New Year's Resolutions

It's that time again...time for me to write the same list every pleasantly plump mother with a superhero complex is currently jotting down. Well, not this year. I thought I would shake things up a bit. Instead I am going to approach this whole resolution rally in a new way.

If I were to write my life story right now, what would I want it to say. Who would I want to be? And what would I want to be doing? Would I want the heroine (yours truly) to be more adventurous? Possibly lead a fascinating life in addition to having a crazy family (time for own interests)? Perhaps I'd throw in a dash of more romance (a regular date night). Maybe I'd add a little mystery (other than where is the other sock)? Perchance some fly by the seat of your pants adventures with little people (that don't involve suspicious tonsils & unexpected doctors visit)? Mix in some exotic locations (excluding a public restroom and a 3 yr. old doing the peepee dance) and I think I'm on to something.

My point is, do books ever make it to the top of the New York Times list with it's lead character writing another to do list? Nope. So on January 1st, instead of sporting my rose colored glasses & gym clothes, my resolution is to live 2008 as if it were a best seller. There will be a smokin' leading lady who might learn to speak Spanish & belly dance; a romance with a tall, dark & handsome man; edge of your seat escapades with my favorite offspring; lots of laughter, tears & more laughter (hormones?!); great escapes to faraway places; gatherings with a smattering of colorful characters aka great family & friends; and many unexpected plot twists and turns. Stay tuned my dear readers, things are about to get crazy up in here!

This is Us

Let's talk family pictures. It's supposed to be this fabulous snapshot in time right? Then why is it that most of the time we are smiling through gritted teeth while biting our tongue and using the death grip on at least one child.

Do you ever find yourself pleading with frustration, "This is supposed to be fun so SMILE!"? Or better yet, "You'll look back one day and really appreciate this." {Ya right! I heard that same statement about the piano and 29 years later I am still content to have 'Pop goes the Weasel' as the only song on my play list.} Sorry, I digress. Do you hear yourself offering bribes of everything short of a pony, just to see their pearly whites? Still we persevere with these less than picture perfect moments. And I would like to thank everyone that sent us a Christmas card or posted on their blog for their dedication to the cause. Thank you for not giving up. Your efforts did not go unappreciated. The finished product in whatever form was worth the fight. I hope.

Holiday Detox

There is no better place for Holiday Detox than a snowy cabin in the middle of nowhere. The holidays are full of a lot of hustle & bustle. With all of that cheer comes late nights, decadent foods and crowds of friendly faces. Don't get me wrong, I like to raise a glass of nog with the best of them, but it can be exhausting. And that is all before the man in the big red suit makes his grand entrance.

R & I loaded up our sleigh on Christmas Eve day with 2 little elves, 1 large Jackie Bear in a festive bandana (Thanks groomers!), mysterious packages, and the kitchen sink. We were off 'over the river and through the woods to Montana we go'. Seven hours and a blizzard later, we made it! The girls were excellent passengers, no doubt because Santa was watching. R & I attempted to sing Christmas songs to them the last stretch and failed miserably. It turns out, we both know the first verse of a song and then do a fine job humming the rest. Note to self: Brush up on caroling skills.

Upon settling into our winter wonderland, we quickly donned our uniform for the week...PJ's! It was so magical having a little person in our midst who believes in all the Christmas mystique. Before tucking our little ones in, G-bean asked us to tell Santa hello and to ring his bells quietly so he didn't wake up 'little sister'. Pure Magic!

Christmas morning we awoke to a bright eyed G-bean excitedly telling us how she had heard the bells on Santa's sleigh last night. Following a candy cane trail upstairs, G-bean confirmed the big man's visit. Santa had not only found us, but he had also left the Hello Kitty she had been dreaming of. Oh Santa, you are good!

A week of leisure and adventure finished off our holiday. Sleeping in, playing in snow, skiing at Big Sky, snacking on our Holiday booty (everyone brought their sugary goods), rowdy card games, playing with Santa's gifts, -3 degree weather, teaching G-bean how to ski, teaching E how to walk, lazy afternoon naps, Sushi night with relatives, visiting the grizzly bears (G-beans favorite), hot-tubbing, reading a good book by the fire... what a week. A highlight was meditating in an upside down yoga pose with Eucalyptus scents while my mother impersonated her Yoga instructor with a metal stool for her makeshift gong. Never a dull moment in the land of crazies aka my family.

We would like to wish you and yours Happy Christmas, Joyous Kwanza & a Merry New Year!

Dog Day Afternoon

Recently G-bean and I read the book, Everybody Needs A Rock. If you haven't read it, you must. It gives 10 rules for selecting the perfect pebble. There truly is an art to this scavenger expedition. The most important rule of all, no one can do it for you! Little Miss Independent, G-bean really took to that rule.

On Saturday, the natives at our house were restless. G-bean & I decided to take our trusty 4 legged friend Jack to the dog park for some good old fashioned rock hunting. I quickly found out there could quite possibly be more than 1 perfect rock. Perhaps there could be 20 perfect rocks. Needless to say, the bag got heavy and the little lady got tired. Note to self, bring a wheelbarrow next time.

Thank goodness I already found my Rock, because he wouldn't fit in the bag.

Misery Loves Company

They say that misery loves company...that would be the case with Miss E's pearly whites. It wasn't enough to want 2 (more) front teeth for Christmas or wait to find a diamond encrusted rapstar grill in her stocking, E decided to take matters into her own hands (or should I say mouth). As a result, she is currently working on 4 top teeth and a new bottom tooth. Yowsers! Drool, teething tablets and gnawing on germ infested surfaces are all the rage at our house. If you happen to drop by, watch out for our little ankle-biter.

Me & My Gang

These are my peeps. We are an unruly group! We jump in unattended leaf piles. We sing at the top of our lungs off key. We ride as fast as we can on princess scooters. We loiter at the local Maverick for ice cream. We throw caution and schedules to the wind. The dirtier our adventures get the better. Our uniform is anything washable. And our code is leave no kid behind.

Halloween Haze

It's Sunday night and I am sifting through candy wrappers, remnants of face paint, costume casualties, and chili. What a week! It was quite spooktacular! Family parties, school parade, dog parade, friend's party, chili cook off, and trick or treating made it quite a festive holiday. I loved every minute of it. My most favorite event of all was the Park City dog parade. They closed off Main Street for the kids and dogs to strut their stuff and trick or treat. It felt like you had stepped into another world! It was wild! For one such as myself that truly appreciates a good costume on man or beast, it was total eye candy. I was inspired!

It's the Halloween hangover that I don't enjoy. I feel like I need a pair of dark glasses and would love it if everyone would please whisper (don't shout BOO one more time). I am finding cob webs in places I never imagined; peeling wax off of random surfaces; G-bean is still missing an ear to her costume; our pumpkins are shrivelling up in the front yard; the fake rat & bat decor suddenly seems out of place; G-bean & E are off kilter with the sugar & time change; and I'm exhausted! WHEW! Thank goodness we have 12 months to recover. Now it's on to Thanksgiving!

The following pictures you are about to see are real people. No photo shop or special effects have been used. Enjoy! As for the costumes, Rocky & I thought we would fast forward time and show the world what we will look like as we grow old gracefully (and tastefully). G-bean was a little pig as a tribute to her favorite story the 3 little pigs and our red brick house. E was a sweet little lamb following the herd. Jack was the cat in the hat. He was embarrassed that we couldn't find a more masculine costume for him to wear, so he walked through a burr patch and ditched the hat to further disguise himself.