The Blues

Being sick gives me the blues. We have been so sick these past few months, I really don't know what to do. About every 2-3 weeks it's something new.....cold, flu, virus, croup, stomach bug.....you name it and we've had it recently. We're all taking vitamins, eating fairly healthy, getting outside when we can, exercising when we have time.....what else to do????? Jeez, I'm tired of missing out on our plans and being couped up in the house because someone is sick. Enough already!!!

Now that I've got that out of the way, here are a few house-bound photos to keep the grandparents happy. Check out Owen's awesome outfit! Pajamas, spiderman house shoes, superhero cape and don't forget the Coon Skin hat!

Owen painting a toy horse.

Cutie Patootie!

Bathtime

Randomness

This post is a hodge-podge of pictures from the last couple of weeks. Last weekend we went tubing for a birthday party. It was fast and fun!

Owen and me racing to the bottom.....he beat me bad.

Adler is still obsessed with baby dolls, and lately she likes to swaddle her babies with blankets. And she is creative.......anything can be a blanket: kitchen towels, bandannas, shirts, diapers, foil, bubble wrap. It's pretty sweet.

She can also be found wearing a random hats around the house.

The iPad we received for Christmas has been a big hit with everyone, including Owen. He can start it up and play his favorite games all by himself.

Here is Owen, Sofia and Leo at a Chucky Cheese yesterday, for yet another birthday party.

My brother Brian is currently living with us temporarily. As a part of his graduate program he is completing his internship at my office, the Nevada State Health Division in the Chronic Disease Prevention Program. He's been here for a couple of weeks now and will stay for a few more months. It's fun having him here and the kiddos absolutely love having someone else in the house to play with (and harass).

Owen received a telescope for Christmas and we finally used it last night for the first time. My brother Brian was actually thrilled about this new toy!

Family Photos

For my mom and Fred's Christmas gift, all the kids pitched in to have professional family photos taken the day after Christmas. My mom's family and my step-dad's family are rarely all together, so this was a real treat for everyone.

It was cold and snowy when we took this group shot up on the rocks. Micah actually rushed the kids back to the house as soon as we posed for these photos......Adler was not a happy camper.

My brother and me.

My mom, Brian and me

Mom and me

Strike a pose.....

Owen's Ski School

Owen is taking ski lessons at Diamond Peak this winter and last weekend was his first day. He spent 2 hours on the bunny slope with a bunch of other kids learning the basics.

After his lessons were over (and a quick lunch break) he was ready to tackle the big chair lift and a real run......so we did! Here he is with his Uncle Brian on the lift.

He actually skied all afternoon! I kept thinking he should be getting tired, but after every run he would ask to go again and again and again. Micah and I kept taking turns staying with Adler at the lodge.

We actually closed the resort down at 4:00 pm. I have a feeling by the end of his 6 week lessons, he's going to be skiing better than me.

Sledding!

Last weekend we drove up to Incline Village for some sledding fun with a few of Owen's friends. We found a nice, easy sledding hill that was perfect for 4 year olds.

Pure joy!

Yes, sledding is even fun for adults!

Adler went with it, although I'm not sure she enjoyed it.

Owen & Orrin

Adler's happy hanging out with her daddy. She's becoming quite the daddy's girl.

Peanut Cracker

Several weeks ago in mid-December, Owen's class took a field trip to the Peanut Cracker in Reno. This was a child's version of the Nutcracker - only 45 minutes long. Owen and his classmates seemed to really enjoy all the dancing and music.

Owen's class in the auditorium.

Owen waiting for the show to begin.

I love exposing Owen to this sort of thing and can't wait to take him to a full musical when he's a little older.

Welcome 2011

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
We welcomed the new year with a small kid friendly get-together at our place. We made pizza, the kids played with new toys, drank some wine and champagne, and played the Wii Dance Game.

The boys lined up all the animals down the hallway. Looked like the boarding of Noah's Ark.

Here are the boys celebrating the East Coast midnight......little did we know they would still be awake, partying hard three hours later at our own West Coast midnight celebration.

Tessa and Adler with their baby dolls.

Here are Owen, Orrin, Ryder and Tessa dancing to the Wii. They were really concentrating hard.

Christmas 2010

Here's a recap from our Christmas. We had a blast up at South Lake Tahoe with a bunch of family. We spent some time in the snow, cooked a lot, ate good food, relaxed, watched movies, played Wii and read books......nice to have a mini-vacation so close to home. We are also very thankful for some extremely nice gifts we received this year, iPad and Kindle included. What more could I want? Oh, a panini grill and I got that too! Am I blessed or what?