Our Christmas

Our first "gingerbread" house. I really had planned on baking real gingerbread, but before I could get my stuff together, it was Christmas Eve and the graham crackers had to suffice. The boys thought a candy house was the best idea ever! Note to Aunt Jen- the "Choker candies" will not be eaten by anyone- I tried to fight even having them in the house, but to no avail. ( My sister and I seriously choked on those hard round peppermint candies more than once as kids- no, we're not fast learners)

Sunglasses and football cards- it's the little things that make us the happiest.

A few days before Christmas, I read that Rochester had already recieved over 34 inches of snow for the month of December. It was a long wait for Santa to bring them some boots, snow pants, hats, and gloves, but well worth the wait. Even though the once 8 foot tall snow piles are now less than 2 feet, the boys loved it! As much as we missed being with our families, it was nice to stay home. A bit odd to have Jordan work up until Christmas Eve and then go back the day after Christmas, but I guess we can't live the high life of school forever.

The Big 3!

Hooray for me; today I'm 3!

What a day. Mama and Dad sang Happy Birthday before I even got out of bed, my grandmas and grandpas called to wish me a great day, and my friend Dan called too. All of that even before lunch! Then my Dad took a big lunch break and we all went to Chuck E Cheese; I love all the games there. I got a lot of presents! New golf clubs from Mama and Dad, Henry gave me new golf balls,a car from my grandma and grandpa, a "credit card" from Aunt Jen, and my friends Brooke and Sydney even sent me a present all the way from Idaho! I didn't have a party this year, but our friends the Shermans came over for cake and ice cream. I chose a Diego cup cake tree and got my candle out on the first try! I like being three; I can get myself undressed, I hardly ever make a mess when I eat ( I hate to get my hands, face, or clothes dirty), and I'm getting really good at coloring and drawing. I'm not feeling so good the last couple of days though- I have a cold sore and a cough, so Mama says I have to go take a rest now. I just wanted to share a picture and some videos of my big day with everyone. So far 3 has been good to me.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Yesterday was Jordan's mom's birthday. The boys were so excited to sing to her- they practiced all through the grocery store, much to the amusement of the "grandma and grandpas" that were in the store. We love Grandma Higham! Thanks for being such a great mother and grandmother.

Oops!

So, this is what happens when the woman tries to do the man's job.

We turned our heat on a few weeks ago, but just hadn't gotten around to taking the air conditioners out of the windows (I know, we're like the ghetto family with Christmas lights still up in May). So last week, I'm vacuuming the boys window ledges, and decide that I could probably take their a.c. out myself- "won't Jordan be proud of my independence" I think as I start to lift open the window. Not more than a millimeter later and whoosh-it disappeared. Smashed into oblivion! I wanted to cry, but the shock and disbelief was too great. Wow! Did that really just happen? Did I really just drop my babies a.c. out a second story window? Wow! Who knew it was that tricky? Jordan wasn't upset that I destroyed one of our a.c. units, but he was pretty sad that he didn't get to see my face as it disappeared out the window. I guess I should use a little more discresion when I try to do the man's jobs.

Halloween

We like Halloween. Our fun began a few weeks ago trying to come up with a costume for Jordan (mandatory for a Pediatric Dentist) that was not too hot, not too cumbersome, and kid friendly. It was a long, but successful search. More on that later.

We spent a Saturday searching for the perfect pumpkins and then carved them for family night.

Hunter wasn't crazy about touching "pumpkins guts", but both boys liked the finished product.

Our church held a carnival and "Trunk or Treat" on Tuesday. The boys mostly liked running and sliding on the gym floor in their costumes, but the candy was like some great surprise for them. On Halloween itself, they got to wear their costumes again for neighborhood trick or treating. They didn't last so long on the second round of getting treats, but it was still fun. I was surprised by the number so suckers they received, but that's the only treats they've really wanted since, so someone knew what they were doing.

So Jordan has had a couple of assistants tell him he looks like Mr. Incredible since we've been here. Seriously? Hadn't thought of that before, but now that they mention it, I see some resemblance. We searched costume shops, Halloween shops, and finally turned to our good friend e-bay. So off Jordan went to work as Mr. Incredible. We thought it was a good costume idea- so did his co-workers. Jordan won Best Costume! Always fun to win a contest. This is probably our last year with the chicken costumes. So very cute when they were little tiny guys, but three years has probably gotten us our money's worth. I'm excited to see what they'll be next year. I already have some ideas, but maybe we should take it one day at a time.

Our Daddy the Dentist & The Museum of Play

Even though Jordan checks out the boys' teeth every night, we decided they needed an appointment with Daddy the Dentist, not just Daddy. They loved it! The big up and down chair, the fun sunglasses, practicing brushing on the giant teeth and picking out their own stickers; so much fun. Jordan enjoyed the visit as well; two rather calm and no issue patients in a row doesn't happen every day.

Even before we moved here, everyone told us about the Strong Museum of Play. I bought our pass our second week here (it also covers the zoo), but we didn't actually visit the Museum until just a couple of weeks ago. Now I see why everyone loves it. The boys could get lost in play land for days. We will be making good use of the pass once winter sets in, but for now we have to take advantage of the last few days of sun.

A childhood dream fulfilled

When I was four, my first sister got married and moved away. She and her husband traveled all over the country for quite a few years and she would always call home with stories of the fabulous or not so fabulous places they were either living or had visited. At some point in time she told me of Vermont. The most beautiful place ever- I honestly don't remember any exact words, but something she said made me believe Vermont was my dream location. Last week Jordan took me and the boys for a long weekend to upstate NY and Vermont.
We first went to Thousand Islands, NY. Crazy the things people do with an island. Boldt Castle is a tragic love story. This man builds his wife a castle as a sign of his love. Three months before it's finished she dies and he orders all work to stop and forbids his children or grandchildren from ever visiting the castle again. At 80 percent complete, he walked away. I told Jordan if he ever aspired to build me a castle and I died, he best not waste all that money by abandoning it!

Boldt Castle

So the little bridge in this photo is actually the US/Canada border. I guess the man of the house can't just leave home when his wife's hormones go crazy, he uses the bridge and leaves the country! I'm sure Jordan would appriciate that option some days.

Just the house on this island, no landscaping requried. This island is just the deck. Odd.

I found this little place on a lake that was super cheap right in the heart of Vermont for our last night of the trip. One might ask, "Why would a place on a lake, right in the mist of prime tourist travel be so very cheap?" Well, the view was great, my boys loved throwing rocks in the water , and we got out alive. Enough said.

Throwing rocks in the lake at the cabin
View from our cabin

On our way home, we went through Sharon, VT- the birthplace of Joseph Smith. It was truly stunning. One of the more beautiful places we visited.

I saved our favorite pictures from the trip for the last. Inbetween Thousand Islands and Vermont, we traveled through the Adirondack State Park. Beautiful. We spent one hurried night at Lake Placid (home to two winter olympics), where the view from our posh hotel was awesome. Like being on top of the world.
Vermont Cows
Lake Placid



New England Fall

Fall in the north east is beautiful, we're very lucky to be able to experience this part of the country. So thank you Jordan for continuing to fulfill all my dreams. Now I'm off to dream of new dreams.

Boston, Boston, Boston

Born to be a Husky.
Even three thousand miles away my babies are still Husky fans! Watching the UW vs. Syracuse game was awesome; it was like a little slice of home away from home. Putting Hunter's hat on resulted in my favorite conversation in ages- here are the highlights. As mom puts on the hat, Hunter "When I grow bigger and bigger I work at McDonalds" Henry "Me too, me too". Mom "Oh no, not two McDondalds flunkies". Hunter "McDonalds has monkeys?!"
I have mixed emotions about Boston. It reminded me of Seattle in that I really didn't like it for the first few hours (I hated Seattle when we visited on our honeymoon and when we went to look for housing- it seriously had to grow on me),so I imagine that I could absoultely fall in love with Boston if given enough time. There are a ton of things to do and we covered most of them. If anyone ever visits Boston, I highly recommend the "Go Boston" Card- you pay once and then just flash the card at all the venues. The boys loved the subways (trains), Duck bus/boat (Ride the Ducks),the Boston Children's Museum (more trains), and the Aquarium (a lot of penguins). Jordan loved the Freedom Trail and all the historical sights. We visited a lot of Paul Revere sights and the State House- where the Declaration of Independence was read to the public for the first time. Boston is definately a city rich in history.
Our last stop in Boston was Fenway- to see the Big Green Monster and watch a Red Sox game. Note to self: Fenway is not Safeco. The seats are so very small and so very close together. It didn't work to only buy two tickets and then just hold the boys. Complete misery! We lasted just shy of three innings and then had to bail.

On a good note: we didn't have to squish together for the family picture- that's how we were the whole time. I really liked the stadium though.
Poor Henry left his "Boo" in the hotel. (It's really in my kitchen cupboard) I seriously think if Jordan weren't a dentist I'd give the boo right back to Henry. It was like a drug for him- complete uphoria. I guess if he someday has unresolved issues with Boston we'll know why.
It's good to be home. Jordan has started his fall schedule and I'll go ahead and say it's not so user friendly. Early classes, lunch classes, and late classes- long days for everyone. They say it's just this first fall that's rough, so I guess if we survived 2nd year dental school we can handle this fall.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame...

The Little League World Series!
Jordan watched the games every year while growing up, so now that we're only two hours away, how could we not go to watch them in person. The boys were great for the ride down and were real troopers in the 98 degree heat. I forgot to charge the camera before we left, so we had to take pictures with a disposable from Walmart. How ancient and even embaressed we felt asking people to take our picture with a disposable! It sure did make us thankful for the technology of digital cameras though. On a good note: we were excited to get our film back to see if any of our pictures turned out- isn't that silly. Oh yeah- USA(Georgia) beat Japan for the World Championship in two extra innings with a home run for those of you who didn't catch it on ESPN.

On this little getaway we also visited Hershey, PA. The boys enjoyed the park, but Jordan and I are just not amusment park people. We both got a little sick on the kiddie roller coaster; the boys however, were fine. We split up and took them on the Skyview- nice little ride over the park- nice that is unless you're afraid of heights. Somehow I didn't even think of that until Henry and I left the ground. Poor Henry had a little death grip sweat mark on his shirt. I was terrified. Once again, the boys loved it.
Our final stop was Gettysburg. Jordan and I have been watching the PBS series since we moved here (it's ten videos long), so we felt pretty prepared. I have a whole new respect for the Gettysburg Address- I don't know that it meant much to me in high school, but now it stirs something in me. We bought a copy and I hope to frame and hang it up. I still cannot fathom living in such a time as they did; I am thankful we live where we live- timeline and location.
We saw a lot of great things and probably had some great picture moments, but without the power of digital, we didn't bring home any real winners. I'll remember to charge the camera for next weekend's trip to watch the UW Huskies @ Syracuse and our Boston tour.

Is this Heaven? No, it's Whipple Park!

So, we are finally settled in to our Real New York Home. The boys think it's a little slice of heaven; playground ten steps out the front door, huge sandbox around the corner, always friends to play with, and never a dull moment. We are very pleased with our decision to live in Graduate housing while here in Rochester.

Henry has a new nickname- "Naughty Naughty". Our angel baby has developed his own little defiant personality. Most of the time he'll look at me to make sure I know he's about to be naughty and then laugh and rush all the more when I tell him no. He's pretty much perfected the "No" face. It makes me laugh every time
Hunter just runs non-stop. From the time he wakes up until we wrestle him into the bath at night (sometimes he settles in for a nap) he loves to play with his friends and all the communal toys. We are in a good place.

Jordan is enjoying work- it started out pretty slow, but now they keep him pretty busy and he is confident that he can do this for a living. Good thing- I don't want to start over now. I am not the dedicated wife that those supporting husbands working towards a PhD are; I need an end date. So many families here are in PhD programs that could take anywhere from 4 to 8 years, they really don't know how long the process will take. I'm thankful Jordan is Dental, not PhD.
We're pretty excited for the next few weeks- a couple of really great weekend trips- the Little League World Series and Boston.

Fourth of July

This Fourth of July was different than any other we've celebrated; no friends, no barbecue, and no sunshine. We woke up to grey rainy skies- it was kind of nice weather actually- we felt a touch of Seattle here in Rochester. Since we had no family or friends around, we were forced to make our own home-made ice cream. Jordan undertook that process with a little help from Hunter and it turned out very yummy!

The boys are obsessed with trains lately. Every time we leave the apartment Hunter askes if we're going to buy his trains. I cannot believe how spendy those little toys are! We've been watching Craig's List and E-bay, but have finally decided that even from those sights it is just too big a present for "just because". So yesterday(on the way home from the toy store where we went to play trains) we told Hunter that when he is ready to only use the big boy potty and has no more diapers, we'll buy his trains. He said okay and hasn't asked since.

We finally ventured into Chucky Cheese land. The boys loved the games and pizza. Might be a little kid magic kinda thing- Jordan and I decided we like McDonalds better.

The little town were we're staying while waiting to get into student housing had their own carnival and fireworks show right across the street from our apartment,so we took the boys over during a break in the rain. Slides are another obsession of the boys right now (especially Henry), so the "Fun Slide" seemed like a great idea. I took Henry first. Really narrow, wobbly, and high stairs kinda had me freaked out before we even got on the slide, but we toughed it out and even though Henry shook the whole way down he laughed when we were done. Hunter went with Jordan and wasn't quite as nervous. It was nice to leave 10 minutes before the fireworks were to start and get perfect seats. That doesn't happen in Idaho. Good thing it was just a few minutes from home, because much to my disappointment, my babies don't love fireworks nearly as much as I do. So we came home and I finished watching them out our window. Even though we missed our friends and family, it was a good holiday.

Our First New York Home

The boys are adjusting to our first New York home (as Hunter calls it) pretty well. They love the playground, the pool, and hitting golf balls outside. It was super hot our first week here, so the boys rediscovered the joy of popsicles- multiple times a day.
We had our first weekend of garage sales and the boys found these horrible lawn mowers ( so very old, a little broken, and the new love of their lives). "Want to drive my mower outside" comes out of Hunter's mouth a thousand times a day. But they were only $0.50 each, and they keep the boys happy for hours, so I can't complain.

New York is so very different from Seattle. Drivers here aren't nearly as accomodating, but the sunshine is nice. We spent an afternoon at Lechworth State Park (the Grand Canyon of the East). The boys loved the waterfalls. Henry wasn't so certain about his new backpack ( another garage sale find that will soon find its way to Craig's List- Henry is too heavy), but it was worth a try.

It didn't take us too long to finda Strawberry U-Pick farm. The boys were great for about ten minutes, but then the lure to throw rocks over took the thrill of eating strawberries. Jordan and I picked like crazy while the boys threw rocks; we got a little carried away and came home with just over ten pounds of berries. Sure would be nice to have our Sandhurst Family to share with. We made a ton of jam, froze a ton of berries, ate until we were stuffed, and finished them out with a Strawberry pie.

Not too bad for our first couple of weeks. We are very excited to get to our "New New York Home" and finally unpack our stuff.