Christmas 2009 The Prequel

John and I both had the Christmas holiday off this year, which happens every 3 years as our work schedules allow. We traveled back to my South Dakota home to spend Christmas with my mom, my brother and his family.

Tuesday, December 22nd

Destination: Granny's House in Oldham, South Dakota
Town Population: 206, according to the 2000 Census
181, as of the 2009 update
Miles Traveled: 663
Weather Forecast: impending winter storm with high winds, dense fog and large snowfall

We started our trip early Tuesday morning with suitcases packed, Durango loaded and ready to go. I worked the night prior (something I will never do again--poor planning!), so I planned to car sleep while John managed the first half of our trek. Taylor was in the back seat, armed with books, art supplies, her personal game system and several games to keep her occupied. 10 hours and 37 minutes of driving to get to Granny Lou's front door.
We kept hearing updates on the approaching winter storm, but with the exception of wind and light fog, nothing hampered our travel. Well, weather-wise, that is. A state trooper just outside Mitchell, South Dakota, hampered our travel, but just for a minute. ;) We arrived at Granny Lou's house about 9 p.m. her time and shook off our road fatigue with good food, good company and hugs all around. This tired traveler hit the nest with sounds of family and laughter lulling her to sleep.

Nice and boring, just the way we like it.

Wednesday, December 23rd

After a much-needed night of deep sleep, I woke up to sounds of Taylor and Granny having a grand old time downstairs. Which is how I always wake up at my mom's house. Best alarm clock ever. :) My mom had given Taylor a couple of pre-Christmas gifts, including a cool Search-For-Santa floor pad and a T-shirt to get her in the Christmas spirit. Not that Taylor needs any help in that category! Despite my best intentions, I must have fallen asleep again, for when I got up, Mom had already left for work and Taylor was diligently searching for items in her Santa Search. She was wearing her Santa hat and her new T-shirt.

Here's the Sassy Elf herself.
Needless to say, Taylor wanted to wear this shirt every day
of our Christmas stay at Grandma's house!

With Grandma Lou busy at work and the Nielsen's similarly so, our little family of 3 decided to drive in to Madison to get some last minute details taken care of before Christmas. We shopped for a bit, then stopped by a local bar and grill to have lunch. After eating the best potato soup EVER, we stopped by the Nielsen house to visit and relax until Mom was done with work. I last saw my nephews Sean and Chris in mid-October. In two short months they have managed to add another couple inches to their stature. I didn't ask who measured what, just marveled at the fact that neither of them are DONE yet! It should be noted that I did not manage to capture either of them on camera. They are surprisingly quick for how tall they are. ;)

Douglas John stopped smoking as of December 1st this year. So far he's done a fantastic job with his quit plan and keeping his brain occupied--the best way to fend off a smoke attack. One of his new hobbies is jewelry making with hemp and beads. After Taylor picked out several beads she took a fancy to, Uncle Doug made short work of making a necklace for her. Here it is, in one of her self portraits.

Purple and red, plus a little gold thrown in. Just her style!

Plans were made for Christmas Eve, then it was time to head back to Granny's house to trim the tree, decorate the rest of the house and get some presents wrapped! We all had fun helping put the decorations on Granny's tree. Taylor loved the variety, Mom loved the help and I loved taking a walk down Memory Lane. Mom still had stuff from when I was in grade school. Our old Santa with Rudolph sleigh. Window clings circa 1972. Ornaments that once hung on my grandma's and great-grandma's Christmas trees.

Here is my favorite ornament ever. Mom made this for me
when I was a young thing in high school.
Merry Christmas 1984!

By the end of the night it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The tree was trimmed, decorations were out in every room and a big pile of presents had formed under the tree. On top of all that, guess what else made its presence known? Yup. That pesky winter storm that had been talked about for days was finally beginning to show up in Dakotaland. There was no doubt about having a white Christmas. But just HOW white was it going to be?

Kristin

Let's Try This Again, Shall We?

Or, more to the point, let me try this again, will you?

Purple Hair!

For the past 3 months, Taylor has been obsessed with the idea of putting a purple streak in her hair.

Yes, really.

I know, I know.

I KNOW.

Try explaining that to an obsessed 8-year old.

Yup. I told her that too. AND mentioned it would take a really, really long time to get done.

And then, after 3 months, I caved today.

And actually? It's really kind of cool. :)

The idea to color her hair presented itself in the form of Ari, one of Taylor's BFF's at Tae Kwon Do. It should be noted that Ari has platinum blond hair and sports a colored streak in her hair 24/7. I imagine her mother can accomplish this for $5 and 10 minutes of her time. Taylor was envious of her friend's fine do, me for other reasons.

I decided to make it part of Taylor's Christmas present. This thrilled her beyond belief, as the new purple streak in her hair would match her Christmas dress just perfectly. Cringe! I have to admit, when it really came down to it, I rode the fence between Cool Mom and Responsible Mom all the way to the finish line. And like I said, it really turned out kind of cool (Cool Mom). And it's just one little tiny streak, right? (Responsible Mom) :)

The "before" photo.
We're going to do WHAT to that gorgeous hair?

Taylor chose which side (LEFT ONLY, please!)
then the bleaching began.

1/2 way there!

And voila! Purple it is.

She may be old enough to want purple hair,
but she's still little enough to ask for a sucker when she's done,
just like when she was 2.
Grape, of course. To keep with the theme of the day. :)

The final result seemed a little anti-climactic. Taylor was tired of the chair and Michelle (our hairdresser) was done for the day. Both deemed the experiment a full-on success. Time for everyone to go home.

Me? Well, I finally figured out what was really bothering me about Taylor's purple hair quest. It wasn't the purple and it wasn't the cost. It really wasn't the idea of it at all. No, what was really bothering me for the last three months was that my little girl was no longer really my little girl. I realized that she's growing up SO fast, just like everyone warned me she would. I have moments where I want to stop the clock, just for a minute. To take a really good, hard look. To keep her as she is, just for one more minute. Just one. It's all going way too fast and before I know it, she's going to be asking for the car keys. And knee deep in boys. And going off to college. Wow.

But, for now, I'll take the advice one mom gave me. "Enjoy the tween years", she said. "What comes after will take every ounce of energy you have!" True enough. I'll take these next few years, puberty-free and full of wonder, with chore lists and grade school, times tables and spelling lists. Even the occasional purple hair moment.

Kristin

Now That's a Fish!

Caught this one at Dixon Reservoir last night. Biggest fish of the year using Taylors 4ft pole and 3lb test line. Apparently I've been doing it wrong. It seems I need to get a day-glow orange pole with a purple handle for myself. - John

I had to wrestle it for awhile to grab on...
Should have brought it home to eat, but I suppose it would be more fun to catch it again someday.

A Little Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing...

Now that Taylor is officially a member of the Black Belt Club at her Tae Kwon Do school, she is able to attend classes that focus on weapons training. Remember that set of nunchucks she was so thrilled to get a couple of months ago? Well, that's nothing, apparently, compared to actually learning how to USE them!

Taylor has learned that there's a simple set of rules (and a few rules to the rules) to follow when training with them:

1. In Tae Kwon Do, they are not called nunchucks, they are called Ssahng Jeol Bong. Repeat after me: mumble mumble mumble BONG. Try your hardest to act like you know what you are saying, but constantly call them nunchucks when you aren't actually at the TKD school.
2. Do not hit your instructor with them, unless he asks you to. He will ask you to try to hit him using one of the cool maneuvers he has taught you. You will be unable to. There is a reason why he is the instructor, after all. Do not let this discourage you from thinking you're cool.You're still practicing with nunchucks ( I mean mumble mumble BONGS)!
   
3. Do not hit your fellow students with them (when the instructor is watching). Remember, the classroom is made up of mirrored walls.
   
4. Do not hit yourself with them. If you do hit yourself with them, try your hardest to act like it did not happen. This is much trickier than it looks. Good luck.
5. Do not use them outside of the TKD school or an approved TKD competition. (Insert unanimous groans of disappointment from all kids in Black Belt class).

Almost.......got........it.........

I'm happy that Taylor is enjoying her martial arts training so much. When she first started Tae Kwon Do, I was somewhat skeptical. Would she really like the contact and competition? She's such a peace-love-and-joy kind of girl. Even though, every time we leave the school I hear nothing but praise from her about how much she loves it. Who knew my soft-hearted, artistic-souled daughter possessed such a fierce streak?

Kristin

Meet Sally

After 9 months of canine-free living, we have decided it's time to add another fur kid to the Anthony clan. Meet Sally!

We met Sally, a Golden Retriever/Yellow Lab mix puppy, at her foster
mom's house. Taylor and Sally took an instant shine to each other.

Sally is a 5 month old puppy that was rescued from a shelter in Kansas, then transported here by the Golden Retriever Freedom Rescue organization. We have put in an application to adopt her and will have the home visit completed tomorrow--one more step to making Sally an Anthony!
We should find out soon if she will become ours. Wish us luck!

Kristin

Wonderful Wake Up

I woke up this morning to the sights and sounds of a hot air balloon making its descent right over our house! I've always been fascinated by them--riding in one is at the very top of my bucket list. Having one come a hair's breadth (or so it seemed) from my house, however, seemed a little too close for comfort.

While I gazed at the sight from our bedroom window, (wouldn't want
the neighbors to see me in all my morning glory!) John took the camera
outside and snapped some great pictures. They're waving up there!

Their apparent destination was the open area to the back of Fort Collins High School, which is a very short distance to the north of our home. If I had known of their flight path in advance, I would have made sure to paint a huge sign for my roof the night before that read: "You make an awesome alarm clock! P.S. Come back next week!"

Kristin

Happy Independence Day--Muppet Style!

Ah, the patriotism, the pride, the fond childhood memories this video brings! Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDA9NbPAK8o

Kristin

Say Goodbye to #5

Taylor's front teeth have been loose since Christmas. Oh, the drama! Apples have rotted in our refrigerator. Entire meals have been picked at because of the awkwardness. We seriously considered having her screen tested for Slim Jim commercials (where biting with your molars is an art form). *sigh*

Imagine our excitement last week when both loose teeth developed a distinct wobble! Woo hoo! Not much longer now! Visions of tooth fairy booty danced in our dreams. Not much longer now! Not much longer!

Just a...

few... (okay, EIGHT)...

more...



daaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyzzzzz........ (drool, snore, feign continued anticipation)

*snork*

Where was I?

Oh, yeah.

Imagine our intense relief to FINALLY (after an entire eighth day of wiggling, twisting, worrying with her tongue, testing, checking, did we mention it's been eight days since wobble onset?) to announce that #5 is really, really, REALLY, truly, no-we're-not-kidding, seriously people!, well-and-for-good, honestly GONE!

Sweet relief at last.

Kristin

#4 Is A Goner!

After several weeks of waiting, Taylor has finally said good-bye to loose tooth #4! The Tooth Fairy is impressed with her perseverance and has rewarded her accordingly. Her four top front teeth also have a distinct wobble, so it won't be long before she plays the role of Toothless Wonderwoman for a bit.

Kristin

Amazing Grace Il Divo Style

This is how I started my morning:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid271552717/bctid1913313052

One of the better decisions I've made lately...

Kristin

Rear Ender Fender Bender

Taylor and I were involved in a rear end auto accident this evening. Taylor had finished Tae Kwon Do class and we were driving home. The biggest thing on my mind was what to make for supper. Then BOOM! We were hit by the car behind us after coming to a stop at a traffic light. The impact threw the car forward a good 3 or 4 feet, but no serious injury or damage was done. Thank God for seat belts! Taylor had eyes the size of tennis balls, but after I explained what happened and checked her over, she said she was fine. I had to count to 10 before I got out of my car though. I felt like the guy in the cartoon! It's wild what threatening my kid's safety does to my equilibrium.

I've only been in one other car accident in my entire life, but thought I knew what I was doing. I got out of the car, greeted the other driver, made sure that no one was injured and then spent a good 10 minutes getting insurance information and closely looking over the damage to both cars. We both agreed that we didn't think either car had incurred enough damage to warrant a call to the police, so we made final agreements about how to proceed and both drove off.

Well, it seems that car repairs are even more outrageously expensive than I was willing to suppose. One bumper, one muffler and a quarter panel adds up to well over $2 grand. (Insert whistle of disbelief here). I'm lucky the other guy was fully cooperative and our stories matched, or I could possibly have been left footing the bill for anything over the first $1000. Lesson learned!

We take the car in at the beginning of next week for repairs and will get to drive around a brand new rental car for a week. I'm probably a huge dork, but I'm a little excited at driving a brand new car around for a week, even if it's a Ford Focus. I'll just wear my sunglasses and a huge hat whenever I get in it... ;)

Kristin

Another Beauty

Same spot, different day. Glorious.

Kristin

Flocking au naturel

I left for work last night amidst drizzle and fog. I came home this morning amidst dazzle, agog.

Kristin

Cookie Crazy

Taylor participated in her troop's cookie booth today. For those of you who call Colorado home, I'm sure it is no surprise that we FROZE TO DEATH! As Murphy's Law would have it, the only truly cold day this entire winter (so far) came on our cookie booth day. The good thing? 7 and 8 year old kids don't care. Even better? They have so much fun it's infectious--then the adults don't care either.

Taylor was thrilled to get the chance to wear the Thin Mint outfit at today's cookie selling spree. She spent a great amount of time waving at passing cars, greeting potential customers and trying to figure out how much change to give back. Tricky math!

Happiness is.......being the Thin Mint Girl!

Pressure tactics are surprisingly effective coming from two
enthusiastic young girls...

The girls sold an incredible amount of cookies today. I'm not sure if Valentine's Day had anything to do with it or not. When we asked customers if they were buying gifts for the holiday, most replied with a shocked "NO! These are mine!". Yeah! Get your own box! :)

Before heading home, we stopped at the store on the way home so Taylor could pick up her dad's Valentine's Day gift--a Lindt chili chocolate bar. Hot stuff! While we were shopping, one of the workers at the floral counter came over and gave Taylor a beautiful rose. She was so happy she got tears in her eyes. Sometimes it's the littlest of gestures that really touch the heart. Thank you Grocery Store Man!

The cookie frenzy continues next weekend with another booth set up in front of Sam's Club. I always have a hard time at this booth, mostly because the covetous consumer monster I usually keep well suppressed comes to the fore every time I am within 100 yards of Sam's. *sigh*

Kristin

Happy Heart Day

No shoving! There's enough for everybody!


Happy Valentine's Day!

A New Kind of Ninja

"I got sunshiiiiiiiiine...on a cloudy day...."

Way to go Miss Yellow Belt Ninja!

Movie Day with Mom

When dad is working all weekend and the weather outside trashes your play-in-the-park plans, what's a girl to do?

MOVIE DAY!!!

Lookin' good in my 3-D Wonder Glasses!

Taylor and I went to see the show "Coraline" today. Prior to going, we'd seen a thousand previews, making-the-movie spotlights and sneak peaks, including one that showed how all the stuff that made up the movie was, well, made up. As in handmade. Right up my alley!

So why did I nod off in the middle of the show?

Hmmmmmmm.

Taylor didn't really care, as long as I didn't spill the popcorn. I cared. Not since the midnight showing of the movie "Dracula" in 1992 have I searched my eyelids for holes over the course of an hour. My insomnia must be affecting me more than I thought...

Anyway. Taylor loved the movie, loved the popcorn, loved the smokin' hot 3-D glasses and loved that for maybe an hour of her life her mother wasn't watching her every move. Even better, it was dark and the 3-D effects were amazing. A quote.

I loved the first half of the show--Tim Burton can do no wrong! But, I'm going to have to take Taylor at her word for the rest of it until it comes out on DVD. If it's anything like "Dracula", I'm going to love it and buy it for my home stash. We'll see.

After the movie Taylor and I goofed around in the lobby arcade, waiting for the scuzzy weather to improve. If you ever want to make a 7-year old's entire day, give her 50 cents to play with the Crane Grabber. 47 tries later, she will manage to get one Tootsie Roll (with a life span that has exceeded hers) and chortle with glee as she tries to chew it with her loose tooth. Bliss!

Mom calls this contraption the Torture Machine.

Ask your Mom for $500 to play the interactive snowboarding game.
If the weather is nasty enough, she'll seriously consider it.

Check out the cool new viewfinder!

Once the weather let up a little (hair plastered to head, but able to find car) we headed to Super Target for some last minute Valentine's Day shopping. I won't bore you with details about how much chocolate we bought, just that it was drool-all-the-way-home good and some of it actually made it's way into valentine envelopes.

Kristin

Trying for Yellow

It's that time again--testing!

Taylor has worked for the last two months on round kicks and double blocks, side kicks and self defense. Tonight it was time to put it all together and show her instructors what she knows. The routine was more familiar than last time, thank goodness.

After the meet and greet, it was time to warm up as a group.
Start with some stretching...

After warm up, have a seat and wait for your time in the spotlight.
Try not to lose your lunch. :)

Get really excited when you get the unexpected opportunity
to help higher ranked kids with their self defense display!

Show 'em your stuff when the time comes.
Taylor starts off with a set of sparring moves.

And goes right into another set. RESPECT!

And the finale? Her form. 23 steps learned in a specific sequence.

The hard part? Waiting! Taylor won't find out until next week's classes if she scored enough points to advance to yellow belt status. Don't worry, though. She's pretty confident she made the grade!

Kristin

A Little C, If You Please

When everyone in the house has a cold, or is just sick and tired of it all, it's time to make fruit salad. It's easy to make, oh-so-good for you and cures whatever ails you.

First, pick the fruit. Our mix today included blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, oranges, kiwi fruit and bananas.

What?!? I can't hear you! I've got a banana in my ear!

Kiwi! Taylor thinks these are cool because they look like hairballs
before they're peeled. :)

Taylor's favorite mix.

Put your fruit mix in a big plastic container with a tight fitting lid. Shake it like you mean it while listening to your favorite music.

Shakin' it to the Freezepops!

Put the last of the fruit on top and ta-da! You're done.
Time to eat!

Dig in!

Taylor is fighting off a cold, John is fighting off fatigue and I am headed to work. Needless to say, over half of the fruit salad is already eaten.

Kristin

Birds, Birds Everywhere

Taylor and John attended a bird show today at Bath Nursery and Garden Center, right here in good ol' Fort Collins. Known as Bird Day at Bath, the event is held as part of the garden center's community events calendar and features hands-on learning experiences with parrots, owls, falcons, eagles, ducks and chickens. Quite a timely event for the 2nd grade classes at Linton Elementary, as they are smack dab in the middle of their birds unit in science.

There were exotic birds, birds of prey and farm birds to learn about at the show. Taylor's favorite? Pedgy the Cockatoo. Here he is hamming it up for the kids and the camera!

A Pedgy the Cockatoo closeup.

Pedgy's favorite trick is to pose, then ask for a treat!

Taylor seizes an opportunity to admire Pedgy close-up, along with
some of her classmates.

Taylor is currently doing an in-depth study on two different birds for her science unit, the oriole and the peacock. While neither species made a showing at Bird Day, Taylor learned a bunch of interesting stuff about other kinds of birds. She was especially fascinated by the parrots' ability to mimic. She enjoyed seeing all of the parrots perform in the bird show and learned some cool tricks for training birds. I thought this would encourage a full-on blitzkrieg about getting a bird as a pet, but so far she hasn't said a thing. Whew!

There were red ones...

and green ones...

and blue ones to see.

Small ones...

and round ones...

And everything in between!

After the bird show, it was chow time. John and Taylor took a walk around Old Town, then decided that some Beau Jo's pizza would hit the spot. Not a bad Daddy-Daughter Date Day!

The waterfall in the middle of Old Town Square looked more
like an ice sculpture today.

A great way to end the day. A little lemonade and some of the best
pizza around.

Kristin