Sunday, November 21, 2010

Mystery Solved

AdventureDad and I have been hearing a mysterious splashing sound in the creek outside our bedroom window essentially since we moved in here... about a month now. At first it was only occasional, but lately we have been hearing a LOT of splashing, mostly at night but also during the day, especially when it was overcast. We would scan the area with a flashlight with visions of beavers or otters or raccoons floating in our heads, but we never caught anything. Today I was glancing out our window to see a dark "creature" in the creek, just disappearing under an overhanging tree. I wasn't sure what I had seen, just something dark in the water, so I yelled to AdventureDad to bring the binoculars. While I was scanning the water AdventureDad called out "it's a fish!" We hurried down to the creek and saw several chum salmon working their way upstream. So yes, we officially have a salmon stream in the backyard and the splashing mystery is solved.

We also had our first snow of the season today. AdventureGirl is thrilled (as well as the rest of the AdventureFamily!).

Monday, November 15, 2010

Update

I'm finally taking a minute to update the blog. Amazing but true. Since my last blog life has been a whirl-wind of preparation and adjustment. After looking through 100's of rental homes online, and at least a dozen in person, we found a place for the family and the horses to be happy for the next few years. Actually, we really lucked out and found the perfect place for us... reasonable rent on a larger (albeit older but very well-built) house with lots of storage, as well as several acres of pasture for the horses and a nice spot to put up the horse shed. The house is set back from the road far enough that we don't worry about the kids and dogs, a salmon stream runs through the back yard, and we are walking distance to the harbor and a city park with a playground. Doesn't get much better for the Adventurefamily's purposes.
So, after finding our little spot, the move began. This entailed MANY trips with the horse trailer and the flatbed trailer hauling all of our stuff about 45 miles (we're on the opposite side of post now). Boy, were we glad to get that done! Of course after the moving comes the cleaning, and I spent several days spit-polishing our former rental (probably more than necessary considering how fast the final inspection was). So, we are officially moved out of the old house, and at least all of our stuff is at the new house. It will take me quite awhile to unpack because we have had other priorities at the moment, like taking the tractor out to Walla Walla, putting up the horse shed, and getting storage in place to keep all of our farm implements out of the weather this winter, not to mention having a little fun before AdventureDad departs for less hospitable climes.
The AdventureGirls love our new home, although we'll have to do a little kid-proofing of the stream in the back yard before I'm completely comfortable. I didn't mention that there is also a beach that's about a 10-minute drive away, and M is enthralled with that. We'll soon have more shells and rocks than we know what to do with, although her current obsession is feeding the gulls (we haven't done it yet, but we read about it in a book so now she wants to try). Guess we'll have to go back! O just had her one-year checkup. We were shocked to find out that she's considered very tall and skinny... 85th percentile in height and 13th in weight. They're having us give her a bit more fat and calories and do another weight in a month, but to be honest I'm just not that worried. She is so active and healthy, and although she is certainly not (nor ever has been) a chubby baby, she looks healthy. I'm guessing we just caught her at the end of a growth spurt, not to mention that she hasn't stopped moving since she learned to walk. We'll see what the verdict is in another month.
We're all slowly adjusting to the idea that AdventurDad is going to be gone for awhile. M is a bit too young to understand the length of time we're talking about, so we'll have to take that part step by step. We're just thankful that his departure was delayed as long as it has been, essentially giving us a "bonus month". I don't know how we would have done all of the moving etc. without a little extra time. So, we're settling in, enjoying our last few weeks together, and looking forward to learning more about our new neighborhood.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Yay Michael

We just found out that my brother-in-law published his first book. ("Here's") a link to any who are interested. We can't tell you how excited the AdventureFamily is for him. Congratulations Michael!!!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Changes

Holy Schimoly, have things changed in the AdventureFamily! AdventureDad is out of his Fellowship. There were a lot of convolutions and politics involved, and I don't want to go into all of the gory details, but the simple story is that he failed to meet some physical training requirements, and was (very) promptly shown the door. I am a bit indignant because if he was in any other program, with any other employer, nothing but academic and medical performance would have mattered. Sigh. AdventureDad is so relieved to be done with all of the silliness that was going on that he has taken it much more gracefully than I.
Since his Fellowship ended, AdventureDad has had a chance to have a life again. He's no longer working 96-hour weeks, night shifts, or dealing with the politics and head-butting that was going on behind the scenes. I actually get to see him in a non-comatose state, and the girls get to have a lot more Daddy time. We also used some of that time to head out to Walla Walla and start our farm. With much-needed-and-appreciated help from my parents (aka Nana and Grandpa), we planted nine fruit trees (I think we're going to name our farm Nine Trees Farm) and put up a deer fence around the orchard. It's a humble beginning, but it sure feels good to have something tangible to look at!
To add to the craziness, literally the day after he was out of the program, AdventureDad was informed that he will be going on a new RLBT (Ridiculously Long Business Trip). He's going to new parts of the world (sarcastic Yay for him), and he's leaving in a little over a month. Needless to say we are all a bit overwhelmed, especially because the owners of our rental house are returning from overseas before the RLBT is over, which means that we have to find a new place to live and get moved in NOW. Not such an easy task with 2 cats, 2 dogs, and 3 horses! We have been running around like chickens with our heads cut off, looking at potential rentals in all directions. Boy, have we seen a wide range of living situations! The good news is that we have found 2 potentials that we are pretty darn excited about. We are most excited about one of them, that we should hear about tomorrow, so keep your fingers crossed. Either way I'll be able to blog about our next home in the next few days.
The other awesome news (and thus the reason for the rental search) is that we get to stay in this area until AdventureDad retires. He has been promised (by multiple reliable sources) a spot doing aviation medicine when he returns from his RLBT. That means no move across the country, and we will be close to our property and able to start our someday house in a much more reasonable fashion.
So, although we have a lot of changes, (and an RLBT that I can't even think about yet) in the long run AdventureDad is out of a very stressful and unpleasant situation (pretty sad when an RLBT is a relief!), we get to stay in WA, and in less than 3.5 years AdventureDad will have a new job and we'll be moving into our "someday" house. Sounds pretty good to me.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Taste of Fall





Wasn't I just writing that summer had finally arrived? I feel like a crazy person this year, but just as we were finally settling into some real summer, signs of fall have started to appear. The lone pumpkin in the garden is starting to turn orange, red leaves are starting to appear on a few of the trees, and the temperatures are dropping into the low 50's, and the horses are starting to put on their winter fur. The summer was so short and cool this year that the garden never did reach maturity... the squash is just starting to bloom, much less set fruit, the tomatoes are still green, and we had peas all summer long. Sigh. Thank goodness for a few faithful veggies... we have zucchinis coming out of our ears, some nice carrots and potatoes, some decent basil, and one giant sunflower.

Other than harvesting veggies, the AdventureFamily hasn't been up to too much. AdventureDad is toughing out his Fellowship, and we're all starting to look forward to it's completion. Just a few more months, a research paper, a case study, and a lot of tests to go. OK, so maybe our anticipation of the end is a bit early still, but being the planner that I am it is hard not to start thinking about the details involved in moving wherever we are going in the dead of winter. Sigh of dread.

AdventureBaby is taking 4-5 short steps between objects now... she's just one little leap in confidence away from full-fledged walking. AdventureGirl is very excited by the prospect of a mobile playmate, although she fails to understand why it's not OK for her to bodily heave O around. Adventures in parenting at their finest! I'm sure there are a million amusing anecdotes that I haven't shared, but I'm currently drawing a blank so they'll have to wait until my brain is working once more.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Summer

Summer has finally arrived in the Pacific Northwest. We have had some truly hot days in the last couple of weeks, things are finally starting to grow in the garden (although most things probably don't have time to mature now before the season is over!), and we've been having some summer fun.
The first true sign of summer was the celebration of AdventureDad's birthday. He amazingly had the day off, so we had the requisite cake and icecream, opened some great presents, and went to the zoo. AdventureGirl really enjoyed this zoo visit, especially because she got to see the twin baby Sumatran tigers. The were rough-housing with their mom and each-other, and were quite entertaining. She also took a lot of runs down the "otter slide" all by herself! (Big deal for Mommy, no big thing for AG!)
I had a chance to catch up with some very good friends from various parts of the world, both on the same day last week. Shan is currently stationed in Florida, but is on her way to Japan. We haven't seen each-other in person for a couple of years, and now barring a much-anticipated but fairly unlikely AdventureFamily trip to Japan, we probably won't see each-other again for another few years. She has a baby that is only 2 weeks younger than AdventureBaby, so we see some great playdates in our future. The Duffs were also in town from Germany, and AdventureGirl was more than thrilled to be reunited with her friend Nali from Germany. Baby K has also grown up enough that they all had a great time playing together. It was so fun to see how quickly AdventureGirl and Nali decided that they were going to be friends again, and of course they were both old enough now to communicate much more effectively. There are some cute pics of the kids in the slide show, but I am HORRIBLE at remembering to take pictures, and I failed to get a reunion picture of either V or Duff. Sigh.
The other big happening is that AdventureDad got his tractor. We of course will need one eventually to do the things that we want to do on our place in Walla Walla, and when a local estate sale had a couple "oldy but goodies" for unbeatable prices he just couldn't contain himself anymore. So, he now has a great restoration project to look forward to, and in the meantime it's very useable, although we sure have a lot to learn!

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Back from Cloud Nine

Just a quick update since we don't have pictures, but the AdventureFamily returned last night from another whirl-wind camping adventure on our land near Walla Walla. We are slowly working on placing T-posts at long intervals along our property lines (which are more than 1/2 mile long on 2 sides over EXTREMELY rough country), and we got about 1/3 of it done this weekend. Not bad considering we had the girls in backpacks and we couldn't work in the middle of the day due to the heat. We saw well over 50 deer on and around our property, as well as lots of elk tracks. My favorite part was the discovery of a steep grassy slope that had a wild plum grove, as well as several apple trees. There was also a huge hawthorn that had been trimmed into an umbrella by the deer, with a green carpet of grass and thick shade underneath... very park-like and beautiful, and especially appreciated since we had just hacked our way down a cliff-like steep slope of thick brush, small trees, and nettles galore, then up the facing slope to the fruit trees. It might not sound like fun (and the grumpies did come out a few times as the temperature rose), but it was a nice adventure for us, including a cozy evening in the camper. After the girls were tucked away, we sat out in the cool evening with the Blue Mountains to our back, watching the twinkling lights of WW in the distance, and all we could hear were the owls. Can't wait until we get a chance to go again!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

One More Story


I just had to tell one more story because it us cutely pathetic. Due to the cool, wet summer we've had so far, our raspberries are HUGE (although kinda watery and not as flavorful as last year's). AdventureGirl has been back to her shenanigans of grazing our lettuce, mint, and berries randomly while playing outside. Yesterday, I wasn't paying as much attention as I should have to how many she was eating, even picking a few myself and handing them to her, along with a few fresh peas from the garden. I'm sure any experienced Mom can guess what comes next. Lunchtime came and we went inside, but AdventureGirl wasn't hungry. Too much stuff from the garden, I guessed. Then, to my surprise, she VOLUNTEERED for naptime, going to her room and laying on the floor. Thinking that our long morning outside in the warm sun (and her swimming pool) had taken its toll, I coaxed her into the bathroom for a pre-nap potty, promising to have her in bed ASAP. She protested a bit, which was unusual, but I helped her balance on the big toilet and told her to give it a try. Next thing I know, I'm wearing raspberries on my shoulder and thigh, and they JUST KEPT COMING. Poor kid covered me, the toilet, and the floor with bright red raspberries, sprinkled with mint and peas. They weren't even close to digested, more like a puree. With the help of AdventureDad (who happened to be home thanks to his bizarre and ever-changing work schedule), I got her decontaminated and tucked into bed. 3 rounds of vomit and 3 sets of sheets later, she was resting comfortably and we (AdventureDad and I) just had to laugh... that was the best smelling puke ever!

The Pictures

4th of July and More

Well, the AdventureFamily is back from our latest adventure, and wow was it a great one. 2600 miles on the road, 3 days at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the maiden voyage of our pop-up camper, and a chance to see Nana, Grandpa, (Great)Grandma, my Brother and Sister-in-law, 2 nephews, and Aunt and Uncle all in one fell swoop.
We spent our first night on the road on our property near Walla Walla, which added to the fun. It was both the first night in the pop-up (and we were pleased with how well it did in the big storm that blew through) as well as our first stay on the property. We set up in a sea of chest-high fescue and enjoyed the stunning views.
It was a lot of fun to see everyone, despite the fact that both AdventureGirl and AdventureDad got very sick (with different illnesses), and AdventureMom was similarly miserable by the last day. AdventureBaby was the only one to escape, but in truth I suspect the little sniffle that she brought home from daycare to be the original source of pestilence. Be that as it may, it was her big introduction to a large part of the family (most hadn't met her or last saw her as a tiny infant), so I'm glad she was happy and healthy. We took the opportunity to belatedly celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday, and then we were surprised by a bunting-festooned, horn-blowing, siren-wailing parade through the campground by all of the law-enforcement, emergency, and support personnel who work at the North Rim in celebration of the 4th. Talk about a lot of celebrating!!! We of course saw some stupendous views, as well as deer, birds (including a blue-bird nest... thank you Nana) , kaibab squirrels (gorgeous squirrels with large white tails, charcoal bodies, a rust-colored cape on their back, and big tufty white ears), and most oddly of all, a bison (I have to do some research to find out if he belonged or was an escapee from a game farm). We also saw a herd of big-horn sheep during our drive down there, so it was certainly a wildlife filled adventure.
I'm posting the pictures in a separate blog to avoid the typical cramming of words. Enjoy!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Happy Father's Day




Happy Belated Father's Day to all of the Dads we know out there. The AdventureFamily has many dear friends scattered around the country and around the globe, and we share the blessings (and trials!) of parenthood with a significant proportion of them. We know how fast time is flying for our family, and how much fun we're having watching the AdventureGirls grow up, and we hope that all of the Dads we know out there are having as much fun. (It's amazing how the good memories outlast the bad, isn't it?). Here's to our own Fathers as well. My father has been such a huge influence on who I am today. I made many decisions as a younger person based on what I thought my Dad would think, and that test led me in the right direction in every instance I can think of. Now that I'm an adult and a bit more independent in my decision-making, I still value his input and opinions, and I hope that I can pass his wisdom on to the AdventureGirls.

Now on to the AdventureDad's Father's Day. Well, in truth it was much more about the family than about him individually. With his current work schedule, family time is at a premium, so poor AdventureDad was rousted out of bed a mere 4 hours after he got home from an all-night shift, stuffed into a car, and driven 3 hours (during which he napped a bit more) out to Port Townsend on the Olympic Peninsula. There we met with some dear family friends who have recently moved there, toured the quirky old home that they're renting, and then went to the beach for a drizzly stroll. Of course AdventureGirl was completely unfazed by the weather and thoroughly enjoyed herself, and to put icing on the cake we then went to the marine science center at Fort Waldron where she was able to poke sea stars and ogle octopi. Then we all went back to our friend's home for a BBQ dinner, home-made huckleberry pie, some quick good-bye's and a long drive home. It was a whirl-wind visit, but we sure packed a lot of fun into it. We can't wait to go back to the beautiful beaches up there when the weather's a bit hotter!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Catching Up



I keep waiting to get around to downloading pictures before posting, and I have to face the fact that I'm getting hopelessly behind without much hope of a picture-palooza on the horizon. So, I'm attaching a couple recent pics because they're adorable, but the rest will come when they do.
Things have been going pretty well here in Duncan-land. We have a couple new acquisitions in the trailer department (we're officially done buying stuff for a good long time!). First came the 4-horse horse trailer. It's a monster and looks pretty impressive going down the road, but it's a necessary evil since we have 3 horses and the old trailer was a 2-horse model... not going to work for our move this winter! So, the horses have a new limo (well, new to us anyway). We also spoiled ourselves a little and got a pop-up tent camper that the car can tow. It too is old, but still quite serviceable, and will be much more comfortable than camping on the ground, especially with the kids (the big bonus is a little porta-potty, which means no midnight runs to the pit-toilet with the kids!).
AdventureDad is neck deep in his Fellowship, and starting to wish it was over although there is still a LONG way to go. Hopefully his research project will be up and running in the very near future, which will be a relief to him, as well as a project that he can enjoy.
AdventureGirl is starting to enjoy the summer, although the unseasonably cold weather, added to the typical rain, has been putting a bit of a damper on things. Still, she has managed to perfect the art of bubble-blowing, and is enjoying kite flying and eating lettuce and spinach fresh out of the garden (it's much too cool for anything else to be growing, sigh). She cracked us up the other day when we were riding in the car. She was chattering up a storm (pretty normal for her), but we were wishing for a little quiet. We happened to smell a squashed skunk, and we asked her what a skunk says. She said "skunks are quiet". AdvenureDad said "yes, what else is quiet?" AG said " A tree". AD :"yes, that's true. Can you be quiet like a tree?" AG: "No, I have a mouth!" (Duh Daddy!)
AdventureBaby is crawling pretty well now, and pulling herself up to a stand on low objects. She still prefers the inch-worm though. It's pretty comical to watch... she launches herself forward with her feet and toes and lands on her tummy with an "Ooof", pushes herself forward with her arms, then uses her feet again. Come to think of it, she looks a lot like a seal on dry land, and she can hurl herself across the floor with amazing speed. I'm shocked at how fast she is progressing, and already miss my tiny little baby.
That's about it for now; I'm sure a lot else has happened, but that's what I get for getting so far behind. Now to do a bit of blog reading for myself... something else I haven't done for weeks!

Friday, April 23, 2010

Spring has Sprung

I think after 4 days of consecutive sunshine last week, I can safely say that Spring has officially sprung in the Pacific Northwest. Those of you who have spent any time here know that the end of the winter rains is a big event, especially for people like me who suffer from severe cases of cabin fever. Although there is still enough of a threat of frost to prevent the planting of most things, I do have some lettuce and peas coming up to the delight of AdventureGirl (their co-planter) and she will soon have more than mint leaves to nibble on in the garden.
The AdventureFamily also went on their first hike as a 4-person unit (five if you count Flat Austin, who was also along). AdventureBaby earned her back-packing badge on a hike near the foot of Mt Rainier. Although it was still snowy up there, the air was warm and we had a delightful trek. Speaking of AdventureBaby, she is getting very close to crawling, and has suddenly learned the art of babbling. She is a very sunny little baby almost all of the time, although she has no problem expressing her displeasure when she feels the need!
AdventureGirl just keeps growing up, and I marvel daily at how much of a person she is now. She is truly good company, and constantly provides reasons to stop and smell the roses. I have included a picture of her recent bathtub art... I left her alone for a few minutes with her bathtub markers, and came back to find that she had drawn a wonderful face... much more recognizable than anything I drew when I was 3, that's for sure! She has drawn many other similar faces, but I think this is her best so far.
Now it's time to head outside again, enjoy a swing and a "popstigle" with my daughter and get a little visit time in with AdventureDad before he starts another 24 hour shift!

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Daily Dose of Cuteness

This is a shortie, due to AdventureBaby having a mysterious case of fever-causing yuckiness of unknown origins, but I had to share my daily dose of AdventureGirl original cuteness. She was singing "Row Row Row Your Boat" to herself in the living room. I listened more closely to the words, and this is what she was saying; "Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream, merrily merrily merrily merrily Like a Spider Dream". Awwww. She also sings "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to all of the spiders she finds in the garden, which keeps her pretty busy. I love my little girl!!!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Birthday

Well, it has happened, AdventureGirl has turned 3 years old! She is such a "big kid" these days, constantly saying and doing things that keep us in stitches, and of course testing the boundaries as often as she can. We had a quiet family celebration, partly due to the fact that AdventureDad had to work that day, and also because we just haven't met many families with kids her age. So, the traditional (as long as I'm choosing!) carrot cake was followed by a few presents (all puzzles, as it turns out), and the grand finale, which was a swing-set, suffered a weather delay.
In other news, AdventureNana made it through all of her surgeries with her customary toughness, and is now busy recovering and trying not to suffer too much from the boredom.
We had our first hummingbird at the feeder yesterday, and we also had to mow the lawn, so I guess spring is officially here, although it is still frosting too hard at night to plant much.
I'll keep this one short and sweet... enjoy the pics!

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Crazy Week

What a lot of misadventures the AdventureFamily has has this week! The good news first, AdventureNana was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and she made it through surgery quite well, although post-op drug reactions made recovery pretty miserable. The excellent news is that her lymph nodes were clean, so no chemo at this point, although some missed cells mean another surgery and of course radiation. The entire Adventure Family is sending her supportive thoughts and wishing we could be there. In addition to her cancer, she is also facing a major surgery on her neck during which several fractured vertebrae are being removed and replaced with titanium and synthetic bone... actually much scarier than the cancer at this point, and a heck of a double-whammy for one person to make it through. Please keep her in your prayers. We love you AdventureNana!!!
On to the other misadventures; earlier this week, we noticed that the AdventureTruck was acting a bit strange... rough on the startup and sluggish to respond. Fearing that something was seriously wrong, we took it to the dealer, only to find out that our troubles were due to the fact that there was pure ethanol in the gas tank (of a non-flex-fuel truck). The truck was not happy, but thankfully we acted quickly enough that no permanent damage was done. The "funny" part is that of course we know it is not a flex-fuel vehicle, and of course I did not put ethanol into it. What I did do is fuel up on post, twice, from the 87 octane pump. Of course we're calling the shoppette!
Next on the list was an interesting call from Yuma Arizona that someone was attempting to cash a $2500 check that I had written them. NOT! Thankfully a sharp-eyed teller thought it was fishy that this individual had credit card checks to cash from 3 different people. Now we know what happened to our stolen mail! (Of course we had no idea that the credit card company had sent us those darn balance-transfer checks, but we did notice a shipment of garden seeds that never arrived, as well as some tax forms, not to mention that opened mail from several other addresses had been shoved into our box, so we figured something was up.) This was the first time I have ever filed a police report. Now being a first-hand victim I can tell you identity theft is no joke, and we are so thankful to that teller and the quick actions taken by the bank and credit-card fraud investigators. It is a minor pain to cancel cards and put fraud alerts on our credit, but it would have been a major headache to try to undo the theft if it had occurred.
Last on the list was a day at the hospital with AdventureGirl following a rapid deterioration after a sore throat and cold. She is hopefully on the mend now, and she avoided hospital admission by being a super-star at the Dr's office and sitting through a nebulizer treatment there, so now she is home and an asthmatic. (She fits right into the AdventureFamily in that regard!). We don't know yet whether this is a long-term condition or a transient inflammation, but either way she's pretty pathetic at the moment.
Luckily we have made it through this week in one piece and ready to move on, and in the grand scheme of things it could have been so much worse. We just can't wait to report on some more enjoyable adventures in the near future!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

More Pics




AdventureDad took some adorable pictures today, and I just had to share a selection.
In other news, we are quickly falling in love with Dora, who has continued to shine. She got very ill a day or two after arrival... a kennel cough infection that took some time to develop. Non-stop coughing and huge boogies in her nose (and sneezed all over the house, and coughed back up onto the rug), diarrhea, and no appetite (she went from emaciated to skeletal, poor thing), but she is definitely on the mend now, gaining weight, only occasional sneezing, and playing constantly with AdventureDog Sr, which is a heart-warming sight.
AdventureBaby had her 4 month checkup, and is doing very well. We seem to be through the worst of the colic and reflux, and she charms us every day with her constant babble and wiggles, although she is suddenly drooling like crazy (teeth perhaps?), and is working on her best attention-getting screeches.
As for me, I re-discovered a new favorite smell today... sun-warmed baby. The AdventureFamily took advantage of the 4th sunny day in a row (yes, amazing I know, but we do indeed still live in the Pacific NW), and while AdventureGirl picked dandelions in the lawn, I read a good book with AdventureBaby snuggling in my lap while AdventureDad drew out ideas for our someday house (and took pics). What a feeling of well-being!
After this blissful start to the day, AdventureDad and I went for a great 6-mile run, which was strangely relaxing, and a personal distance record, which was incredibly satisfying.
What a great day!

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Valentines Day Surprise

A quick update after a fabulous Valentine weekend. To start with the biggest news first, AdventureBaby rolled over for the first time on Valentine's Day, and followed that feat with a back-to-front roll the very next day. Go kiddo Go! AdventureDad and I then went for a 5-mile run (my longest so far in this build-up) that felt great, followed by a very nice seafood dinner while the junior members of the family stayed with "Grandma Honey". All in all a nice evening, and we were out until almost 10 all by ourselves!!!
The next day we loaded up the kids and went up to Rainier for a wonderful ski with the chariot. It was a gorgeous day; the sun was shining, the sky was blue, the snow was white, and the scenery was of course breath-taking.
It's back to life as usual for us now, but it was sure nice to recharge our batteries over such a great weekend.

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Meet Dora and Pictoral Update

Life in the Adventure household just keeps ticking along. I can't believe that tomorrow is the beginning of February, or that AdventureBaby is approaching 4 months old, or that AdventureGirl is approaching 3 years old. I have a feeling of awe when I compare the two, which really emphasizes how much a kid changes in the first few years of life, and how much there is for a little one to learn. It is wonderful to watch AdventureGirl grow into her role of big sister. Although she still suffers bouts of severe jealousy, in general she really seems to delight in her little sister, and it melts my heart every time she makes up a little song, or brings her a toy.
On to the new member of the family. Theoretically named after Isadora Duncan, although rapidly truncated to Dora by our intrepid soon-to-be-3-year-old, she is a mostly white husky/border collie cross that we acquired at the local pound. For those who have the ability to compare, she stands just an inch or two shorter than Casper, and weighs about 20 lbs less (although when she weighs what she should, she will be about 12 lbs less). She was a stray that they could tell us little about, and we mostly just adopted her because I liked her (and AdventureDad approved), and at the end of her second day here, it's "so far so good". She is an angel with M, and seems to seek her out for excitement. She's interested in the cats, but has been put in her place fairly quickly, and Casper is tolerating her for the moment. There of course have been a few little scuffles as the two AdventureDogs figure out their places in the pack, but nothing serious, and when I get them outside they have shown signs of becoming the playmates/friends we are hoping for. It appears that we also struck the jackpot and adopted an already house-trained dog, and she is so quick to learn that she already comes when called and sits on command. She is very light on her feet and attentive thanks to the herding dog in her, and very fuzzy thanks to the husky, and is quickly weaseling her way into our hearts. Now if AdventureDad's allergies adjust, we'll have it made.
The rest of the pics in the show are just cute. O's blue suit is a set of wicking underwear she got for Christmas. Yes, baby wicking underwear courtesy of her Nana. You may laugh, but a happier more comfortable baby you never saw, especially when we're out playing in the snow. The only down side is that she's also slippery!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

The Best of Christmas

There is so much that I could post about Christmas and New Year's that I am a bit overwhelmed, so I'm keeping it short and sweet. We had a quiet Duncan family Christmas in WA with just AdventureDad, myself, and the two girls, as well as "Grandma Honey". It was wonderful and cozy. A few days later we drove to MT to visit my parents and to celebrate my mom's birthday with her on New Year's Eve. We also stopped to see AdventureDad's sister and her family, as well as some extended family on the way home. During our stay we got in some snowshoeing and skiing with the kids in tow (literally!) and had a grand time. We are looking forward to 2010 as AdventureDad's final year in his program, and the year when we find out where we will be heading next. Happy New Year to all, and may it be a year of peace and happiness!