Christmas Trees and Apple Pie

This weekend we drove out to Half Moon Bay and cut down a tree at Santa's Tree Farm. We go there every year and we always have a great time. For one thing, it's huge. We can drive way back in the valley and across a bridge and find a peaceful place between the hills to find our tree. There is also a barn half way up that has free hot apple cider, a sleigh, a train ride with Santa on board, and fake snow flowing overhead. This year Madeleine got to sit next to Santa on the train with his arm wrapped around her the whole way. Matthew sat next to us but was right behind Santa. At one point Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas. He was probably wondering how come he didn't remember from his visit last weekend. Matthew told him The Polar Express train. A minute later the train started and so did the music. The Polar Express theme song came on, which prompted a huge smile from Matthew. Maybe Santa has it together after all.

Here's Madeleine sitting on a stump and taking a moment to pull herself together. Finding the perfect tree was harder than she thought!

We found one though! Here's the kids helping to cut it down.

The kids in awe and anticipation as they watch daddy finish cutting down the tree.

On a completely different note, here's a picture of some apple pies I made with a cobbler topping. Actually, the 1st apple pies I ever made. They were yummy and I was proud. I offered it for dessert to the kids. Matthew asked for ice cream instead. I asked him if he was sure, because this was a really fantastic pie. In fact, after he grew up and lived on his own he'd probably consider calling before a visit and making a special request for this pie. He finally conceded and afterwards told me that actually he'd ask for two...one for his visit and one to take home.

Merry Christmas! You're the BEST!

This morning Madeleine knocked on the door as I was taking my shower. I was wondering what she needed...more cereal, milk, for me to play with her? I turned off the water and opened the door so that I could hear her more clearly. The whole process made me cold and eager to get back to my spa time. Her words warmed me right up as she spoke so sweetly to me, in her nearly 3yr old helium voice "you're the BEST, mom!" and then walked away. The way she says "BEST" and the emphasis she uses, really is the best.

Both of the kids are generous with their accolades. Sometimes I'm the best and sometimes it's Marc and sometimes they even share this kind of love with each other.

It's a great time of year to share our best. In church yesterday, our pastor was talking about how we all make sure to have a special dress or outfit for the holidays. In theory, we want to look nice all the time, but we pay special attention at this time of year. Of course, how we present ourselves is more than just clothes. Our character, our words, our tone, our acts should be pretty/nice looking too. We should adorn ourselves in our own personal best everyday and find ways to be a blessing to each other.

There are a lot of people I could share the word "BEST" with in my life. Some people are the best at listening to me when I need it, teasing me and making me laugh, praying for me, departing their wisdom, sharing a bench and conversation with me during a play date, or telling me I'm great just when I think I'm not.

You all touch me in a different way and make my world brighter. You're the BEST! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Photo Journal: Day on the Embarcadero

We started out the day eating breakfast at Townsend, a SF eatery near the ball park that Marc and I liked when we were young and lived in the city. We thought the kids would like it because they put a basket of homemade mini muffins and scones on the table as soon as you arrive. There are also boats and trains that can be viewed from the window, plus countless dogs (Matthew wants one SO bad) taking their morning walk. Matthew wanted every single dog that passed by..."can I have that one?"...over and over.

After breakfast we thought it would be fun to walk down the Embarcadero to see Phoenix the fire boat. We have a book about it and how it helped to put out the fires along the Marina after the big earthquake. Matthew was stoked to see it in person. Somehow we never got a picture of it though! We just kept walking. Here is Marc and the kids cuddling as they walk. The fire boat is in the distance back by the Bay Bridge.

And we kept walking and found a sculpture in the form of a spider.

We ended up all the way down at the Ferry Building. A long walk for 2 sets of little legs. It seemed like we just ate brunch, yet the kids were famished and needed lunch. Matthew remembered going to the Ferry Building with Popo during his visit and insisted on recreating the day and asked to order hot dogs and sit out by the water. He wanted a hot dog because he likes them but also because the bread doubles as entertainment when the birds come around. Here we are sitting on a bench outside waiting for our food to be done.

Matthew soon spotted a bench closer to the water. Here we are in our new front row seats and food in hand.

Matthew asked if he could take a picture of us. He did a great job. See below.

Madeleine and I fell asleep very early after we got home from Thanksgiving. I think we were trying to fight off a cold. Marc told me that he and Matthew walked all the way to Home Depot in search of logs for the fire. Apparently, he wanted to make a fire and then take a picture of his parents in front of it. Unfortunately, Madeleine and I didn't wake up until the next morning. Poor guy. He hoofed it all the way to the store, carried his log all the way home, and then we were asleep. So, here's the picture he took today instead. Everyone is awake!

After eating their food, they shared some crumbs with the birds.

We tried to take the train back to our car, but we had to walk awhile before finding a station with trains going toward the ball park. So, we walked again and on the way Matthew took more pictures. Here's one that resembles a Times Square backdrop with the mega tron and tall buildings behind us.

Here's the kids running around amongst some trees on the way to the train station.

We made it to the train station! Matthew took another picture of us. In 1 day we have more pictures of Marc and I together than we have over a period of years. I like having our new little photographer in the family.

Here's Marc and Matthew (and some other dude) on the train. Interesting note...Matthew has a shirt on with pictures of trains on a track while he's riding on a train. It brought us back to the car. Whew! We made it. A fantastic family day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We're leaving for Carmel in a little bit and looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving with all 23 members of Marc's immediate family...2 grandparents, 7 brothers/sisters, 6 spouses, 8 little kids (and a partridge in a pear tree). There is a lot to be thankful for this year. At this stage in our lives, Marc and I feel very blessed to have 2 wonderful kids that inspire and fill our lives.

Yesterday they celebrated Thanksgiving with a children's banquet at the preschool. They were each assigned an ingredient and brought it to school. Madeleine brought 3 celery stalks and Matthew brought jello.
All the kids spent the morning cutting (with real knives), spreading, mixing and of course playing. It all culminated in a wonderful feast at a long table filled with happy faces and yummy food.

Matthew and Madeleine made peanut butter and egg salad sandwiches. They even cut them into squares all by themselves. Matthew also helped with cutting veggies and filling Dixie cups with a scoop each of red and yellow jello. Teacher Barbara brought a crock pot so that we could put all the veggies in for a soup.

Madeleine took time out to play the piano. Other kids got out their energy throwing pillows in the back room. Of course there was a parent supervising, or was he playing too? That's his daughter catching the pillow, so I suppose he knows her strength.

It was a fun day. The kids had a blast. We always have a lot of fun with them and are looking forward to a few days to enjoy each other as a family. God, thanks for giving them to us!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

Mystery Solved!

For almost two years Matthew has insisted on wearing long sleeves with a preference for pictures over stripes. He also likes pants and not shorts. It has made shopping for him very easy. I just have to make sure to have enough long sleeves on hand in February to last until August when they start selling them in the stores again. The sales in January always help with this.

We never questioned his steadfast penchant for full coverage, even on the hottest days. We just supposed that kids have various things they get stuck on.

A recent visit to the doctor finally unveiled the possible science behind Matthew's clothing selection. He has been experiencing eczema for several months. We have been trying all sorts of creams, lotions, ointments, body washes, and bath regimens.

The term eczema is broadly applied to a range of persistent skin conditions. These include dryness and recurring skin rashes. Matthew has experienced both, but our biggest concern lately is the dryness and the itching that results. He has been itching all over all the time. Our doctor sat down with us this week and explained why this is happening to him and how we can help make him the most comfortable.

We learned that skin cells are shaped like a hexagon and fit together nice and tight. Matthew has inherited a gene (on the chromosome that also includes genes for other allergies) that forms his skin cells with flares on the corners of the hexagon. This means that his skin cells don't fit together nice and tight and moisture can evaporate causing dry skin and itching. The doctor explained various things we can do to help him, including the use of long sleeves and pants (when temps are not too hot)!!! Apparently, when skin cells are formed this way, it doesn't feel desirable to have air flow over them.

That's it! That explains so much. However, the science doesn't explain why he prefers pictures!

To Infinity And Beyond!

For Halloween this year Matthew decided to dress up as Buz Lightyear and Madeleine picked out a poodle costume. She had originally wanted to be a frog, but it proved difficult to locate one in her size. She seemed equally as happy about the poodle once she saw it in the store.

She still has her birthday to fulfill her froggy dreams. She's been asking for a frog cake ever since she spotted one in a recipe book over the summer when we were looking up ideas for Matthew's birthday. She often reminds us about it. We'll see what happens come January.

Matthew has wanted to be Buz Lightyear ever since last Halloween when 2 friends at school had it. His love of the Toy Story movies has kept his dream fresh over the year. It was unfortunate when we found out that the Disney Online store was out of stock on his size. Thank you Ebay! We found one NWT (new with tags) for half the price (plus shipping) AND we won the bidding. There's a button on the wings that makes them light up. I thought it was SUPER cool on Halloween night to have the wings light up as he ran to each house.

His costume came in the mail a week before Halloween. He put it on and wouldn't take it off. I asked him to take it off when we went for a trip to the store. It's hard for his skin to breath with it on, so I thought it would be a good break. As soon as we came home he put it right back on. He even fell asleep with it on while I was reading to Madeleine. I took it off and changed him into PJ's. Next morning, he put it back on right away. His imagination was full speed as he rattled off all the things the toy Buz says when you push the buttons..."to infinity and beyond", "space ranger to the rescue", and he loved pushing the "laser button" and imitating the sound. There were lots of blast off spitting sounds too with his arms up in the air.

All in all, it was a really fun Halloween. The party and parade at the school was great. They all took an instrument and made music as they marched around the block. Older people at home during the day came out to see them and some waved from the windows. Madeleine kept up with the best of them when hitting the pinata. And trick/treating at night with the whole family was really sweet. In the past, 5 houses was enough. This year we hit nearly every house on our street. The kids loved all the decorations and music that were displayed and it was fun to chit chat with some of our neighbors.

Pain

Marc is probably pained from his lack of sleep lately (see previous post). Coincidentally, he recently worked on Pain, a game for Playstation 3.

Last month he flew down to LA to record David Hasselhoff sing the feature song for the game and record the band. He came back and mixed it in the Sony studios here in the Bay Area. The Hoff is currently a judge on America's Got Talent and is also known for starring on Bay Watch in the '80's and 90's.

Sony got the rights to the song Do You Really Want To Hurt Me, originally done by Culture Club. Seems like the perfect song for a game called Pain.

The trailer recently came out for the game and includes a snippet of the song, which will be available as a download. Check it out.

Lovers Park

There is so much to write about...a week of fun during a visit from my dad, delightful visits with friends, the school walk-a-thon, a new school the kids have been visiting. The list is endless.

Life has been good, but busy, especially the last several weeks. Marc has had the opportunity to mix a new album for Kasabian, a band that's HUGE in England but no one knows here. He's had the best time mixing, with so many great songs, but it means working at his Sony job during the day and going straight to work on the new CD after and working until 3 or 5am and then doing it all over each day, plus working Saturday's. Kasabian's label is Sony BMG, so he's inadvertently been working for Sony about 20 hours a day. He's tired, I'm tired and we all miss each other. He finally finished in the wee hours this morning and we're so pleased to have him home again.

Now that life is starting to get back to normal, I need to muster up my memory of a sweet story that happened several weeks ago. I can't go without journaling it. I definitely want to remember it when I'm old. It's a story about Matthew.

We go to parks all the time and usually Matthew likes to play by himself or with Madeleine and me. One day we were at the park and a girl kept trying to get his attention. He ignored her but took note of it and asked me "boys don't play with girls, right?" I told him "it's okay to play with girls. I know at school that boys and girls tend to play separately...however, I recently heard that your very good friend Max has been making friends with girls at school". He seemed impressed by this fact and trotted along.

Next thing I know he's playing with two little girls and having a grand time floating all over the playground doing this and that. At some point, one of the girls leaves and Matthew is left to play with one remaining girl. I walked over and talked to them and found out her name, Bianca. Immediately Matthew gets starry eyed and says, "Bianca...Willie Wonka...Mom, I love her name!" He loved her name and loved playing with her. It was getting on towards dinner time. I was really tired and hungry, yet I couldn't bear to end things.

Finally, Bianca's mom broke the hard news and told Bianca is was time to go home. They both looked devastated. They realized that their poetic moment was over. Bianca started crying and followed her mom. Matthew stood and watched with his whole body melting in sadness. I told him he should run after her and say good-bye and and tell her that he had fun playing with her. He ran towards her and when he caught up he nudged her arm to get her attention and told her exactly what I suggested. She turned and looked with tears streaming down her sweet little face and then came a smile with the words "I liked playing with you too". She continued to follow her mom and went out the gate. He blew kisses to her and yelled "I'll miss you". She returned the air borne kisses and yelled "I'll miss you too". I said to the mom, "I think Matthew really liked playing with your daughter today" and she agreed that they got on well. I wanted to exchange numbers so that they could play again, but there was an awkwardness because, ironically, it was the first time we'd had a chance to speak to each other. They kept walking and Matthew watched for a few seconds before he lowered his head and sadly walked back to where Madeleine was playing.

As I watched, I noticed that Bianca and her mother had turned right at the end of the path, which led them back to the corner where we were headed. There was a hill there, so I told Matthew to look up so he could see Bianca again. Excitement filled his body and he yelled towards her "bye Bianca". She blew kisses back one last time and ran to keep pace with her mom. He blew two more kisses toward her back and looked longingly as she faded along the path into the trees. He glanced back at me and seemed surprised that I was watching. He had been caught up in a world all his own. For some reason he felt the need to reassure me and said "Mom, don't worry, I still love you more" and then he went back to climbing. I melted.

Words

For the last 5 years I've listened to all kinds of kids music. I think I've heard it all. I even helped make some when we did the CD for the school. I actually like a lot of it and can sometimes be found listening to it when the kids aren't in the car.

In the last week or so, I've found myself longing for tunes of my own. You know, some really good driving music. I've started surfing the channels and finding some things I like, while attempting to stop on songs that seem to have decent lyrics.

Yesterday I was listening to a nice little single by Gwen Stefani, which I thought was completely innocuous, until Matthew said, "Mom, those words in the song, that's not something our family says, right?" I was just driving and not really thinking about the words, so I asked sheepishly, "What do you mean?" And then he and Madeleine both chimed into the next part, "Hey baby, hey baby, hey!" Oops!!! It didn't sound so great coming out of their little mouths. So, we changed the song.

Today we were driving to the dentist. I was trying to be careful about our song choices. And then wammo...oops, I did it again (I couldn't help myself on the Britney reference)! We're driving along and Matthew says to me, "Mommy, our family doesn't make people bleed do we?" I was really caught by surprise. I listened closer and the lyrics talked about a girl missing someone and having a bleeding heart. I explained this phrase to Matthew and changed the song again.

As we got closer to the dentist another song came on...a really fun one for everyone. I turned it up and we all sang together..."Get down. Boogie oogie oogie oogie. Get down. Boogie oogie oogie oogie!" At long last, family music! Although I did have to clarify the "get down" phrase as it relates to dancing. Madeleine was really cute too. Her version was "Get Down. Yoogie yoogie yoogie yoogie".

Marc had a similar experience with words and meanings over the weekend. He had a football game on in the background while he was working in the studio. The kids were hanging out down there with him. Marc didn't even think Matthew was listening to the game, but at one point Matthew asked, "Dad, why did those guys have to go on a time out? What did they do wrong?"

Marc didn't come out of the week unscathed by lyrical debacle either. Searching for car amusement, and lacking an in car dual DVD system, Marc decided to teach the kids the song - 100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. I remember singing that when I was little. I always imagined teaching this one to them when they were around 10 or 12. I was slightly surprised when he started into the song, but Matthew quickly straightened Marc out. He said, "Dad, it's 100 bottles of juice on the wall. That's how we sing it at school, Dad!" In my head I thought..."Yeah, Dad! Let's stick to good wholesome lyrics...like I do."

Hadron Collider

Perhaps you've already seen the coverage, but I think this new Hadron Collider is something else. Today's test run was successful...see article. In the months to come it should be interesting to see what they learn and how old hypothesis are challenged.

I also love the physics student that visited the Hadron Collider and got permission to take footage of her and her friends dancing around to a rap song she made...follow the link.

It was especially fun to see Madeleine trying to imitate the dance moves as she watched the video on youtube.

Finger Paint

It's a little messy, but really fun to use finger paints with the kids. When I first bought finger paints I was surprised at the cost. It was about $15 for all 4 primary colors and the bottles really weren't that big. I found myself becoming a little stingy with the allocation every time the kids asked for more paint for more pictures. I didn't want to use up all the paint in 1 sitting.

The preschool has lots of art supplies to choose from when it's your turn to put something together, yet no finger paint. I'd bring it myself, but it would cost a small fortune to bring enough paint for 24 kids.

So, I was really excited to find a recipe for finger paint that I could make at home. And the ingredients are simple...flour, water and food coloring. The heat makes the concoction thicken up. It's basically like colored gravy. The texture is inviting and you can determine how dark/light you want the color. Once made, it can be refrigerated and used later.

I made 3 colors in all and also cooked up spaghetti and rigatoni noodles for making designs in the paint. I brought them to the school and it was a big success. They had a blast!

Easy Finger paint

Ingredients

2 cups white flour
2 cups water
food coloring

Directions

Put water into a large pan over med/high heat. Slowly add the flour while stirring. Continue until thick. Then divide into smaller bowls and add food coloring. That's it!

Big Enough!

On our way back from Tahoe, we stopped at the Nut Tree and let the kids go on rides. When we got to the bumper cars, Madeleine and I had to sit it out, since she was a wee bit too small. She was good natured about the whole thing and helped me root on Marc and Matthew as they crashed into cars and walls.

Since then, she finds every opportunity to let us know she's big enough for the bumper cars now. When she sits on the big potty I often tell her, "Oh Madeleine you're such a big girl now. See, you're too big to fall in the potty (her fear)." She always follows up with "big enough to ride the bumper cars!" A big grin across her face.

When I try to pick her up and she's really heavy I'm often led to say "You're getting SO big these days!" She doesn't miss a beat, and reiterates her entitlement "big enough to ride the bumper cars!"

I'm always amused by her bumper car fascination and determination to be "big enough". Yesterday was the funniest one of all. We were walking hand in hand and she noticed our shadows. She pointed to each of us on the side walk and said "Mommy and Madeleine". She took her pointer finger out again and said "Big and big enough!" She tipped her head back, put on her huge grin and added "big enough to ride the bumper cars!!!" Marc and Matthew were a few strides behind us and joined us in a big belly laugh.

The Trumpet

Marc brought home another instrument from Sony last night. He kept it a surprise. The kids were bursting with excitement by the time he came home. They couldn't wait to find out what it would be, plus they were happy about being able to stay up late.

Matthew was hoping it was a trumpet and he got his wish. We all joined in on the fun. I had actually never tried a trumpet before. The kids had trouble getting it back!

We weren't sure if Madeleine could pucker her lips and make a sound, but she did and she was fantastic! It was too heavy for her to hold, so Marc gave her a hand.

Matthew was able to hold it himself. He told his dad he'd "take real good care of it". He liked pushing the buttons and trying new sounds. He also liked polishing and cleaning out the spit.

After all the fun, we cuddled together on the sofa for the Olympics. We watched the women's 200m. We "knew" someone racing. Marc's brother Andy has a son. His son is Aaron. Aaron has a teacher named Mrs. Felix (we're getting close). Mrs. Felix has a daughter named Allyson, who won a silver in the 200m in the last Olympics and who was a contender for gold this time. She got silver again, but it was fun watching her and we felt a "little" closer to it.

Stitches

Madeleine is doing much better since her big fall opening night of the Olympics. And I'm doing better now too since I got a chance to see the ceremony at my friends house on her DVR the other night. :)

Here she is on her way to get the stitches out. The abscess that developed is gone, the swelling is down, and the portion of the cut that didn't require stitching is mending great.

The doctor had a hard time getting the stitches out. He attributed her uncontrollable screaming and lashing to emergency room post traumatic stress. I think I'd be a little pissy too if someone put me on a stretcher, strapped me in with a straight jacket, and started pulling string through my chin. She gets a pass from me.

Madeleine is always happy, but the week after her fall she told us she was mad and didn't like her mommy, daddy, or her house. However, once the doctor came in with a razor blade to cut the stitches out she quickly started screaming for her mommy and daddy to take her back to her house!

The doctor said a scar is likely, but we have faith that our prayers can change this course and that her chin can completely heal. Please pray for little M that her boo boo heals swiftly without scarring and that her trust in doctors can be restored. While you're praying, please also put in a good word for Matthew. He has been battling eczema on his chin and upper lip and could use some relief. I don't know what's going on with our kids and their chins!

Marc brought home a child size violin from Sony today. Matthew and Madeleine both LOVED it and performed for us all night. Little M took on the Olympic spirit and didn't let her injury get in the way. Matthew told us he was performing Gershwin, thanked his audience for being so polite and took a bow. They both seemed so delighted at the opportunity to play the violin and looked so adorable doing it. It was definitely the best concert in town tonight! Free too...can't beat that! No unions in our house yet.

Tahoe

Tahoe was great fun this year. We took a pic in our best white and blues with the trees and lake behind us. We started doing this last year. It should be fun to see how things change each time. All together we had my Aunt Diane (Dad's sister), my cousins Barbara, Kathy and Steve, Steve's wife Nancy, their son Clayton, and us.

On the way up we stopped at Rubio's for the best fish taco's ever. I don't even like fish, so that says something.

Next, we pulled off in Colfax to see the train station. No trains around, but there was a free hot rod car show. Matthew liked a couple cars that reminded him of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. They both enjoyed the ice cream shop. We got a cup of fantastic ice cream for only $2. Each cup had 2 flavors and the scoops were HUGE. The boys shared one and the girls shared the other. Madeleine doesn't eat as much, so I think I got the best deal.

We started out each morning relaxing, playing with the kids and eating breakfast. I personally spent a good amount of time perfecting my latte. I remembered my coffee and my traveling frother, but forgot my favorite mug, drip filter and special pouring cup. I found some make-shift parts in the cabin and made it work. It was tops to sip my coffee, look out at the lake, joke with my family and watch the kids play together.

After this we'd get some water time in at the pool or lake. They are both close to the cabin, which made things easier for trips back for snacks, more water toys, etc.

Barbara
swam next to the boat and pushed Matthew out into the lake. She does this for him every year. It's tradition now. Thank you Barbara! Madeleine stayed back with me and threw rocks into the water. Marc walked out a bit and made a sign in the water using rocks that said "I love (heart) Christine". It took him a LONG time and the rocks were heavy, so I really think he loves me. That was one of the sweetest things anyone ever did for me. Too bad for him that I have a long name. He scored tons of points on that one!

On white shirt night we ended up with a nice picture of the two of us on the deck at the cabin. After a busy afternoon, we'd all come back, clean up, get the kids in PJ's and start happy hour. It was a wonderful life. We all took turns on dinner duty. Every night people out did each other. We ate really well.

We'd finish off the day with a game of Balderdash, Yahtzee or Scrabble and then turn in for the night.

One day we diverted from the norm and took the kids out to play their first ever game of pee wee golf. They had the best time and were really pretty good at it! Madeleine wised up quickly and made a habit of walking the ball to the hole, setting it down and hitting it in...why try to hit it under castles and moving objects? That's just a waste of time, right?

All in all it was a fantastic time with the family. We even stopped in at the Nut Tree on the way home to take in some rides and listen to some free Dixieland music in the courtyard.