Christmas

Every year I vow I will wrap the presents ahead of time and every year I put it off until Christmas Eve.  Jonathan is a good sport and helped me out.

So we were up late and the kids up early.  Matthew, Melissa, and Corinna were all up around 6.  Surprisingly Isaac slept in till 7.  While Isaac slept, I prepared the Apfelpfannkuchen or German apple pancakes with cream (recipe below).  Matthew and Melissa decided that that ought to be a Christmas tradition after trying them at a German breakfast place in San Antonio 2 years ago.  M&M looted their stockings and jumped and danced around the house noisily until Isaac woke up. 

Melissa with her stocking loot.

(Notice the foaming bath soap, hair supplies, book, and crayons.  Santa is a practical elf.)
 

Matthew sorting the presents

Matthew admiring his dad's wrapping paper.  Jonathan's tradition is to use newspaper.  Upon questioning he replied, "You have your traditions, this one is mine.  Besides newspaper comes in pre-cut pages perfect for wrapping." 

Dad got in one last Chinese lesson before opening presents.

He's up!  And he was a bit puzzled by the excitement at first.  He quickly caught on. 

Melissa received a crystal (amethyst) necklace that she'd really wanted.

Licorice for me, from Matthew.  Wrapping paper for Corinna.  

A camera!

Star Wars Legos and a Lego idea book (and lego storage bins)

Grandpa and Corinna

Melissa bought Matthew a magic kit.  She knows her brother.  

We were thoroughly spoiled by our parents and siblings.  The children were delighted with their new treasures.  Thank you.

After opening presents, we dined on German Apple Pancakes with whipping cream.  Mmm.  Then Jonathan and Isaac tried to take Dad to the airport- but Jonathan already wrote about that adventure!

Since the car died right before church and we had no way of getting there, we opted to watch the First Presidency Christmas Message with the children instead.  It was a nice relaxed Christmas day and Matthew, Melissa, and Isaac had a lot of fun with their toys.  That evening Andrea and Jeremy hosted Christmas dinner and it was beautiful and delicious! 

Merry Christmas!

Apfelpfannkuchen (German Apple Pancakes)

You will need:

(batter)

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

 (apple filling)

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar + 1 tbls
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  2 large Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, blend eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Gradually mix in milk, stirring constantly. Add vanilla, melted butter and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.  Let the batter rest 30 minutes.
2.  Preheat the oven to 425 F
3. Melt butter in a 10 inch oven proof skillet (cast iron works well), brushing butter up on the sides of the pan. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture over the butter. Line the pan with apple slices. Sprinkle remaining sugar over apples. Place pan over medium heat until the mixture bubbles, then gently pour the batter mixture over the apples. 
4. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 F and then reduce heat to 375.  Bake an additional 10 minutes.  Whip cream to serve on top.  Enjoy!

Grandpa and Matthew

Jonathan's dad came to visit right before Christmas.  He came for the warm Texas biking climate, but he picked the only cold week of December!

While here, he and Matthew worked on a science project.

Behold!  The Ping-Pong Partner! We can't call it a "ping pong ball gun," because guns are Not Tolerated. But who can find fault with a ping pong service return practice partner?





They spent hours working on it together, designing, tweeking, and refining. I'm really not sure who had more fun, grandpa or Matthew.

Spring Break!

Grandpa Ellis came to visit last week.  He flew in on Monday, just in time to enjoy the gorgeous warm biking weather and play with the grandkids during their spring break.  Since Jonathan was working in Austin, the kids and I picked up grandpa.  They were excited!

Naturally he rode his bike every day he was here and Matthew went on a few short rides with him. Matthew and grandpa also played with an electronics set.  He taught and then quizzed Matthew about current, voltage, pressure, resistance, and Ohm's law.  I didn't learn about any of those things till high school!

Tuesday Jonathan took the car to be cleaned inside and out, and played with the kids in the park across the street.  He came home to a happy wife.  The grungy car was clean and the kids nice and tired. 

Wednesday Jonathan drove up to Austin for work, grandpa biked, and we picked up some friends and went to a new park a little off the beaten path.  The bigger boys discovered a small pond in the woods with tadpoles and the littler kids had fun running back and forth between the two playgrounds. 

On Thursday I made pistachio cupcakes and Melissa and I decked ourselves out in green.  Isaac wore his very favorite shirt, the one with the green crocodile that grandma gave him.  He gets excited whenever that shirt is fresh out of the wash.  To our dismay we discovered that Matthew had outgrown his green shirt, but he took it in good grace.  "Grandma said I have Irish ancestors, so I guess I don't have to wear green 'cause I'm green enough."  That night we took the kids to a playground and then a kiddie amusement park.  Matthew took Isaac all over the park and Isaac happily followed.  Anything Matthew wants to do is automatically cool.

Melissa stayed with grandpa and dad and just enjoyed the freedom to go where ever she wanted to go. 

 With grandpa on the carousal.

Friday we played in another park, listened to the baby during a prenatal checkup, and enjoyed the great outdoors with friends.

Saturday grandpa flew back to NJ.  We miss him.

Washington Summer- Walla Walla

Road trip!

The drive from Puyallup to Walla Walla seemed a bit shorter pre-children...go figure.

Monday while Jonathan had work in Seattle, I packed up the kids and we made the trip to see my Grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, and cousins.

Here's a snapshot of Grandma and Grandpa.

You can see where we get part of our good looks. :)

I have wanted to visit them for some time since it'd been years since I was last there. It's about a 5 hour drive straight through to Walla Walla. It's a bit longer with small people, however. We made it, but not without checking out several scenic rest stops and McDonald's. Melissa is my "little miss tiny bladder." Surprisingly Isaac was pretty content most of the trip and even napped for several hours. Whew.

Isaac on one of Grandpa Sinden's old tractors. (I think he has 4?) I remember when I was a kid that he'd always take us out for a ride. Good times.


Grandma took us to the Fort Walla Walla Museum. Last time I was there I think I was about 10. They have really added some great exhibits and it is more kid friendly now. They have a nice wooden play ground which was the kids' favorite part. We checked out two early school houses, played in a tepee and saw lots and lots of old farm equipment. There was a full sized replica of a team of mules pulling a combine harvester that filled an entire room. Here's a picture of a mule pulled combine from the 1900s. It took 36 mules to pull, with one man at the reins, one man fueling the fire, two forking up the straw, a water barrel team, and several others doing jobs I can't remember. What hot, hard, dusty, dirty work that must have been! We live in a good age, folks.

This is just a bit before Grandma's time, but she remembered seeing other old equipment that was on display as a girl on her father's farm. Crazy!

Here is Matthew in an old piece of the state pen. (Which is still located near Walla Walla).

A very shady looking character indeed.

His accomplice in crime:


Matthew snapped a shot of Grandma and me in prison. We were framed, I tell you.

We saw guns, and arrows, dolls and dresses, buggies, and old cars; then Isaac had had enough so we called it a day.

Here's Matthew pushing his brother and sister in a wheelbarrow.



Regrettably we timed our visit poorly since cousins Amber and Amy still had school. Aunt Candy was a hit with Isaac though. I've never seen him warm up to another person so quickly. He's usually pretty wary of those he doesn't know, but "baby whisperer" Aunt Candy must speak his language. I can't believe how tall and beautiful Amber, Amy, and Aubrey now are. Last I saw them, they were still little girls. We didn't get to see the Sinden clan next door as much as I'd like, but next time we will stay a bit longer. Matthew in particular was disappointed we had to leave so soon. Alas, I didn't get any pictures of them!

Wednesday morning Grandma, Grandpa, the crew and I, stopped by the park to wear off little kid steam before the long car ride back. Grandpa literally had Matthew running a circuit around the park. He was more than happy to show Grandpa how fast he was.

Isaac enjoying the swings.

It's my Melissa Monkey!

After they were good and tired out we made the trek onward back to Puyallup. Somewhere past Issaquah the kids tired of the snacks, books, and movies I brought, so we sang songs. Matthew's composition went to the tune of the "Wheels on the bus."

The kids in the car are
Bored, bored, bored.
bored, bored, bored,
bored, bored, bored.

The kids in the car are
bored, bored, bored
all the way home!

This he sang with gusto. Despite terrible boredom, we made it! And in time for dinner too. Priorities, you know. ;)

Washington "Summer" Puyallup

Break out the parkas and umbrellas!

We recently returned from visiting Washington. We spent a few days in Puyallup, a couple in Walla Walla, and finished our visit on Mercer Island. It was quite the whirlwind trip!

We stayed with my parents while in Puyallup and they took the older two to Northwest Trek. Northwest Trek is different from a typical zoo in that they only feature animals from the great North West. It's perfect for young kids since it is not too big. While we were there, Isaac "napped" at home with Daddy. It was a drizzly day and school was not yet out for the summer there, so we pretty much had the park to ourselves. It was a perfect day for an outing. Matthew got a kick out of the 45 minute tram ride through the wildlife refuge park where the animals roam freely. We saw bison, dear, elk, moose, goats, and swans. Poor Melissa mostly squirmed, "I gotta go potty!" After the tram ride and a dash to the bathrooms, we checked out the rest of the park. Matthew and Melissa had been before several years ago, but I think they got much more out of it this time, and had more fun. Matthew was a none-stop fountain of questions, as usual.

We saw a beaver that was intensely interested in Matthew and Melissa. It would back flip dive down only to resurface to watch the kids. The beaver did this over and over. I think the beaver was as interested in the children as they were in it!

Once again I forgot to bring a decent camera so most of the pictures I took did not turn out well. Darn it!

A park ranger, Steve, came by as we were checking out the bear exhibit. He was preparing to put the bears in for the night and asked if we'd like to watch. Oh yes, please! He took us to the back and let us watch the nightly routine. Melissa was a bit apprehensive after Grandpa teased her that bears liked to eat little girls, but her curiosity won out in the end. She was thoroughly engrossed. The ranger first prepared the grizzly bears dinner of fresh veggies. Then he collected them separately into their pens for the night. We were about three feet away and got a very good look at their impressive claws and teeth.

Next he opened the back cages for the black bears and they ambled on in. We were able to be a bit closer up to the black bears since they are less aggressive. The two black bears at Northwest Trek are geriatric bears and need supplements to stay healthy. Here he is preparing their nightly meds.

The pills are popped into fresh raspberries and coated in honey. The bears licked it up right from his hands. Yum!

Steve, the ranger, clearly enjoyed his job and answered our questions threw out interesting bear facts. Thanks Steve!

The sun did come out for half a day and so Grandpa took the kids on tractor rides.


Melissa really liked the cows. The twin calves have certainly grown! They were born about the same time as Isaac.

We stayed in Puyallup until Monday then left for Walla Walla.

Trip to Washington- Day 3

Sunday, August 9th was Dad's retirement. Dad's unit was there, as were a fair number of the big brass from the base, and many friends and family members. Dad is highly respected and well loved. To my great disappointment, Isaac did not make it through much of the ceremony. He started to squawk right at the beginning, so we spent the time walking the hallway. I was able to hear bits and pieces in between finding novel ways to keep the baby from getting bored (and loud). Sigh. What I did hear was quite nice.

Andrea sang the Star Spangled Banner (all verses!). That girl has a great set of pipes!


I am very proud of my Dad. He is a good man and patriot. After he served his time in the Army, he didn't have to join the Air Force Reserves, but chose to out of a sense of duty and love of country. I think the opportunities to fly around in really cool jets was the icing on the cake. He also truly loves people and has a great sense of humor and a flair for pranks. Whenever anyone finds out I'm his daughter they get a twinkle in their eye, laugh, and relate some interesting anecdote. I hear what a nice guy he is all the time. Nurses, airmen, fellow docs, technicians, cashiers, random people in the store; they all like Dad.

After the ceremony, my parents had prepared grilled hamburgers with all the trimmings for the entire unit. Some friends, neighbors, and family helped put it together. My Dad wanted everyone included, and there were a LOT of people. Around 150, I'm guessing.

Isaac liked the ice chests. Moving pieces of ice from one chest to the other amused him for 15 minutes at least. Here he is in his little flight suit. The recruits get younger and younger every year!

Here Mom is smiling. I know she is happy that my Dad is done being a warrior on the weekends. I think my Dad will miss it though...

Grandpa and Isaac:



Dad with Grandma and Grandpa:

Prayers for Grandpa

Jonathan's dad was hit by a car while bicycling on Tuesday and left on the side of the road unconscious with multiple fractures. (What kind of person could hit and leave another on the side of the road? It's beyond me.)

He's still in the hospital recuperating of course. Any prayers would be sincerely appreciated.

Update 5/15: he was hoping to come home today but now the doctors are saying "not this weekend." He still has his sense of humor, though. His mind is unharmed; "just" 10 broken ribs and broken right arm, shoulder, and clavicle.

Update 5/17: Dad is on new pain medication that doesn't leave him incapacitated with nausea. He walked around a little today and asked for his computer. (Boredom is a good sign.) Mom predicts he will be home by Wednesday.

Recent Pictures

Reading with Great-Grandma Sinden during our last trip to Washington.
Visiting Grandpa Don in his new office. It's really nice!

Matthew holding Isaac. Matthew loves to hold and play with his baby brother.