ode to 2013

Aaah, this year was hard ... these two kids are just too adorable and hilarious... but without a bunch of sentimental stuff or lamenting how I need to do a better job of keeping up on this blog or how much they have grown ... I present you our most memorable moments of 2013...

Most determined  ...

to Jaiden for attending his 3rd grade music concert amidst the worst bleed of his life - not only did he want to go when he was feeling very miserable but he participated fully before being completely wiped out and going home early for more rest. Truly impressive to look back on how difficult that time was and yet he was determined!

Most likely to harness natural energy

to Alyssa... and oh, how she made Jaiden and I laugh when she growled with her hair fully charged!

Best lip syncher...

to Jaiden singing to Journey at Paul and Aimee's wedding... if only he would let me post the video I captured when he used a skewer with an olive as his microphone!

Future Olympic skier...

to Alyssa... I mean, seriously - look at that stance!

Most daring...

to Jaiden hanging upside down while zip lining.

Most likely to go to Hogwarts...

to Alyssa... those glasses are hilarious!

Most favorite choreographed photo...

to Bret, Alyssa, Jaiden, Mikayla and Blake for posing for me in the lighthouse stairwell!

Most likely to sing "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, here they all are standing in a row...

to Jaiden!

Future veterinarian...

to Alyssa and all the many caring animal photos ... uh, well ... except the following award...

Most likely to lose a finger...

to Alyssa while feeding seagulls!

Most likely to have nose issues...

to Jaiden and his lobstah pose!

Most likely to strike a pose...

to Jaiden and his many dance/karate/not sure what he is doing moves!

To the closet thrill seeker who says yes, than screams bloody murder and has hands pried away while her parents send her down waterslides, zip lines and other unexpected drops and once tried, wants to do it over and over and over...

to darling Alyssa! One day she may figure out our tricks and stop resisting!

Last but not least, I normally include the fashionista, most stylish, best hairdo awards... but this year topped the charts with the best look alike...

to Papi and the Howler monkey in Belize... unbelievable similarities in looks and personality!

Happy New Year!

Watch out 2014 - hear we come with more laughter, silliness and adventures! 

tween moment?

Today was filled with activities and errands not of particular interest to little boys and girls and so when we finished at the lighting store and started to drive to the next place. Jaiden asked "where are we going now?"

Me: Best Buy.

J: Where after that?

M: Home Depot.

J: And next?

M: Grocery store.

J: (very loud groan from both kids) and next?

Dennis: Then to Mommy's underwear store

Silence.

Then giggling from Alyssa. 

J: (very serious and dry tone) That is so messed up.

And lots of laughter from Dennis and I. He is growing so much and says the craziest grown up kind of put out comments that only a teenager might say.  I am wondering when exactly do the tween years start? Has he begun already?

ps. I just looked up when tween years start and he IS!!! Some say between 9-13 and others say 10-13... eek, when did he grow up???

oh what fun it is...

A little history before I share this story. The kid's classes have blogs where any parent can read and catch up what is happening during the day at school. The kids write the blog, the teacher reads it and corrects if necessary before posting. Well, I love to read the blog and I love to comment as well, which I recently learned embarrasses Jaiden as he says with a roll of the eyes "Mom, you are the only parent who reads the blog and comments, maybe you could just stop?" Fat chance, cutie pie, your momma loves you!

Well, last night I couldn't resist when I read today's post:

Today:

*We had morning work.

*Had writing workshop.

*Had specials.

*Had library.

*Had snack and read aloud, finished Hoot.

*Did math and multiplied thousands.

*Did a special project ^.^

* Did a little bit of EVERYTHING

Here’s some questions that I want to know if you can answer!

1. Do pet dogs think they’re us or do they think we are them?

2. Did the chicken or egg come first?

3. What are the pros and cons of having clouds?

4. Did hamsters descend from anything?

5. How are dyes created?

Hopefully you can answer some of these questions!

And oh yes, those questions were just too tempting for me not to answer so I posted the following:

Kim Nicks

December 18, 2013 at 4:06 am · Reply

Hmmm… I will see if I can provide some answers 
1. I believe the dog thinks we are the pets. When was the last time you saw a dog pick up after a human? Or cook for a human?

2. The egg came first from a proto-chicken. You can see the full explanation herehttp://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/02/11/171706769/the-egg-makes-its-move-in-a-new-version-of-which-came-first-the-chicken-or-the-e

3. Clouds are a way of moving energy from warmer to cooler places aka the Hadley circulation. Pros of clouds include less wind, clouds make rain and snow, and they are fun to paint in photos. Cons – you can’t play on clouds and if they get low to the ground they make fog which is just their way of teasing us that we can’t play on them.

4. Hamsters are rodents belonging to the subfamily Cricetinae, of course everyone knows that!

5. Dyes are extracted from vegetables, fruit and mineral pigments and in some cases even insects such as the cochineal beetle (a very red beetle).

Now I was certain someone would read it but I wasn't prepared for the email Mrs. Potter sent me saying she loved my answers and was planning to share with the class in the afternoon. Well, I quickly sent an email back telling her the link for the video is very kid appropriate and fun but I also warned her Jaiden may get embarrassed because according to him I am the only parent who comments and it is embarrassing! 

Fast forward to the afternoon, I ask Jaiden how his day was and he nonchalantly said it was fine, nothing out of the ordinary. I asked if Mrs. Potter shared my comments on the blog and he again said very dryly "I was trying to not pay attention and help someone with their computer".

Fast forward to the next day and I get the full story when I see Mrs. Potter! Apparently she said to the class "A parent answered our questions on the blog last night" and with that Jaiden let a HUGE sigh and a BIG roll of the eyes. She said she never said my name or mentioned who the parent was although she did say everyone knew it was me and Jaiden was, of course, mortified! But she said the kids loved my answers and some watched the video while others had to work on catch up work.

Sigh... my job is done ... until the next embarrassing moment! (insert evil laughter)

table manners...

No photos today ... a dinner conversation at its best.

Jaiden, Alyssa and I sat down to dinner before Daddy got home and Jaiden kept excusing himself to "let some gas out" ... about the 2nd time leaving the table he declared when he was older he'd have his own set of dining rules.

#1 Farting would be allowed at the table

#2 No silverware

#3 Fancy food would be fast food only

#4 No napkins

When I asked if he thought these rules might change when he meets a nice girl. His face twisted and contorted and said NO!

When Daddy came home, he recited the same rules to Daddy and Daddy asked "can I write these down for your kids?" And again a big defiant NO!

When I said don't worry I already blogged these rules, Jaiden said NOOOOO! I swear he is one silly boy... but my guess is that just about every other boy would have the same rules if they could get away with it!

gingerbread cookies...

The best way to spend a Sunday afternoon...

 with your best friend, Sophie

 decorating gingerbread cookies in your pajamas...

... and feeding each other sprinkles!

a special treat on ice

 Granny Suze treated all of us to Disney on Ice, Rockin' Ever After... and boy, what a present it was! I wasn't sure what to expect and I loved it!

I loved watching the kids get excited in anticipation of what to expect. 

I loved watching Alyssa's eyes sparkle and be in full amazement.

I loved watching Jaiden roll his eyes whenever there would be a mushy princess moment. 

I loved the costumes, the skating, the talent, the excitement in the air.

I loved how we each told our favorite parts over dinner. 

I loved how Jaiden said it was "alright. (pause) I guess I would go again."

I love how Granny spoils all of us even though technically she isn't our Granny.

And I love how she has special relationship with our kids.

below freezing in december

Somehow I missed a few days so I am backtracking again... story of this blog lately, isn't it? Really 2014 will be the year to be on track... at least blogging track!

So this is Friday, December 6th... it's been bitterly colder for multiple days in a row and no sign of letting up ... so I get this brilliant idea and I mean, BRILLIANT! It's 10 degrees - a warming spell! -  the kids have been cramped indoors (indoor recess if temps are 15 degrees or colder) for the past 4 days so why not walk home? 

BIG mistake! Alyssa was so upset, she cried half the way and then finally started walking fast just about when Jaiden's pace slowed. When we moved to the new house, it didn't seem that far from school but it's 2/3 of a mile instead of a tenth! And the wind blows right down the long straightaway between our house and school - it is like walking home from school both ways uphill in partially shoveled sidewalks... couldn't resist! Anyway, both kids (and me too) were frozen so we cozied up and had hot chocolate when we got home... and it made it all worth it!

oh the weather outside is frightful...

Nothing spectacular today ... well, maybe the fact that my mother in law emailed me to tell me she saw the weather report for here and it was 26 below zero with the wind chill factor at 7 am today but I can vouch for it was cold. The kids had indoor recess again and I happened to be helping out in the classroom for the 2nd recess so that was a bit entertaining.

In the meantime, I had to swing into Jaiden's class to let him know to meet me in Alyssa's pod so none of us had to be outside any longer than absolutely necessary and as I was stepping outside, I passed these cuties...

Aren't they adorable? 

I couldn't resist taking a photo with my iPhone. I have no idea which one is Jaiden's nor do I really care, I just loved ... no, adored all of them lined up waiting to be taken home or maybe finished - not sure which stage they are in yet but something about being surrounded by kids and their work makes my heart melt. every. time.

patterns...

I finally started getting many of our decorations out and up. I feel like December blew right in and with a lot of cold air! I had to capture this story though because it made me giggle and reminisce on how much these two have grown. Along with the Advent wreath, we have an advent calendar that is gingerbread house and you velcro the candy onto house. I hung it up and had to fix a few of the pieces as the velcro had separated. I then tossed the whole lot into a ceramic pot near where the calendar is hung. I told the kids to fish out the dates if they wanted and proceeded to go back to where the decoration were. I, then, overheard their discussion.

Jaiden decided he was odds this year and Alyssa would be evens. Jaiden puts the first candy up and tells Alyssa to save this side for the number that looks like this candy. Alyssa gets excited about making a pattern. And then they start planning. I look over and find this...

 all the pieces sorted as best as they can be with similar shapes, designs, colors, etc

... and the two of them planning how to put these in a pattern on the gingerbread house! And yet, it was only a few short years ago, they just put them on wherever they pleased... definitely a sign of them growing up, isn't it?

Now I just need to remember to take a photo of the advent gingerbread house when they finish to see how well they did!

smelling cows...

Today felt a bit like Christmas... well besides the cow smells (which I will explain in a minute)... but this morning our new table, bench and chairs arrived! Yea! The blankets you see under the table are only temporary until I get some help from Dennis to adhere the felt pads... I tried on my own but I realized very quickly that this table is a BEAST! It is extremely heavy and I wasn't about to risk a finger for felt pads.

So I left to go get felt pads. Now the weather people are predicting a HUGE snowstorm something crazy like 8 inches in a few hours and highs for the next few days at ... oh, 11 degrees but when I left it still felt mild. No sign of snow or rain... nada. But I figure our whole area is under a winter storm warning and I should probably run a few other errands while I am out. The lady at the check out line at our grocery store asked how it was outside and I said oh fine and we joked how the weather people here are never right and it's probably a big hype and yada yada... and then I stepped outside and smelled the cows.

When you smell cows around here, it's going to be a big storm. I mean, we smell cows normally being an old farming town but there is a certain shift of the winds and there is a distinct cow smell that smells like snow! Yes, it really does hold true. I always laugh about it because I can remember when Jaiden was 4 or 5 and he came outside and had this awful look on his face and said "WHAT is THAT smell?" And I replied "Snow". My kids (and I am sure every other kid in town) knows that cow smell is snow. As I write this, we are getting hit hard and I love checking outside and seeing all my pretty Christmas lights glitter in the snow - so glad I did that on Sunday.

Well, shortly after I got home, I had to pick up this little one who wasn't feeling so well.

 She seems fine now but she took a nap, did some reading and played a little DS. It was sweet having her home for the afternoon. 

One last story before I sign off... 

A favorite tradition of mine is our Advent wreath and I have been a little surprised by the kids this year. They both asked where it was on Sunday and so far the past two nights we did a short reading while lighting the first candle... apparently, they have come to expect this tradition but the cutest story was yesterday.

Alyssa and I went next door to watch the neighbor's dogs, let them out, play a little, etc. Alyssa loves it but when we went inside and settled on the couch to snuggle with the dogs, Alyssa saw Peggy's Advent wreath - very similar to ours and excitedly exclaimed "Mommy, they celebrate the same religion as us!" I told Peggy and she thought it was hilarious but she was thrilled that Alyssa knew what it was. So I thought I'd share it here too.

Tonight when we lit the candle, we discussed the virtue of love and read a short verse, then Jaiden remarked how Daddy has missed the past two nights and he wasn't going to have the same virtues as us. I said so you think he is missing out on faith, hope and love? And Jaiden had a funny smile on his face and said "yep!"

I seriously wish I could see how these two think!

revisiting alien santa

Remember the headless kindergartner (2009)?

Or alien Santa (2010)?

Or Frosty (2011)?

Or framed (2012)?

well, it is deja vu all over again ... 

So instead of getting super dreamy beautiful nostalgic December photos of my kids...

the headless kindergartner, alien Santa, Frosty and framed return again this year but with dreadlocks....

ya man ya merry merry Christmas!

december, seriously?

Hello December!

I can hardly believe December is upon us especially when only a few short days ago, I was here...

more on that later but in short, it was amazing. All travel is simply amazing, maybe it's the adventure, or the getting away, or watching how our kids take in new and very different places than we live. Yes, travel is amazing no matter where we go.

But onto December.... December 1st to be specific and this is the month that I try to loosely  document our life, our stories, our traditions as it is in December. And yet, I could hardly believe it was December 1st today - luckily it was a lovely crafty and getting organized for the next few weeks kind of day...

Alyssa was deep in concentration as she tried to create a special gift for family with hama (aka perler) beads.  

Jaiden, too, was deep in concentration as he worked on the rainbow loom making bracelets for a few of his friends. 

 ... which allowed me to pull out decorations... and lights

 and even start to hang them in our ENORMOUS Colorado Blue Spruce - I swear that tree grew even more this year and I am in need of another strand of lights... 

... and to my delight, I came home from an afternoon outing to find that Dennis finished the lights on the house so the outside is a perfect deception of being ready for the holidays... now if we could just get some snow to really make those lights sparkle!