a beautiful hike today

Sundays are long walk days in our training program for the MS Walk. Wendy took us on an absolutely gorgeous hike along the Mesa trail. Ole was a rock star and stayed with me the whole time. It ended up being 6 miles instead of 4, but when it's that pretty, who cares? Next time I'll bring water though! ;-)

Report

TaeKwonDo is a go. This is totally up Ted's alley. The instructor assured him that he could just watch, but that he was welcome to participate if he wanted. He was out on the floor from the get-go. They started with about 8 laps around the floor which got him winded, but he kept doing it. Then they did 20 pushups (or tushie wiggles, in Ted's case). They "sit like a Black Belt" whenever they're not doing something. Ted did a bunch of kicks, blocks & punches. He really enjoyed himself and got along especially well with the instructor's son, who is his age. Tiny Tigers meets from 4:15-4:45 on Mondays, Tuesdays & Thursdays with an optional practice at 10:15 on Saturdays. We can make the Mon/Tue classes the month of May and then in June we can hit all 3 weekday ones, if he wants. They recommend 2-3 classes a week, but you can go to all 4 if you want...the tuition is the same. And it's not any more expensive than soccer, which is what this will be replacing. He got his uniform today and will 'earn' his first (white) belt on Monday when he learns the basics. "Bring your camera," said Brian, the instructor. I love a teacher who's also a parent. Here's the link to his school's website.

Sponsorships, anyone??

The time has come for the fundraisers! As most of you know, Ted's friend Jack has CF and every year we walk the walk, raise as much money as we can, and generally try and help out. If you'd like to make a donation to the CF Foundation (thank you, Aunt Jayne!!!), please let me know. You can mail a check or donate online here.

My friend Wendy's sister has MS, and I seem to know quite a lot of 'friends' who also have it...weird. I am going to walk the 50 mile MS Walk with her this summer. If you'd like to sponsor us, click here.
Here is the info on the MS 50 Mile Walk.

We have a website to chonicle our training. Here is our site.

Tiny Tigers

Tomorrow morning at 10:15, Ted and I will head out to a trial Tiny Tigers class. Brian, the owner/teacher, spoke with me today and it sounds pretty neat. We'll take a tour and talk about what days works for Ted, etc. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

The Tiny Tiger program is designed specifically for the preschool age child. Like the internationally recognized Karate for Kids Program, the curriculum focuses on building strong character and emphasizes the areas of courtesy, respect, and discipline. This special taekwondo program is designed to improve your child's motor skills and improve their ability to focus, listen, pay attention, and follow directions. Our classes are safe, fun, exciting, positive, and age appropriate. The program works in unison with the Karate for Kids program, ensuring a smooth transition to the "big kid class" when the time comes.

The rank and testing system used by the Tigers is slightly different from the Karate for Kids program. Tigers can earn eight collectable animal patches to display on the belts: Tiger for orange belt; Cheetah for yellow; Lion for camo; Eagle for green; Phoenix for purple; Dragon for blue; Cobra for brown; Panther for red. Tiny Tigers also have their own unique "Victory Patch". Stars are earned in the same way as the Karate for Kids program. These different colored stars are rewarded for outstanding performance in karate class, school, home or at a tournament competition. Each month the kids are introduced to a new lifeskill word (monthly theme), such as: Goals, Friendship, Perseverance, Self-Control, Confidence, Self-Improvement, Courtesy, Self Awareness, Respect, Integrity, Self-Esteem, & Dedication.

just call me biker girl

Paul refused to take a picture of me today so that's why you have to view a boring old stock photo of a blue version of MY NEW BIKE! Let me preface by saying that I haven't been on a bike (besides a few horrendous spin classes I've been stupid enough to attend) since the summer before senior year of high school. I used to bike to summer school and back and just loved it. I'm not sure why I didn't keep it up, especially living in Chicago, but there you go. I've never been a particularily graceful person, and my skill on a bike is at times laughable, but I had a BLAST today, just following Ted around the neighborhood (during naptime today) and then tonight I did the loop I usually do with the kids and was able to SPEED down the hills (and cheat and walk back up them if need be). What a rush! I'm so excited. Between walking and biking, this might be a pretty active spring! My bike isn't blue but more a light purple. Hee.

Low Blood Sugar, ear infection & more counseling

Today Mae had a follow up appointment to talk about her 'episode' at PALs last week. Since it was pretty much an isolated incident, our pediatrician is not too worried, but wants us to keep a log of all the times she seems shaky and to make an appointment with an endocrinologist to discuss any tests that would be prudent. In the meantime, we are to continue what we are doing, which is bumping up her protein intake and making sure she has snacks available throughout the day. I'm not a juice fan, but she gets juice now and I bring some with me. Soy milk, which has the protein, is our drink of choice when eating out and luckily she likes chocolate (she's not a fan of our homemade brew just yet...) I've also started bringing Puffins or Mighty Bites cereals with us wherever we go, just in case.
While there, the doc discovered an ear infection (*sigh*) so Amoxycillin it is. Paul took her in just Saturday and there was no infection, so this was a quickie. Ted was sent home from school today (I knew this would happen, but I wanted him to be in the class picture! I told the teachers I would hang around Boulder just in case they felt he should go home, so I was ready!) so the doc was able to check him too and he seems fine, just a miserable cold. Sam is on the mend and had a nice playdate with Eliot today so I could take Mae in to the doc.
This afternoon I had a 2nd session with a therapist at CCAI. Our first session revolved around Mae's sleep issues and her tips really helped. Today we talked about her severe separation anxiety and fits of sadness/anger. The separation anxiety, she thinks, is normal, because most adopted children are 'delayed' in some areas. Mae is up to snuff physically but perhaps is a bit behind emotionally. Most toddlers go through the separation angst around 15-18 months, so Mae is probably right on track with her own schedule. I am to continue holding her through her fits and reassuring her that she's OK...as her language improves this will get much easier, we think! She said, and I agree, that it is most exciting and promising that Mae now WANTS to be cuddled and comforted when she is upset. Last time, she noted, that was not the case, so we have come a long way. And, she said that often these girls cycle through these stages throughout their lives, and all we can do is be there for them and assure them of our support. Phew.

Eggs!

I got a email from Wendy this afternoon. She found eggs! Even as I aspire to be vegan, Mae's protein needs are turning into a true concern and I was THRILLED to learn that local farms offer eggs for sale from their happy chickens. Did you know farm-raised chickens lay all colors of eggs? Brown, black, purple, pastels....I estimated that we would go through about 1 dozen a week (Mae has one every morning (7) + challah french toast on Saturdays (3) + Ted's waffles (2). She picked up a dozen today and I'll pick them up tomorrow. They are $3.50 for a dozen. I'm way excited. I still plan to cook vegan in most recipes, but I'm happy to put eggs in for the kids, especially without guilt. Next week it'll be my turn to go to the farm to get the eggs for us, and I'm looking forward to seeing the chickens myself. She said they look about as happy as chickens can look! I love Boulder.

Purple Asparagus

yes, it's true. Yet another surprise from my box today. I've never had purple before. Apparently you have to add lemon juice or vinegar to the cooking water or they lose their purple.

Zucchini
Bartlett Pears
Arugala
Spinach
Red Leaf Lettuce
Red Delicious Apples
Carrots with Tops
Broccoli
Purple Asparagus
Valencia Oranges
Strawberries
Strawberries
Bananas

I'm looking forward to the asparagus and not quite sure what to do with the arugala.

Relief

I'm not sure there is a word to describe the relief I feel right now. Thanks to 1-800 Got Junk, the boys now have a playroom and our crawl space is less than 1/2 full. The only stuff in there are holiday boxes and our textbooks from school. I highly recommend these guys. Ahhh....

And as if that wasn't enough to make my day terrific, I had a wonderful talk last night called "How to Raise a Mensch." The bottom line? Model. Model caring for others, being involved and helping others. Good stuff.

Now, if I could just get my 3 sick kids well, I'd be completely happy! Off to story time at the library...

Reunion with Auntie Ellen

Tonight we got together with 3 other families from our travel group and had the honor and pleasure of hosting Ellen, one of our Hunan reps. It was so, so, SO wonderful to see her. Similar to the nurse who holds your hand during labor, our Hunan reps were EVERYTHING to us. They were there for the most important and most emotional part of our journey, and they held our hands every step of the way. We love them so much!! We also had our local Chinese playgroup at the park this morning. More pics on moeltini.

Fun at Wahoo's

I like Wahoo's for the margs. Paul likes Wahoo's for the chips. Sam & Mae like Wahoo's for the black beans and Ted, for the fries. But I think everyone enjoys the silliness that always ensues afterwards! Nothing like an old-fashioned game of Monster Chase to end the evening.

thursday fun

If you want to know the fun Ted had today, check out Wendy's blog. Pic shamelessly lifted from her blog because she is such a ROCKING photographer and I NEVER get such great pics of my kids. Plus I had a marg for dinner and am feeling less than moral. Heh. Did I mention that Ted would prefer to live at Alex's? Oh well. Maybe I can bribe him with a Star Wars movie of his own. At swimming today, he did all the strokes and Judy is going to put him in strokes this summer with his swim buddy Zach. He is really taking off on the swimming. He was REALLY psyched today. Mae was less thrilled with her class this morning and screamed "Towel!!!" the entire half hour. *sigh* Sam had OT at Avista and had so much fun, so we are going to do the 2 more sessions covered by insurance just because. He ate an entire grilled cheese sandwich, CANTELOPE!!!! and HONEYDEW!!!!! and milk. Unheard of a few weeks ago. After Ted's rocking swim class we swung by Paul's boss' house and Ted had a glorious half hour of Playmobile fun with Aidin, the boss' 4th grade son. Ted loves Aidin and Aidin's toys. Then I conned Paul into Wahoo's and the boys rode bikes for a little while before getting cold and coming in for bed. Busy day but fun and stress-free. I LIKE stress-free!!

Back to Bullets

After a tragedy, commenting on small joys seems somehow wrong. Still, I want to remember these little thing. Thus, back to bullets for the random things I want to say that have no real importance in the world.

* Winnie the Pooh bridge at the library. I've searched google endlessly since Monday afternoon trying to find an image of this sculpture and it does not exist. So, next time we go I'll snap a pic of my own. It's so cute, if not kept up. There is a small "bridge" with Pooh and Christopher Robin peering over the top of the bars, playing Poohsticks I'd guess. Behind them, Tigger, Rabbit, Kanga and Baby Roo are bouncing around the water. Piglet seems to be MIA...hmm. It's really sweet and the kids love to play there. They aren't huge Pooh fans like their mother, but they like the idea...water, bridges, sculptures of children their size...very fun place to play. I wonder if I can find someone 'garden-y' to give me pointers on cleaning it up. I'd do it for free-just for fun. It's just too cute to let get much more overgrown than it is.
* Mae at Caterpillars: Today I volunteered at the 9Health Fair and Mae was an honorary Caterpillar. They say she did GREAT and had a good time. She ate her lunch, sat for storytime, had music with Renee, played outside, the WORKS! She only cried once-when they had to take her out of the room (during music) to change her diaper. Apparently she cried "Sammy! Sammy!" the whole time she was being changed. Awwww. I think I'm going to be in trouble when she doesn't get to stay in his classroom on Friday! Yikes!!
* Sam at ChildFind OT: Sam's first session was quite fun. The other little girl, Zoe, is once month older than Sam and is obviously more behind in gross motor, what what a cute little girl! The two of them hit it off instantly and were little partners in crime the whole hour. She basically copied everything he did. Apparently she has serious sensory issues and we (the OT and myself) were worried that Sam's 'enthusiasm' (ahem) would overwhelm her, but she was fine! What a great pair. The OT about fell over when he hopped on the trike and took off. "That is REALLY age appropriate!" she said in astonishment. Hee.
* Too lazy for elaborate dinners: I still have 2 pounds of potatoes, a pound of tomatoes and a "bunch" of kale left over from last week's box. I was supposed to fix 2 lovely meals and I just didn't. I think that kind of cooking only interests me when it's gloomy and cold out. It's just too gorgeous! So, my plan is to chop up the potatoes and freeze them, same with the tomatoes, for when I get the itch for one of those wintery meals.
* Magic loaf russian style: I wanted a satifying protein to pair with the fresh-picked spinach that came today, so I went back to Jennifer's Magic Loaf studio and put in the ingredients that were similar to the delicious Beet, Barley & Black Soybean Soup from days past. I had whizzed up the leftover pumpernickel bread into bread crumbs and tossed them in the freezer, so I made sure to use those in the loaf too. The result was very much like the soup, without the beets, because I got too lazy and just steamed the spinach instead. Tomorrow I'm going to try the Orange Glazed Beets again and just cook them longer this time and serve them with more fresh spinach and more of the delicious "Russian Loaf al Isa." Yum.
* And last but not least, I've decided to fly to Chicago with Mae while Paul and the boys roadtrip to Iowa. I'll be gone from Monday July 2-Monday July 9. Since Paul will also be gone, I am in desperate need to a pet sitter, hopefully to stay in my home for the week. Or perhaps someone to take Ole and check in on the cats every day or so. If any of you know of a student or responsible teenager, let me know!! I'm going to ask a few of the teens I know in the neighborhood, but I'm open to suggestion! Poor Ole. He usually comes with us.

oh my

On the advice of Ted's OT, we will be investigating Tae Kwon Do or Karate classes for him. She thinks he would benefit from the discipline style the Martial Arts uses (he doesn't respond well to the 'sports' discipline he receives at soccer). The star system (respect, doing chores, homework etc.) is how a student earns stripes on the belt (I think this is just Tae Kwon Do, not Karate) so it becomes much more than just a sport. We will check out the local schools, costs and programs and see. I think we will be phasing out OT in the next few weeks. He has done beautifully and I think we can take it from here, now that we know what to do. And we can always come in for a 'tune-up' if things get sticky in Kindergarten. Oy.

Tomorrow I'm volunteering at the preschool for a Health Fair. Mae gets to be an honorary Caterpillar all day! She will be so psyched-she absolutely LOVES playing in Sam's class. He has snack tomorrow too, so that will be extra special. I have her little lunch all packed and her backpack ready with diapers and wipes (I think they will come get me when she needs a change.) Too cute. And Sam has his first ChildFind OT tomorrow at 1:30. Hope it goes well-that's a tough time since he still naps but oh-so-convienent so we'll try it!

no pics but an amazing day

So much for the snow. It has been an unbelievably beautiful weekend. Yesterday we went to Shabbat Mispacha at HHS and then to Moe's with Wendy and the boys. We spent the afternoon steam-cleaning and riding bikes in the cul-de-sac. Today we all went back to our favorite trail at Baseline/Cherryvale and biked to the park and back, with playtime in the park. Sam is just such a rock star on his little bike. He now goes fast enough (when it's flat) that I have to jog to keep up with him. Next time we go to that trail, I REALLY need to wear running clothes. Ted got in major trouble for going into the parking lot without us, but he too biked like a champ today. After an ice cream cone and rest time, they hit the cul-de-sac again. Both boys were thrilled that our neighbor Oliver was back from his week in Chicago and they wasted no time biking and racing together. Oliver (4) and Ted in particular seem to enjoy nearly crashing into each other while trying to pass each other on the ("totally awesome" says Oliver) downhill that leads to the street. Ted was TIRED after all that. Everyone ate a quick dinner, had a bath, and crashed. Tomorrow school begins for REAL...no more days off for a while. They will start to talk about graduation now in Ted's class. *sniff*

Thumbs up for Choc-ful Donuts!

A batch of Sneaky Chef's Choc-ful Donuts yielded 12 mini donuts and 6 mini muffins. Ted ate about 6 donuts and was caught trying to smuggle the leftovers up to his room. Paul wouldn't taste them, only because he saw me fixing them and witnessed the cup of Purple Puree (spinach & blueberries) that went into the batter. These were huge hits with all 3 kids, and I thought they were good too! The texture was a little off, but considering they were baked and not deep-fried, that was OK.
Last night I made up a batch of Pasta Sauce from her book, which included Orange (carrots & sweet potatoes), White (cauliflower & zucchini) & White Bean Purees. The sauce was delicious and sweeter than normal. I used it for pizza sauce which they wouldn't eat last night, but I think that was because they had eaten about 5 carrots each (pretending to be Bugs Bunny) and just weren't hungry. Ted ate 2 pieces for lunch today with gusto. I also baked my own pizza crust which was a bit fluffier than usual, so I may try this again with a store-bought crust and see if they're more interested. The 'fake cheese' was another disappointment, although I don't think anyone minded but Paul. So far, I like the Sneaky Chef. Tonight I'll bake a batch of her Brainy Brownies and tomorrow we'll try a pancake recipe. I have to admit, watching the boys gobble up those donuts with all that spinach in them made me giggle.

dandelions? for real?

Spinach
Dandelion
Granny Smith Apples
Jewel Yams
Tomatoes
Romaine Lettuce
Leeks
Green Chard
Carrots
Strawberries
Grapefruit
Bananas

Next week's box includes dandelions. Hmmm. This article says they are delicious served in a variety of ways, so I won't sub it out. I'm game. Perhaps in a salad of sorts? Steamed with spinach? Sauteed in olive oil with garlic and onions?

Shabbat Shalom!

Every Friday the preschoolers have Shabbat Sing. Caroline, Ted's Pre-K teacher, leads it and tells a great story. Leah, Mae's PALs teacher, plays guitar. There are LOTS of songs, a story, blessings, candle lighting & challah. It's a lovely ending to the week for the kids, although it is a bit chaotic. This week Ted was REALLY into it, sticking with Caroline like glue and singing all the songs with gusto. Too cute.

Mae had a scary experience today. We were at PALs and she suddenly threw herself on the floor, a la tantrum. But she had been fine, so it didn't make sense. I picked her up to hold her and another mom suggested she might be hungry. She offered her crackers that were inside a baggie. Mae reached out and her hands were shaking so badly she couldn't even take one. We got her one for each hand and I sprinted to the kitchen for a sippy cup of juice. She drank it like a bottle, lying flat in my arms. As soon as she drank it, and munched up the crackers, she got up and went about her business, right as rain! Guess I'll bring her a sippy of juice and some crackeres in the diaper bag from now on.

no way

Yes, way. We finally received Mae's CERTIFICATE OF CITIZENSHIP in the mail from USCIS. This was to be the very last shred of paper she needed. Well. No such luck. This is a beautiful document with the CUTEST picture on it (I had forgotten those cute pics we did so quickly at Costco the same week she came home.) This gorgeous piece of parchment paper listed her name as Huai Xiang Mae Moeller. No, no no, people. Her legal name is Mae HuaiXiang Moeller. What is WRONG with government agencies?!? Oh well. Tomorrow I'll mail it back to USCIS in Denver, attention to a certain person that CCAI notified of the problem (did I mention that I LOVE my agency? I had an answer and a solution to the problem within 24 hours). When (if?) I get the certificate, we are going to FRAME it. Geesh.

my son, the enigma

Today was Sam's follow-up evaluation with Child Find. It was a 2-hour evaluation with 5 different 'specialists' and WOW! was he a good sport. He was very agreeable and showed WAY more patience (in trying things) than he does at home or at school. He was approved for OT services which is a HUGE relief. It means we won't have to pay for it. He scored below the acceptable limits for gross motor, fine motor and sensory processing. This means:

Gross motor:

• he doesn't run as well as he should
• do stairs as well as he should
• throw or kick a ball as well as he should

Enigma #1: he can ride a 2-wheeler with training wheels as well as a 4 year old.

Fine motor:

• He doesn't write his letters & shapes as well as he should
• do buttons or hold a marker as well as he should
• cut with scissors as well as he should
  

Enigma #2: he knows all his letters by sight, capitals & smalls, and counted until they told him to stop (I think he got to 20 or something). Auditory learner? Thoughts, Mom?

Sensory processing:

• He doesn't do puzzles as well as he should (or at all, really. Too frustrating for him.)
  
• He doesn't "tell a story" while looking at a book (he labels, but won't tell what's going on.)
  
• He has a hard time following through with multi-step instructions, getting distracted after only the 1st or 2nd step (hmmm, sounds like Ted!).
• His 'sentence order' is often a little off as well (ex: "Mom, your pizza is going to miss." means "Mom, you're going to miss eating your pizza.")
  

And Enigma #3: his vocabulary, while it may be a little hard to understand sometimes, was scored at a 4th grade level. (How do they do that? Not sure but apparently once you hit age 7, they start referring to "1st grade level" etc.)

Gotta love the enigmas. I think it's so cool that he can excel right in the middle of an area that he needs work on.

From their observations at preschool and my reports, they also think he needs help 'self-soothing' when he is angry or frustrated. The eating piece should improve itself when other sensory issues are worked on (this is exactly what his OT is doing now anyway, and I have noticed his eating improving. He will at least try a food that he has gagged on in the past. That is a huge improvement!)

So, in about a week we will hear from his assigned therapist. There are usually 3-4 kids of the same age in a session so it's a group thing. The 4th week of every month they don't have OT but the therapist comes to the home or to the school to do an observation and write a progess report. Should be an adventure! So tomorrow is our last day of OT through Avista. I think she's done good work with him, but he only had a few sessions left before it was going to cost over $100 per session.

It's funny. I took Sam in to ChildFind at 17 months because he wasn't walking. They assured me that he was perhaps a bit slower but that he was on his way. I expressed concern over his seemingly constant screaming in frustration. They assured me that once he was able to walk he'd calm down. I guess it just takes time for the sensory stuff to manifest itself in a manner that can be 'tested.' Ted was denied services, probably because there was nothing solidly "below level" in his test results. I wonder, when he is older and 'should be able' to do things, if we will start seeing gaps. Whatever happens, I am so grateful to all the random people who've made suggestions that have led to both boys' ending up in OT for sensory issues. Hopefully, early intervention will prevent more serious problems in the future.

Hmmm

While pureeing up some carrots and sweet potatoes for Orange Puree #1, Mae demanded a taste and then proceeded to eat about half the batch! Guess I don't need to hide the veggies from her!

last night of Passover

We actually had this for dinner on Monday night, but I forgot to post it. I LOVE the Hillel sandwich. In fact, I might just keep it in the regular rotation. Charoset is easy to whip up with a chopped apple, some chopped walnuts, a shake of cinnamon and some sweet wine (or in our case, some juice with a touch of honey). The horseradish was REALLY strong but it was worth it. Yum.

Current Reads

With the return of cold weather (waaa!!!) I pulled out the book I had started reading (on the advice of Ted's preschool teacher) a few weeks ago. This book is really helpful. It helps explain what is 'normal' for boys (playing killing, for example) and what is a warning sign (being cruel to animals, for example). One thing I've really learned from this book is the importance of talking with boys about what they, or others, are FEELING. An example from the book involves a mother and child at a park. They see another child crying. If her child is a boy, the mother would probably respond to her child's curiosity by saying something like, "Don't stare. That's rude." (basically, teaching the boy to ignore others in distress.) If that same mother had a daughter, she might say, "She sure looks sad. Do you think she fell? What do you think happened?" Now, I don't think I would be as quick to dismiss my boys' questions as the book suggests, but I can see the point. We do (I do) tend to encourage our girls to empathize with others and our boys to be tough. I admit, if someone picks on Ted (hasn't happened yet, but I know it will someday) I will, in some secret place, want him to punch the other kid, not cry about it. (Of course, I would want Mae to defend herself too, I suppose.) Anyway, it's a good read and I'm learning a lot. And I'm relieved that constantly playing "good guy killing bad guy" is normal. Phew.

Read #2 arrived today. This book is really cool. Although it isn't vegetarian and relies on a lot of milk and cheese, I think I can use quite a few of her ideas. The breakfast and dessert ideas are excellent and will be the easiest to try out on my non-meat, non-dairy family. Mae and Sam still eat Mac 'n Cheese (you can see the sneakiness in this recipe HERE on her website) so next time they request it they'll be getting some sweet potatoes, carrots, cauliflower and zucchini without knowing it! Bwa ha ha! There are different pancake/waffle ideas that really load up on the spinach and blueberries too (masked with cocoa). I'll let you know how it goes!

Oh, and someone asked how the sleeping together was going this time around (our 3rd try in a year). FABULOUSLY!!! Not without incidents, mind you, but it's 8:30pm now and they're asleep. Not bad. Not bad at all. Sam hasn't had a single nightmare since Ted moved in and I'm sure Ted appreciates having a real mattress to sleep on. Needless to say, Paul and I really enjoy being able to talk aloud in our own bedroom! Ah, the sweet snores of success.

Yum

A while back, I tried my hand at a homemade seitan recipe in which you boil the loaf to doneness. It was ok, but the texture was squishy. I recently stumbled upon blogger after blogger raving about their own tweakings of this baked seitan recipe. Well! This was easy, easy, easy and REALLY GOOD. The texture is much firmer and it's a keeper. Now I'll just tinker with the seasoning too. This is so good!

who needs school?

Seriously, with weather like this, I don't even mind days off school. Today the high hit 74 degrees. It was 20 on Saturday. I LOVE Colorado. I packed up the crew and we met Wendy and her gang at the Baseline/Cherryvale trail. Here, Ole can run off-leash and the boys can bike. Sam was amazing and didn't complain at all about his big bike. We made it to the bridge and then over to 'Dinosaur Park' by the Rec Center. The kids played there for about an hour and then we biked all the way back (still no complaining!!) and went to Moe's Bagels/Jamba Juice for lunch. Lots of spilling at lunch...ah well. Then home for naps (Sam is passed out in the car and Mae transferred to her crib still asleep-that doesn't usually happen!) After naps we are going to buy some walkie talkies-Ted got a little too far ahead of me for my comfort. I'm sure we'll do some more biking too. Love this weather!! (This pic is from February of '06 but it shows how pretty the trail is.)
Wendy has some good pics on her blog. I love the one of Ole!

musicians

Some of you may remember Ted's year of violin study. We took this year off because he was really not enjoying his lessons, although he was pretty good about practicing. Kindergarten, I think, will be a pretty serious life change for him, so we are going to lay low with extra activities next year too. Perhaps in 1st grade. Sam has been asking to play violin for a long time now; I told him he could start when he turns 4 if he still is interested. Mae will have her pick of an instrument too, of course. I hope she'll want to play piano. I have such visions of the three of them playing little mini concerts together....hey, a musician-mom can dream, can't she?

Pineapple?

This week's box will include a whole pineapple! Cool! I was excited to see beets and kale and plan to make another batch of the delicious Beet, Barley & Black Soybean Soup with Pumpernickel Croutons from VwaV. I LOVED this soup. Paul didn't, so I think I'll do it on Wednesday (his soccer day) and freeze the rest. YUM.

Bananas
Bartlett Pears
Red Delicious Apples
Strawberries
Carrots
Spinach
Kiwi
Kiwi
Roma Tomatoes
Yellow Onions
Red Kale
Pineapple
Spinach
Red Beets w/ tops

Meals:
Beet, Barley & Black Soybean Soup w/ Pumpernickel Croutons p58 VwaV
Tomato Dal w/Spinach p129 Veg Slow Cooker

We are really going to enjoy the fruit this week! Yum yum!

Eggs!

Henry's mom & grandmother invited us to a 'pagan feast' this morning. Hee. Henry and Erin had dyed eggs and hidden them all over the house. Each child had an adorable Easter basket laden with candy (Ted's chocolate bunny was dark chocolate-how thoughtful!) Everyone enjoyed brunch and egg-hunting. And, of course, eating candy!
As usual, more pics on moeltini.

All pics from Dec. 2006 onwards available

The Daily Grind

So, Picassa and Blogger hooked up and now there is an album with every pic I ever posted on the blog. That's pretty cool. There are a lot of duplicates, and the order isn't chronological it seems, but still. I like that people can order prints if they want...my mom might like that feature. Anyway, I thought it was interesting!

Chag Sameach!

This afternoon was our chavurah, Pesach-style. We read a kid-friendly book, one of the 'candidates' (for an asst rabbi) told the kids a great story complete with a trip into the sanctuary and some REALLY CUTE Q&A. Ted even raised his hand, waited his turn, and carefully explained to the rabbi that he has a Bionicle named Matoro, which sounds a lot like "Torah." Heh. He also found the afikomen and got a dollar for his prize. He decided to give it to the temple's tzedakkah box. What a cool kid! Sam ran around like a maniac eating macaroons and Mae hung out with Randi, her own personal babysitter at chavurah events. It was a lovely way to celebrate. Chag sameach, everyone.
More pics on moeltini.

16"...no problem!

Big news today. I responded to an ad on Craig's List for a $10 used 16" bike for Ted. I met the guy today and we looked at it. It was pretty beat up, but seemed more or less intact, especially for $10. I bought it and took it into University Bikes (where we bought his first bike and where we'll get his 20" when he's ready, so they know us there) and they 'tuned' it up for us. In reality, they replaced the bent seat (saddle, in bike lingo), completely removed and re-oiled the chain and filled both tires with air. Then the guy 'gave it a ride' outside to make sure it was safe. The price? Nada! I LOVE these guys. They also cleaned up Sam's "new" bike, put the training wheels back on, lowered the seat, etc. I think Sam was over the moon with excitement. We had a Passover "for the Oldsters" event at 4 and it took every ounce of bribery I had in me to get Sam off his bike and into the car. Whew! Afterwards they rode a bit at home but it was really cold so no one lasted too long. Ted had about .2 seconds of hesitation before taking off on the new height (I actually think it's a bit easier for him...he seems to ride with more 'lean' and less moving of the handlebars) and Sam, while tentative, is so proud of himself. I think he's doing great. Ted stayed on a trike til 4 and then took about 6 months to master stopping (pedaling backwards) and really getting comfortable. So Sam is doing just fine. He's so happy. Mae was also psyched to actually be allowed to sit on the trike! Her feet JUST touch, so maybe by this summer she'll be able to pedal.
We spent the morning at a bounce house that a friend told me was always empty. It was in Longmont and apparently their school district is still on Spring Break, because there were TONS of kids, many of them big, there. So I was not impressed but the kids had fun, with their friends Alex, Adam and Ariel. Tomorrow they have preschool but no bread allowed, so matzo soybutter & jelly it is. They won't be pleased!
More pics on moeltini.

blogger blahs

A friend commented that I haven't blogged much lately. I think I'm having blogger's block. Or, nothing is happening that is worth commenting on. That might be it. Today was yet another day off, thanks to Passover. We spent the day up in the mountains with Ted's friend Jacob. Then we rode bikes with friends after nap. Paul had an early soccer game and apparently a night out afterwards. I tried to fix the knishes and the potatoes wouldn't cook by baking, so I gave up and put them in the fridge for tomorrow to be boiled. My house smells deliciously of carmelized onions. Realizing the knish part was not kosher for Passover, we are just going to eat the fillings-i.e. 3 version of mashed potatoes. I had the sweet potato one for dinner and it was too heavy on the nutmeg for me. But still good. Tomorrow after boiling the heck out of the regular potatoes, we'll have a plain batch with carmelized onions and another with spinach. Mmm. Here's an annoying thing. I have a cooler out front for our produce since I am seldom home at 10am when they deliver and everything keeps cool in the cooler. Today the box was on top of the cooler. When I opened the cooler, there was a milk, an OJ and a carton of eggs from our old milk delivery service. Delivery day for our neighborhood is Friday, so that's been sitting there since Friday. I haven't had eggs or milk in over a month so I didn't even want them, if they had been fresh. I was so annoyed. I called of course and they say they'll fix it...blah blah. Luckily the produce this week was hardy so no harm done. Except for the strawberries, of which one of the two cartons is already GONE GONE GONE by my excited trio of hungry hippos. They were from San Diego, Mom, so not local yet. Still, for them to be included at all means they are in season somewhere. I have to admit, as much as I love oranges and grapefruit, it was a refreshing change to not see a ton of them this time. Our co-op should start a week from tomorrow and I can hardly wait! They aren't so great with the customer service so I still don't know what is going on, but I'm sure I can contact someone.

Well, there's some info anyway. We are all just hanging in and enjoying the weather and each other. I'm also suffering from the holiday blues. Everyone gets the blues sometimes and holidays seem to spark them for me. I wish my parents lived closer, or were rich as skunks and could fly their private jet in to Jeffco Airport (3 miles away) anytime they wanted. I also sometimes wish I had siblings to share holidays with. When friends become your family, the security just isn't there. I've learned a good lesson though. From now on, I am going to host the holidays that mean a lot to me. It's like the suggestion to retired folks who complain that their children never visit; the suggestion is to volunteer, keep busy, i.e. take charge! That's what I'll do from now on, so I can make our holidays what I want them to be. And maybe I'll find a way to fly my parents out for some of them too.

good adoption article

Good article here.

cookies

Just wanted to point out that I have found a fabulous vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe. It's from Vive! and the cookies are much better than the disasters from VwaV. I even used spelt flour (just to see how it would work) and they were delish. I also liked that it only made a dozen, rather than 2-3 dozen. Since I usually end up eating them all anyway, this at least produced fewer! We also shared with our neighbors. YUM.

gorgeous

This may have been an April Fool's joke-the weather today was amazing! High 60's and sunny! We spent the morning at the park and the afternoon in the cul-de-sac with the neighbors. Zevvie goes back to preschool tomorrow and we wanted him to have a ride on Ted's bike. Sam was rocking on a neighbor's 16" with training wheels, so we're giving Ted another month on his 12" before bumping him off so Sam can have Ted's. This is going to be such a fun summer.