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December 2, 2003
I think I'll start back in late October and work forward. I don't have any grand stories to tell...just little tidbits to catch up on life in the last month or so.
We had a very fun, busy Halloween. A week prior to our trip to Palm Springs (in mid October), Mike & I took Hana to the pumpkin patch/farm just north of Marysville (Biringer Farm, I think-?). We went on a hayride in a covered wagon, wandered through the Haunted House, watched the mountain goats climb the wooden bridges, petted the ponies, played hide-and-seek in the hay maze, went down the big slides, and picked out three perfect pumpkins: big Daddy-size pumpkin, medium Mommy-size pumpkin, and a little baby Hana pumpkin! Hana also enjoyed hot (well, warm) apple cider and carmel popcorn, riding in her red Radio Flyer wagon, and tromping through the mud in her rubber butterfly rain boots. It was a fun fall Sunday afternoon and worth repeating in years ahead.
Hana was a cowgirl for Halloween, but because it was so cold we traded her denim skirt for plain jeans....and as a result she looked very much like a cowBOY, not cowgirl. Oh well--she was very cute nonetheless! After calling every Wal-Mart, Target, Payless Shoes, etc. in Western Washington, I ended up borrowing the perfect size 6 pair from my girlfriend Shannon, whose 3 yr old son Jack was a cowboy a couple of Halloweens ago. Dilemma solved, and they were free too! Hana also had a cowboy hat leftover from Jack's 2nd (western-themed) birthday party 2 summers ago, which is what inspired the cowgirl idea in the first place. It was a simple, comfortable costume, and aside from the cowboy boots, was made up entirely of items we already had (jeans, calico button-down shirt, red bandana, cowboy hat)! We headed out to trick-or-treat on our street around 4pm, and Hana quickly got the hang of trick-or-treating. By the second house, she knew just what to do--it was so adorable to watch her trudge up to our neighbors' front doors with her dad, knock all by herself and proudly hold out her basket for treats! We visited about 5 houses, and then headed to 35th, which is the 'main street' near our house. All of the local businesses (which include a small grocery store, a drug store, three banks, a small video store, a restaurant, a pub, a cafe, a dance studio, an insurance agency, and a hair salon) had pooled funds to rent crossing guards for the evening, and they had a big trick-or-treating promenade along the streets & sidewalks. There were TONS of costumed kids and parents walking around and racing in and out of the shops with their trick-or-treating loot--very fun!
Mike then had to race off to coach the Shorecrest (HS) football game, and Hana & I made trick-or-treat stops at my grandma's and my parent's houses. After several photo-ops, we headed off to our friends' house for Halloween dinner and more trick-or-treating. Shannon & Scott had ordered a big pizza & had salad, etc.--We stuffed ourselves, tried to get all of the kids to actually SIT at the kiddie table and EAT (something other than candy), and then got ready for MORE trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. Speaking of their neighborhood...that reminds me of my favorite part of Halloween this year, get this...apparently tradition is that each house have beers/cocktails ready for the parents of the trick-or-treaters (in addition to the traditional candy/treats for kids), so it was a big party throughout the neighborhood for kids and parents alike! Mike & the other Shorecrest football coaches met up with us at Scott & Shannon's after the game, and we all enjoyed more post-trick-or-treat cocktails. Hana had a fantastic time, held up soooo well through all the madness, and finally crashed around 10pm and slept soundly in Lauren's (5yr old, sister to Jack) cool IKEA loft bed with her! AND she got her mom & dad LOTS of candy to boot.
Football tends to dominate our life during the fall, and much of the football frenzy is wrapping up as we approach the holidays (phew!). Mike & I made it to one UW Husky game this year--these are my favorite games. I just love college football--the crowds, the spirit, the crisp air, the tailgaters and boaters. I grew up going to the Husky games with my dad. I get nostalgic at the memories of getting all bundled up to go on Uncle Bob's boat (a big cruiser) at the crack of dawn, cruise Lake Union, play cards with my grandma & eat lots of good food, then wander up from the marina with my dad and my grandparents and their friends, hike up the stadium to our seats, and cheer on the Huskies. I loved getting peanuts and hot chocolate, watching the cheerleaders through my dad's binoculars, and and watching the band during halftime with my grandma & grandpa. In my high school years, I was ecstatic to find a newly minted Starbuck's cart just outside our tunnel, too--bonus! Anyway, this year we went to a night game--7pm start time, so it was FREEZING (but cozy under our long underwear, down jackets and stadium blankets!). We met up with the Sheridan Beach crowd (families from the neighborhood I grew up in) the game, had dinner at Delfino's in University Village and hiked to the game, where we sat with my parents and just had a very fun evening. Hana too had a fun evening at home with her Auntie Ceilidh, some popcorn and some videos!
Shorecrest had their last football game in mid-November--no playoffs this year. Mike was actually relieved to finish the regular season and just be finished coaching for now (although a playoff season would have been fun too). He loves the kids and he loves football, but coaching takes up so much of his time, and he was happy to have his afternoons & evenings freed up again. Of course, he quickly pointed out to me that his Seattle Metro Flag Football League was about to begin. Last year his team was in the championships, so he is pretty excited to get started this year and play. They just had the pre-season tournament this last weekend (Nov.29-30) and won in their bracket. It was a beautiful, crisp, sunny day, so Hana & I went up to Everett with him for the games. Hana had fun playing with Lauren (20 mos) and I enjoyed meeting her mom, who is also married to a football addict. Mike had to leave halfway through their last game though to head to...yet another football game....the Seahawks game. This year he only bought half-season tickets (instead of the full season) and so this was also his last Seahawks game of the year. Luckily they trampled the Browns, and Mike came home a very happy man...with 6 of "the (drunk) guys" in tow. I scrapped my dinner plans, ordered a pizza, and we all settled in for a beer. It was fun to see everyone & a nice way to cap off a very fun long holiday weekend.
While Mike was at the Seahawks game on later on Sunday afternoon, Hana & I went to IKEA, and I am so proud to say that I actually went through IKEA in its' entirety and came out without buying ONE SINGLE THING. Now THAT is a first. I actually got to the checkout area with a bag of odds & ends and then decided that I didn't really need any of it, and none of it was worth standing in the line (with Hana who was DONE with IKEA by that point), so I handed my bag to an annoyed sales clerk and proudly marched out. I've been wanting to check out their holiday wares though, so I'm glad I went to "window shop," and Hana had fun playing in the tents & tunnels and beds in the kiddie section.
We had a small, cozy Thanksgiving this year. I was getting nervous as we approached this holiday, unsure of how we were going to handle the multiple families (ie. cousins, aunts & uncles, grandparents...most of Mike's relatives and all of mine live in the Seattle area, so there are lots of "offers" for any holiday!) and decide where to spend Thanksgiving. In the end, I decided to host my very first Thanksgiving at our house for a small group--just my parents & brother, and Mike's mom. I felt "safe" preparing my first Thanksgiving for a small group, and had lots of help from my mom too. On Thanksgiving morning, Hana & I went to my mom's to do the turkey "prep" (her kitchen is bigger than mine) while Mike played in a Turkey Bowl football game at Shoreline Stadium with a bunch of high school alumni. My mom & I prepared the stuffing and stuffed the turkey at her house while Hana watched the Macy's Parade with Grandpa & Uncle Kyle. Then both of my Grandmas came over for a delicious late breakfast (since we weren't going to be having Thanksgiving dinner with them). At around 11am, Kyle (my brother), Hana & I took the turkey back to my house, put it in the oven to start cooking, and I started in on my other duties...peeling the potatoes, making the green bean casserole, boiling the potatoes, setting the table, lighting all the candles, etc. Mike picked up his mom after the football game and brought her to our house around noon, Kyle headed back home to shower, and Mike, Linda (MIL) and Hana & I took a walk to the store to pick up some last minute items, then relaxed by the crackling fire while the aroma of turkey wafted through the house. YUM. Very cozy. My parents & Kyle arrived around 3pm and we all chatted over cocktails for awhile, and then my mom, Linda & I took over the kitchen with the last minute prep of making mashed potatoes & gravy and warming up the green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing, etc. We had a lovely dinner and it all went off without a hitch, thanks primarily to my mom and all of her help! We're still eating the delicious leftovers, and for that I am very thankful! Later that night, Mike was sweet enough to boil the turkey carcass with carrots and celery and onions and potatoes, and then freeze it all for turkey soup sometime down the road this winter.
Hana & I went to the to a little shopping center in Lake Forest Park last weekend to visit the bookstore & craft store, and we made a pitstop at SANTA! Hana's been reading about Santa and pouring over pictures of Santa for several weeks now, and erupts into a chorus of "Ho Ho Ho!" whenever she sees Santa (our Christmas tree is actually also referred to as "Ho Ho Ho," so I guess to Hana that simply signifies Christmas). I wanted to take her by the Santa to get a glimpse of what her reaction will be when we actually go get her Santa picture taken. I know that Year 2 with Santa is renowned for being the "crying year," and after our brief encounter with Santa last weekend, I'm fairly certain that Hana will follow suit and be an upset kiddo in this year's Santa picture. She really liked watching Santa from afar, but when I tried to coax her up close to 'chat' with him (there was a lull in picture-takers), she just stood in front of him, sullenly looking at her feet, REFUSING to even look up at him! It was TOO funny, I've never seen her do that before! The Santa was very nice & accomodating, so I went up and talked with him, and we finally coaxed Hana up into my lap where she would shyly glimpse up at Santa through her eyelashes. After some chatting, she warmed up a bit more and even gave Santa a high-five before we left, but I'm afraid that when the time comes to plop her into his lap, she is going to lose it. Ah well, so goes the tradition...the Year 2 Santa picture invariably involves a screaming, red-faced toddler.
Mike & I have both been so excited about the impending holiday season...we're always excited, but this year has been especially anticipated b/c Hana has at least some vague clue and interest in all the holiday hoopla around. We decided that we wanted to get decorated early this year, so we had our tree up AND decorated on November 30!! We drove up to Darrington last Friday (day after Thanksgiving) and trudged through about 5 "U-Cut" tree lots. Mike's stepdad was intent on finding the best tree for the best price, so we did some bargain U-Cut tree shopping. A few of the lots were just tree lots, nothing else, but two that we stopped at had the full holiday scene--warm little huts with wood burning stoves, hot apple cider, cute ornaments for sale. One lot had a big petting zoo/farm, complete with kangaroos (?!?) and a big bonfire, and even snow on the ground! I'm planning to continue the tradition I had growing up, which was getting to pick out a new ornament from the tree farm 'store' every year....so Hana got a cute quilted Christmas tree ornament for her own this year. We ended up buying a beautiful Norwegian Spruce. I like the full pines, but Mike likes the more sparse look, so we compromised with this one, and it looks just beautiful in our house. We brought it home, got it up and decorated it before weekends' end. Twinkling white lights, red & white candy canes, shimmering ribbon garland, big gold star--its my perfect Christmas tree....now I just hope it survives the 24 remaining days till Christmas! Someone advised me that 7-Up in with the water can help it live longer, so we'll try that out. I've got all of my Christmas candles warming the corners of the house, the little Snow Village is set up on the mantle, the manger scene is displayed on the table, and Mike even got the twinkling white outside lights up yesterday! We're ready!
I've also already managed to get a lot of my Christmas shopping finished, which is SUCH a relief. The only gifts left to buy are my dad's, my grandma Marty's, and Mike's brother & sister. I'm planning to get all the already-purchased gifts wrapped tonight--CHECK! Pardon me while I revel in my organization this year! haha. I'm just so proud of myself, I can't help but boast! I feel so much more ready to just enjoy the holiday season when I'm not feeling rushed & stressed out by the frenzy of gift-buying & wrapping....now I feel like I can really sit back and just revel in the Christmas spirit. Aside from a few more gifts and some wrapping, I need to address and mail my Christmas cards, which I plan to do next weekend.
My girlfriend Leanne is having a holiday cookie exchange (party) this year, but I can't make it b/c we will be at another event. I'm bummed that I'm missing out--it sounded like a fun get-together with girlfriends...BUT Mike & I have decided to have our own little Bake-Off next weekend, and make some holiday treats for ourselves, the neighbors, the mailman, hostess gifts, etc. I found a cute idea in a magazine--dye cheesecloth red with food coloring, wrap up the baked goods in a little pouch, tie off with cute ribbon and a sprig of holly..that's my plan for an extra holiday "effort" since I'm otherwise feeling on top of the game!
We have several holiday parties coming up, including a dinner at Bell Harbor Pier followed by Big Band dance for my work party, a couple of cocktail parties at friends' houses, a couple of holiday open houses, and the Seattle Symphony (Handel's Messiah) at Benaroya Hall followed by dinner downtown (Palomino) with my parents. About a month ago, my mom & I went shopping for some patent-leather Mary Janes to complement Hana's holiday dress (ice blue taffeta gown, on sale at the Gap 2 yrs ago when I was about 4 mos pregnant!), and my mom ended up buying me a very classy black strapless cocktail dress with black beading around the bust. Its classic & chic, and I can't WAIT to wear it for a few of the upcoming holiday events! Eventually I also want to make a tradition of taking Hana to the Pacific NW Ballet's Nutcracker at the Seattle Opera House each December (just as my mom, my friend Teri & her mom & I did each year growing up)....but she's still too young so I'll wait another year or two on that holiday tradition.
We were planning to go to Silver Star (a ski resort in Canada) with my parents for New Year's (for about a week), but my dad was in charge of planning....and so, well, the trip just didn't get planned in time. So we've postponted that trip until later, probably President's Day weekend in February, and now I'm not sure what we're doing for New Year's Eve. We shall see what plans evolve... Mike & I are also keeping our eyes out for good airfare to Tahoe, as our friends' Conrad & Lisa have been inviting us to visit & ski for 3 years now, and we still haven't made it down. My dad still holds Lk Tahoe in high regard as one of his favorite places to ski, so I'd just love to get down there to enjoy some spring skiing (preferably) and see Conrad & Lisa & their house.
We've had a big, major development in our household of late. Mike has decided to leave his job. He gave his notice and is leaving on good terms; he's simply decided that he wants to gain more experience in the industry (stocks/investing) before he continues 'cold calling' and essentially starting his business from the ground up, as he has to do with Edward Jones. I honestly am thrilled b/c I was starting to see the effort & long, long hours wearing on him. I would much rather live a comfortable but not lavish lifestyle, and have my husband working reasonable hours and being at home in the evenings and on weekends with his family....rather than having more money but not seeing much of Mike b/c he's chasing down some 6-figure paycheck (or whatever)...or having our children not seeing much of him because of that.
This whole decision was somewhat spurred on by my dad asking Mike if he would have any interest in coming to work with/for him (my dad owns an office furniture wholesaler/office design company)...I think that led Mike to really question what he's doing right now and where he wants to go with it. As it stands now, Mike has decided that he wants to continue pursuing this start-of-a-career he's got going in the investment industry, and see where it takes him. My dad is not in any hurry to hire someone or have any sort of decision from Mike, and understands Mike's desire to continue pursuing what he started. At the same time, he's left the offer open to Mike, and for that, we are very blessed. For the time being, Mike has applied for a couple of investment jobs with Washington Mutual and has had a few interviews, but neither of them close till mid-December, so he won't hear anything from them until late December or early January.
SO...Mike is still tying up some loose ends at his current company, but has finished all new sales activities which has freed up most of his time, so....he's been a Stay-At-Home Dad for the last month or so! Between the residual income from his part-time high school coaching job and his commission from Edward Jones (current job), plus the added bonus of not having to pay $1,000 per month in daycare, we're doing fine and are counting our blessings for this. Mike is reveling in the time he's spending with Hana, and is really enjoying taking her to the playground, taking her to toddler story time at the Shoreline Library, taking long walks with her, and just spending time playing at home with her during the day. He is definitely more appreciative of the level of patience and dedication it takes to be the primary caretaker (although he still hasn't been saddled with the added duties of laundry, bed-making, etc...but he HAS been making dinner which is wonderful!). It really is such a blessing for all of us, but especially for Hana and for him, to have him home with her, having this sort of daily routine. I know he will cherish his memories from this time forever, and I'm sure its setting a really strong groundwork for their father-daughter relationship. She no longer only turns to Mama for comfort when she's hurt or sad or tired...Daddy's in the running now too...and he's loving it! That said, I know he is also starting to get antsy, and will be more than ready to start a new job come the first part of 2004...whatever that new job may be!
Hana's eating habits have become more finicky of late. She is still a good eater--she simply has strong opinions about what she wants to eat. Her current favorites include peas, sausage, bacon, soy nuts, berries of any kind (including freeze dried, which she's accepted as a substitute for the plump blackberries she scavenged all summer long from anywhere she spotted them!), artichoke hearts, apples/applesauce, almonds, yogurt, mandarin orange segments, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli, cottage cheese & goat cheese. She is definitely a dairy lover--I think she would simply live off of milk, goat cheese & cottage cheese if we left her to her own devices. She also loves (surprise, surprise) ice cream, popsicles, fruit snacks (the gross gelatin kind) and Oreo cookies. Grandma & Grandpa's cookie jar is ALWAYS stocked with Oreos, and Hana makes a beeline for it every time we visit. Oh, and one last current treat is...candy canes! She can now spot them a mile away, and has added "candy cane" (sounds more like "can-can") to her vocab.
Hana's most recent physical feat is Dips...as in, hold yourself up between two bars (or in Hana's case, between the chair & the ottoman) and lower yourself down and back up without your feet touching the ground...kind of a weight lifter-type trick! Although no one believes me, Mike honestly did NOT teach her this trick--she just surprised us and did it all by herself one day at my parents' house. We were all amazed & impressed, and now Hana loves to show off her dips to any & all visitors (added to her repertoire of tumbling, dancing & spinning in circles). She also loves doing ring-a-round-the-rosy, the itsy-bitsy-spider, and all of the moves (clap your hands, stomp your feet, march, promenade, spin in a circle...) in the Sandra Boynton book "Barnyard Dance." Hide & seek and 'chase' are her two favorite games, and she remains a climber. She has mastered climbing into her highchair by herself, which is a dangerous feat & not encouraged. How she manages to pull herself up from the foot rest, over the leg-hole-bar-thing (I think that's the official name), turned around in the seat, legs into the leg holes, and seated...I don't know--its interesting to watch. Hana quickly figured out that she could bring the kitchen footstool (I'm short and need it to reach the top cupboards) into the living room, place it next to the Christmas tree, and reach the candy canes that we thought were too high for her to reach! And one more climbing story--the other day I found her in the kitchen with my footstool set right next to the shelving next to the stove..and there was Hana--STANDING on the STOVE. Yeah, very safe. Needless to say, the footstool has been moved out of her reach.
Each morning Hana watches three cartoons (as she wanders in & out of the room, playing): Dragon Tales, Arthur & Clifford the Big Red Dog. She LOVES them and its so cute to see her perk right up & dance when she hears the songs. She also occasionally watches Tele-Tubbies (she was obsessed with them for awhile, but it seems to have faded some) and often watches Sesame Street. She loves Big Bird, Elmo & Grover, and always points them out specifically in her Sesame Street book. She has a CD with some Sesame Street Songs on it, and her favorites are the Cookie Monster Song ("C is for Cookie..") and the Sesame Street theme song. Hana LOVES to dance, and has still has fabulous rhythm. I hope it sticks...I have NO rhythm, but Mike does, so there's a chance she'll get his genes in that department.
I've written before about our ongoing thoughts/discussion on where we want to live long-term and raise our family. The "debate" is primarily between Sheridan Beach/Lake Forest Park (SB/LFP is where I grew up, and just 5-10 minutes north of where we live now....but more suburban & quiet, whereas our neighborhood now is more urban) and Wedgwood/View Ridge/Bryant area (where we live now). We do go back & forth and only time will tell. But, right now we're back to the preference of living in Sheridan Beach (neighborhood) in Lake Forest Park (city, but more like a town). We've realized lately that, put simply, we both just really loved growing up in that area. The general area/school district is comprised of two cities: Lake Forest Park & Shoreline, but the community is, for the most part, seamless (at least as far as schools/kids are concerned). For us, growing up in this area has meant that we've been lucky enough to grow up in a community where the schools are strong (with lots of parent involvement), where "everyone knows your name"--not completely literally--but it is a community where you invariably see someone you know almost everywhere you go--, where families stay and establish roots, and where many kids who grew up there move back as adults to live and raise their own families. There's a reason for that. Its a great place; a small-town feel, with lots of families, lots of kids, community spirit. We just love that we feel an instant kinship with anyone we meet who grew up or lives in the area, or went to the schools we grew up in. It is a level of community that I just don't think we would have in our current more-urban neighborhood. It is also where we grew up, where we just feel very, very comfortable, and where we know our kids would love to grow up. I'm sure that if we do end up moving back to Sheridan Beach/Lake Forest Park, we will miss many things about living in a more urban setting...but really, there's only a ten minute drive difference anyway, and I think that for the childhood years, we would prefer to have our kids in that more suburban, community setting. Sure it might be considered a bit boring & white-bread (ie, 2 parents, 2.5 kids and a minivan...wait, no! I won't have a minivan!)...but that's kind-of what we're looking for....
All that said, we our fickle and change our minds, so as I said...only time will tell.
I hope to get back and post again before Christmas, but if I don't--MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY NEW YEAR, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
--Jessica
P.S. -- Jeanette, Nicole, Stephanie, Christina, Allisun...if any of you are reading this, please send me your addresses for Christmas cards!! jvmcfarlane@hotmail.com
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