Birthday treat!

We got a piece of very, very happy news this last year (yes, it was finally a year of good news items!). We received an email from our cutest Carmen letting us know that her Christmas request of her parents was to let she and her sister, Chiara, come to the USA for Christmas and New Years. WAHOO!!!!

Nah, I wasn't excited at all. ;)

We picked them up at the airport around 1:00 AM. How could I complain? It was like my 3rd child was coming home....

What a wonderful treat. Carmen fell right back in to the rhythm of this house, remembering where nearly everything was, emptying the dishwasher for me, prompting the kids to pick up, being her usual attentive, happy and mischievous self. So wonderful!

Marin and Gabe acted like she had been gone for a few weeks instead of 18 months. It was a delight to watch. Chiara was so fun to get to know. She was quiet for the first few days as we all tried to decide how much English she really understood.  Sneaky girl....she knows a lot more than she let on! I think she finally got comfortable with the kids by about day 3 and started taking to them. So cute!

They brought a whole suitcase full of treats for us. A Nutella cookbook (it's like cooking by picture since it's all in Italian ~ delightfully fun though!), pastas, sauces, lots of different flavor treats, makeup for Marin, body art for Gabe, a stunning scarf for Brett.....

 

We enjoyed the snow (Chiara's first time seeing and touching snow), watching movies, making lots of good food, and going shopping. We had one whole evening dedicated to body art with Gabe's gift. It's probably a "Klutz" book but it's in Italian so I can't confirm that!  The kids drew animals and designs all over one anothers' arms. They are pretty good!

One of my favorite parts of their time here? Gabe quizzing Chiara on smells with his "smencils". I had so much fun watching Chiara try to memorize and figure out the English names for smells she knew then attempting to repeat them with her eyes closed while Gabe tested her. She was such a good sport and had such fun! I think Gabe's loyalties to Carmen shifted a bit to Chiara after this trip.....

The deal is: the next time we see those wonderful girls it will be on their home turf in Sardinia. 

I need to save my pennies!

A couple Christmas memories

While the snow flakes are still flying outside I've decided to finish a couple winter posts on this silly blog...

The kids are getting big enough that I prefer their help on some of their Christmas gifts. Both were happy to opine on what clothes they would like. Marin was quite giddy to have a "shopping spree" with mom. With graduate school having been the focus of our lives for so long she was pretty entertained by finally having some money towards clothes. She has proven to be an attentive and efficient shopper, knowing what she wants and what I will agree to. It takes minutes rather than hours and is strangely pleasant.

Gabe was a bit more interesting. He does but he doesn't care what he wears. It's odd to me. At age 8 he is strangely in tune with his own sense of fashion and makes combinations that are striking and handsome but he does it in a way that seems so nonchalant.

This year he asked for trashy pants. Really. Those were his words: trashy pants. Huh?

Everyone (you know, the all encompassing "everyone") is wearing them. They are relaxed, they do not have to have a zipper, they look beat up, and you can play in them and not care if they get dirty. Trash pants. I also received that look...the one from the side of their face with one eye brow raised that says, "Duh, Mom. Don't you know anything?"

Obviously not.

We were in The Children's Place store.  I found a gorgeous pair of toffee colored cords...they were worn on the thighs and around the knees...jeans like style but frayed around the edges. DING! The hottest looking trashy pants I have ever seen! The resulting conversation was something like this, "Hey, Gabe. I kind of like these pants but they look pretty beat up. In fact they look like someone ran over then with their car. They're too messed up but do you like the style?" Gabe: "Those are perfect trashy pants, Mom! I LOVE them!"

HA HA HA HA HA!

I rock. I bought the hottest looking cords for the 8 year old under the guise of their trashiness. I still have it.....

Both kids walked away with excellent additions to their wardrobes that fit their own sense of style. I love these kids!

Time for Updates

I was reminded yesterday during lunch that I need to be a bit more prompt on updating our family blog. Sometimes I need a reminder that others are interested in what we are doing....it all seems pretty ho-hum to me most days!

I've decided to post some of the Christmas pictures that I promised. I really did love my colors this year of gorgeous pink and spring green. It made the dark winter days seem a bit brighter.

I love the lights, the sparkle, and the anticipation on the kids faces. 

 Christmas Eve Pajamas

 Demon cat was guarding HIS tree and packages. He wouldn't let the kids get their gifts!

 Gabe - Pokemon heaven!

 Demon cat is finally content ~ convinced no one can see him.

 Miss Sassy Pants in her new boots and furry vest. I call her Yetti. Her great grandma seems to think she's pretty awesome!

Turkey Day at the beach?

Yup....didn't think it would ever happen. Didn't think I would even really want to go. But when a trip to Hawaii is placed in front of you, how do you say "no"? (Hint: you don't)

It was my parent's turn to host Thanksgiving this year. My mother really threw us for a curve when she asked if we would be willing to fly with our kids to Waikiki, stay at the Trump Towers and play on the beach for Thanksgiving. Oh, minor issue...we needed to cook a dinner for 12 in a hotel room. No problem!

We flew, we played, we were drenched in sea water (Brett had no craving for chips the whole trip. Weird, eh?), we walked, and walked, and walked. We cooked a holiday dinner for 12. We shopped at nearly 15 ABC Markets. We consumed pineapples at nearly every meal. The kids convinced us that after the beach they needed to rinse off in the pool before taking a shower. How do you say no to kids that bathe that much?










Some additional surprises: a random parade, Friday night fireworks (you should have heard the car alarm chorus!), crabs, neon fish, snorkeling, sea turtles, window displays with models in bikinis in the snow, seeing the "giraffe whisperer" at the zoo, getting photos taken of Mom and I out running by Asian tourists in a bus - (hey, we look like locals!), and finally enjoying the amazing Trump hospitality. If I could have brought my pillow home I would have. And the robes. Oh yeah, the appliances...I would take those, too. Mostly the shower. I would KILL for that shower. Truly.

To my wonderful parents: MAHALO!!! What happens when it's my turn to host? Buggers....

( this is the kitty that missed his girl while we were gone...)

A new day of celebrations

We celebrate around here like any other family; birthdays, anniversaries, teeth that fall out....the usual.  But this year we added a new celebration on November 18th. That is the day Brett received notification that everything was approved on his dissertation and became officially finished with school! 

Brett and I spent our first year at the University of Utah together and when we married he was half way through his Bachelors.  When Marin was 18 months old he graduated with a BS in Exercise and Sport Science. After Gabe was born Brett decided he really wanted to go back to school so he investigated all the options and selected a program that would get him through a combined Masters/Ph.D. It has been a long, long road and Brett has been such an amazing example to these kids of determination and sacrifice. He has worked full-time through all his education and never took summers off. He is tenacious and a total brain (with a 3.95 for his Masters of Science in Public Health and a 4.0 for his Ph.D in Public Health). What you never get told is how long the dreaded dissertation process actually takes.

I had moments in this process when I really despised his committee and reviewers. It took a lot of time and some real perspective to see that this is what separates the Masters students from the Doctoral students. There is a dramatic difference between the two! A Doctoral degree is an education in intense refinement by fire and brimstone. I now truly appreciate the process and hope never to have to go through it again...

November 18th will be celebrated forever around this house. Congratulations, Dr. McIff. Your degree looks good on you!

P.S. If you want an education for yourself, check out the differences in how a Ph.D. looks when he/she graduates.... http://doctoralgraduationgowns.org/

Birthdays...

August is a busy month.....we have birthdays and an anniversary to celebrate. 12 years ago I tried really hard to convince Marin to be born on Brett's birthday but she refused to cooperate. I think she already knew it was important for her Dad to keep his birthday all to himself! She thankfully chose to arrive exactly 2 weeks later!

Brett's birthday is a tough one. He will disagree with me but truly, it's hard. I have things I want to get him but I just can't justify it. There are things he would LOVE, but he just can't justify it. Then there are the gifts that just seem to work...

While traveling in Spain last year we had a moment of watching some people play Bocce on a sandy area of a park in Barcelona. We were on a pedestrian bridge looking down on their game and they were having so much fun! There were teams, intensity, camaraderie, belligerence and hilarity. Truly, those are all the components of a wonderful game! So this year my mom and I bought a Bocce set for Brett in memory of that delicious trip to Spain!! (if only the balls smelled like jamon....that would be perfect!)

The kids love a good game - especially a new one that involves throwing large objects. This was no exception! Interestingly enough Marin took to Bocce like a pro and managed moves that we didn't think were possible. She also cheered herself on a lot, gloated, and giggled....very disconcerting to those who were losing.

Marin also was the queen of measurements. Points are given based on how many balls are closest to the "pallina", the first ball thrown in the game. Much discussion goes into deciding which balls are the closest and how to measure - in Spain and in the US! Marin has multiple methods from using her hand-span to her arm length to her arm plus 2 or 3 fingers width. She is pretty ingenious if she would stick with one method while measuring one game.....ha! She goes from arm length plus 2 fingers to counting off 2 1/2 feet length. I'm not sure how she thinks those will compare but it made for some lively discussions.

I think Brett had a happy day. All he really wanted was time with his family. He probably got a really big dose of it - perhaps more than he wanted or expected. What can we say? We just love him!!

Happy Birthday, Brett!

Joyful Noise

JOYFUL NOISE

So....6 weeks of rehearsals and lots of dramatic attitudes at home for the
performance by the after school drama club of JOYFUL NOISE!!!!

For those who have never heard of this book, it is a collection of poems about BUGS.
Here is a description:

Winner of the 1989 Newbery Award, Joyful Noise is a children's book of poetry about insects that was designed for two readers to enjoy together. On each page are two columns of verse for children to alternate reading aloud about the lives of six-legged creatures ranging from fireflies writing in the sky to a love affair between two lice, crickets eating pie crumbs and the single day in the life of a mayfly. Charming large scale soft-pencil illustrations enhance the comical, easy-to-read text.

Marin's 6th grade teacher felt this book could be done with many voices and with dance moves added. It is a fun and fast production with much memorization and movement. It was pure entertainment the first night but going back a second time really highlighted all the silliness and intricacies of the performance.

(this video is the butterflies coming out of their chrysalis)

Marin played the parts of the butterfly, firefly, mayfly, water boatman, cicada, maple moth, cricket, bee and a digger wasp. Some were speaking and some were dancing. She did really well until the bee performance in front of her peers. The bees have to do little bum wiggles to show the shaking off of the pollen.....oh, there were ample giggles! You can start figuring out which bugs are in each performance by the moves and the descriptions of their lives. A very well planned out production!

Top left video is fireflies, top right is crickets