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I have a lot of things to blog about, but here's a quickie while I get the rest sorted in my brain and while I wait for photos from Q&Karen. They first have to get unstranded from Monticello, UT where the Audi broke down on their way home :( They are stuck there without phone/internet coverage, waiting for the holiday weekend to be over so the repair shop and/or U-Haul can open so they can get themselves home to AZ.
Anyway, FFM and I have been having this dialogue repeatedly recently, and it goes like this:
Hi Mommy.
Hi FFM. What's up?
FFM pauses, and looks up at the ceiling.
I laugh.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas from the Moores
Like a lot of the rest of the world (except you southern hemisphere folks) we're reveling in the snow right now. It looks like it'll be a white, sunny Christmas for the Moores, just the way we like it. The snow held off until Uncle Q and Aunt Karen arrived, they left at 4am to make the long drive from Phoenix so they'd miss any bad weather. They got here in record time and made it a couple of hours before the snow started. It started on Tuesday night, raged all day Wednesday, and we woke to clear sunny skies today. The south side of our house will probably all melt away but our tree is in a room on the north side of our house so we'll look out into a nice, snowy white expanse tomorrow as we open our gifts by the roaring fire.
Travis, the ever patient, has taught FFM how to shovel snow. WITH mittens on no less!
(note: we got more snow than this little drift in the pic, this is the third time we've shoveled the driveway)
Yesterday was Christmas cookie baking day here at our house. So of course for dessert we had cookies. FFM was ecstatic as dessert is not a normal event.
Oscar-dog (we've noticed Oscar is the only dog FFM feels he needs to add the 'dog' moniker to. All other dogs just get called by their regular name) checked on FFM to see if he'd left any cookies for him. Sorry Oscar.
After dinner we braved the weather (snow had tapered off) to see the Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens. I always forget I need a tripod for night pictures...
Q & Karen goofing around with the cool glasses (snowflakes and snowmen and Happy Holidays!).
Tasting the snow. All kids just automatically know how to do it.
FFM has finally started singing. With a vengeance. Guess that rock session at Thanksgiving really brought it out in him. And all the Christmas music in every store we go into. His favorites? #1 Jingle Bells #2 Frosty the Snowman. He'll just break into song at any old time, but won't do it on cue. So when he started the other night I ran for the camera. Then he got some props so I did it again. As always, you'll see the mad dash at the end to see himself on the screen.
Travis, the ever patient, has taught FFM how to shovel snow. WITH mittens on no less!
(note: we got more snow than this little drift in the pic, this is the third time we've shoveled the driveway)
Yesterday was Christmas cookie baking day here at our house. So of course for dessert we had cookies. FFM was ecstatic as dessert is not a normal event.
Oscar-dog (we've noticed Oscar is the only dog FFM feels he needs to add the 'dog' moniker to. All other dogs just get called by their regular name) checked on FFM to see if he'd left any cookies for him. Sorry Oscar.
After dinner we braved the weather (snow had tapered off) to see the Blossoms of Light at the Denver Botanic Gardens. I always forget I need a tripod for night pictures...Q & Karen goofing around with the cool glasses (snowflakes and snowmen and Happy Holidays!).
Tasting the snow. All kids just automatically know how to do it.
FFM has finally started singing. With a vengeance. Guess that rock session at Thanksgiving really brought it out in him. And all the Christmas music in every store we go into. His favorites? #1 Jingle Bells #2 Frosty the Snowman. He'll just break into song at any old time, but won't do it on cue. So when he started the other night I ran for the camera. Then he got some props so I did it again. As always, you'll see the mad dash at the end to see himself on the screen.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Yes, Travis is back
Hi, yes, Travis is back. For about two weeks now.
If you missed the countdown clock he's home now, loves the house, did a couple weeks of light duty work at his new job in the Denver office, and now is on vacation for two weeks. Almost all of the new furniture arrived within a few days of Travis' arrival so the nearly barren house that I lived in is suddenly full of furniture and people. We seem to be busy again after a slight respite after Grammie Pen Pen left and our next wave of guests arrive in just a few days, nothing like breaking in that new guest room right away!
If you missed the countdown clock he's home now, loves the house, did a couple weeks of light duty work at his new job in the Denver office, and now is on vacation for two weeks. Almost all of the new furniture arrived within a few days of Travis' arrival so the nearly barren house that I lived in is suddenly full of furniture and people. We seem to be busy again after a slight respite after Grammie Pen Pen left and our next wave of guests arrive in just a few days, nothing like breaking in that new guest room right away!
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Grammie Pen Pen's Visit
Grammie Pen Pen came to visit for a few days before heading east to spend the holidays in Pennsylvania. We decided to make her visit a crazy busy hectic one and I know she slept the entire plane ride to Baltimore. Funny thing, we've been lazy bums since she left...
FFM got excited about the arrival of Grammie Pen Pen and to help make the time pass we set up the new Christmas train. It's VERY popular. But it's VERY loud since I opted for the inexpensive version, and also not the sturdiest train, so it's a 'looking not touching' train. Which is actually OK with FFM.
He's content to watch the train from afar. It's that exciting all on it's own. Getting down low on the floor provides a better view of the wheels.
I did some hunting around for a family holiday or Christmas show to go to. I learned that if I wanted to take our 2 year old to almost any concert he'd have to stay up well past his 7:30 bedtime. This year the most age appropriate daytime show I found was Disney on Ice, not really Christmas-ey, but sounded fun. Travis sounded skeptical, Penny sounded super excited. Later, I learned Travis had never been to an ice show, so it was a first for father and son! There were skits with Cars, Lion King, Tinkerbell, and the Little Mermaid. FFM's just about exploded for Cars. All in all, a fun family day. Boy, those Cars were awesome.
Granny Annie and Grammie Pen Pen took FFM to Cherry Creek to see Santa while I had a nice cut and color day (we quickly aborted a weekend attempt with Dad to see Santa after the line appeared to be at least 3 hours long) and they had a nice play at the breakfast playground....
And then we all met for lunch at Zaidy's deli afterwards. Zaidy's is a classic Jewish deli and their sandwiches are fantastic. FFM was fussed over by all the waitresses, he was the only kiddo in there that day. He got to pick his own cookie and went right for the big blue sparkly star.
Yes, he ate it all. And his fingers, lips, mouth and tongue were all blue afterwards.
FFM got excited about the arrival of Grammie Pen Pen and to help make the time pass we set up the new Christmas train. It's VERY popular. But it's VERY loud since I opted for the inexpensive version, and also not the sturdiest train, so it's a 'looking not touching' train. Which is actually OK with FFM.
He's content to watch the train from afar. It's that exciting all on it's own. Getting down low on the floor provides a better view of the wheels.
I did some hunting around for a family holiday or Christmas show to go to. I learned that if I wanted to take our 2 year old to almost any concert he'd have to stay up well past his 7:30 bedtime. This year the most age appropriate daytime show I found was Disney on Ice, not really Christmas-ey, but sounded fun. Travis sounded skeptical, Penny sounded super excited. Later, I learned Travis had never been to an ice show, so it was a first for father and son! There were skits with Cars, Lion King, Tinkerbell, and the Little Mermaid. FFM's just about exploded for Cars. All in all, a fun family day. Boy, those Cars were awesome.
Granny Annie and Grammie Pen Pen took FFM to Cherry Creek to see Santa while I had a nice cut and color day (we quickly aborted a weekend attempt with Dad to see Santa after the line appeared to be at least 3 hours long) and they had a nice play at the breakfast playground....
And then we all met for lunch at Zaidy's deli afterwards. Zaidy's is a classic Jewish deli and their sandwiches are fantastic. FFM was fussed over by all the waitresses, he was the only kiddo in there that day. He got to pick his own cookie and went right for the big blue sparkly star.
Yes, he ate it all. And his fingers, lips, mouth and tongue were all blue afterwards.Now we're chilling out for a few days. We'll have some more house guests when Uncle Q, Aunt Karen and Oscar dog arrive next week. Now, what to make for Christmas dinner...yum yum!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Visit with Santa 2009
Snuggling with Santa, 2009.
Great anticipation and excitement this year.
For those interested in history:Great anticipation and excitement this year.
2008
2007
We are still here, Travis got right to work fixing the house and we're all getting ready for Christmas. Posting will resume with a more regular broadcast soon. Travis still has some photos from his last adventures in Western Oz to post and we'll have some house before/after shots soon. Hang in there.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Warm and Toasty Parade of Lights
Denver's Parade of Lights is this weekend, but with temps predicted to be 12F (-11C) we'll be staying home this year. That's OK, we got to see Tempe's parade of lights while we were in Arizona! And it wasn't cold at all.
Settled comfortably into our lawn chairs under the Christmas-light-bedecked palms, picnicking on Mexican food, listening to the nearby water feature, it was a pretty plush way to watch a winter parade. Next to the water fall were giant bronze bunnies that all the kids got excited about.
Wait! You guys aren't looking at the camera and Oscar-dog is hiding... Let's try that again.
Hmmm. Bad night for portraits I guess.
Better night for trippy light sabre shots. No parade of lights is complete without a light up toy, and Uncle Q and Aunt Karen picked out a flashing-star-mini-sword thingy for FFM. After he figured out he could 'make rainbows' with it he was much more excited about it. There was a lot of rainbow making, right up until the first giant fire truck kicked off the parade.
Of course at the end of the parade Santa arrived, and I think for the first time FFM put it all together and now suspects that the guy in the big red suit is up to something very very good...
Settled comfortably into our lawn chairs under the Christmas-light-bedecked palms, picnicking on Mexican food, listening to the nearby water feature, it was a pretty plush way to watch a winter parade. Next to the water fall were giant bronze bunnies that all the kids got excited about.
Wait! You guys aren't looking at the camera and Oscar-dog is hiding... Let's try that again.
Hmmm. Bad night for portraits I guess.
Better night for trippy light sabre shots. No parade of lights is complete without a light up toy, and Uncle Q and Aunt Karen picked out a flashing-star-mini-sword thingy for FFM. After he figured out he could 'make rainbows' with it he was much more excited about it. There was a lot of rainbow making, right up until the first giant fire truck kicked off the parade.
Of course at the end of the parade Santa arrived, and I think for the first time FFM put it all together and now suspects that the guy in the big red suit is up to something very very good...
