Isabella riding her bike with no training wheels.
Isabella has started to learn to ride her bicycle without training wheels. For a while now her bike has only had one training wheel on it. Her bike was run over by one of our cars when it was left sitting behind the cars in the garage. Luckily the only damage done was one of the training wheels was bent beyond use. Isabella had lost interest in riding her bike since she could only lean to one side without falling over. Well yesterday she decided she wanted to get her bike out and try riding it again. She was so excited to let us know she could balance on two wheels without using the one remaining training wheel. We went out to watch her ride around a bit and noticed she would still lean on the training wheel sometimes. I asked her if she would like to have the training wheel off and she agreed. It only took her a few times to realize she couldn’t lean that way anymore without falling over. The hardest part for her was getting started. We adjusted the seat, to make up for the growth spurt since she last rode it, which seemed to help her a little bit more on the take offs. With a little more practice she will be a biking champ like her mom.
If you would like to see a few more pictures of Isabella on her bike, check out the Fun Times gallery on our SmugMug photo page.
So…. about that Christmas post I was going to do… hmmm… a little behind, but better late than never! Christmas has come and gone and we are well into the new year. We had a very busy break with Bruce’s family here for the first ten days. One of the highlights was that we took a trip overnight to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. Our cabin was beautiful, with three large bedrooms and a sleeping loft for the kids, a giant living room with a two-story stone fireplace, and an enormous dining room that could seat us all, but most importantly, it SNOWED! The Tennesseeans were so happy about that. We took all the kids and Uncle David sledding and snowshoeing and it snowed all day long. It was a great way to welcome in the Christmas spirit, as the following day was Christmas Eve.
With our special-order Sun Prairie Grass-Fed Beef, we prepared two delicious pot roasts, using two different recipes, and homemade pumpkin pie with the last of our garden pumpkin for our Christmas Eve meal. Everyone ate it up, even picky little Riona! We then opened our presents and watched as the girls squealed over every little item. The best was when Mythili and Isabella opened their iPod with an amazed expression and Isabella said, “I’ve wanted an iPod my whole life!” which is probably, sadly, true. 
The next morning, Santa brought Isabella a Barbie scooter, Mythili yet another Barbie set with formal wear for Ken and Barbie, and Riona a new train set to add on to the one we already have that she cherishes so much. The girls just LOVED their Santa presents–he somehow knew exactly what to get them! Truly magical!
We went to Grandma and Grandpa’s house for dinner, the best Christmas dinner ever–prime rib that Dad gets for free every year from his job. As usual, it was mouthwatering, and just writing about it now makes me already look forward to next year.
By the weekend, everyone was gone, and I felt like I was running a bed and breakfast, washing a million sheets–again–and cleaning up holiday remnants. After a couple of days of recovery, we celebrated Dad’s birthday with snowshoeing and cross country skiing in the mountains, then came back into town to celebrate New Year’s Eve with the Mentzers. We partied hard to bring in the new year, and the kids, as usual, had a total blast.
And here we are, MLK day, year two of us participating in the Denver Marade. I’ll say it again–I loved it last year and I loved it again. It makes this day so much more meaningful. But if you’d like to read more about what the Marade is like, check out my new writing blog: Step Write Up.
So, that is what I’ve been busy doing, in addition to working full time, running the Girl Scout troop, selling cookies, and spending quality time with three little girls every day… life is good.
Tags: Christmas, Denver Marade, MLK, New Year
Here is the poem I wrote for Bruce’s graduation with an associate’s degree in computer information systems. We had a surprise party while his family was here so they could celebrate with us. He got to see his old friends Scott and Mario, and was totally shocked! Soon I will post about Christmas…
The Things You Carry
For Bruce upon Graduation
2009
In your arms you carried three tiny girls
and books as heavy as each
balancing diapers, cooking, and cleaning
with late nights in front of the screen.
In your mind you carried math for months
followed by accounting and, gasp, writing!
But just as quickly as you craved freedom
Dreamweaver and html set you free
In your soul you carried the heaviest load
the fear of failure mixed with the will to succeed,
the uncertainty of your degree,
the uncertainty of your future career
In your heart you carried your love for all of us,
including yourself, proving to everyone
that you could be smarter than you ever thought
and you could go farther than you ever knew.
In your arms you carry a 6, 5, and 3-year-old,
the best-ever recipe for homemade bread,
the tools to make the house sparkle like a jewel
and a well-deserved associate’s degree.
In your future you carry your dreams,
a web site that will walk you there,
and the knowledge that we will
carry whatever you cannot.
It’s almost here and we have been more than a little overwhelmed. Bruce had to finish his last class, I had to finish my University of Phoenix class, our Girl Scout troop hosted a unit event to support Project Angel Heart, we went to the Parade of Lights and Disney on Ice in one weekend, we had the Mentzers over for our pre-holiday dinner and gift exchange, and, oh, I found out that our school district has to cut $35 million and five teachers from our school alone next year.
So much for the recession not having an impact on education!
Needless to say, the morale at school is a tad morose, I’m not sure what my job will look like or where I will work, or who I will be working with, and it’s a heavy cloud to hang over my head, but not anywhere near as heavy as the one that hovers over the probationary teachers who will lose their jobs.
All the same, the holidays are upon us, and we can head straight for break knowing that at least things are OK now, that I have amazing people to work with, the best family I could ever ask for, a roof over our heads and delicious homemade food on the table. Bruce’s parents arrived last night and his sister and family will be here by Sunday, so for the first time in twelve years of marriage, we will have more than a full house for Christmas, and don’t have to travel ourselves! We have a beautiful white pine tree that we picked out at Nick’s during a snowstorm/zero-degree weather, enough gifts for everyone, and firewood piled up out back to keep us all warm, inside and out. Christmas is coming, and we… are… ready!
