brownpaperpackages

Lego Pride

2012-01-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

My parents gave Max this Lego Hogwarts set for Christmas. 1,290 pieces! During the snow days Max built and built and built, working so hard. He did it all himself, with very minimal help from Mark or I. He finished it this morning and is so proud and excited. It's amazing to watch Max change from one year to the next. Last year he couldn't snap two Legos together to save his life. This year he built a castle. Incredible.

Congratulations Max! You worked so hard and we are so proud of you!

Snow Day Fun

2012-01-20T15:53:00.000-08:00

Snow Days!

2012-01-19T18:21:00.000-08:00

We have been having a blast these last few snowy days and I finally got my camera out to shoot a few pictures. Today we spent the day with the Murfin-Paz and Bellabiod families. We had so much fun sledding down the hill right by our house.

Gus and Max are ready to head down the hill:

Down they go!

And back up they go:

Jack-Jack wasn't interested in the sledding, but he still had fun:

Can you see the sledders at the top of the hill?

Here they come:

Oops! Daddy & Max are heading for the ditch!

Nothing like cookies and hot chocolate after a cold day of snow play:

Here's Jack after everyone left:

Cozy and warm on his brother's lap:

There's no better place to be.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-29T21:26:00.000-08:00

I loved our little Christmas tree this year. In fact, it was my most favorite tree we've ever had. It was small and unassuming, but so perfect and lovely. It drank water every day, dropped very few needles and stood proudly in our living room for nearly 4 weeks without any trouble. Normally by the end of the season I am so eager to get our tree out of the house that it's down on the 26th. But not this year. I could hardly bear to part with it! It just fit perfectly into our home and when I took it down today, my heart felt a little twinge of sadness. Seems silly to even type that, but it's true!

Thanks for being so wonderful, little tree.

Christmas!

2011-12-29T21:17:00.000-08:00

I was terrible about picture-taking over Christmas this year. I did get a few photos of the days' events, but I'm hoping some family members got more than I managed and will kindly share them with me!

Here's Gus opening his stocking at Ama & Papa's house on Christmas Eve:

Max checks out some new Pokemon cards:

Jack excitedly took his new shoes over to Ama:

Gus got his own set of real knives (meant for kids, but really cut) and a cook book. A definite highlight.

Sofie and Gus played "Santa" for the adults and passed out all our gifts. They were incredibly serious the entire time and kept meeting together with hushed whispers, coming up with distribution plans. It was adorable.

Sofie & Papa cuddled up to look at Ama's new photo calendar featuring all the grandkids:

I attempted, fairly unsuccessfully, to get a photo of the boys in their Christmas jammies:

Cousins!

Christmas morning started early at our house, about 6am. In fact, I think we were pretty much done opening presents by 7 or 7:30!

Gus put his new knives to work, cutting biscuits for Monkey Bread:

Jack helped by collecting all the pieces into a bag filled with cinnamon and sugar:

They worked so hard and so well together:

Sadly, I used the wrong kind of pan and all of the glaze for the bread leaked down into my oven and started a fire! Thankfully my mom had given us a fire extinguisher for Christmas many years ago (and I'm certain I rolled my eyes over it. Um, thanks Mom!) and we were able to put the fire out with very little damage to the kitchen. After that I seriously did not take another photo all day. I think I was just kind of in shock and dismay and couldn't quite get myself together enough.

Even though there are no photos, we had an absolutely wonderful time at Mark's sister's home in Pouslbo, where we spent the day chatting over coffee, enjoying a delicious meal and opening many presents. Their home is always so warm and welcoming and I feel so grateful to be invited in to it year after year.

As a side note, I did contact Pillsbury to suggest they make it explicitly clear on their recipe not to use a tube pan with a removable bottom. I heard back very quickly and they wanted to make certain that my oven was fine, our family was fine and, though they didn't actually ask, that we had no plans to sue them. I assured them that I only wanted to inform them in order to prevent what happened to me from happening to someone else. They're sending me some coupons. Who knows, maybe I'll use them to make Monkey Bread.
Or maybe not.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

2011-12-24T22:44:00.000-08:00

Kaetzel Pretzels

2011-12-24T12:22:00.000-08:00

Mark has decided that our family "thing" is going to be making pretzels.
Here's the boys working hard to make a batch for Christmas Eve:

Jack's Birthday

2011-12-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

Last year we had to cancel Jack's 1st birthday party due to the stomach flu. This year, we decided to give him a 2nd "1st" birthday party and guess what? Yep, the flu took us down again and the party was canceled. Thankfully we were able to reschedule it and give Jack a proper party.

Here's Jack on his actual birthday. That look on his face says, "A bike? For me?" Yes indeed, Jack is now the proud owner of a balance bike--a bike with no pedals so that kids can learn to scoot along on 2 wheels and focus on balancing before worrying about pedaling. He's still a bit nervous on it, but I imagine come summertime he'll be keeping up with his brothers, no problem.

Let's put this thing together:

Next present...

A Pillow Pet!

He couldn't be happier!

Every nap and sleep since then has been on his beloved doggy pillow.

Normally after our children turn 1, we don't do presents at birthday parties, but since Jack didn't get a 1st birthday party, we made an exception. He excitedly opened all his gifts, including this outfit from Mom-Mom and Grandad:

He then promptly took each and every present straight over to his Auntie Amy:

Present after present went right to her:

Veggie Tales Pirate Ship...right to Amy:

La La Loopsy Pirate doll, yep...right to her as well. It was so funny!

After presents we had mini cupcakes and milk, Jack's favorite thing. Jack was a bit nervous about blowing out the candles, so Mom & Gus filled in for him:

He certainly wasn't nervous about eating it though:

Mmmm...milk. Nothing better than that.

And to end the festivities...pizza!

Eating pizza on the couch with your cousin? Yep, it's good to be 2.

Being Marin

2011-12-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Marin,
You're here! I can't believe it! We've been waiting for what seems like forever to get the news of your arrival. Imagine my surprise when your dad called me tonight to tell me your name. I am so very honored to share a name with you, little one. Your mom and dad are two of the most wonderful, amazing people I know. What a blessed little girl you are to have the honor of being raised by these two.

Since we share a name, I feel like I should impart some sort of wisdom to you, so here it goes. The origins of our name are a little sketchy. My dad told me it came from a French poet, but no poem has ever been shown to me to confirm that this is true. I do know that our name means "of the sea" in French, so perhaps our French heritage is true after all. For a long time I thought I was named after the Seattle Mariners since they were "born" the same year I was, but my parents insist this isn't the case.

Over the years you'll have all kinds of people call you all kinds of things. A name like Marin isn't all that common and people have all sorts of trouble figuring out how to say it. The three most common mistakes are as follows:
1. Pronouncing it with an 'ah' sound, as in 'Mahrin'. This is probably the one I get the most.
2. If you encounter people familiar in anyway with the Bay Area, they'll want to pronounce it maRIN, as in Marin County.
3. Sometimes when people are reading or writing your name, their brains will insert a 't' in between the 'r' and 'i', changing your name and your gender with one little consonant. 9th grade year book? Yeah, I'm Martin Johnson.
My best advice about all of these? Don't be afraid to correct people when they get it wrong. Too many times I've let my desire not to embarrass or offend someone stop me from correcting them when they mispronounce our name. I'm #1 to a few people at my son's school. I'm #2 to my next door neighbor. I'm even #3 to a handyman we've employed a couple times on every estimate he writes for us. Take it from me, it's way easier correcting someone up front than having to manage all your different names!

A couple good references for helping people remember how to say your name:
Tell them it's like Karen, but with an 'M'. This is what my mom always told me to say, which naturally drove me crazy. I should have listened to her advice. Trust me, your mom knows best!

If you move to Seattle (fingers crossed!), remember that baseball team I talked about earlier? That's another one to use. It's like Mariners without the ers.

No matter what, be proud of who you are. God made you and He loves you and you are an amazing little girl.
You are Marin.

Welcome.

Bah Humbug!

2011-12-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

There isn't much that can dampen my spirits during the holidays. But the stomach flu? Well, yeah...that'll do it. Poor Gus and Jack came down with a bug over the weekend. It's the one thing about this time of year that I really dread. Last year we had to cancel Jack's 1st birthday party. Guess what's coming up this weekend? That's right, Jack's 2nd "1st" birthday party. I am praying that Max, Mark and I stay healthy and we don't have to cancel yet again!

Here's the scene from our house this morning:

This is Gus' "No really, Mom, I'm okay" smile. Not very believable, is it?

Jack says, "We gotta stick together, Brother"

Do you love Jack's hair? It's the result of throwing up, taking a bath and then sleeping on wet hair. Still love it? I have to admit, I still do.

See how Jack's pointing at me? Yeah, I should have taken that as a message, as in "Hey Mom, I'm about to throw up all over you." But I didn't and well, you get the picture.

I've had better days, I'll admit. Cleaner, less disgusting days, certainly. But through it all my holiday spirit hasn't been broken. So to the stomach flu I say "Bah Humbug!"

A Dollar Goes A Long Way

2011-12-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

I found this beard and hat set for $1 at Daiso and it has provided plenty of entertainment in the Kaetzel household!

HO!

HO!

HO!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Santa Train and Christmas Tree

2011-12-03T22:55:00.000-08:00

This morning, and by morning I mean eaaaaarly morning, we headed to North Bend to the Northwest Railway Museum to take a ride on the Santa Train. This is something we've never done before and decided we'd give it a try. It was great, but Mark and I both agreed there would be no need to turn it into a tradition. The gist of the Santa Train is this: you take a 20 minute ride on an old diesel train up to the depot in Snoqualimie. The train is decked out in festive colors, with tinsel and stockings and lights all around. There's a (possibly crazy) old man who leads Christmas carols (or actually just one...Rudolph...over and over) during the trip. Once there, you get to meet with Santa (after a hefty wait in line) and pass through an old kitchen car where they use an old coal stove to bake fresh cookies and make hot chocolate. Then you get back on the train and head back to North Bend. Like I said, really fun but definitely not tradition-worthy. As a side note, there were a ton of crying kids at that thing and boy did I have to give my boys extra big hugs for being troopers and not complaining, even once. Normally I try not to do the whole 'wow, my kids are so awesome compared to everyone else's' thing, but after watching a much-too-old boy throw a mammoth, 15-minute long screaming, kicking, nearly foaming-at-the-mouth tantrum while waiting to see Santa, well yeah, I did that whole 'wow, my kids are so awesome compared to everyone else's' thing.

Here are the boys waiting to board the train:

All aboard!

Happy faces:

Gus stood the entire train ride, both ways:

In a rail car, enjoying our freshly baked cookies:

Max sat on Santa's lap and told him he wants a DS game:

Gus didn't want to sit with him, but he still told him he wants a Samurai playset:

Jack just gave Santa a knuckle-smash and left it at that. It's okay, Santa was cool with it.

After the Santa Train and a yummy brunch in Snoqualmie, we headed to a local tree farm in search of our tree. The freezing cold tempurature helped us choose this little beauty. We said 'yep, it's great. Cut it down and let's get out of here!'

And that's just what we did:

Here she is in her lovely, warm new home. We think she fits in just fine.

Kicking off the Season

2011-12-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Yesterday after picking up Max from school, I decided to start December off with a festive trip downtown. The boys and I headed to the Seattle Center House to take a peek at the big model train and Victorian village that they put up every year. This was Jack's first time really seeing it and he absolutely loved it! He especially loved watching the hot air balloon go up, up and away. We were literally one of the only families there, so the boys got to take a good long upclose look at everything. They loved finding all the little details that they've missed in years past. I didn't get any photos, but I'm sure you get the picture. Little boys, trains, Christmas...it was adorable.

Next we took a ride on the Monorail. Again, no one was there so the boys got the pick of the train. They chose to sit in the very back and watch Seattle Center disappear.

When we got to Westlake Center we took a look at the big Christmas tree and the Macys star. Jack literally screamed with delight at the sight of it all. Max pointed out the carousel and said he'd like to go for a spin. Now, if you remember just a few short years ago when I tried to get him to ride it he screamed, like bloody-murder screamed, as though I was in fact trying to kill him by putting him on a horse. When he suggested we go for a ride I nearly fell over. Once again, we were the only people on the ride. It was great having no line and the pick of any horses we wanted. I had to laugh a little when we found the horses we wanted and I suggested Max take the big one and Gus take the small one. They both paused and then looked at each other as if reading one another's minds and quickly switched horses. I should have known my cautious 7-year old would prefer the safe, reasonably-sized black horse while my daring 4-year old would take nothing less than the huge brown horse that was too large for him to even reach the little stirrup thing that is meant to help you up.

Around and around we went.

Jack was pretty serious about that whole thing. At first I was worried he was going to panic when his horse began moving, but by the end he was saying, "more horse" over and over again.

After the carousel we headed into Starbucks to warm up a bit. I treated the boys to hot chocolate and these little mini whoppie pies that were only a $1. Gus thought getting the chocolate stuck in his teeth was hilarious and made him look like a pirate.

Max drank his peppermint hot chocolate the "grown up way", meaning without a straw. I love this photo of him for so many reasons. He's really growing up, becoming a city kid but he's still got that sparkle in those big brown eyes of his that say "at any moment I believe something magical could happen."

Gus loved watching the barista in action:

Jack wore his whoppie pie on his nose:

Before heading back to the monorail I told the boys I wanted to get a photo of them with the big tree. Pretty cute, right?

This is how most of them looked:

As I was taking the photos a man came up to me and said, "Hey Mom, do you know what's always missing from photos?"
"What's that?" I asked him.
"Mom" he replied and then kindly offered to take a photo for us.
I have to admit my first thought was, "please don't steal my camera," but he was just a genuinely nice man who captured a wonderful moment for me.

I love the holidays. More than that, I love spending it with my three fabulous boys for whom I am so unbelievably grateful.

I am the 13%

2011-11-03T10:23:00.000-07:00

Recently, I read an article on the Seattle P.I. blog that stated the cost of living in Seattle has increased 13% since 2009. I almost felt relieved when I read it, only because it put to rest my confusion over why, despite Mark's raise and my cutting back on our spending, we were still feeling pinched to make ends meet. I'm not squandering our funds recklessly after all...things just cost more, a lot more.

Take, for example, our heating bill. When we moved into our home 7 years ago, the cost of a gallon of oil was $1.99. We just had our tank filled a couple weeks ago and paid a mind-blowing $4.20/gallon. That's a 105% increase! We just received a quote to convert to a heat pump in an attempt to save on our energy bill, but it would cost us $12,000 upfront to make the change, something we simply can’t afford right now. Those are big, scary numbers. But thankfully, we are okay. We can make it work. We may have to dip into our savings to cover our heating bill this month, but I'm not forced to make a choice between paying for heat or feeding my children. This is not the case, however, for thousands of families across the city who are facing these tough decisions and running out of options.

As I was cleaning my kitchen this morning, I was thinking about Christmas coming up and how much I love picking out gifts for everyone in my family. I was mentally calculating a Christmas budget, knowing that we need to cut back a bit this year and it struck me that many people in our community won't have any funds this year for gifts or, in the worst cases, even for food. That number, 13%, kept running through my head. I added up what 13% of our Christmas budget would be and wondered if perhaps I should take that amount and reallocate it to something else, a food bank, a women's shelter, something that would make a difference. What if I could be that 13% difference for someone? As I scrubbed up the dishes the idea kept forming, getting bigger, becoming more doable until I finally said aloud, "Yes! We can do this!"

So what if we did it? What if we committed to giving 13% of our Christmas budget away to a local crisis organization? I know that there are other programs out there like Advent Conspiracy encouraging people to do a similar thing, but many of those programs go toward things like clean water wells in Africa. Please don't get me wrong, those are wonderful programs and third world nations definitely need our help. I've been to Africa and witnessed the devastation there firsthand and I greatly admire the work that is being done by so many organizations to help those who are in need. But there are people here in our own city who desperately need help too. These are our neighbors who are trying to hold on to their homes; our co-workers who don't have health care and are facing mounting bills; the person we sit next to on the bus who can't afford to fix their car; the parents at our PTSA meetings who are wondering how to explain to their kids why there won't be gifts this year under the tree. These are people we talk to everyday at the grocery store or the bank or the cleaners without ever knowing the pain, fear and struggle going on under the surface.

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
As Christians, we should be following Jesus' example by offering to carry the burdens of others to free them from their weariness. How much more easily a person can come to hear and accept the Gospel if those who are sharing it with them have first relieved some of their worry and stress. How much more genuine an invitation to a transformed life in Christ when we lead by humbly following Christ's example.

Times are tough for everyone. We live in an expensive city that desperately needs God. We can't solve all of our city's problems, but we can make a difference for some who are struggling. We can be their 13%. I hope we can join together this Christmas in blessing our neighbors.

Ideas for where to donate:

Northwest Harvest

North Helpline

Union Gospel Mission

New Horizons Ministries

YWCA Emergency Shelter

Ryther Child Center

Solid Ground

A Few Things

2011-10-22T10:51:00.000-07:00

*I am really loving this whole "boys getting older" thing. Case in point--last night as we were putting Max and Gus to bed, I commented that their room was getting a bit too messy. Max offered to clean it right then and there which I took to simply be a bedtime stall-tactic. I told him he could deal with it in the morning, which he assured me he would do first thing. I was fairly certain this declaration would be forgotten after a night's sleep, but at 6am this morning I awoke to the sound of quiet footsteps interspersed amongst the clangs and crashes of toys. I realized that Max was up at the crack of dawn, making good on his word and cleaning his room. I rolled back over and went back to sleep, figuring it was just a matter of minutes before the boys came into our room. When Jack started crying nearly an hour later, Mark got up and found Max and Gus in the living room, quietly watching a program on Netflix, eating breakfast which they had gotten for themselves. I could definitely get used to this! Well, maybe not completely. After all, a couple months ago Max announced he was officially too old to give his mom a kiss. A small piece of my heart died upon hearing those words. I have just a sliver of understanding now what it must feel like to let your child go out into the world and become something separate from yourself.

*In art class Max is working on a Day of the Dead project. Apparently they had a discussion about ancestors, because yesterday when he got off the school bus, he wanted to know if he had any. I named a few of his ancestors for him and we talked about how people came from many different places to the United States looking for a better life which is how we ended up living here so many years later. That evening, out of the blue Max said to Mark and I that Ms. Mackin, his art teacher, doesn't know who her ancestors are because she was adopted. I asked Max if he knew what that meant and he shook his head. I (rather clumsily) started to explain the concept, but let Mark take over when I saw the puzzled look on Max's face at my overly wordy answer. After Mark finished up his much-clearer explanation, I asked Max very seriously, "Did you know you're adopted?" You should have seen the look on his face! I then explained that while he was born from my body, he was adopted in a different way...into God's family. We explained how even though he isn't God's son the same way Jesus is, that because he loves God with all his heart, he is one of God's children and God cares for him like a father. "What do you think about that?" I asked. "Cooooool!" he responded.

*This is what I found inside my boot this morning when I tried to put it on:

Pumpkins!

2011-10-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we headed all the way out to Issaquah to go to a pumpkin farm. I had purchased a coupon for a farm out there, but when we arrived, it was so crowded and the parking was so bad that we bailed and went a couple miles down the road to a much smaller place called Trinity Tree Farm. As you can probably guess from the name, it's actually a Christmas tree farm, but this is the second year they have opened for pumpkin season. It was a blast!

First we hunted for pumpkins. The boys announced that they were going to find the biggest possible pumpkins this year. Apparently last year's pumpkins did not meet their expectations. We had to talk them away from a few huge ones given that they cost $0.55/lb! Even still, they picked 3 pumpkins that weighed nearly 50 lbs. We haven't cut them open yet, but at that price I'm hoping they're filled with treasure or something!

I tried multiple times to get a good shot of the boys together. I finally got one but my darn flash went off for some reason so it's a bit washed out. I really need to get into a photo class so I can stop using the automatic settings on my camera. No use having such a nice one if I don't even know how to use it! Even still, the photo is really sweet, don't you think?

Next we took a tractor ride. The boys loved that they got to sit on hay bales.

Jack wasn't so sure about this and opted to sit in my lap.

Here's Max enjoying the ride:

Gus too:

The boys really wanted to ride the little train and thought it was so cool that it took them through the Christmas trees. Smart marketing if you ask me. See something you like? Well just come on back in December and cut it down.

All in all, a really fun day!

small moment

2011-09-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

loved when i walked in on this today.

Max's Party: Part 4 - Honeydukes!

2011-08-26T14:19:00.000-07:00

Once the students completed all their classes, they earned a trip to Honeydukes-the sweet shop Harry and friends visit in the books. I filled some jars with Jelly Bellies (Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans), chocolate frogs, gummy worms and giant lollies.

Instead of a cake, we made golden snitch cake pops, except I cheated and used donut holes instead of making the pops from scratch. What a time saver! The original idea was found here and definitely put mine to shame, but the kids still loved them.

Max's Party: Part 3 - Classes in Action

2011-08-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Check out the students in action!

Max's Party: Part 2 - Hogwarts

2011-08-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

After a trip through Diagon Alley, the kids proceeded down the steps where they stopped under the big banner (which was a Japanese Obi that I found at Goodwill that just happened to be Gryffindor colors!). Here they were sorted into their houses. In order to avoid hurt feelings, we left Slytherin out of the mix and only used Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Kids found out their house by choosing a class schedule and looking on the back to reveal a house sticker.

On their class schedules they had 5 classes: Quidditch, Divination, Broom Riding, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures.

For the Quidditch field we were blessed to have found 3 metal hoops when we dug up our yard for our remodel. The bases are old tiki torches that we had in our garage. We gave these items to Jeremy and let him work his magic. As usual, he made something truly amazing.

The Quidditch robe was a score at a thrift store in San Francisco!

For Divination, we filled white balloons with prophecies, stuck them in our black fire pit and let each child choose one to pop.

For Broom Riding we held a relay race. We sorted the kids into two groups and had them race to put on wizard cloaks, scarves, glasses and hats and then race across the yard on broomsticks.

Potions class gave the kids a chance to mix baking soda and vinegar for the chemical reaction and then add all kinds of items to their pots. They were then filtered into bottles so the kids could bring them home.

Mane of Thestral (corn silk) and Forbidden Forest Herbs (herbes de provence) were two of the ingredients.

Crystalized Fairy Breath (sea salt) and food coloring were also added:

Corn husks made great Dragon Scales:

Care of Magical Creatures class was where the kids had the opportunity to paint their owls. Some chose to leave them white since Harry's owl, Hedwig, is white, while others went wild with the colors

Max's Party: Part 1 - Diagon Alley

2011-08-26T13:58:00.000-07:00

For Max's 7th birthday, he chose a Harry Potter Theme. I had such a blast putting this all together!

The kids entered through the upper gate into Diagon Alley. Everything was handmade by Mark and I and certainly not fancy, but the kids loved it!

Here's the entry sign on the gate:

Their first stop was Gringotts Bank where they deposited their canned food (which we asked for instead of gifts) and withdrew wizard gold:

They then used their gold to "purchase" their school supplies. Potages Cauldrons had little black containers that I found at Target in the $1 bin. The kids used these to hold all the items they collected throughout the day.

Eyelops Owl Emporium had ceramic owls that they would later paint in one of their classes.

Ollivanders had a wand for each child (with a special official Harry Potter wand waiting for Max).

I had found a bundle of chopsticks at a garage sale for $1.50 so I used those for the wands. I added a list of useful spells, put an Ollivanders label on each box and -voila- wands!

San Francisco: Part 4 - the Deyoung

2011-08-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

On my first day I wandered through Golden Gate Park over to the Deyoung Museum. I had actually gone to see the Picasso exhibit that is currently on view, but when I arrived I was so intrigued by the building and its collection that I decided to skip the exhibit and just spend time in the permanent galleries. I was certainly not disappointed. Here are just a few things that caught my eye:

(You'll notice I don't have artist information. Unfortunately I only had a pen with me and, being a former art history/museum studies student, I can't bring myself to write with pen in a gallery space. I told myself I'd look everything up once I got home, but I couldn't find information for everything. I figured I'd just post the pictures without any words or explanations)

San Francisco: Part 3 - the Homes

2011-08-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

I didn't photograph too many homes since I felt a little weird about it, but I did snap a few photos on my first-day morning walk (same area as the succulent gardens).

I loved this home for its modern wood & steel combination and the mies van der rohe Barcelona chair front and center in the large window. The potted balcony garden was really lovely too.

This is a much more traditional home, but I took a shot of it because we are thinking of repainting our house and I love the light grey, white and reddish-orange combination:

Upclose this building kind of looked like it was going to fall down, but I absolutely love it. The windows are to die for! This home is perched high up on a hill so I can only imagine that the view from those windows is stunning!

San Francisco: Part 2 - The Succulents

2011-08-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

On my first day out and about in San Francisco I walked from Market up by Buena Vista Park on my way to Haight St. It was a lovely area with amazing homes that had even more amazing gardens. I absolutely love succulents and was blown away by some of the succulent gardens growing in this area. I had to stop and photograph them for my inspiration file. Check them out below:

The photo below is of a vertical wall garden. I want to do this so badly! It was stunning to look at.

Love the pink hues in this one:

San Francisco: Part 1 - The Food

2011-08-25T23:17:00.000-07:00

Last week Mark and I took a trip to San Francisco. Mark was actually heading there for a 2-day seminar and I decided to tag along and explore SF since I'd never been there. Whenever I mentioned to anyone that we were going, their first response always had to do with how amazing the food is in that city. I was really looking forward to some unforgettable meals and I certainly was not disappointed.

On our first night we met up with a few of Mark's co-workers who were heading to a restaurant up in the North Beach area called The Stinking Rose. I had my reservations about going when they told me it was an all-garlic restaurant. I had visions of overly flavored food and was worried about smelling of garlic for the rest of the trip. Thankfully that wasn't the case and the food was actually really tasty. The atmosphere was really fun as well and we ended up having a really delightful evening.

Here's Mark in our booth with the "garlic lady" behind him:

I was completely on my own for the first 2 days from 7am to 6pm, so I used that time to just wander around the city and explore. On my first day out and about I was strolling down Market Street and stumbled upon a restaurant called the Zuni Cafe. The moment I laid eyes on it I knew I wanted to eat there. A big, light-filled space with cozy corner tables, exposed brick and wood details...I seriously stared in the window for a good 5 minutes (it was closed, so don't worry about me looking like a crazy-lady to any diners inside). I immediately texted Mark and told him to look them up and call for reservations. He did and, not surprisingly, was told that they were booked the entire time we were in town, but to come by and try to be on standby. We did just that and were lucky to get a table within 10 minutes in the seat-yourself area by the bar. The food sounded fantastic, with a daily-changing menu offering fresh, local food. Mark had pork tenderloin, I had sea bass. It was beyond delicious.

Here's Mark looking very pleased with our luck of not only getting a table quickly, but having it be right by the window:

This was our appetizer (or what was left of it after we devoured it), roasted peppers with ricotta salata. So good!

On our third night we opted for something entirely different, going back up to North Beach to a place called Cafe Jacqueline. It was a tiny little place that honestly looked a little dumpy when we first walked in: poorly lit, terrible wall color, kind of cheap looking tables. But we had heard it was fantastic and a really unique experience so we hung in there and were definitely not disappointed. Cafe Jacqueline has been around for 33 years and serves nothing but souffle for the main course and dessert. Everything is ordered to share so Mark and I ordered french onion soup, a mushroom and pancetta souffle and a chocolate souffle for dessert. Everything is made to order by Jacqueline herself, a tiny French woman who, we were told, has made every souffle that has left that kitchen for 33 years. Dinner was amazing, so light yet so rich and flavorful. The chocolate souffle had a molten center and was delicious with a hot cup of coffee. I never wanted it to end. By the end of the night Cafe Jacqueline no longer felt chintzy and cheap, but instead had charmed us with its simplicity. I am so glad we gave it a chance.

Here is our chocolate souffle. It was so light that the best way I can describe it is to liken it to eating a cloud. Maybe that's weird, but that's seriously what it was like.

Overall we were very satisfied with our food experience in the city, although there is certainly much more waiting to be tasted on our next trip someday. I for one am looking forward to it!

The Faces of Fort Stevens

2011-08-07T11:48:00.000-07:00

When all this started 32 years ago there were 4 parents and 4 girls. We've grown to 4 grandparents, 8 parents and 9 children (4 girls and 5 boys). Take a look at these pictures and you'll see why it is so easy for us all to say we are truly blessed.

Blake:

Molly:

Brenden:

Hannah:

Jack:

Gus:

Sofie:

Max:

Melia:

The whole gang together:

Riding the Rides

2011-08-07T11:46:00.000-07:00

This was the first year we let the boys ride the Tilt-a-Whirl and the bumper cars in Seaside. Max and Blake were a bit unsure of the Tilt-a-Whirl when it first started, but by the end they were loving it. As for me, well it wasn't quite as fun as when I was a kid. I used to ride that thing over and over again, but this time once was definitely enough!

I am not a bumper cars fan so Mark went on them twice. He is such a good sport. He really got knocked around. Gus seemed to have a good time although he didn't ask to go again. They were a bit bumpier than the ones at California Adventure, that's for sure!

Birthday Party!

2011-08-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Each year we celebrate all 9 kids' birthdays at once. This year we had a fun nature scavenger hunt and the kids got to trade their finds for little trinkets. Then they each got $10 to spend in town, a huge hit with all of them. It was fun to see the different things they chose. A butterfly dress up set for Melia, watches for Blake and Sofie, ghost pirates for Max and Gus, a fart whistle for Brenden (I kid you not!) and a ball (of course) for Jack. I don't think I saw what Hannah and Molly chose, but I'm guessing it wasn't a fart whistle.

Jack the Wilderness Boy

2011-08-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure Jack has never been happier than he was all week. He absolutely loves being outdoors and getting to play outside from sun up to sun down was just about as close to Heaven as he could come I think. These pictures were taken on the trail at Fort Clatsop. He didn't want to be carried at all. He walked that trail like he owned it!

Fort Clatsop

2011-08-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

A popular activity each year is a trip to Fort Clatsop. The boys never tire of hearing about the adventures of Lewis & Clark.

Max is wearing a military uniform:

One of the park volunteers gave the kids a demonstration of how a pistol worked. He was making a spark which the kids thought was pretty amazing!

Here's Samantha trying out one of the tools (I can't remember what it was for at the moment):

Gus loves walking around the wooded areas of the fort:

Fort Stevens 2011

2011-08-07T10:29:00.000-07:00

We've just returned from our annual camping trip to Fort Stevens State Park. Once again it was a fantastic week with beautiful weather and great friends. We are so blessed to have this lifelong friendship with the Bosters--32 years and counting!

Here's Max hanging out at the campsite:

He was watching these guys throw horseshoes:

Our home for the week. It's pretty amazing that all 5 of us slept in there and survived! Aside from Jack waking up in the night and needing to share my sleeping bag (my aching back!) we did really well in there. Makes me excited for more camping trips in the future!

Blake and Melia hanging out by the sand pit, a very popular spot for all the kiddos.

Dinner Lesson

2011-07-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

Having three boys can be challenging, to say the least. Between refereeing fights (both staged and real), playing chauffeur to various events and trying to stave off their seemingly never-ending hunger, I don't have a lot of extra time in my day. What little time I do have I spend either sitting on the couch with an exhausted blank stare or running around trying to make my house look somewhat orderly. As a result, I've started to let certain behaviors slide with Jack that I wouldn't have with Max and Gus. Jack wants to do everything his brothers do and one thing they're always doing is snacking. (remember that never-ending hunger I just mentioned?) Whenever they have a bowl of something, Jack inevitably wants one too. I give him one, knowing full well what will happen. All those little bits of food, be they goldfish, cereal, apples, whatever, every one of them ends up thrown on the floor. By the end of the day there are crumbs all over the house from the various items Jack has chosen to hurl across the living room. I'm constantly telling him "no throw!", but honestly I'm not that consistent with it. It's just a little thing and I've let it slide enough times that he doesn't take me seriously when I tell him no.

Unfortunately that behavior has wandered into Jack's mealtime habits as well. He'll take a tiny bite of something, throw it on the floor and then beg for more. A few nights ago at dinner Jack was being his usual demanding self, throwing food around, begging for food off everyone else's plates and generally making dinner a loud, stressful event. My reaction was to take him out of his chair, sit him on my lap and let him pick off of my plate...anything to just keep the peace. It's worked a dozen times, even though it's not exactly enjoyable for me to eat a meal that has been handled by chubby little fingers. But that night was different. As I bent down to unstrap Jack and bring him to my lap Mark put his foot down. "No. He eats his food or nothing at all." I was taken back by the firmness of his voice, but I put him back in his seat and returned his tray of food in front of him. Jack immediately began crying out for different food and I instinctively reached for the bowl of fruit to give him a few more pieces. Again Mark spoke up. "No. He has fruit. He needs to eat what is on his tray first." I was upset. I wanted Jack to stop crying. I wanted him to eat. He hadn't really eaten a meal in days, just snacks here and there and things he'd gleaned off other people's plates. When Jack refused to eat, Mark picked him up and firmly but lovingly took him to his crib and left him there while we ate. I kept my eyes down on my plate, fighting the urge to rush in and "rescue" Jack. Sensing I was upset, Mark said to me, "If we keep letting this go, if we keep allowing this behavior it is only going to get worse and that isn't fair to us or Jack. He needs to know this isn't okay."
After a few minutes Mark brought Jack back to the table. I went to him and comforted him, putting a bite of pasta on his fork and gently trying to coax him to eat it. He took it from me and slowly ate it. He got another bite on his fork and ate that too. After awhile he had gobbled up nearly everything on his plate. It was the best meal he's eaten in a long time. After dinner I told Mark I was grateful that he'd been insistent and admitted that Jack hadn't been that well-behaved for a meal in a long time. It was hard to do, but I admitted, despite my good intentions, that my tendency to play to Jack's demands was wrong.

As I thought about the events of dinner that night in bed, I realized that Mark was demonstrating love in a very real way. He loves Jack so much that he desires for him to learn right from wrong, to be patient, to be grateful for what is in front of him rather than always wishing he had something else. Real love doesn't just let things go for the sake of peace, not when doing so can potentially lead someone down the wrong path. While my desire to comfort and calm Jack was loving, it was also selfish in that I just wanted a little peace at the dinner table. There's a reason love comes before peace in the list of the Fruit of the Spirit. I'm so grateful that Mark was able to teach both Jack and myself a lesson that night.

Summer Treat

2011-07-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Jack tried his first smoothie yesterday over at my sister's house. Look no further than the front of his clothes to find out whether or not he enjoyed it!

Here he is with his sweet cousins Sofie & Melia:

I love the slow, simple pace of summer.

Brothers

2011-07-24T07:50:00.000-07:00

I loved watching this small moment happen. Made my heart very happy.

Backyard

2011-07-08T23:20:00.000-07:00

The backyard is coming along slowly but surely. Here's where we're at now:

Hopefully it will be done in the next couple months.

In the mean time, check out this tent that Mark and I made for the boys:

We followed a tutorial we found at Cakies, using scrap wood from the backyard project and a sheet I picked up at the thrift store. I like to imagine the boys quietly reading books in here on hot summer days, but it's more likely that it will turn into some sort of combat fort.

Random Ramblings of a Blogging Slacker

2011-07-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

Oh poor neglected blog...I'm sorry I have been so terrible about updating you.

It's been over 3 months since I last posted. So much has happened and yet at the same time it's just been life as usual, moving along at its own pace. I wish I had some big news to report or a really fascinating story to share that would explain my absence. I have none. All I have are excuses about lack of time, tiredness, a glitchy computer that frustrates me into silence here.

I can't possibly recap the last 3 months. Or maybe I could but I just don't want to. What I will do is give you a little insight into what's been brewing inside my mind these days.

I've been thinking a lot about what it means to be a family. What it means to be part of something bigger than myself. I've been trying to understand how it came to be that the God of the Universe, who is infinite and perfect, chose to adopt me into His family and call me His own. Me, this clumsy, selfish, ungrateful girl...God's child. There are days when I don't treat my children with the patience and understanding that they deserve. There are days that I am not a good mother. Sometimes at night before I fall asleep I close my eyes so tight and try to erase the day because I know I messed up. And I think about God and how He must get so frustrated with me. And yet He is patient and gentle and forgiving. All the things I want to be for my kids. It is a huge thing, being asked to raise children. I feel like there are days that I am trying to climb a mountain without any gear. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, praying that I don't fall.
------------------
This summer I've decided the boys and I are going to study the Fruit of the Spirit. Each week we're focusing on a different fruit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, Self-Control, Faithfulness, Goodness. It's been wonderful to watch them try to live these out. I made a bunch of fruit and labeled each one with a different attribute and they boys can earn stickers for demonstrating that week's fruit. It's pretty hilarious to watch them orchestrate scenarios in order to earn stickers. I watched quietly as Max whispered to Gus last week, "Gus, ask me if I'm okay," after he had hurt himself.
"What?" Gus responds.
"Ask me if I'm okay," Max repeats with a sense of urgency.
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
"Are you okay Max?" Gus asks, having no idea what he was truly saying.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Hey Mom! Gus just asked me if I'm okay. Did we just earn a love sticker?"
Max has never met a sticker he couldn't earn.
But in all seriousness, the boys have been learning a lot and earning stickers for genuine acts of love and kindness.
-------------------
We've been having weekly BBQs this summer where we invite pretty much everyone we know to come hang out with us every Friday. It's been a lot of fun and extremely fascinating to see how each week differs from the next. We've had 3 BBQs and each one has been made up of a completely different crowd. I feel like I want to document it somehow. Maybe a spreadsheet or something. And then I think about that and I realize that is a really nerdy thing to want to do. I'll probably still do it though.
------------------

This is my family, bound together through blood, adopted together into God's larger family.
Adopted.
To say that's an overwheming thought is to put it mildly.

Sowing Seeds

2011-03-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a WWII Batman comic in which Batman, Robin and Superman grow a victory garden, the boys have decided to plant one of their own. Mark and Jeremy built a couple raised beds and the boys got to work. They helped us plant onions, garlic, swiss chard, spinach, leeks, peas and carrots. We still have some room in one of the beds, but we're waiting to see how we go before planting any more. We decided to try planting seeds as opposed to using starts, so fingers crossed that something actually sprouts!

Progress

2011-03-23T10:03:00.000-07:00

Here's the latest on the yard:

A trench was dug (by Mark and Matt in the pouring rain!)

The first part of the wall has been built (in half a day by Scot, Mark and Brian):

There's still a long way to go, but we're getting there.

A Rainbow of Cars

2011-03-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day from the Kaetzel Family!

Max, Gus and Luna worked hard to sort all of the Matchbox cars to make this rainbow.

Pot O'Gold:

Cloud:

One More

2011-03-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

Eva's grandma took this photo of the kids at preschool yesterday. Aren't they adorable?

Notice the jacket Gus is wearing. Mark came home from work a couple days ago with 4 bags of hand-me-down clothes from one of his co-worker's nephew, all of which were in the size 7/8 range. Gus was semi-heartbroken that none of the clothes were for him, despite the fact that I assured him that they would eventually find their way into his wardrobe. The jacket he is wearing came from the lot and was the only thing I could find that was even close to fitting him, since it was a 5T. He loves it and wears it around the house just for fun. Mark and I were joking that with his shaggy hair (which is GONE by the way!) and his oversized, beat-up army coat, he's starting a new "homeless veteran" fashion trend, which sounds completely inappropriate to be joking about now that I type it out.

I don't even know what to say...

2011-03-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

There are no words to describe how much I love this photo:

Our Yard

2011-03-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

This is what our backyard looks like as of this morning. A nice size for the city, but overgrown and uninspired. Our good friend Scot is helping us improve it (on a very tiny budget) and I can't wait to see how it turns out. I'll be updating here as the project progresses.
Check out Scot's amazing work here

Eva's Gift

2011-03-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

Gus' best-buddy, Eva, turned 4 a few days ago and today we're going to her birthday party. When I asked Gus what he'd like to give her, he said he really wanted to bake her a cake. Eva's mom, Jessica, kindly agreed to let Gus provide the cake for the party and here's what he made:

He knew exactly what he wanted--Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. Then he said it definitely need "beautiful sprinkles" because Eva likes beautiful things. He chose a #4 candle and then some pink and purple star candles for her to blow out. He then decided the cake needed a heart and a deer. I love how much thought he put into this gift. It seems so much more special than simply going out and picking a toy--although I couldn't resist buying her a dress! Hey--little girl birthdays are my only chance to shop on the "girl" side of a store. I have to take the opportunities when I can!

Peace Project

2011-02-28T11:29:00.000-08:00

Max's school fundraising auction is this Friday and I volunteered to coordinate our classroom project, that will hopefully bring in lots of money. Here's what we did:

Using a stencil that Mark and I created (he drew, I cut), the kids added their fingerprints to create a dove. Each child used a different color paint. We then wrote 'peace' in each of the 3 languages spoken by the children in the class.

Each child then added one last fingerprint and signed their name underneath it to identify their color:

I then added their class information:

The final piece:

Another mother kindly offered to have it framed. I've heard it looks wonderful but haven't seen it myself. I am so proud of the kids for the hard work they put into this project. It turned out beautifully. The only problem is now I really want to buy it!

I cannot take credit for this idea. I found it on another school's auction blog. We modified it a bit, but the idea was definitely theirs. You can see their original piece here.

Disneyland - Part 7: Joy

2011-02-28T11:16:00.000-08:00

Is there anything better than Disneyland?

Treats:

Imagination and wonder:

New friends to love:

Family and friends to share it with:

Disneyland - Part 6: Pirate Island

2011-02-28T11:12:00.000-08:00

Visiting Pirate Island was definitely one of the coolest things we did. There was so much to explore. It was the perfect activity for the boys and gave us some down time from the rides.

Crossing a suspension bridge:

pumping water:

What boy doesn't love treasure?

Here we all are with our loot:

Disneyland - Part 5: Dumbo

2011-02-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

Gus' favorite ride by far was Dumbo. We visited it more times than I can count. I think we started everyday on Dumbo. It was the perfect ride for him: outside (he didn't like the dark, "scary" fairy tale rides), it wasn't too fast, he could control the up and down motion of the car and the line was always quick (as were all the other lines--Disneyland is January is amazing)

Here he is about to take his very first ride:

Can you see Mark and Gus?

Posing in the Dumbo Car next to the ride:

Family shot:

Disneyland - Part 4: Max's Favorites

2011-02-28T11:05:00.000-08:00

Max was just tall enough to ride every ride in Disneyland and he went on nearly all of them. He was most excited about riding Indiana Jones.
You can see the excitement in his eyes as he waits in line:

Another favorite was the Astro Orbiter.
Here's the riding spinning around at night (Max's favorite time to ride it):

And here's Max in front of it:

This is Max hysterically laughing as Gus and I nearly faint from fright on the HUGE ferris wheel in California Adventure. This was definitely one of his top 3 rides. The car we are in was on a sliding track so as we rounded the top, we slid and swung back and forth. It was terrifying! Max and Mark thought it was hilarious. Gus and I, not so much.

Disneyland - Part 3: First Impressions

2011-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

I've been dreaming of taking my kids to Disneyland for as long as I can remember. Some girls dream about their weddings, some wish for ponies, but for me, having a family to take to Disneyland was the ultimate dream. As we were waiting for the gates to open on that first day, I couldn't believe we were actually here, that I was about to walk down Main Street and see the big castle with my own children. Of course, before I was a mother I always imagined this day would include a little girl who would share my love of Alice in Wonderland and squeal at the sight of a "real life" castle. But as I waited there with my boys, those things didn't matter. This was their trip and I couldn't wait to see it through their eyes.
They certainly didn't disappoint.
From the moment we walked through those gates it was pure joy and loads of excitement from both boys. Walking down Main Street with wide eyes and gaping mouths, they pointed out every detail and tried to soak in all that they were seeing.
It was magic.
A dream come true.

Disneyland - Part 2: Meeting Characters

2011-01-24T11:48:00.000-08:00

Gus was so excited to encounter various Disney characters throughout the park. He would get so excited to meet them, but when it came to his turn, he'd always freeze and cling to one of us. The characters are so great with kids though and they always made him feel special and at ease. He got quite a few signatures in his autograph book and he sure is proud of them.

His favorite character, "Pluno" (as he calls him).

Pinocchio & Gepetto

Chip & Dale

Mickey Mouse!

Buzz Lightyear

Minnie Mouse

Disneyland - Part 1: Travel

2011-01-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

Here are the excited boys, waiting patiently in the airport. We told them the theme of our trip was going to be "patience" and they really did a good job with it.

View out the plane window of another plane similar in size to ours. It was tiny!

Upon arrival, the boys were delighted to discover our hotel room had a special Cars themed area just for them. They orginally had us in a princess room but the sweet lady at the front desk quickly remedied that situation when she realized we only have boys! The Fairfield Inn is a great place to stay! Right across the street from the entrance, lots of restaurants, comfortable rooms and best of all, a view of the Disney fireworks!

We're Going to Disneyland!

2011-01-19T11:33:00.000-08:00

While we're on the subject of crafting...

2011-01-08T21:49:00.000-08:00

Here's what I made our dear friends, Brian & Amber, for Christmas. They moved to Ohio this summer and are so very missed. I embroidered our states with connected hearts for our cities.

Love to Columbus...

...from Seattle.

(You may notice that I accidentally put the heart over Olympia at first. Took me 2 days to realize it. Geography is not my strong suit.)

Getting Ready

2011-01-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

Mark is out tonight, so I decided to make Mickey Mouse shirts for the boys in preparation for our top-secret trip to Disneyland next week. I cannot wait to tell the boys that we're going. I think their heads might explode.

This was my first time using freezer paper stencils and it worked really well. It was super easy. I used acrylic paint and I have no idea if it's machine washable. Next time I'd use fabric paint, but I didn't have any on hand.

Jr. Chef

2011-01-04T10:51:00.000-08:00

Prepare yourselves for an extra-surgary dose of pure cuteness when looking at the photos below. I'm just sayin'.

My sister found this adorable chef's hat and scarf on clearance at Gymboree and knew it was a must-have for our budding chef, Gus. He immediately wanted to bake after receiving it, so we got to work crafting some of his famous "feel-you-better" cookies. This time he was making them for some dear friends of ours and word is they loved them.

All dressed up and ready to bake:

Working hard:

The proud chef:

Just a little taste:

2010 in Pictures - December

2010-12-31T18:58:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - November

2010-12-31T18:56:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - October

2010-12-31T18:53:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - September

2010-12-31T18:48:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - August

2010-12-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - July

2010-12-31T18:14:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - June

2010-12-31T18:12:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - May

2010-12-31T18:11:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - April

2010-12-31T18:09:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - March

2010-12-31T18:07:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - February

2010-12-31T18:06:00.000-08:00

2010 in Pictures - January

2010-12-31T18:05:00.000-08:00

Silly Jack

2010-12-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

Gus got a Mr. Potato Head for Christmas and Jack got ahold of the glasses and tried with all his might to put them on his face. You gotta give the kid credit...he doesn't give up easily.

A Very Scarry Christmas

2010-12-29T22:39:00.000-08:00

Gus absolutely loves Richard Scarry books right now, so you can bet he was pretty darn thrilled with what he found under the Christmas tree this year.

He was so excited to receive a new book from Ama & Papa:

His very own Huckle Cat to love and cuddle (which he's done everyday since Christmas):

The Busytown board game. This game is so sweet and fun. We've already enjoyed many fun-filled games together.

Happy Max

2010-12-29T22:31:00.000-08:00

Max's Top 3 Christmas Gifts
(or more accurately, the 3 best pictures I got showing how happy he was)

Harry Potter book. He has seriously read this over and over everyday since receiving it on Christmas Eve. He studies every page. It's incredible.

Ron, Harry & Hermione action figures:

His very own chess set. He's already catching on quite well, but I'm looking forward to him starting his afterschool chess club where someone who actually knows what they're doing can teach him a bit better than I can!

Awesome Reactions

2010-12-29T22:23:00.000-08:00

The boys got a lot of really nice things this year. Unfortunately, I missed some amazingly cute reactions, but I did manage to catch a few . Check them out.

"I really love this!"

"Wow! Mickey Mouse shirts!"

"Clothes! Just what I always wanted!"

"Can't breathe...too excited...is this really happening?"
(It's a Harry Potter Lego board game, in case you're wondering.)

"Coooooooooooooooool!"

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T18:30:00.000-08:00

Hoping you all had a wonderful Christmas!
We certainly did!
More to come soon...

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

2010-12-24T21:36:00.000-08:00

Cousin Fun

2010-12-08T22:29:00.000-08:00

So I realize I'm waaaay behind on updating this blog. Sorry about that. Seems it's just not that easy to sit down at the computer these days. Perhaps having an almost-1 year old who is just beginning to take steps has a little something to do with that.

Here are a few shots of the snow just before Thanksgiving. The boys' cousins, Trenton and Tea, came for a visit and they had a blast playing in the snow together. I was beyond grateful for their company as I was able to stay warm & cozy inside while they played. Hooray for responsible, well-behaved, trustworthy older cousins!

Enjoying some delicious hot chocolate after all that fun:

Harry x 2

2010-12-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

Just before Halloween I found a Harry Potter Gryffindor robe at Goodwill for $2. I bought some eyeglasses there as well and popped out the lenses and, with just a few additions around the house (chopstick wand, knitted scarf, stuffed owl) we had a pretty complete costume. Max has recently been really into Mr. Potter and all his wizarding adventures, so we pulled out the costume this evening for a bit of magical fun.

Here are the boys as Harry and Ron, pointing their wands at me:

Max pretending to swim as part of a scene from 'The Prisoner of Azkaban":

Gus' turn to be Harry:

Posing just like his big brother:

I love seeing them so excited about a literary character. Next up, the Narnia series, although not for awhile since we're only on book 3 of the Potter series.

Snow Days!

2010-11-24T09:50:00.000-08:00

Our first snow of the year arrived a few days ago and the boys have been loving it. Well, Max and Gus have been loving it. Jack, not so much. He prefers to stay warm and cozy (just like his mama!) I'm so glad I was able to pick up snow suits for the boys this summer at a garage sale. $5 for both suits! It may have felt crazy to buy them while it was 80-degrees, but it certainly paid off! The boys stayed nice and warm in them.

The Happy Baker

2010-11-18T11:50:00.000-08:00

Gus and I made sugar cookies for Max's class this morning. That kid LOVES to bake!

My entire kitchen was covered in flour by the time we were done, but as Gus and I like to say, "Oh well, it's just flour!" Messes can be cleaned & no amount of flour would keep me from baking with this sweet boy.

Give Thanks

2010-11-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Check out my Thanksgiving garland. I made it last weekend and I'm really happy with how it turned out. I think it adds just the right amount of cozy to the living room.

I'm hosting the big feast this year. Fingers crossed that the food turns out!

Costumes!

2010-11-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

This year in the Kaetzel household we had a jedi, Buzz Lightyear and a monkey.

Max's costume was pieced together using his karate uniform, pajama pants, a pair of Mark's socks (worn over his shoes to look like boots), a cape that Mark's mom made last year and a belt made from a scrap of a brown pillowcase I got at Goodwill for $0.99.

Doesn't he look like a Jedi Master? Darth Vader beware!

Gus' costume was borrowed from my sister's neighbor, Beth. He wouldn't wear the wings, but he did put in a pair of vampire teeth for part of the day, announcing he was "Vampire Buzz."

I picked up Jack's costume this summer while we were at the Oregon Coast. I was at the Carters outlet oohing and ahhing over this sweet monkey costume, but lamenting the price ($25) when a nice lady came over and whispered to me that Costco was selling the same exact costume for $11.99. We hurried over there and picked one up tax free! Gotta love that!

Here's daddy holding the sweet monkey boy:

All 3 boys together at my parents' house. I could not for the life of me get Jack to look at the camera.

What a darling bunch of boys!

Halloween!

2010-10-31T08:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from the Kaetzel Family!

Target Practice

2010-10-29T15:54:00.000-07:00

The other day after picking Max up from school I announced that we needed to head to Target. Max immediately began to protest, saying, "But Moooooom, we always go to Target. Why do we go there so much?" Truthfully, the kid had a point. I love Target. I mean really, really love Target. I could wander the aisles for hours were it not for my band of rag-tag boys dragging behind me. When it's raining and there are still a number of hours before Mark gets home, a common phrase in my house is, "Hey, I have an idea. Let's go to Target!" So I get it. My boy simply doesn't share my same enthusiasm for this discount emporium of dreams (okay, maybe I love it a little too much), especially if he knows we're not going to be purchasing any toys.

On this particular trip I needed to get Gus some boots. He was heading to a pumpkin patch the next day with his preschool and I had accidentally left his rain boots outside in the rain. (Yes, I do see the irony, thank you.) As we were walking through the store, Gus was lagging behind, curiously examining every kitchen gadget, linen and small appliance. It was driving Max completely insane.

Finally Max calls out, "Gus! Hurry up or you are going to be disciplined when we get home!" (hmm...do you think they've heard that before?)
"No he's not," I said to Max, trying to stifle my laughter looking at my little 6 year old acting so parental.
Max shrugged his shoulders, gave a big sigh and muttered, "Well, he would in my world."

I can just imagine Max laying in bed at night, dreaming up all the things he'd change if he had a world of his own. No pesky brothers messing with his things, no green veggies and no more boring trips to Target would definitely top the list, I'm sure.

Activity Tree

2010-10-25T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is my latest project that I finally finished after far too long. It's an 'evening activity tree'.
"A what?" you ask.
Here's the deal...every evening Mark gets home and the boys go into a near-panic trying to make sure they get to do what they want with him, which usually leads to one kid crying that that's not what he wanted to do, 'so and so always gets to pick the activity', blah blah blah. Not to mention their choices usually include some sort of video game or wrestling moves, which pretty much leaves me out. My solution...create a sweet little tree with days of the week on the branches and little "activity birds" hanging from said branches. That way, the boys know what to expect and I have a way to get the kids to take baths, do art and read Bible stories without much fuss. Or at least that's the plan. Tonight was our first night using it and what was on the branch? Video games.
Go figure.

File Under: Things I Shouldn't Have To Say Before 8am

2010-10-21T08:47:00.001-07:00

"Why are there shark teeth in the bathroom?"

Max's Trip - Part 5

2010-10-20T15:45:00.000-07:00

Joy.

Despite the sadness of the loss of Great-Grandmom, Max had a wonderful time and is already talking about his next visit.

Max's Trip - Part 4

2010-10-20T15:41:00.000-07:00

Backyard Lightsaber Battles

These photos were totally Max's idea. I told him I see an Artistic Director career in his future.

Not sure who has more fun during these epic battles:

Max's Trip - Part 3

2010-10-20T15:38:00.000-07:00

A Day in D.C.

Max's Great-Uncle Bob was able to meet up with the crew at the Mall.

Unfortunately the Museum of Natural History (Max's #1 choice of sites to see) was closed for the day due to a broken water main. Max instead selected the Air & Space Museum, as well as the American History Museum and still had a fabulous day.

Here he is checking out Venus through a giant telescope:

Max and Mark near the Washington Monument:

Max's trip - Part 2

2010-10-20T15:32:00.000-07:00

Visiting with Mark's family:

These are 2 of Max's Great-Great-Great Uncles. Can you believe that??

Mark, Max and Uncle Randy. Uncle Randy was recently in a bad motorcycle accident, so it was really great that he was able to come down for a visit and pose for one of the "famous" porch-swing photos.

Great-Grandad, Mark, Max and Mom-Mom take their turn on the swing:

Now it's Grandad's turn:

Max's Trip - Part 1

2010-10-20T15:28:00.000-07:00

Visiting Great-Grandmom's gravesite.

Mark, Max and Great-Grandad take flowers to Great-Grandmom's grave. She passed just 2 weeks before Mark and Max's trip.

Just Another Kaetzel Car Ride

2010-10-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Virginia Lee Bidinger: 1927-2010

2010-09-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

Pilgrim Pathways

by Virginia Lee Bidinger

I walked with God on the mountain,

and breathed celestial air.

His glory and His majesty,

Were about me everywhere.

I walked with God thru the pages,

Of His Holy Living Word.

My soul drank in each truth divine,

And I delighted in my Lord.

I walked with God to Calvary,

But there He hid His face.

And I watched alone as His sinless Son,

Was dying in my place.

And then one day God came

And took me by the hand.

He said, "there is yet something

You do not understand."

He took me down a path of fire,

Where I had never been.

I felt the breath of satan's hosts,

The hate and wrath of sin.

I could no longer see Him,

So fierce the fire was now.

But He held me closely to His heart,

And soothed my trembling brow.

And then I knew what happened there,

That day at Calvary.

The Savior took my death and hell,

That God might walk with me.

So it matters not what path I tread,

He leads me gently o'er,

And at the end my Savior waits,

To welcome me on Heaven's shore.

----

Welcome Home, Grandmom.

Gentleman in the making

2010-09-19T20:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Mark, Gus and Max were playing the card game War and, upon flipping up a king and a queen, Max and Gus got into a discussion about who should win the round.
Gus: Daddy, does king beat queen or queen beat king?
Mark: King beats queen.
Max: But that can't be right. Boys aren't supposed to beat girls.

How right you are, my sweet, sweet boy. Don't you ever forget that.

Thrifted Joy

2010-09-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Goodwill I found these treasures for a total of $5. Man, I love thrift stores.

Painted wooden candlesticks:

The most adorable lidded pot ever. It goes so perfectly in my kitchen. I'm in love with it!

Monkey Head

2010-09-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

I just love this hat. Every time Jack wears it I can hardly stand to look at him he's so darn cute!

Seriously, look at that kid.
Delicious!

Welcome Eden!

2010-09-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Our good friends Jeff and Teresa welcomed their 3rd daughter into their family this week and we are so happy for them! She is absolutely beautiful and we are so excited to watch her grow.

Here's Mark holding her:

She looks absolutely identical to her oldest sister, Octavia. It was pretty incredible to look at pictures of Octavia and compare them to Eden. They are twins, 8 years apart!

I wanted to make her something special and here's what I came up with:

Welcome to the world, sweet Eden!

Gus in his own words

2010-09-09T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here's what Gus had to say about his first day of school:

Gus Goes to School

2010-09-09T09:33:00.000-07:00

Last week Gus started preschool which was super-stressful for me because he's been so clingy to me lately. I was having visions of him screaming when I tried to leave him, holding onto my leg with a death grip. When he woke up that first morning he was really quiet and nervous, but he was so excited to wear his new orange shirt and shoes and his owl backpack, so when I brought those things out he started warming up to the idea of going. He eagerly put everything on and posed for a couple photos outside:

Big Brother Max lead the way as we walked to school. Max kept reassuring Gus that he didn't need to be nervous because he'd show him what to do, since he was an expert on preschool. Gus was walking happily, talking about how excited he was. Mark and I kept exchanging nervous, hopeful glances that perhaps he would go in without any trouble.

As we approached the school his whole demeanor changed and he got really clingy and sad again. Mark and I tried being really enthusiastic but he wasn't buying it. He reluctantly walked in the door:

And this is where our photos end because sure enough, the crying and leg clinging began. It was so hard to leave him, but his teachers said once we were gone he was just fine. Day 2 involved more crying, but by Day 3 he was happily running in the door, giving me a goodbye kiss and wandering off to play. Thank goodness!

Kindergarten!

2010-09-08T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, the day has arrived! Max started kindergarten this morning. When he woke up he told me he was really excited and a little bit nervous. I told him I felt the same way and he smiled, comforted by the fact that he wasn't alone in his emotions. I didn't mention that I'd had a terrible time sleeping last night, had anxiety dreams when I did sleep and sort of felt like I was going to throw up when I woke up this morning and realized I actually had to let him go. No need for dramatics, right?

Here he is just before heading out to the bus stop. He looks so big and so little at the same time!

And here he is at the bus stop, looking at me like 'Why exactly are we standing out in the rain?'

The big first climb up into the bus! He did great. He didn't even hesistate to get on. I think it's from all the times we walked his cousin, Blake, to his bus stop last year. He knew just what to do.

That's right, we followed the bus, all 4 of us, in our minivan, stop after stop.

A big jump off the bus when he arrived:

I can always tell he's getting nervous when he starts to play with his hair:

Walking to class, telling Daddy about the "huge" library with "a million" books:

Here we are at Mrs. Gourdulan's class!

Max at his desk:

The whole family. Mark and I disguise our nervousness quite well, don't you think?

Looking forward to a great year at Jane Addams!!

For Brain & Amber

2010-09-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

Dear Brian & Amber,
Yesterday Gus asked if you could come over to see his new shoes. He's so proud of them. It is difficult for a 3-year old to understand the concept of distance, but we reminded him, as we have done so many times in the past couple weeks, that you are simply too far away for a quick visit. He thought it would be a good idea to send you a picture of his shoes. He's certain you will love them. So here they are, in all their orange splendor:

We miss you so much,
Marin

Class of 2019

2010-09-05T15:09:00.000-07:00

Max starts Kindergarten in just a few days and last week some of the kindergarten parents organized a potluck to meet some of the other Jane Addams families. About 20 families showed up (which is roughly 1/3 of the incoming class). Everyone seemed really nice and I'm looking forward to getting to know them better. Even still, I can't believe this is happening! How did my little guy grow up so fast?

Cupcake Goodness

2010-09-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago we took the boys to Cupcake Royale in Ballard for a sweet evening treat. To say they loved them would be a gross understatement. They devoured them and are already plotting a return visit.

brown*paper*packages

Lego Pride

Snow Day Fun

Snow Days!

O Christmas Tree

Christmas!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Kaetzel Pretzels

Jack's Birthday

Being Marin

Bah Humbug!

A Dollar Goes A Long Way

Santa Train and Christmas Tree

Kicking off the Season

I am the 13%

A Few Things

Pumpkins!

small moment

Max's Party: Part 4 - Honeydukes!

Max's Party: Part 3 - Classes in Action

Max's Party: Part 2 - Hogwarts

Max's Party: Part 1 - Diagon Alley

San Francisco: Part 4 - the Deyoung

San Francisco: Part 3 - the Homes

San Francisco: Part 2 - The Succulents

San Francisco: Part 1 - The Food

The Faces of Fort Stevens

Riding the Rides

Birthday Party!

Jack the Wilderness Boy

Fort Clatsop

Fort Stevens 2011

Dinner Lesson

Summer Treat

Brothers

Backyard

Random Ramblings of a Blogging Slacker

Sowing Seeds

Progress

A Rainbow of Cars

One More

I don't even know what to say...

Our Yard

Eva's Gift

Peace Project

Disneyland - Part 7: Joy

Disneyland - Part 6: Pirate Island

Disneyland - Part 5: Dumbo

Disneyland - Part 4: Max's Favorites

Disneyland - Part 3: First Impressions

Disneyland - Part 2: Meeting Characters

Disneyland - Part 1: Travel

We're Going to Disneyland!

While we're on the subject of crafting...

Getting Ready

Jr. Chef

2010 in Pictures - December

2010 in Pictures - November

2010 in Pictures - October

2010 in Pictures - September

2010 in Pictures - August

2010 in Pictures - July

2010 in Pictures - June

2010 in Pictures - May

2010 in Pictures - April

2010 in Pictures - March

2010 in Pictures - February

2010 in Pictures - January

Silly Jack

A Very Scarry Christmas

Happy Max

Awesome Reactions

Merry Christmas!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

Cousin Fun

Harry x 2

Snow Days!

The Happy Baker

Give Thanks

Costumes!

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