Happy New Year!

The last three weeks have been a whirlwind of holiday activity! After my last post, we have had some activity or committment nearly every day. But it has been a wonderful Christmas season. My brother, Jeff, and his family came for Christmas this year. The kids love playing together, so they played until they dropped! Ryan and Garrett make the perfect pair of crazy, hilarious boys, and Michaela and Paige played all the girl stuff together. At one point they were watching a Barbie movie and they told my Grandpa to leave because it was "just for girls!" How funny that they pair off at such a young age.

On the Sunday before Christmas, we loaded up the entire family and headed out to have pictures taken. We were pretty sure it would be a disaster, what with having 4 children ages 5 and under. But, surprisingly, they all did very well. There were a few poses with someone's finger in their nose (the kids, not the adults!), and some where no one was looking where they were supposed to. But, overall, we were pleased with the results.

Sunday night, Dave took an interesting hospital visit. He has been to the ER three times this year, and always in the middle of the night. So, for variety, we took the dog to the ER instead. We returned from our pictures to find that our sweet dog, Sadie, had eaten a half pound package of chocolate brownie bites out of the trash. We didn't worry at first, because Sadie is famous for eating anything she can get her paws on, including rocks and concrete! But, after a few hours, she was standing in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the wall and whining. So, after a little internet research that scared us to death, Dave took her to the doggie ER until 2:30 a.m. They were able to get induce vomiting and determined that she would be OK. We are so thankful that our sweet little (well, big...) dog is better!
Monday we took the kids up to the mountains to do some sledding. They found a nice little hill and spent an hour or so taking turns whizzing down the slope and bumping over the parking block at the bottom--that was the best part, in their minds! Then Uncle Jeff helped them build a snowman while Dave took Paige for a ride in the sled (she was too afraid to go down the hill).

Christmas morning brought 4 kids trying to take turns opening presents, but having a very hard time waiting! They played all day and collapsed in happy heaps at the end.

Dave and I visited his parents after Christmas and enjoyed seeing that side of the family as well. It snowed there again, only this time I was prepared! We played outside for hours before heading inside to sleep away the excitement of the holiday.
As we prepare to begin a new year, I am amazed as always by the ways God has provided for us this year. He helped us through the scary period in the spring when Dave found his (thankfully benign) tumor in this mouth. He has given us a beautiful family and provides daily for our needs. I know He will do no less in the coming year! We pray that you will also feel His presence and provision! Happy New Year!

Christmas

Of Mud and Christmas Trees

In the spirit of Chevy Chase's "Christmas Vacation", we decided this past weekend to search the mountains for the "Bryson Family Christmas Tree." We piled into Dave's truck and drove up to the Jemez mountains to start our search. The scenery was beautiful...the colors bright and bold. Did I mention the colors were beautiful because it was pouring rain? The weatherman had forecasted snow for the mountains, so we had visions of tramping through the snow, singing Christmas carols, and finding the perfect tree. (Well, to be honest, Dave probably had no visions of Christmas carols, but I did!) Instead there was mud everywhere! But, the children wanted to cut their own tree, and we weren't going to turn around after an hour and a half of hearing "Are we there yet?" So we donned our jackets, hats, and gloves and set out. We quickly realized that the same features that made the area we picked beautiful (namely big rocky canyons) also made it nearly impossible to hike easily. After about twelve steps, our boots were caked with mud and we were slipping all over the rocks.

Eventually, we did find the "perfect" tree (at least as perfect as you can get growing in the mountains!) Dave and Garrett went to work cutting it, and Garrett was beside himself with joy at being able to use the saw all by himself!!! So, our trip was not the picture card experience we wished for, but it was definitely memorable! Instead of Christmas carols, we made funny voices as we bumped over the washboard roads. Here are a few pictures of our tree and a few extras from Garrett's birthday. (P.S. I know that Garrett's icing on his cake was pink and he's a boy. But how else can you get the strawberry flavor he wanted?? We "masculinized" it with Spiderman decorations!)

Christmas Trees

Birthday Fun

Believe it or not, Garrett will be five years old tomorrow! I know it sounds trite, but it really does just seem like yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. And here we are, five years later, the "parenting experts". (It's OK, you can go ahead and laugh...) Like all parents, I'm sure, we've had a wild ride as we've learned on the go. Sometimes we're confident in our parenting abilities, and sometimes we just make it up as we go along. But, both kids are alive, healthy, and relatively well-behaved (depending on what day it is!).

We decided that 5 years was a little bit of a milestone, so we asked Garrett what he wanted to do for his birthday party. I was prepared for Chuck E. Cheese or some similar torturous...oh I mean wonderful... idea. But instead, he says "I want to go bowling." Now, we have never taken him bowling before, nor does anyone we know bowl. So, we're not sure where this idea came from. However, it turned out to be an inspired idea! We met his friends at the alley at 10:00 a.m., and they had the whole place to themselves. The staff (all 2 of them) were at our beck and call. They set up a table for the kids, brought out pitchers of soda, and even gave Garrett a Spiderman bowling pin with his name on it. (For Garrett there can be no higher joy than Spiderman!)

It was great watching eight 4-5 year olds trying to get the ball down the lane. We eventually had the staff bring out this metal ramp that the kids could set the ball on and roll it down the lane. Otherwise, it might have taken us most of the morning just to finish one turn each. It was hilarious watching them heave the ball with all their might, and then watch it roll s-l-o-w-l-y, down the lane and finally barely tip a pin. By the end of the party, they had the hang of it, and Garrett even managed 2 strikes! Does he have polyester and bad shoes in his future? We hope not, but the birthday part was a lot of fun!

Bowling Birthday

Thanksgiving Snow

It's hard to believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone. As the hundreds of Christmas commercials on TV play in the background, let me tell you about our Thanksgiving....

We had decided to spend Thanksgiving Day with Dave's parents outside of Aztec, NM this year. So, knowing that Northern New Mexico can be very cold, we watched the weather diligently before we left. According to the forecast, there would be snow everywhere in the state except the Four Corners region. So, I packed normally for myself and the kids, and at the last minute threw in some gloves and hats, because it would be cold.

We left Thanksgiving morning and arrived at Lynn and Judy's (Dave's parents) house around lunchtime. The weather was great -sunshine, clear skies, cool temperatures. We even took the kids and our niece, Autumn, down to the river to play. So, we were rather surprised on Friday morning when we woke up to this:

Naturally, Garrett and Paige wanted to go out and play at 7:00 AM!! No amount of discouragement would stop them, so we bundled up and went out. The first snow of the year is always glorious, but six inches was like a dream to them! Of course, they returned for breakfast soaking wet, and guess which mother of the year had not packed any extra clothes?? Yours truly! So we spent the morning playing in the snow with plastic baggies on our feet because our shoes and socks were freezing and wet. We wore all our clothes, dried them in the dryer, and wore them again. The kids had a blast, and even convinced the neighbor's dog to come romp with them.

All in all, it was a great day, and we do have so much to be thankful for!

When we returned to the city, I was kidnapped by some friends to celebrate my 30th birthday. They took me to ITz, which is like Chuck E. Cheese on steriods. We had so much fun! (Especially because our kids weren't with us! --Shame on me!)

Thanksgiving 2007

El Tour de Tucson 2007

Well, the long-awaited event has been finished! This was Dave's third year to ride the 109-mile El Tour de Tucson. He has been training for it most of the year, and was very excited to see how he would do this year. So, last Thursday we set off to Arizona to cheer him on! We stayed with some good friends, Hans and Teri Rohne, and enjoyed their family and home. On Friday we visited some other good friends in the area, Clint and Michele Sanders. Michele used to keep Garrett while I taught, so he and her daughter Kit had a blast getting reacquainted.
On Saturday, Dave left the house at 4:30 a.m. to get the best starting spot he could. About 9,000 riders entered his race, according to the announcers. So, he wanted to be as near the front as possible. His ultimate goal was to ride the Tour in under 5 hours, so that next year he could start in the "Platinum" section. This is for really elite riders (the top 2% or so) and they don't have to line up with the rest of the "commoners". They get their own section at the front and can waltz up 5 minutes before the race if they want to. He did manage to take about 25 minutes off his time, but fell short of that dream goal. Maybe next year.... Meanwhile, I think 5 hours 57 minutes is pretty darn good for riding 109 miles! That's something like 18 miles an hour! Personally, it would take me at least twice that long, if I could even finish it in the first place! So, Dave was very happy with his performance (and his gold medal), and we figured out that his time this year placed him around the top 25% of all the riders in the Tour. Not bad, huh?
The kids and I had fun at the finish line area waiting for Dave to come. In the morning, the kids and I went to the Tucson Children's Museum to see all the exhibits. They liked the fire truck and police motorcycle the best! My dad and brother, Jeff, also rode in the shorter 35-mile race. So, my mom, my sister-in-law, and my niece and nephew all played around while we waited. There were jumpers for the kids and a rock wall that Michaela and Garrett climbed. Otherwise, the kids just ran around and got absolutely filthy. Garrett loved cheering for the racers and ended the day without any voice, because he had yelled so much! Overall, our trip was an excellent success, and we thank God that we returned home without any injuries and with some great memories!
Click on the album to see some pictures from our adventure!

Tucson 2007

Enjoying the Sun

As the weather continues its warm spell, the kids and I are enjoying the extra time spent outside! I especially enjoy letting the kids get their energy out in a place where they can't break anything (at least without lots of effort!) and won't bother anyone with yelling and running! So here are some pictures of our latest visit to the park....

I also included a picture of Garrett at his Thanksgiving program for preschool. They made Pilgrim and Indian costumes, and he was an Indian. As Murphy's law would have it, my carefully guarded first-row seat was on the wrong side of the auditorium, so all I could get was a long-range shot of the side of his face! But they were so adorable! Anyone who has seen a preschool program knows how hilariously funny they can be! Garrett's Indian headband kept slipping over his eyes, and he wouldn't push it back up. So, he sang half the songs with his head tilted way back so he could see the teacher! At least he wasn't as bad as the kid in front of him, who picked his nose through an entire song! Too funny!! Gotta love the memories!

Parks and feasts

A Fitting End to a "Perfect" Week

Whoever said weekends were for relaxing and resting from the previous week obviously did not see our household this week! I substituted three days this week, while up until now I have only subbed twice the whole school year. Teaching an unfamiliar first grade class is tiring, especially when the children delight in telling you each and EVERY thing you have done differently than their teacher! Nothing like a 6-year old to make you feel incompetent, thank you very much! Anyway, I know that working 3 whole days sounds so nice to those of you who actually hold full-time jobs, but it was a lot for me. When I finished my teaching, I came home to piano students sitting at my door for the next 2 hours. And then, we had commitments almost every night. So, the kids were up late and everyone was cranky. To top it all off, Dave has been having to work overtime the last few weeks, trying to finish a kitchen for some clients by Thanksgiving. Did I mention that until this week, the kitchen had not even been framed in?? No pressure there!

So, we all looked forward to this weekend for a little R & R. Oh wait, that's right, we had decided to have a garage sale!! No resting yet! My mom and I held down the fort while Dave worked more overtime, and we actually did pretty well. So we got home in the early afternoon, for our much needed rest. "Oh, I'll just do some dishes first...why is there no hot water??" That's right, the hot water heater has finally met extinction. This is not really news to us, since we have been sensing its demise for some time now. Every time we have some extra money, we say "we should probably get a new hot water heater." But, you know, there are just so many more FUN things to drop $400 on, and it's still working OK.... Well, apparently the heater reached its 25th birthday and gave up the ghost. (That's right, the tag on it did say 1982!)

We weren't really worried, because Dave's a construction guy and all, so it should be easy right? (Hear that shrill, evil laughter in the air?) We went to Lowe's with our 12-months same as cash coupon in hand and picked out the cheapest model we could find. At the checkout, there is one cashier, and she has evidently not ever seen this particular coupon. She tries to scan our items, punches a couple of buttons, and then informs me that our total is $10,680! After Dave picked me up off the floor, we explained that this could not POSSIBLY be the right total, and she seemed a little miffed that we didn't just pay up. 15 minutes and approximately 4 manager visits later, we left Lowe's with our hot water heater and without bankrupting ourselves. However, anyone who knows Garrett knows that he spent that 15 minutes running up and down the checkout lane, trying to jump over the water heater box, and just generally being a 4-year old boy with nothing to do. Oh, and it's 7:00 pm and no one has eaten dinner, so we're all very cheery too!

To cut my saga short, I will say that the old water heater did not want to come out without a fight...and Dave is really strong! After much banging, pulling, and probably swearing inside his mind, Dave finally wrestled it free and then informed me that I needed to empty it out using some pans. 1 hour later, I finally finished my circuit of "put the pan down, empty the other...return and repeat...over and over, and over...." The new water heater was officially operational at 12:00 midnight, when I, being the supportive wife that I am, was asleep under my warm, cozy covers.
Today we are all resting, but don't tell anyone, because who knows what might happen? I think I'll go take a nice, hot shower....

Dave checking out 25 years of rust!

The dinosaur meets its match!

The 150th pan of water...or was it the 175th? I lost track 30 minutes ago!

Finally Fall!

We have had an unusually warm fall this year, so it has been hard to believe that it's already November. But, in the last few weeks, the temperatures at night have dropped and the leaves have turned. After an extremely windy Halloween night, all the leaves off our tree in the front yard are piled up by the house. (OK -it's just a little tree, so there aren't THAT many leaves!) But today the kids decided to go out and jump in them, throw them, and just generally enjoy the unique entertainment that dry leaves provide. I have to admit, I kind of got a kick out of having leaves dumped on my head as well! There's something so satisfying about crunching leaves! Simple pleasures! I hope you enjoy as well!

A Brave New World

Well, this is it. We have officially entered the 21st century and we are trying our hand at blogging. Lest any of you think this will be an exciting, action-packed blog, let me remind you that my days consist largely of playing referee between a "terrible two" year old and an "active" almost-5 year old. So, probably no earth-shattering stories here. (Unless you consider the ability to get both Kool-Aid stains and potty-training accidents out of the carpet a grand achievment!) Mostly this will be a spot for us to post pictures to share with our family and friends without having to clog up your email inboxes every few weeks. So, feel free to come along on our ordinary-but-funny life as often or as rarely as you like!
To start, I will share a few of my favorite pictures of the kids...enjoy!

Practicing their "headstands"

Enjoying Lake Superior on our trip to Minnesota in September.