The Beginning of the End: Seattle Vacation Part IIX

After we got back from the Space Needle we had to finish up with some laundry and start packing for the return trip. The difficulty in this is that we celebrated Christmas here. We had to find a way to get all the spoils home without having to pay an arm and a leg for shipping OR going over the weight limit in our suitcases. The nice thing is that the kids' suitcases are small enough to be carry-ons. Taigen and I each had brought a suitcase so we had the option of checking one or two more. Of course, we know that we have to pay per suitcase, but that would be cheaper than shipping at 40+ pound box clear across the country. We packed up a big box and taped it to death.

Grandma Rutledge took us all out for dinner at Applebee's. What a special treat! Of course, even though we were having a great time, we all knew what was coming: the goodbyes.

After dinner we headed back to Grandma's house for dessert and some final time together. We always snap up a four generation picture. It turned out great and will make its way into scrapbooks for sure. I loved getting some other priceless pics. What wonderful treasures that will remind us of this wonderful vacation.

The Space Needle: Seattle Vacation Part VII

Remember our Homeschool International Fair that our kids participated in at the end of last school year? It was a huge hit. Well, there are already plans for this next year. We'll be doing a State Fair. An email got sent out at the beginning of this school year letting us know what would be taking place. The coordinator wanted to give us time to plan and sign up, keeping in mind where we all might be vacationing. Well, by this time, we already had our Seattle plane tickets so we instantly signed up for Washington.

When you think of Seattle what comes to mind? Starbucks? (I know it comes to mind for me...) I asked my husband and he said, "Seahawks, Mariners, Mom." He also mentioned something that probably most people think of: The Space Needle. The kids knew that during this trip, if at all possible, we would need to go and visit the Space Needle. The last time I had been up into the needle was when I was dating Taigen. That's a very l-o-n-g time ago. At least 14 years ago, if not more.

Tuesday morning we were a little sad when we opened our blinds and saw that it was raining. Determined, we loaded up into the YELLOW Jeep and started heading toward downtown Seattle. Thankfully, the sky cleared and it ended up being a beautiful day! 

The kids loved going all the way to the top and looking down. We also got great pictures of the Experience Music Project/Science Fiction Museum/Music Hall of Fame building. (How's that for a name?)  It is literally at the "feet" of the Space Needle, and, I might add, quite hard to miss. It's a very, um, unique building. We didn't go in, but it made for some cool pictures both from above and on the ground.

Around the Seattle Center are some interactive areas for families. There are play areas, water fountains and snack shacks. Marshall and Shaylen were drawn to a bright orange maze that was painted on the asphalt. They enjoyed running around in it and burning some energy. I especially love the picture of Marshall that I posted below.

Thank you Sherry for the very special day way up high in the Seattle sky. We made some great memories as a family. Just look at that Seattle skyline. I took that from the observation deck. Isn't it a gorgeous view? Don't you want to go too?

The Recreation Center: Seattle Vacation Part VI

One of the things the kids requested to do while in Washington was head to the rec center in Grandma Rutledge's town. They were especially excited because now they knew how to swim and could venture out of the wading/shallow area.

This time, the center put out these floaty bridges that the kids could walk/run out on. They had a blast. I'm not sure who had more fun, Grandma Sherry or the kids. Regardless, the kids are still talking about it.

Merry Washington Christmas

We've looked forward to spending Christmas in Washington for months. In fact, we had booked the tickets way back at the end of March, so we had quite a while to think about it. Holidays are so special when you get to spend it with family. This Christmas with family was extra special because it was Marshall & Shaylen's first-ever Christmas in Washington.

The kids actually slept in a little Christmas morning and then waited patiently until Taigen came back from picking up Grandma Rutledge. The breakfast wasn't quite ready when they arrived, so we decided to have Taigen read the Biblical Christmas story while it finished baking.


We had a delicious breakfast. Sherry made something called "Pig On Pig." That's basically bacon wrapped sausage, speared with a toothpick, then doused in brown sugar and baked until it reaches absolute perfection. (Drooling yet? Yeah, it's that good.) My contribution to the meal was Cinnamon Sticky Buns. Something I've made for Christmas morning breakfast for years. They are ooey-gooey and delicious. In addition to this very low-cal, and healthy breakfast (snicker, snicker), the kids had a special treat from "St. Nicholas." Aunt Karen left a dish of North Pole Nilla for them to enjoy along with some really cute bowls. They knew Aunt Karen (not Santa) had left it for them because when you're at Aunt Karen's you always get ice cream for breakfast. Remember last year when this happened? The kids found it hilarious that Aunt Karen "emailed" St. Nick and made sure he delivered something into Grandma Rutledge's freezer just for them.

I'm not quite sure what time we actually got to the opening of stockings and Christmas gifts, but you know it got done. The kids' patience paid off to be sure. Let me just say that we all got spoiled rotten. Really rotten. Then, to top it all off, we had prime rib, creamy mashed potatoes and a whole host of other yummies for Christmas dinner. We sang the Doxology ("Praise God from whom all blessings flow...") before we prayed. We talk about this special Rutledge tradition all the time and here we were enjoying and participating in it.  I did fine until I heard a catch in Grandma Rutledge's voice. Then, I promptly lost it. We were so thankful to be here to spend with family. It was such a wonderful and relaxing day. One not to be quickly forgotten.

Time with Uncle Ralph; Seattle Vacation Part IV

Earlier this year, Taigen's cousins found work/promotions that moved them from WA to TX. We were not surprised then when Uncle Ralph & Aunt Karen told us this fall that they would be in TX for the Christmas holidays. Of course we were sad that we wouldn't see everyone (Ralph, Karen, Chris, Brett, Brett's wife Chelsea and baby Ellias) as we always have a blast with them, but we completely understood! After all, we were doing the same thing by coming to Seattle. 

When we got into town we learned that Uncle Ralph was going to be in town until Thursday! We were so excited! Wednesday night we all went out for Mexican food and enjoyed spending time with family. I got this great photo (below) before we had to say goodbye. I want to reassure you though that even though the Rutledges were out of sight, they were NOT out of our minds. Ralph and Karen graciously loaned us their YELLOW Jeep to use while there. Ralph told the kids that it wasn't just a yellow Jeep. It was a super bright, obnoxious yellow (he wasn't kidding either), so when you said "yellow" you had to say "YELLOW!" The kids obeyed him every time and we howled about it! I can honestly say that we thought of the Rutledge clan in TX during the whole vacation. (BTW, this picture above left isn't of their Jeep, but it's pretty similar and the YELLOW is just right.)

A Vacation from Health? Seattle Vacation Part III

On my way out to Seattle on Tuesday, I felt my head getting more and more stuffy. By the time I got off the plane in Seattle, I could tell that I had left my good health back in New England. I took my medicine like a good girl, but it didn't help a bit. Wednesday I was starting to go through the kleenex and that night at dinner my nose decided to bleed. (I never get bloody noses!) Thursday found me on the couch all day with watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and blowing my nose. I had two additional bloody noses this day to boot! My sweet mother in law kept me on the couch or in bed while she and Taigen worked, played with the kids and cleaned up after everything. I felt so badly, both because I was so sick and because I was on my duff the whole day. What a way to spend a vacation, eh? I'm thankful though that I had nothing to do and could take the time to rest and recouperate. I've become a huge fan of Theraflu (thanks Sherry!!!), hand sanitizer and Vicks-laden Puffs. They were my constant companions!

Here's a funny tidbit: On Friday morning I woke up and went downstairs with what I call "Demon Voice." It was the lowest that I could ever remember. I decided to see how low I could sing. I could hit the A not just below middle C, but the A an octave lower! Mama sang bass, eh?)

First Things First: Seattle Vacation Part II

It didn't take long for the kids to start in on their list of Things to Do in Washington. They brought along their piano music because they knew that Grandma Sherry would want to listen to them AND play with them. (Can I just say that I love the fact that Sherry plays the piano? It made it so much fun for the twins!) Sherry has a baby grand piano in her house and the resonation is awesome. It seemed like the kids were constantly playing it. Grandma Rutledge also has a real piano (real meaning not electric like ours) and the kids were on that one too. There was always music (or noise, depending on what was being played). I'm sure Grandma and Sherry are enjoying the peace and quiet now that we have returned to NH.

Marshall was also very excited to spend time with Grandma's dog, Cuddles. Cuddles can be somewhat of a pest when you first walk in the door, but that's because she loves you and wants to smother you in love and kisses. Once she settles down she is quite the good doggie. Marshall loves her and she is one of his best friends, almost up there with Cadillac (Dad and Cathy's schnauzer). (Note: Because I know that someone is going to make a snide comment, let me just say that Marshall is NOT choking Cuddles in this picture. That would not have gone over well, would it? The two were best buds while we were out in WA.)

Shaylen knew that she could bring games and convince Great Grandma Rutledge and Grandma Sherry to play with her. The competition started off with tic tac toe and progressed into a 1000 piece puzzle that Grandma Rutledge had set up (more on that puzzle later). Go Fish made an appearance too and Shaylen gave us all a run for our money.

Christmas 2010: Seattle Vacation Part I

Tuesday morning, bright and perky, we peeled the kids out of bed so that we could be at the airport by 4:30am. Our flight was leaving at 6am. I had originally scheduled it for a later time, but apparently the airlines changed things up a bit. There was a light snow falling (finally) in New Hampshire and Maine which made everything so beautiful. This was our first real snow!

Marshall and Shaylen always think it is so much fun to leave for a trip before the sun is even up. It certainly doesn't hurt that we were headed towards Great-Grandma Rutledge's and Grandma Sherry's. They'd been looking forward to it for months!

It was a long trip. Approximately 12 hours (Which includes a short layover in Chicago...and don't forget to include the time changes!). We had books, audiobooks, coloring books, special treats and games to entertain and help pass the time. Marshall wore his special pilot's hat that had been given to him last Christmas by my dad and step-mom. The pilots and flight attendants really loved it!

We had no delays and no weather related issues, so we were able to get in to Seattle on time. Plenty of day left for hugs, kisses and MAJOR spoiling.

Shaylen's Sixth

We had a fairly busy day on Monday. There were a few things we had to get done before packing up and flying out to Seattle for our Christmas vacation. One of those things was a six-month check-up at the dentist for the twins. They are doing really well with brushing their teeth. No cavities! The dental hygienist took one look inside Shaylen's mouth and said that the loose front tooth was ready to come out at any minute. She glanced at me and gave me a wide-eyed look that said, "And I mean ANY minute!" After checking and cleaning everything, the dentist came in. She had Shaylen open her mouth and after her first glance, looked at me and then told Shaylen that the loose tooth was ready to come out at any minute. She too shot me a knowing glance like, "Um...it's hanging on for dear life. It won't take much." She even offered to numb it and let Shaylen pull it out herself, right there, but Shaylen said kindly, "No, thank you. Mommy is going to pull it." I guess I couldn't delegate this one. I'm Shaylen's designated puller apparently.

We had prepped Shaylen that it was barely in her mouth and we were not going to have to deal with pulling a tooth out on vacation (like we had with Marshall up in Machiasport...ugh). It was going to come out TONIGHT.

So, just before bed, I led Shaylen into the bathroom and numbed the area. She shed a few tears and expressed her fear, but I calmly wrapped the floss around it (or maybe I should say around the tiny bit that was still hanging on) and tied a knot. There was no backing out now. She covered her eyes with both hands and I closed my eyes (yes, I did...I admit it) and pulled. In a split second I looked at the empty floss on my lap and thought, "Oh no! I didn't get it." But in that same split second I heard the tooth ricochet on the floor. Hooray! It was out and Shaylen squealed with joy. I heaved a huge sigh of relief. Another one was over with! Whew.

A Picture for Posterity's Sake

When the Pileggis come up from MA, we always try to get a picture of our children together. Both Marshall and Shaylen have pictures on their dresser or bookshelf of them with Enzo, way back before Julia was in the picture (literally). I love looking at their little hands and chubby cheeks. Well, Marshall and Shaylen have grown to be sure and the Pileggi clan has grown as well.  We now have Julia and Lily, and soon we'll have Pileggi Baby #4! We enjoyed our visit with our extended family and had fun sharing and early Christmas with them. (Special Note: Notice Lily's outfit? It was Shaylen's when she was her age.)

Maple Suites Ministry

Thursday night, the 16th we were able to go with our friends the Bergerons and Fisteres to an assisted living home in Dover to do our annual Christmas concert for them. This is our third year of doing this and I hope the tradition never ends. Similar to our church Christmas program, it is a nice variety of singing and instrumental pieces so the weight of a program doesn't fall on any one person or group. The Fistere's daughter and Marshall and Shaylen sang their children's choir pieces and Marshall and Shaylen were also able to do a piano duet for the first time.

The residents were so appreciative. One dear lady told me that of all the groups that come, this is the one that they look forward to the most. Another lady even remembered that the first year we came, I sang a duet with Shaylen.  What a blessing! It's so nice to be able to go in and sing/play these great old Christmas songs and even do a sing-along with the residents. Hopefully it brings them some Christmas cheer.

The Week Prior to Vacation

In the week leading up to our vacation, we were able to house the Pileggis so that Jason wouldn't have to deal with the hour and fifteen minute commute to Dover. It worked out well because our schedule was more free. Since Enzo is being homeschooled as well, it worked out that Joni and I schooled in the  morning and then the kids would play in the afternoon. Marshall and Shaylen blitzed through their schooling. Christmas vacation was in sight and they wanted to get everything accomplished by Friday.

Christmas Program: Worship CHRIST the newborn KING

With countless hours put into practice and preparation, our church did its Christmas program Sunday morning, December 12th. We had a great turnout with 32 visitors. (Thanks go out to our church folks who invited, invited and invited!) That was incredible. We had tons of people involved: the 2's & 3's Sunday School class, strings, flutes, readers, children's choir, ladies' ensemble, adult choir, brass, pianists and organists, a soloist, our talented sound room guy, ushers and a terrific choir leader/pastor. Because everyone helps share the load, it isn't a huge "burden" if you will, on any one person. The result is a beautiful program that focuses our attention on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ...in a (hopefully) stress-free manner.

Marshall and Shaylen did a great job with their children's choir. The group did two pieces alone and one with the adult choir. I had to get a snapshot of them from Sunday morning. We were unable to videotape it or snap up pictures because Taigen was leading the program and I was leading the children's choir. So sorry. You'll just have to trust me when I say they did a great job. I am so proud of them and their willingness to use their talents for ministry.

Busy Thursday/Friday

So sorry for the silence on the blog, but if you follow closely, I'll try and get everyone caught up and back in the "know."

On Thursday the 9th, we had our annual HBC Ladies' Cookie and Ornament Swap here at the house. We had twenty-two ladies come to our meeting. What a wonderful turn-out. I feel we have a fairly decent size living room, but with 22 ladies and a Christmas tree, for the first time, our living room seemed a bit small.

Our meeting was wonderful. We had some testimonies given by a few of our teen ladies and then a raucous ornament exchange that left me laughing SO hard. It is a wonderful blessing to have church family that I consider my dear friends.

The next day I needed to get the kids homeschooled, clean the house and then get ready for our Homeschool Cookie Baking afternoon. The kids (i.e. Moms) make cookies and then the kids frost them for some of our "wiser" folks in our congregation. It's a special treat just to let them know they are being thought of. Many times our kids are given to and given to. So much so, that there is a temptation to think the world revolves around them. Activities like this help them reach out to others and get the focus off of themselves.

Finally on Friday night, we had our annual Deacon/Wives/Children party at our house (minus one family

gone due to illness...we were so sad!!!). There were finger foods, lots of laughter, games for the adults and kids and a White Elephant exchange. We especially loved the fact that everyone stuck around for relaxation and conversation. It's such a busy time that it's nice to just sit and chat with these wonderful, godly people who help lead our church.

We had a busy end to our week, but our hearts are full of joy.

Lego Land

Marshall and Shaylen spend hours playing with Legos. I put it on their birthday and Christmas lists this year, knowing the extreme joy they would bring. There is no end to the things they can create with them and it encourages creativity, so you know I love them too. The kids got several sets of Legos for their birthday and they have been busy creating, tearing apart and then recreating.

Loving Renovations

This is a long story, but I'm actually going somewhere, so bear with me.

One of the things that Taigen wanted to get done in our basement this year was a re-organizing of the storage area. The previous owners of our Saco house, Larry & Erika Gray, had finished the basement when they owned the house. It was super-duper nice. Everyone that came to look at the house when it was on the market commented on the wonderful basement. It's the one thing about Maine the kids always say they miss. There was plenty of room to spread out and play. There was also a storage area in the basement that had been done really well and it worked for all of the handy dandy storage bins we keep hand-me-downs, summer/winter clothes and memorabilia in. Taigen and I wanted to mimic that storage area.

Our church was also in need of some storage shelves for one of the attic rooms. (Whoever designed our church was a genius because there is storage everywhere! It's not a matter of where to store things...it's how to store things. Organzied or unorganized? That is the question.) Well, remember the man in our church who did the chair rail in our renovated dining room? His name is Dale and he's a wood-working genius. The amazing fact here though, is that he is legally blind. You'd never know it though. Dale was able to whip out many shelves and get them ready to hang in the church attic so that it could be more organized. When they were done, he gathered a couple of guys, and bang! They were done. The finished result was amazing. Taigen asked him how he did it so that he could mimic it in our basement. The two of them got to talking and it ended up with Dale offering to let Taigen use his workshop and teach him how to do it.  Another thing that Taigen wanted to ask Dale about was how to go about making a new platform for our washer and dryer. The former owners must have been much shorter than I am, because when they finished the mud room/garage/guest room, they built a platform for the washer and dryer that was only about 6 inches high. They left us a wonderful front loader, but I was still bending w-a-a-a-a-ay over to check inside for stuck socks after the load was finished washing. It really wasn't a huge problem, but Carol heard about this and said it would never do! "That's not how front loaders are supposed to function," she said. She volunteered Dale for this project as well and so it was added to the docket of "things to do in Dale's workshop!"

To make a long story even longer, we knew we now had to clean out the laundry room in addition to the storage room in the basement. The current room was a jumbled mess. There was a hodge-podge of stuff stored in there and it was unorganized to say the least. My opinion was that it was a storage room that just happened to have a washer and dryer in it. I had secretly hoped that since the room was going to be all torn apart and emptied, that it could be painted a different color than flat contractor white (with hints of dirt and grime). Never in a million years would I have asked Taigen to paint it. It's December after all, which happens to be our busiest month. I didn't even pray about it. So imagine my surprise when Taigen and I were getting ready for bed one night and he said, "You know, Hon. I was thinking. Since we are going to have that laundry room all emptied out, I should really paint it and make it nice." Can you imagine my utter jubilation at the thought? I quickly agreed. (I nominate him for the Husband of the Year Award.)

The next day I grabbed a curtain that had been given to me when we first moved in. It was from a friend at church that had purchased the curtain for a steal-of-a-deal, but then it didn't fit in a window that she had bought it for. I loved the curtain and have saved it for 2+ years. I took the kids to the paint store and got a gallon of paint. That night, Taigen started the painting and even got the kids in on the action. They had a blast!

The building of the shelves and new washer/dryer platform took place last Monday. Taigen left early in the morning and got home shortly before dinner. Dale & Carol came too and we enjoyed a nice dinner with us before the guys headed downstairs to install them. They were able to finish their installation in about 40 minutes. Those shelves are super-sturdy and will last for decades.

The platform was equally as amazing. I was envisioning a simple wooden box. What the guys hefted in was a beautiful platform about the size of a coffin. Let me just say that I would be proud to be buried in that thing. It was so much more than just a wooden box. It was beautiful, trim and all! Taigen and I put things back on Wednesday night after church and then Taigen has worked off and on in that laundry room here and there. It is finally done. The room looks amazing.

In the process of reconfiguring the room we solved another problem we were having. We needed a home for all of our shoes. Anyone who has been to our house at some point knows that we typically had a pile of shoes in the mud room area just before you stepped up into the house. It was nice that we could take off our shoes there, but they didn't always stay neat and it could cause someone to trip if they weren't watching where they were going. Taigen found some shoe shelves and installed them in the laundry room. Every shoe has a home. This emptied out a closet in the main part of the house which I now use as a ginormous small appliance garage & storage closet. It is a wonderful luxury!



And there you have it. My very long story. I enjoyed doing laundry to begin with, but now, to have everything within reach, organized AND beautiful is such a treat! The laundry room looks like an extension of the house, not a pit in which a washer and dryer reside. I'm so thankful for my hard-working husband who loves me so much in order to work all day and then work all night in order to help make my house a warm and inviting place. I'm also thankful for Dale (and his wife Carol) and his vision to help Taigen with this project. Taigen sure enjoyed using all of his power tools and heated shop! God has blessed us with such wonderful people in our church here in Dover.



BEFORE

AFTER



BEFORE

AFTER

Happy Birthday to the Twins

Can you believe that the twins are now seven? I've been in denial about it for quite a while now. The kids had a countdown going months ago and would frequently ask me how many weeks/days were left until they were seven. I told them that this was the LAST birthday they could ever have. They were not allowed to get older. They reminded me that if they stayed young, I would still get old and gray. That's encouraging. So against my better judgment, I allowed them to have a birthday this year.

They had a few wishes. I knew about them because the kids are doing journals this year in their Spelling class and an early entry focused on the topic of "birthdays." Shaylen made sure to make her requests early. She said,

Can I have balloons at my birthday? There's nothing better than balloons! Can I invite some friends over please?

Marshall was a little more general. He said,

I would like to play outside with you! I will have a birthday cake. I will like it!

Since their birthday fell on a Sunday, we decided to celebrate with a special Sunday lunch. At the twins' request I made Ravioli Lasagna with Four Cheese Italian Sausage and fresh baby spinach instead of the squishy frozen kind. Taigen made his award-winning Reese's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. Our friends, the Bergerons, were also able to come over. Marshall and Shaylen love their kids and enjoy every moment with them. Taigen and I love the whole family too! This was the first time we've been able to have them all over here (aside from large church functions at our house like the Labor Day Picnic or Ladies' Meetings). There were balloons and presents and the kids got completely spoiled...as usual.

We are so thankful for the seven wonderful years that God has given us with the best kids on earth. We are truly blessed.

Thanksgiving Festivities

Thanksgiving proved to be so delightful. We were able to go over to our friends' house for the day. We were so thankful to be able to barge in on their family gathering. It was a wonderful time! There was a little boy present who kept us entertained by throwing a little goat and then wondering where it landed. Seems simple enough, but it was hilarious! Marshall and Shaylen were off playing with their friends, Taigen was able to play some ping pong and watch football and I sat and sipped coffee while watching the goat fly. I really didn't do much more than that except eat the food offerings that were brought for the meal. I made sweet potato casserole (yum!), chile con queso dip for wa-a-a-a-y after the main meal, and two pumpkin rolls (double yum!).

What a relaxing day! After we came home, we cleaned up the house a bit and then waited for Jason and Joni and the kiddos to arrive. They were up in NH spending Thanksgiving with their family. We were so thankful that they came to spend some time with us. They stayed with us Thursday & Friday night. Joni and I had high hopes of going out on Black Friday to do some shopping, but some freezing rain (and probably common sense) kept us at home until that afternoon where we found some good deals at Target. The kids had so much fun together as they normally do. Toys were strewn about, but the kids worked together at getting some semblance of order before hitting the hay at night. We enjoyed our time with friends this Thanksgiving. We are so very blessed.

Shape Poems

During English a couple of weeks ago, the kids were instructed to create a shape poem. A shape poem doesn't necessarily rhyme, but the words are so descriptive and it is written in the shape of the object you're writing about, that without mentioning it specifically the reader is able to deduce what the poem is about.

The kids really enjoyed this project. I encouraged the kids to write down descriptive words and then we looked up those words in the thesaurus so that they could be even more colorful. Boy did they have fun with that! The finished products were so good that I had to post them!

Marshall's says: "It dwells within a huge community. It soars in the blue sky. Flying with heavy wings, it is a ginormous Boeing Bird. Ascending high, people are transported. The sun glints off its shiny wings."

Shaylen's says: "On a bright sunny day a tiny insect glides in the air. It has spots and it stops to sit nectar from flowers. Antennas help lead the way."