have beaten both of them.

Student of the Semester

Hooray! Alyssa was named Student of the Semester for PE. The school provided a very nice breakfast in the commons and then the ceremony was in the Performing Arts Center.


The counselor read the nomination that was submitted by Alyssa's PE teacher before she was handed her award. Alyssa's friend, Amanda, was recognized for history. The PE teacher praised Alyssa's sweet nature, her drive to improve her fitness level, and her 100% participation. Alyssa hasn't missed a single class period.


It's unusual for Alyssa to be recognized for something other than an academic subject. This shows how well rounded a young lady she's becoming. I'm so proud of her!

Sunday Drive

There was no good news on the sports front this weekend: the undefeated Cougs lost, the Seahawks lost, and Noah's team lost to their chief rivals. So let's not talk sports this weekend.



Yesterday Forrest and I saw a flock of Tundra Swans that winter in our area right next to the road, but we didn't have the camera with us. We decided to take a Sunday drive this morning in search of photo opportunities. Of course today the swans were not nearly as close to the road as they were yesterday. These beautiful birds raise their young in Northern Canada and winter on the farms near our house. Their wingspan is nearly 7'. The swans are endangered so thankfully they're not hunted.



Snow Geese which migrate from Siberia for the winter gather in larger groups than the swans. Often fields are covered with 5,000-10,000 birds. They're harder to find this year since the state has opened up controlled hunts to keep the birds from destroying farmland. The closest fields to our house are five miles away, but on a clear night we can hear the geese bedding down for the night.



The sun was finally out today after weeks of gray, dreary, wet weather. We've had lots of sleet, snow mixed with rain, drizzle, and just plain downpours. The sunlight on the mountains was so lovely we had to snap a few pics. And I couldn't resist the alpacas and their babies at the local alpaca farm.



This was a great morning. We left the kids at home, explored our valley, took some beautiful photos, and went out for coffee. The children do not appreciate beautiful scenery. We took a walk along the slough. A few hunters were out and we heard shots in the distance, but we didn't witness any birds meeting their demise. Now it's time to get back to the business of Sunday afternoon: laundry and housework.

First Game of 2008

Pre-game instructions.
Noah waits for the pass.
Fast break!



Noah draining a free throw shot in his game this weekend. Score 79 to 9 Eagles win.


This was a horribly boring and sad game. I started cheering for the other team. Once Noah's team built a 15 point lead the league rules keep them from using a full court press which really slows down our game. The other team was content to pass and dribble. They were afraid to shoot from outside and scared to drive to the basket. If they'd at least tried to drive to the basket they might have been fouled and at least had a chance to make a free throw. The Eagles won their second game by 16.

Vacation Achievements

Well I've come nearly to the end of my winter break. Here are a few things that I did accomplish.
1. Two movies watched in a theatre, "Golden Compass" and "National Treasure, Book of Secrets"
2. Two books read, see list to the left
3. Both dogs washed and clean smelling
4. Newspaper read every day and crossword puzzle completed every day too
5. Caught up with my summer guilty pleasure, soap operas
6. Laundry is caught up and hampers are empty
7. Started a food diary to help me lose weight
8. Showed my kids that I'm good with a crossbow (via the Wii)

I didn't get the photo albums updated as I hoped to, but I did set up my craft table and the scrapbooking supplies are on it and ready to go. Maybe I'll have some time on Sunday afternoon since the Seahawks play on Saturday instead of Sunday. Forrest is bummed because the Hawks play at 1:30, but Noah has a game at 3:00 so we won't be able to see the end of the game. Then Noah has another game at 6:00 which conflicts with the start of the UW/WSU basketball game. Oh well, there are only so many hours in the day to devote to sports.

The mountain photo is a view of the Olympic Mountains from our neighborhood on New Year's Day and the others are from our trip to Soapy Dog.

New Year's Lunch

On New Year's Day we journeyed to the big city to have lunch with my brother and his wife. My poor brother was terribly sick with a sore throat so his wife did most of the talking. It was a beautiful day for a long drive. Nice days have been few and far between lately. Lunch at the waterfront was delicious. We even let Alyssa drive home. It was the first time she's driven in the city. Getting on and off the freeway was a bit scary, but she handled herself OK.

The neighbor kids went back to school today, so it was quiet around the neighborhood. The kids and I go back to school Monday. The last few days before break were trying. It was very hard to keep the kids focused. We went to school till the 21st while the neighbor kids were out on the 14th. I was hating our vacation schedule on the 19th and 20th when the kids were cranky and excited at the same time, but now I'm loving having so much time off after Christmas to relax before heading back to work.

Tomorrow the kids and I are taking the dogs to a new place, a self-service dog washing place called Soapy Dog. Our dogs are difficult to wash and boy do they need a bath. It will be nice to pay less than half of what our usual groomer costs, get clean muts, and not have to clean up the mess. I'll report more later.