Snowy Birthday for Eleanor

It snowed!  Just in time to cancel Eleanor's big 9th birthday party.  But of all the reasons to have to cancel a party, snow is pretty great.  Besides, our house has been wishing non-stop for snow all season, so it is sort of our fault.  School was cancelled, we played in the snow, and a few friends hiked over to help celebrate 9 in a smaller way.  We'll have the big party when the weather clears.  And, yes, that is a Christmas tree in the photos.  Eleanor wanted to see what it was like to have her birthday presents under the Christmas tree this year so what the heck, we left it up until February.

pan-cakes on the actual birthday

Stephanie turns 41

I turned 41 this February.  For all the time I spent in my life worring about "turning 40 someday," my 40th year sure did go by fast.  Here's to 41!

holes left by 40 candles

Cabin in Zig Zag (on Mt. Hood)

We spent a weekend in a cozy cabin up on Mt. Hood one weekend in January.  So, here we are... outside, and in:

A Week in Eleanor's life

We were exceptionally scheduled this month, but with the kinds of things you likely hear us talking about regularly.  So, I'm sharing photos from January's weekly happenings in hopes that this gives you something to picture when you talk to Eleanor about art with Gail, or robotics class, or swimming, or violin with Megan.

Sundays: art at Gail's house, with the Smoyer/Myer boys.  Cookies, reading, great art supplies and all around good company.

Mondays: homework, play time

Tuesdays: swim lessons

Wednesdays: a great electricity/robotics class after school

Thursdays: swim lessons

Fridays: violin lessons in Megan's backyard studio

Saturdays: free!!!!!

What my mother taught me...

to appreciate the simplicity of a sunset
to crave the extravagance of room service

to do my homework
to act like I know what I am doing, even when I don't

to be honest at all costs
to lie for a good cause

to talk too much
to bite my tongue

to take the world on
to close the door and bury my head when it's just too much

to be still
to take a road-trip when the horizon calls

to use common sense
and, to be crazy.

It's a short list of things I learned from my mother.  Every day of her life, whether she intended to or not, my mom taught me very human lessons about inconsistency.  And imperfection.  And the humility to love despite these.  For these lessons I am a lifetime of grateful.

Remembering her on what would be her 71st birthday. 

 Ann Kole, Jan 30, 1943 - May 15, 1999

Eleanor's Reads 2013

We always love a book suggestion.  Here are ours!

Eleanor's Poetry Book

Eleanor enjoys wordplay, so she writes poems.  This Fall, she and I compiled some of her poems and artwork into a small, handmade book which we gave to some family members for Christmas.  It is sweet.  Now I've turned it into a PDF file so her biggest fans (that means you Grandmas and Grandpas) can have it available on their smart phones and tablets anyplace they might like to show it off. Click here to see the book!