Think Spring!!

Here are a few pictures of what we have been up to lately. The first two are of the baking project Cora and I did tonight. We are welcoming the warm weather and hoped these fun flower cupcakes would encourage it to stay this way (thanks for the fun cookbook Mom!).

Next up we have a few pictures from Cora's first bowling experience. I was pretty bummed that I forgot my camera, but my sister snapped these on her phone. Sadly, a camera phone doesn't do action shots very well. It took a little convincing to get Cora to put on the bowling shoes because she said they were "ugly boy shoes" and of course a Princess can not be seen wearing "ugly boy shoes!" I was also unaware a bowling ball could roll that slowly and still make it all the way to the end. It was perhaps the LONGEST game in history, but we still had a great time!

And the final picture is from date night last week. Mark surprised me with tickets to see the Boise Philharmonics. Having never been to an orchestra, I did not know what to expect. Simply put, it was amazing. It was also a great excuse to get dressed up (which I love to do!). In case you are wondering why Mark looks so worn out, it is not because the symphony put him to sleep (this picture was taken before we even left the house), it is because he had just returned from a back to back snowboarding/hunting trip and was exhausted. He was such a good sport though and never complained once. I loved everything about the night and so I was thrilled to hear Mark say we should do it again soon. Yippee!

Once upon a time...

A few of my friends have had marriage struggles recently. Two have separated from their spouses and one is in the middle of an ugly divorce. So lately there has been a lot of discussion about how to keep a marriage alive (I personify it because I think it needs as much attention as any living, breathing thing). My answer is not a simple one. Mark and I live by a set of rules. Of course when we made up those rules we weren't even dating. Confused? Well then you have probably not heard our story. Let me start from the beginning.

I was shuffling along a thin wire 30 feet above the ground when I first laid eyes on him. Actually I couldn't take my eyes off of him, and not for the reasons you might think. He was belaying me, and I had never met him. I guess you could say I trusted him with my life before I ever knew his name. It was May, 1999 and we had both just arrived at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico to begin our summer employment. He worked on the C.O.P.E. course (a high ropes course) and I was a Group Leader (camp counselor). We were in the middle of a series of group bonding exercises to help us learn to trust the people we would be working with for the next 3 months. It worked. He kept me from crashing to the ground and has pretty much maintained that role, in one way or another, ever since.

But our relationship was a strange one. True, we were almost instantly inseparable, but we did not date. He was my best friend, and so I spent my time trying to arrange the perfect relationship for him. After a few failed attempts, I realized something wasn't quite right. It was at the end of our second summer working together (we spent the off-season glued to a computer sending daily updates from Alabama to Idaho and back via cyberspace) when it hit me. We had spent the whole summer together (yet not "together") hiking, rock climbing and road tripping across the West on our days off. Our final road trip had come to an end and as we hugged goodbye, he told me he loved me. The words were nothing new, we had said a friendly "I love you" many times before. But I knew it had taken on a whole new meaning. I was sobbing as I got in my car and drove away, leaving him waving on the curb (to keep this post from reaching "novel" status I will refrain from telling you why the particular curb he was standing on was that of his recently minted ex-girlfriend). I had, up to that moment, believed the term "heart-ache" to be somewhat of a myth. But my heart literally hurt not seeing him in the passenger seat. I was terrified that I would drive away and never see him again.

That was not the case. A month later he moved to Boise, Idaho. To this day, if you ask him why he packed all of his earthly belongings and permanently changed zip codes he will tell you it was the quality of education Boise State had to offer (did I mention I was the ONLY person he knew in Boise). But before he ever enrolled, we were engaged. We were married on May, 26th 2001, and have spent the entire span of our marriage living by rules we came up with while passing time on a "friendly" road trip to Colorado. Here they are, in all of their offensive glory:

1. Divorce is not an option (so you better figure out a way to fix what's broke).

2. No houses with wheels (If you are reading this from the comfort of your double-wide, please do not be offended. We crafted these rules while living in 10x10 canvas tents and we knew that to keep us happy, we needed more space than a trailer could provide!).

3. No getting fat (sounds harsh but it would mean that we were living an unhealthy lifestyle that would prohibit us from doing all of the things we were passionate about).

4. No dying (seems like a ridiculous rule, right? But if you knew all of the dangerous stuff my husband loves, you would understand the need to have this rule nagging him at the back of his mind when making decisions to take crazy risks).

5. No climbing mountains over 15,000 feet (there is a constant debate about the actual elevation of this rule. Mark swears it was 20,000 feet, which would allow him to basically summit all of the world's highest peaks except for Mt. Everest. I tried to explain to him that if that were the case, we could not be in compliance with rule #4).

6. Hold hands, even if you don’t want to (this rule came about from a parenting story I had heard about a brother and sister who were forced to sit on the stairs holding hands until they resolved their current dispute. Seriously, how long can you stay mad at someone when you are sitting next to them holding their hand? Well, longer than you think, but it works like a charm!).

So that is the secret to our happy marriage. Plain and simple and a little crazy. Kinda like us!

Where did my baby go?

I blinked and she grew up. Claire is almost 18 months old now and I am freaking out. We are 100% done having kids, so she is our last. No more babies, which means no more midnight feedings. No more endless diaper changes. No more inability to communicate the cause of the ear piercing wail. Wait a second. This is liberating.

I began this post with intentions to spill my anguish over the lost newborn phase, but as I reflect back on it, I can honestly say I don't think I'll miss it. Sure I will miss the little cuddly baby who was easily toted around with out backbreaking effort. But the truth is I love the discovery stage Claire is in now. She is eager to learn and would sit still in your lap all day if you kept turning the pages of a book. Her vocabulary doubles daily and to watch how she explores the world in amazement is refreshing.

So I am not sure how the last 18 months flew by so fast, and I am not sure where my baby went. But she has been replaced by a wonderful (and temporarily obedient) toddler who is a constant reminder to cherish the simple things.

Just to See You Smile

Pictured below is the evolution of a smile. My sister was behind the camera trying to coax Cora into flashing her pearly whites. Yes, my daughter is scrunched in a box (by choice) and yes, she is yet again wearing her Princess dress. If I let her, she would super glue it to herself and wear it to sleep in, eat in and bathe in. She also told me that I should "dress fancy more often." Ouch! Do they sell adult Princess dresses?

What a LOVE-ly Day!

Mark isn't big on Valentine's Day. Never really has been. Probably never will be. If this is any indication of his love for the "Day of Love" he, after living through thirty February 14th, still has to Google it to see what day of the month it falls on. But I am not complaining. I never feel unloved. He buys me a great card every year, and since Cora was born, has purchased a "To Mommy" card as well, which I love. Plus, this year he bought me some beautiful tulips, and not that they weren't wonderful, but I have to admit, my favorite present was absolutely free. Both of my girls slept the entire night. No midnight potty runs, no fever-induced scream-fests and no monsters under the bed. Eight uninterrupted hours of glorious sleep. Happy Valentine's Day to me!

To spread the Valentine's Day cheer to our friends (and 33 of Cora's preschool classmates) we made some goodies and some homemade valentines. If you know me at all, you know that there is not a crafty bone in my body, so these valentines were a stretch for me. But it is the second year in a row Cora and I have crafted a Valentine's project, and I am thinking of making it a tradition. She loves it and I love that she loves it. Here are a few pictures of our little projects.

I hope you all felt a little love today. I know I sure did. And as cheesy as it sounds, it feels good to be loved!

The little things...

When Mark and I venture out for date night, which we try to do at least once a week for sanity's sake, we always return with a "surprise" for the girls. It is an unnecessary form of bribery that helps remind Cora to behave for the sitter (usually one of my siblings). It is a tradition we never should have started, but that Mark and I enjoy now probably more than the girls do. We get our alone time and then get to return home to eagerly awaiting children, and their anticipation is priceless. The "surprise" is usually a small toy or trinket we pick up at the grocery store, but I learned recently it is less about the item's value and more about the suspense that makes the surprise so important.

One evening, Mark and I returned home from a nice dinner out. We had savored the adult conversation as much as the meal, and cherished the momentary pause from the chaos that waited at home. We opened the door only to be tackled by Cora, who was wired with excitement (so perhaps the reasoning behind the "surprise" was backfiring. Note to self: ask sisters if this is the case). It was then we realized we forgot the ever important surprise. I began doing a mental inventory of my purse. Would a breath mint cut it? What about a "surprise" application of mommy's lip gloss? We were screwed. I was about to fess up and was dreading the look of disappointment on Cora's face when I saw it; a shiny quarter calling out to me from the bottom of my purse.

I handed Cora the makeshift "surprise" and watched as she accepted it, believing this gift had been hand selected just for her. She squealed with delight and darted straight to her gum ball machine. Apparently this gift, the one we had painstakingly picked out, was two-fold. As she cranked the knob and watched in amazement as the gumball began its tumble toward her, she confessed, "This is the BEST surprise ever."

Since that time, Cora's surprises have ranged from an Olive Garden mint to a "coloring book" (kids menu) and crayons, and the response is the same regardless. Utter happiness brought on by a set of miniature swords (aka. chopsticks), is a good reminder that very often less is more. If only I could adopt that philosophy.

I personally have a taste for the finer things in life. For instance, once I sampled the rich flavor of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, I have never gone back to the knock-off Western Family brand. Oh yes, I will cough up the extra 50 cents and not have an ounce of buyer's remorse. I know, I know. Lavish habits die hard.

So speaking of the finer things in life, we had a little Super Bowl gathering with some of our good friends. I haven't posted pictures in a while so here are a few taken at the party.

Cora and her little buddy Marcus. Kind of adorable aren't they?

Me and the hubby.

I gave up trying to get all of the kids to look at the camera and smile.....

and decided to just focus on their feet. I couldn't resist. This picture was just too cute not to take.

Me, Stefanie and Joey. I'm fairly certain if you ask any of us the score of the game, or even who was playing we might have a problem coming up w/ the correct answer. But we had a great time doing two of my favorite things: socializing and eating!

This last picture was from earlier in the day, but I had to include it because Claire never leaves a hat on. This picture captures a rare, and adorable, moment!