Suessical

Brooke was invited by Susan to be in the all-district musical called Suessical.  She is the elephant bird character.  She has been reading the Dr. Suess books, listening to the music and really loving the experience of being in her first musical!  She hatches out of the egg and says the last word of the whole show, "Suess!"  She has really warmed up to the characters in the musical and is letting loose and dancing on stage.  Kent and I are so proud of her!

Sunshine!

January was pretty dreary around here.  An inversion created a dark, high fog that loomed over our valley causing bad breathing conditions (reminds us of the summer wildfires that we had!).  Finally, we had a day of sunshine and fifty degrees!  Even though we all are sick with colds, we felt the need to get outside!

The dogs were excited to have some friends to play with!

Oliver enjoyed shoveling and not having to wear a coat!

He also enjoyed a little skiing!

He (intentionally) went head first down this little snowy hill we made and got snow up his shirt.  Brr!

Brooke wanted me to give her a "kind of high" push on the swing!

Daddy's Helper

Having a little boy is so much fun. I only had a sister, so everything about boys is new to me! There are so many characteristics that are different between Brooke and Oliver, one of them is to "work". Oliver loves a job and is very mechanically minded. He loves "working on" piping under old sinks, understanding the air duct system in Starbucks, watching machines at work, sweeping and mopping, hitting the buttons on kitchen appliances (especially the blender), etc. His new skill is helping me or his Daddy start a n we fire. Yesterday he said, "It okay me borrow Daddy's glove?" He proceeded to get the wood and newspaper for me. What a good helper!

New Cozy Craft Corner

Operation clean out Brooke's closet was successful. I decided to make this a special place for the kids to draw, color, cut, and paste. So far, it has been a favorite spot for them to play. Yeah! The walls are much more decorated with their own artwork. We are working on making Christmas thank you cards right now.

Yummy Pancake Recipe

This is the first post I have made with my iPad!

As a stay-at-home Mom, feeding our kids all day long us a huge part of my job. I'm always trying to find ways to serve something they like which is also healthy. That is not always an easy task! Brooke and Oliver LOVE breakfast. So, it's a perfect opportunity to make a healthy meal. Here is my pancake recipe that has no added sugar, no white flour, and no butter or oil. The pancakes are so moist and sweet that my kids forget to ask for syrup! I have not experimented with alternative flours, but I'm sure almond flour would work just fine!

Annie's Healthified Pancakes

Mix dry ingredients:
1 c. Whole wheat flour
2 t. Baking powder
1/4 t. Salt

Mix wet ingredients:
2 Ripe bananas
2 T. Applesauce
1 c. Milk
1 Egg beaten

Add dry ingredients to wet and mix until combined. Cook pancakes on griddle. Enjoy!

Christmas 2012

Brooke is loving the snow too... although she mentions that she would like it to be summer!

Beautiful skies on Christmas Eve.

Up in Alaska, all the men and boys get together early on Christmas Eve to make the korv sausage.  This was our first attempt to recreate this family tradition down here in Cashmere.  This new Christmas morning tradition may continue because the Chalmers' made some great sausage!

Oliver's new remote control firetruck was a hit!  Thanks Auntie Caitlin!

Brooke was excited to open her stocking!

Brooke was so excited to get some "beautiful" princess jewels!

I made some lefsa, a favorite Norwegian treat.

Tinkerbell!!!

I made everyone prints on canvas.  It was a fun "easy" craft with a great outcome!

Merry Christmas!

Oliver on Skis

With all the wonderful snow we have had this winter, we have introduced Oliver and Brooke to skiing!  Oliver is especially loving it!

Kent and his parents took Oliver out to the field by our house.  He did pretty well, until he got tired and then wanted to lay down and eat the snow every minute or so.

Christmas Program

For the last few weeks we have been getting to church early to prepare for the church Christmas program.  Brooke was excited to be an angel and we couldn't convince Oliver to be a donkey or cow.  Maybe next year!?!  

We spend lots of time in the car, so we practiced our music over and over again!  Brooke even had a few lines!  I didn't ever expect her to memorize them, but she did.  On Saturday morning's rehearsal she wasn't feeling very good and she ended up saying, "I don't want to do it." into the microphone.  On Sunday she decided that she was going to make up for it!  Caitlin took a video on her phone, and I'll add it later. Brave girl!

I was asked by our pastor to lead the youth band.  We have quite a few middle school students who play instruments and I was amazed at how well they played.

Again, this is as good of a photo I get with the kids. Oh well!

Today's Events

I had a bad morning.  "When it rains, it pours!" I told a friend on the phone. I had cancelled a playgroup at our house because we woke up to a flooded basement and then Brooke woke up with the flu. As the morning drug on, I felt a huge lack of energy and felt sorry for myself.  And then I read the news.  Unthinkable actions at an elementary school.  Twenty children shot, six teachers and adults killed, and a community shattered by a horrific tragedy at a school in Connecticut. 

As the day passed, my life began to improve. The pumper man came and cleared our drain (for free), Brooke started feeling better, and I had some coffee which helped my energy.  I started to forget the feelings I had had in the morning and went back to my regular daily activities. 

My day improved, but the families who were affected by today's events will certainly not improve as easily as mine did. Today will change their lives forever.  The wrapped Christmas gifts for their kindergartner, the empty bedroom, the toys left on the floor, and the dirty laundry will all be reminders of what they lost.  Please pray for these families.

 When I look into these beautiful eyes I thank God for my children and pray for their safety. On the bad days and the good days I will hug them and tell them I love them. Today was a reminder of how precious life is, and as a parent, it is more real than anything.