Mr. Tevye's Wild Ride

This Monday, Tevye and I took the boys to Mt. Baldy to experience snow for the first time. Unfortunately, it had been warm enough lately to turn the nice snow into mostly ice. Nevertheless, we had a lot of fun- until our last sled ride. We had climbed pretty high up the slope so that Tevye and Caden could find snow loose enough to make some snowballs. It was time to leave, but it was so slippery that I was trying to figure out a safe way to get back down. Tevye suggested that we all get on our sled and go down that way. My motherly instinct told me that the sled was not a safe way to travel, and I voiced my concerns, but Tevye insisted that it would be alright.
Well, I should have insisted a little more urgently that we find a different way to get down the slope. He told me to get on the back of the sled. "Okay, but how am I supposed to stay on the back of the sled," I questioned. His reply was something like, "Just hold on to Vance." Right. It was a fun trip for about five seconds, and then, we came to a place where we could either go down the gently inclined path to the right or veer off on the death slide to the left. The ice directed us to the left. Tevye started shouting in a panicky tone, "Don't let us go to the left! Don't let us go to the left!"

"Okay," I replied, "How do I do that?"
I bet you can guess which way we ended up going. When I saw the path ahead, I realized that I could not control any part of this journey and just hoped that we would land with minimal damage. I was bounced off after the first of three mini ski-jump-like bumps. I sounded like Homer Simpson falling into a canyon, "Doh! Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark!" Vance fell off at the second bump and bruised his cheek, and Tevye and Caden made it to the bottom. Needless to say, as the crowd around us stood staring, I felt like a terrible mother. They were probably thinking, "Those idiot parents! How could they put their kids in such a dangerous situation!"
I am very grateful to Heavenly Father for keeping us safe. We had prayed that morning that we would have a fun time and get home safely, and thankfully, that is exactly what happened.
In the car on the way home, Tevye said that he was going to throw himself off the sled in order to push us down the safe path, but then we wouldn't have had anyone to stop the sled. He then looked at me and said jokingly (I think), "You should have sacrificed yourself, Babe."

Tevye Rafting on the American River

IMG_0712
Originally uploaded by tevschic

This was a picture taken during a scout trip in August 2008. I like it, because you can see that Tevye is on his way out of the raft.

Count Your Blessings

Happy Thanksgiving! Yesterday, we went to Tev's parents' home for a Thanksgiving feast of breakfast burritos, mashed potatoes, and corn. When we arrived, I noticed that the yard was covered with fallen leaves. It was so wonderfully fall-like! Michaela got the rake out, and the boys had their first experience of jumping in a pile of leaves.

It is a blessing that Caden was able to have those few minutes of fun, because shortly afterward, he puked his guts out. Poor little guy! He is still throwing up today, so we are stuck at home this Thanksgiving, but I consider it a blessing that we had at least a little bit of a celebration yesterday. I am very sad that we can't be celebrating with my family today. My sister has put in so much hard work and worry into preparing a wonderful feast!

My Birthday Boys

Here is a picture of Caden and Vance on October 12th. I can't believe that Caden is already 5! And Vance is our big 2 year old! Notice his Elvis lip. Caden barely tollerates wearing the tie, but Vance won't let me take his off of him after church. I love that they enjoy playing with each other - most of the time.

Southern California Snow Storm?

Hello, my friends.

As you may have heard, fire season is in full swing down here. On Saturday, the boys and I started our day at Disneyland. The wind was blowing, leaves were gently falling, and the sky was bright blue and pristine. By late morning, however, we started to smell smoke. I knew that it probably wasn't smoke from the fires north of us, and sure enough, another fire had started in Corona. It very quickly spread to Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. In about an hour, the skies were dark gray-brown, and ash was raining from the sky. It looked as though it was snowing.

The fire spread into Brea and Carbon Canyon. I don't think that it got into Chino Hills or Diamond Bar, but it is still burning at their doorstep. The 91fwy and the 57fwy were closed in certain sections, separating much of my side of the family from us.

Although Tevye, the boys, and I were not in any danger, many of my friends and family were. As of right now, the only loses are of houses, and it seems that the people have evacuated successfully. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those who are affected by the fires.

Still Alive

Hello!

We are doing well. I haven't posted lately due to my very frustrating inability to upload photos on Blogger and Flickr. If you have any tips for me (yes, I have even tried uploading one photo at a time), PLEASE share them with me, because I have lots of cute photos that I would like to share with you.

Halloween was fun. This year, we went with my mom and nephews to the Irvine Park Railroad to visit their pumpkin patch and ride the train and hay ride. The boys had a great time. Caden really liked the bounce house, and Vance couldn't get enough of the train. All the boys dressed in their cowboy hats. Caden and Vance were cowboys this year.

The Monday before Halloween, my kind mom-in-law took us to a special trick-or-treat event at Disney's California Adventure. Caden's little legs got a workout that night (Vance was in the stroller) as we rushed from treat station to station and ride to ride. He especially enjoyed the bumper car ride.

For his Kindergarten party, Caden was supposed to dress up as a character from one of his favorite books. We just took his cowboy costume and added a pair of fake eye glasses, and, voila, he was Jack from the Magic Tree House series (Ghost Town at Sundown).

We ended our Halloween festivities by going to the trunk-or-treat in the church parking lot. My sister-in-law, Talicee, spent a great deal of effort organizing a Clue Mystery Mansion for people to walk through that night. Each tour had a different solution to the mystery, much like the Clue boardgame. Many people helped out, and it was a great success! Great job, Talicee!

Okay, I have a lot more to write about, but I will let you digest all of this first.

So much to do; so little time.

Okay, I just started reading the new selection of the month for the Time Out for Women book club. It is called Toss the Guilt and Catch the Joy: A Woman's Guide to a Better Life by Merrilee Boyack. Normally, that kind of title wouldn't grab me, but I needed something to read while I waited for Caden to finish his art lesson. I don't know what the copyright laws are, so I don't want to post the entire poem on this blog, but I hope that you can check out the poem on pages 6 through 8. Basically, it is a poem written from the perspective of a perfect woman. For those of you who are still in my book club, contact me to find out how to get a discount for this book.

If I made a list of all the activities and experiences I should or want to be participating in during my lifetime, I would easily be panic-stricken. I have a hard enough time doing the most basic of tasks, like keeping the house clean. What activities do you feel merit your time? If we could survive without ever sleeping, what would you add to your to do list? I would definitely add drawing and painting, reading, and going for picturesque, flat-terrain, bike rides.

Tofu- "No"fu

In my never ending quest to live a healthier life, I decided to experiment with our dinner tonight. Instead of using ground beef or turkey in our spaghetti sauce, I decided to try crumbling up a few "Boca Burgers." For those of you not familiar with this product, it is a meatless, soy/veggie pattie. I took great care in how I seasoned it, trying to mask the difference, but no matter how you season something like this, nothing can mask the texture. Right away, Caden asked, "What did you add to the sauce?" I told him that I added brown sugar (which I usually do), and he replied, "I don't like brown sugar." Vance ended up tossing all of his spaghetti out of his bowl. Tevye, after I warned him to try the sauce before he dished up, asked, "Is this turkey?" I asked if he liked it before I answered him, and his response was, "I'm hungry." As for me, I actually thought it was tollerable, but I don't think that I would call this a meal that we will repeat. Moral of the story- eat more chicken!

What'cha Talkin' 'Bout, Willis?

This morning, I had to break the bad news to Caden.

Me- "Caden, go change your clothes."
Caden- "Okay. Where are we going?"
Me- "To school."
Caden-"What? Noooo! I don't like school!"
Me- "What don't you like about it."
Caden- "It's boring."
Me- "Well, it's the law now that you have to go to school. Sorry."
Caden- whining, crying, more whining

Welcome to Kindergarten, Caden!

Today is Caden's first day of school. He is so big now! When we got to school, he seemed comfortable with his surroundings. I am glad that Tevye encouraged us to take him to the kindergarten readiness program this summer. He didn't cry, nor did I, because we went through this in June. When I picked him up at the end of his day, he was all smiles. The first thing he asked me was if he could play his video game when we got home.

When I looked inside his lunch box, almost every item I placed inside was still there.

me- "Caden, what did you eat for lunch today?"
Caden- "The fruit snacks and pizza."
me- "I didn't put any pizza in your lunch. Where did it come from?"
C.- "The plastic bag."
me- "Who did that come from?"
C.- "I don't know."

Needless to say, I will be making an inquiry tomorrow with his teacher.

Green water and wind and bees, oh my!

Today, we went to Silverwood Lake with our friend Ryan and his friends. Going to the lake is something that Tevye and the boys really look forward to. They had a lot of fun. I just put up with it- it is not my favorite activity. So much moss had grown in the water this season that it turned the lake green. It was so windy that Ryan's EZ-Up ended up blowing all over and got a bent pole. The beach that we rested on was covered with bees, and they were smart bees, too! Towards the end of the day, they would disappear, and just when I forgot about them and opened the ice chest to get out a snack, they were there within two or three seconds. Actually, I was proud of myself for learning to share the space with them. They were crawling all over us. Their little bee legs sure did tickle! Now, I think that I will call myself the "Bee Whisperer." I am glad that we went, because the boys had so much fun.

Trip to Disneyland

Yesterday, Kree took Caden, Vance, and I to DL. Talicee came, too. We had a ton of fun. Vance really liked the Dumbo ride, rocket ride, and the Casey Jr. train. He was giggling on the rocket ride. Caden went along all day having fun, but, at the end of the day, he asked to go on Big Thunder Mountain. He loved it so much that he wanted to go on it over and over again. We just went twice, but he would have kept going. I enjoyed the day, and we even met up with my friend, Noelle, and her family. We saw the Honda robot in tomorrow. His name is ASIMO, but I thought Kree said "Tassimo," and I replied, "My Mom and Dad used to have one of those coffee makers!" I thought that ASIMO was really cool, and I actually visualized myself having a robot like that at our house. But then, ASIMO demonstrated his running skills, and suddenly I got a little bit scared. There was something about the way he was running that reminded me of the movie "I, Robot," and I am now afraid of robotic global domination.

Art Update

I just want to draw your attention to Caden's new tiger picture in his art gallery. He should have one new picture each week, and I will try to post them as soon as I can.

Got diligence?

I have been doing a lot of research on the topic of diligence lately. It is one of the many qualities that my husband posseses which I admire greatly- mostly since it is an attribute that I struggle with. For example, why is it so difficult for me to be diligent in housework? It is kind of boring doing the same things over and over again. I would like to hear your thoughts on the subject of diligence. Also, any ideas on how to make housework more entertaining are welcome.

Push-Up Pops, Part Deux

While I was on the phone tonight, Vance snuck into the kitchen, opened the freezer, and pulled out a treat for himself. I started to think, "He is quiet...too quiet." Sure enough, I walked in to find a freezer door still open and a very messy one year old! Thankfully, he was curteous enough to sit down on our couch before he started eating (we have a couch that wipes clean very easily). Of course, older brother wanted a push-up pop too, so the two of them ate the last of the messy lot. RIP, Push-up Pops. May you never enter our home again!

Grandma's don't have to suffer the consequences!

I asked my wonderful mother to help Caden pick out some ice cream at the store the other day. He really wanted the push-up pops, mostly because they had a picture of Scooby Doo on the box (that would have won me over, too). I used to love eating them when I was about Caden's age, but as a mother, all I think of is the mess. Yes, Mom, you successfully escaped the aftermath of these delectable ice cream treats! By the way, I now have two pink stains on my carpet from when Caden ate one the other day. As I was on the computer that night, I heard him call from the living room, "Oh oh, Mom! I made a big mess." When I asked what happened, he simply stated, "I pushed it too far." And, as you can see, Vance thoroughly enjoyed his treat!

Beach Trip

Yeah! I can finally upload pictures!! A couple of weeks ago, we went to Huntington Beach. It was very crowded, but we had fun. This was Vance's first trip to the beach, and probably Caden's second. Vance and Caden loved being in the water (if I believed in past lives, they were probably fish), and Tevye even found a couple of sand crabs. Yes, I know that it is weird that I wasn't wearing a swimsuit to the beach, but I pretty much knew that I would only be in the water up to my knees. We were only there for two hours that afternoon, and it was overcast the entire time.

Tennis

Okay, this blogging thing has got me stumped! I have only been able to upload one photo, and that was on the first day. So, I guess that this will be a very visually boring blog. Today, the boys and I met Calee to play tennis. Caden was very excited, because he was looking forward to using his new SpongeBob racket and tennis ball. This was the first time for Caden and Vance, and by the way I played, it seemed like my first time. Calee was very patient. It was very hot, and I think that Caden got frustrated towards the end, but he and Vance had fun sitting in what little shade there was while Vance dumped his full water bottle all over himself. Maybe, next time we will play more tennis.

Caden the Artist

Caden attended his introductory art lesson at Kid's Art yesterday. His assignment was to look at a picture of a fish and draw it. The teacher was very good at helping Caden to figure out how to do it on his own by asking him questions like, "How is the shape that you drew different from the model?" That helped him to pay attention to how he was drawing. He kept looking back at me to see if I was paying attention. It was nice to watch him concentrate on his project. He reminds me so much of Billy when he gets like that. Half way through the class, I asked him if he was having fun (I wanted to check on that before I committed to paying for the lessons). His big grin and loud, "Yes," gave me the peace of mind I needed to cough up the money. If I had the time and the money, I would take art lessons myself!

What's a blog?

As my dear family and friends know, I am not one who cares for change. Why, I remember the good ol' days when Mom resisted getting a car phone, because she didn't want to be bothered when she was away from home. Before I left to serve a mission in Chile in 1998, not too many people could afford the luxury of owning a cell phone, but when I returned home just a year and a half later, I was the odd ball who didn't have one. For the longest time, I enjoyed watching everyone's facial expressions when I proudly declared that I was cell phone-free. And Palm Pilots, etc., who needs them? I still prefer the paper planners and writing with pencil and pen. However, now that I am a parent of two wonderfully smart boys and an aunt of three genius nephews, one of whom probably already knows how to use PowerPoint (a program I have never looked at), I realize that I better start utilizing the latest technological devices and programs just to keep up with the rising generation. Afterall, though I have mastered some of the computer programs of my day- think about how shockingly simplistic Poll Position seems to us today (that was so awesome when it first came out, but when my one and a half year old can finish the first level, it's glory is greatly diminished)- that does not qualify me to be technologically savy in this day and age. So, I guess that blogging is my way of experiencing something new in the world of progress. I am not really sure how long I will maintain this blog, but I will at least have this one post under my belt.