Coach Happyness

Here are most of the coaches awarded "Coach of the Year" by the league. 

Evelyne sporting her Willamette United Soccer Club shirt.

Congrats coach Nathan!

We attended theWillamette United Soccer Club's awards ceremony a couple of weeks ago.  It was short, sweet, and they basically used it as a forum to let us all know what was going on in the League for the next year. I learned that it is the 3rd largest in the state of Oregon! Had no idea.

Nathan earned Kindergarten Girls Coach of the Year. When he went up to accept his award someone chuckled "how do you coach kindergarteners?" He laughed back "you just keep them running!"

So, who looks like mom???

We're all about the same age in these photos. Who looks alike?

My songbirds

So fun, had to document this and since blogging is this busy mom's documentation method of choice here I go.
Every night after bath, after Evelyne and Gilbert are tucked snuggly into their beds we hear singing.  First, we hear Evelyne singing to her animals, or "friends" as she calls them and then Gilbert. I think Gilbert just started doing it because Evelyne does.  Both of their doors are open and they are right across the hall from each other.  They sing and sing.  Evelyne usually sings songs she's learned in school or an old favorite like "somewhere out there" Gilbert isn't so organized.  He usually sings whatever the last things he remembers is like..."bath, prayers, thank you's" ; it's a stream of consciousness type of verse. Eventually it stops and we' know they're most likely asleep. It's very sweet and I hope it lasts, but I realize when those little voices stop singing before bed they've probably grown up.

Every time I see this clip, I think of Gilbert and Evelyne.

Meet Lomeni Daniel

So for a resolution in 2010 we have a new friend in our lives....from Tanzania, Lomeni Daniel Ndikoye. I was inspired and this opportunity just came up. Lomeni has a mother who is my age and is a subsistence farmer. He also has a brother and sister. He is 11 years old and love soccer and math and english. His father has died and his mother struggles to provide for her children. My heart just broke. I thought what are we waiting for we've heard these stories so many times.
I have so much, he struggles to survive. I learned that boys, especially older boys like Lomeni, are at the highest risk. I don't know why, maybe it was divine intervention but I felt compelled not just to listen, cry, and hope for something better for him and his family but do actually DO something to try to help him, his family, and the community. I know it sounds corny, but I finally realized small things matter most. We don't have millions, don't have our kids college paid for, don't even have our retirement totally figured out but humanity calls. Yes there are those in need here, there everywhere, always. I come from a family that came from humble beginnings; they were sponsored to come to the US through some families more fortunate, someone whose heart was touched. I'm just returning the favor.
If any of you want more information, would like to write a letter to Lomeni or give support please let me know. After all, we are all here to help each other through this crazy thing called life. Here's to a fabulous 2010!

Whitefish Wonderful

Loved our time with the most gracious hosts ever; Doug, Kelly, Will, Jack and Annemarie Peppmeier.

Loved taking Amtrak Empire Builder (overnight)with the kids.

Loved the time spent chatting and laughing. Loved daily cocktail hours and great food. Loved that the kids had fun.

Loved the snow.

Loved date nite. Loved the Great Northern hospitality and their fabulous friends. Loved the fact that we met fellow Portlanders on New Year's Eve.

Loved laughing at penny poker and 3 gin limits and the happy Lion Bank that coughed up the big wad of dough.

Loved the perfectly rounded snowman.

Loved the sleigh ride with Dolly and Molly, and the home made cinnamon rolls and hot cocoa afterwards.

Loved just visiting.

Miss my friends.

Seeing Santa

We finally got the chance to visit Santa today. After the YMCA twice cancelled the "Breakfast with Santa" we were so looking forward to we decided just to go toBridgeport Village first thing this morning. We stood in line for about 15minutes. Nathan stayed outside and the kids and I waited in the coffee shop next door.

They had a lot of fun and Santa was very kind to Evelyne who of course brought a list with her. On it was written: kickstand, tie shoes, webkinz, coal (for eyes for the snowman), a snowman hat, and an Indian Book (meaning native american which has fascinated her since our visit to Kah-nee-tah last summer.

Afterwards we grabbed a few gifts and had lunch at McCormick and Schmicks; pasta for the kids and French Onion soup for mom and dad plus....a bloody mary for mom...what a treat!

1 angel + 1 rock star = christmas sanity

In the throes of the days before christmas when all through the house all the creatures are stirring! Trying to finish gifts, get them wrapped, get those last minute gifts, and re evaluate your quickly diminishing budget. It's nice to have a break; a positive cute little break. Kids dressing up, singing, playing their part totally oblivious to the daily mayhem of the holidays.

Gilbert and Evelyne gave us that break last weekend at their Christmas Programs at our church . It was great to hear the songs and sing along, made me think of Christmas when I was a kid.

My favorite thing was singing songs, listening to my parents records...yes records...and baking with my mom. Our favorite thing to make as kids were christmas ornament cookies; you know the ones you cut out with cookie cutters and decorate with frosting and sprinkles.  Ours always turned out totally ugly with masses of frosting for hair and giant globules for eyes...they were scary. Oh but were they tasty. Not too sweet, buttery creamy yumminess.
So as I enter the final countdown, as my mother did before me, I'll try to remember my everyday madness is part of my children's memories; the baking, the music, the movies, the general mood and feel of the holidays. Thanks Gilbert, my little angel, and Evelyne, my little rock star, for giving mama a reminder of what Christmas is really about.

Oh Christmas Tree

This year our tree came from my good friend Danelle's Aunt and Uncle who live atop Mt. Home Road. All of their trees are Nobles and ALL cost $15 any size...what a deal! The farm is called Mt. Home Hillside Farm. We cut our tree a couple of weeks ago (Thanksgiving weekend) when it was nice and sunny, thank goodness.

 

This was Evelyne's favorite tree...just her size!

My first attempt at Bloodying a Bean Bag

Oh shipping woes. After completing the two lovely chairs to be shipped to Texas I realized, crap; now I have to figure out shipping.  I kind of ball parked it on my Etsy site based on what other people had done; yes I copied. I really didn't think I'd get any orders on chairs; too expensive and costly to ship. I was wrong. So, learning from this experience.

Being the eco - green-environmentally sensitive...wait, really just cheap...people we are we confiscated the following to use in shipping mayhem: **1-5 large boxes from old equipment at A-dec that Nathan stole from work. **scraps of packaging material from other packages that I had lying around **one old bean bag that my mom had that I tore open and spilled it's guts out**a bunch of newspapers we crumpled til our hands looked like coal miners' hands**duct tape**more duct tape**and the usual swearing

My shipping department (nathan) is making about $.50/hour. Boy do I owe him...wait, I bore his children...naturally...he owes me. I will say I am thankful for my shipping department who skillfully created two boxes out of nothing, measured to the EXACT size and duct tape to hell.

Let's all have a silent moment and PRAY they make it to Texas in tact.