Channeling The Energy

Now that soccer has finished for McKenzie and we're settling into the Fall weather it was the perfect time to try something new, so this year we picked gymnastics.  With the energy level that the kids have and their love of all things that involve climbing, bouncing and jumping it was a perfect choice.  That and the fact that they have classes the kids can attend at the same time which saves us from having to entertain one while the other had a class.

We've gone for two weeks now and the kids are loving it!  It's always their favorite part of the weekend.  The gym has so many great things for the kids to try and learn but by far the best has been jumping off the big trampoline into the foam pit.  McKenzie saw the older girls flipping off the trampoline so of course she had to as well.  

Ben sticks to the feet first jumping but he has a hard time letting the other kids in his class have a turn.

Ben doing a back flip as part of an obstacle course.  I love that his class has the parents involved so I can keep him focused and on course.  He loves to try to escape to jump in the foam pit.

McKenzie practicing her balance beam work.  We'll have to work on getting those arms out to the sides a little more.

The best part about the gymnastic classes is they run year long but you sign up in six week sessions so we can do the sessions that work for us and take breaks for things like the holidays.  Looking forward to seeing all the new skills the kids learn.

From The Ashes

One year ago today was the day our neighbors' house caught fire, I called the fire department and Matt went to make sure the family was out safely.  It was a big day in our neighborhood and it's something that has stayed with McKenzie for a long time.  If you've spent much time with McKenzie in the last year you've probably heard the entire tale from her viewpoint.

Our neighbors were able to move back into their newly built house in September and we've visited the house throughout the process so it's been helpful for McKenzie to see that progress and for things to be back to normal for their family.  October is also fire awareness month with our local fire stations so we had a chance to go tour one of the fire stations near out house.  It was a good trip for McKenzie to have some new associations with firefighters and fire trucks.  She thinks she might even want to be a firefighter when she grows up, or maybe work in the coffee stand, or the car wash, or fly a plane, or be a teacher, or a million other things.

At the fire station the kids got fire hats, cookies, stickers and they even got to sit in the firetrucks and ambulances.  Ben was in heaven with all the buttons these vehicles came with.  Love that you can tell Ben is making truck noises as he drives the fire truck.

So excited to be racing off to save the day!

There are so many interesting parts on a fire truck.  I hope that the firefighters checked out all the trucks to make sure everything was connected correctly after we left.

 Adorable fireman - he loved his fire hat.

Stop, drop and roll.  McKenzie learned a lot about fire safety during our visit.  Such as great way to expose kids to the safety tips they need to know while sharing something they find so amazing.  

Thank you Fire District 7 for creating a great day for the kids and more importantly for always being there when we need you!

#CrushingIt

The long awaited Crush 2011 post!  This year we made it over for the first of the two actual Chelan Crush weekends.  As usual we were less interested in the crush related activities and more interested in own plans. We had a great group of eight ladies enjoying the adventure - Annie, Anneliese, April, Carrie, Jennifer, Lynn, Misty and me.  It was the perfect number for a low key weekend enjoying good wine, great friends and a lot of laughter.

We did our traditional appetizers, wine and games on Friday night - this year Carrie planned out a series of Minute to Win It games for us to compete in for fabulous prizes. I did take pictures of the games but you really had to be there to truly understand the fun.  We also added in something new - we did a craft project to create our unique wine embellishment of the year.  Anneliese did the research and found all the supplies to make the favorite embellishment yet - cork earrings!!  Misty and I are modeling them at Mellisoni.  They were a hit everywhere we went - I think we need to consider Lynn's idea of making extra of whatever our embellishment is and sell it along the way next year.

Saturday morning was filled with fantastic crepes prepared by Jennifer - a definite tradition in the making!  We had both savory and sweet crepes so there was something for everyone.  While the crepes were being enjoyed we got our crock-pot dinners started and then Carrie did our hair since we all wanted up-do's to highlight our stylish earrings.  From there we were off on our wine tour in the beautiful Fall weather.

Here is our route through the wineries along with my personal reviews.  First stop was at Mellisoni, we drove there again since we planned to spend more time there than just a quick tasting.  This winery has just gotten better with age, when we visited them last year they had only been open two months and they only continue to improve.  We had a private tasting scheduled since they aren't open to the public yet.  The tasting was held at their fantastic fire pit overlooking the lake and we had all sorts of wonderful food pairings to try their wines with.  We actually called and pushed our bus out another hour we were enjoying ourselves so much.  Next year our plan is to book a private tasting for Friday night and leave no reason to rush off from the wonderful wines and atmosphere at Mellisoni.

After a quick drive back to the house we packed some of Jennifer's famous snacks for the bus and were off on our tour.  The bus was still a great fit for our needs as usual there are as many memories from on the bus as from the wineries.

Second stop was at Tildio Winery, which we have been to in the past but had skipped over for the past few years.  It was good to stop in and catch up on their new blends and see how things had changed.  We enjoyed their wines and they have some beautiful art inside the winery to go with their views outside.

Next we headed to our favorite, Hard Row To Hoe, which has been one of our consistent stops over the years.  There are so many things to love about Hard Row - from the owners who are on site and actively engage with you while you're visiting, to their great wines which we bought way too much of, to our favorite wine guy Rudy who always has a smile and local tale for us.  This is essentially the Disneyland of wineries - they have woven everything they create into their brand and the story that goes along with it.  It's so nice to visit year after year and see the stories continue to evolve and grow.  They had some fantastic new wines, the Ice Cider Dessert Wine was a personal favorite.  We'll definitely have Hard Row on the list for next year.

After Hard Row we tried to go to Karma but they were closed for a private event which was a real bummer since some of the group hasn't seem their amazing wine cave but we always have next year.  We next attempted to go to Nefarious which we have been to one other year but they had a sign saying they weren't taking large parties and then when we peaked in they were very full so we headed back to the bus - but first Carrie stopped to taste their grapes.

Tsillian Cellars has been a long time favorite of the group because of its beautiful setting and we remember that time we listened to the Paperboys during Crush and had a fantastic evening there.  We don't always stop here since the group has mostly experienced their wines and are mainly just picking up some favorites for home rather than trying new things.  It was a great stop this year because they also had a private event going on so we got to taste some great wine and see a wedding take place.  Always a beautiful setting for any event!

Our final stop was at Benson Vineyards, which is always a favorite of mine.  Their setting is amazing - no other winery in Chelan has the triple treat that Benson does - amazing facilities, view of the lake and my favorite part is that the vineyard is between you and the lake so you get that postcard feeling.  As usual the Benson family was on site and so pleasant to visit with.  I love when the people who had the dream are there living it!

 When we arrived home we were ready for dinner and our chili and french chicken soup were just perfectly done.  We sorted wine, ate our great dinner, and then had some more wine and spent the evening calling some of the girls who couldn't make it and singing songs recorded in their voice mails.  We played some games and then decided to call it a night.

Sunday morning was our usual get up and get out of town routine.  We had bran muffins and chili cheese eggs and then arranged our wine for the finale photo shoot.  Unfortunately, in the lessons learned column for this year we need to write down who has what wine - don't just take pictures with one camera, especially someone who's still learning how to use their fancy pants camera.  My camera wasn't focusing correctly and I thought I figured it out but instead I just ended up setting it to manual focus which in the end meant little to no focus.  I have been so sad about it and have been putting off the post - the pictures looked perfect on the camera but when I got them onto my computer they were just blurry enough to be really annoying.

Not to be forgotten are Grandma and Grandpa C and the kiddos who had so much fun together during their weekend that I hardly saw any of them.  Kenzie and Ben love spending time over in Chelan being with Grandma and Grandpa C.  Another blurry picture which breaks my heart because this would have really been a good one - just squint a bit and it clears right up!  Time for me to take the camera class I didn't make time for this summer...

For any regular blog readers who think Crush sounds like fun, don't worry you have missed out on too much to catch up, just join us next year for our fun in Chelan because just like Christmas, Crush happens every year!  Coming soon will be a post where I recap all the previous years of Crush so we have a record of it and can remember how many years we've been doing this.  Until next year keep #CrushingIt ladies!

Mikey Doesn't Have Anything On Ben...

Who remembers the Mikey likes it commercials for Life Cereal?  Probably everyone because according to Wikipedia it first aired in 1972 and then proceeded to be on air for the next twelve years as the longest continuously running commercial ever aired.  The main factor leading to the success of this particular commercial was how easy it was to relate with as everyone has known a Mikey.  I never thought I'd have a kid who "won't eat anything."  I've always thought that picky kids were created that way by their parents and then along came Benny.  He really wouldn't eat anything but great news, just like Mikey, Ben is slowing expanding his acceptance of food besides peanut butter, cheese, crackers, pizza and fruit.  He will actually eat a little steak and some chicken now.  When we find a new food that Ben will actually try the Mikey likes it commercial plays in my mind.  I can see the amazement on the commercial's brothers face as he takes a bite.  Just like Mikey if Ben eats something it must be good!

With all this picky eating we've had trouble keeping his weight up and all the suggestions from doctors such as putting butter and mayo on his food backfired.  Since he eats such simple foods it's hard to slip in anything extra without him rejecting everything.  The one thing that has been a huge breakthrough was finding full fat Greek yogurt.  He will plow through a huge bowl of that anytime we give it to him, he especially likes it with cereal mixed in.  Greek yogurt is a huge win because it has lots of fat, protein and calcium.  All things he needs more of since he also will not drink milk.

Maybe Life cereal should make a remake of that commercial and Ben could be the star.  Here's to our picky eater trying more "Life" as he gets older!

A Phi-Nomenal Getaway

Way back in the Spring Aunt Jennifer, Aunt Anne and I attended a Red Dress Gala sponsored by the local chapter of our sorority, Alpha Phi (thus the blog title using "phi").  It was a great night with silent and live auctions and a nice dinner and lots of great wine.  We bid on a lot of things in the silent action and I think we each won one thing that later we were surprised we'd bid on in the first place.  Our big moment though was bidding in the live action for a weekend getaway to a house on Orcas Island.  We won that auction item and have been looking forward to this weekend all year long.

It was a fantastic weekend and a nice chance to relax and enjoy the slower pace of island life.  We got to ride a ferry to the island which is always a treat to the kiddos.  First attempt at taking a good shot of all three kids.  

The house that we rented was located right on the water with a nice grassy lawn leading down to the rocky beach.  There was lots to keep the kids entertained, rock throwing, hunting seashells, and creating all sorts of structures with drift wood.  I could get used to a view like that.

Ben creating a house out of driftwood.  I know that look he's giving the camera - it's the one he gets after he says, "Don't do my work."  A common phrase of his these days and trust me he does a lot of work.

Saturday morning the kids and I went into town to hunt for some breakfast treats, I had a nice little bakery in mind for scones, muffins and other treats but instead we found the doughnut section at the local market.  Doughnuts are a very rare treat at our house so they were well received by the kids.  McKenzie was trying to offer everyone doughnuts and Uncle Chris was a tough customer until she said, "but they have sugar on top!" Sold!  Who can refuse sugar in the morning?  Not Ben.  You can see how pleased he is here but what you can't see is that he was literally running in place in the kitchen while eating his doughnut he was so crazy from the sugar.

After breakfast we spent some quality bubble time in the backyard.  Lots of fun was had by all and we burned off a little of the sugar.  Another attempt at a picture of all three kids.

We went into town to visit the farmers market after breakfast and strolled through the downtown area which was very cute.  I would have loved to go in some of the shops but with the kids it's hard to browse cute little shops.  We did stop for a second breakfast / brunch at a great little restaurant and bakery (that wasn't open earlier).  Claire and McKenzie are enjoying being big girls with their orange juice and meals actually ordered off the menu just for them.

Another shot of Claire and McKenzie being so cute sitting in a wagon on the street corner.  They are wearing their new art aprons that Aunt Jennifer got them at the farmers market.

Next stop was Mt. Constitution, which is a hike that Matt and I did at sixth grade camp way back in middle school.  We actually hiked it as kids but this time we just drove to the top and then went up to the watch tower which McKenzie was sure was Rapunzel's castle.

On the drive back down we stopped to do a little hiking to see some waterfalls and decided to take a group shot.  Classic!  This one will go down in history as one of those great family shots you remember through the years.  Who decides to climb out on a slanting long over a stream with three small kids?

McKenzie and Claire going off road on the way back up.  They did really good walking like bears on the entire log.  

Sunday morning was all about cleaning, packing and getting in line for the ferry.  The kiddos got to see an amazing amount of jelly fish right down at the docks by the ferry.  

It was a great trip, so much fun to explore another area around the great Northwest and expose the kids to different places and things.  The real highlight of the trip was that Aunt Anne and Rich watched all three kids both nights so that Aunt Jennifer, Uncle Chris, Matt and I could go out to two great dinners!  We're already planning for next years Red Dress Gala.  Wonder what we'll bid on next?

Mini-Me

If I ever wondered where these kids get their daredevil ways I now have my answer.  Yes, they both have on their bike helmets but as far as I know if you're going to have a two year old riding on your bike with you they should have their own seat.  Needless to say Ben thought it was the best thing ever to ride Daddy's big bike around.

{ Father and Son at 12:30 PM }

{ Father and Son at 1:30 PM }

Ben loves to do anything his Daddy is doing!  

Following The Leader

Our September adventures took us out to Gig Harbor for an open house at Matt's cousin Pam and her husband Steve's new house.  Not wanting to miss out on a chance to explore while we were out and with some extra time before the party we ended up stopping at Kopachuck State Park.  It was a great mix of hiking and beach for exploring.

Here are the kids doing their version of hiking, which really means running wildly along the trail until they are tired or trip on something.  If we can keep one of them moving they will both usually keep going.  They hate being outdone by each other.

Down on the beach they were trying to jump from rock to rock.  Poor Ben was attempting to jump distances he had no hope of making so we had to distract him with something better than jumping off rocks.

We had them pose on this rock to get their picture taken - so cute!

Here's what the rock really looked like.  They loved climbing up on that big rock.  Luckily no one jumped off this one.

Our intense little guy hauling sticks around on the beach.  He loves to find the biggest stick possible to move around.  

Kenzie trying to decide which rocks where her favorite to add to her every growing rock and shell collection.  My purse weighted ten pounds more than when I hiked down since she kept putting in just one more.

The park had a beautiful view and we had the beach all to ourselves.  It was a great spot to spend a sunny morning!

We stopped at a bench on our hike out and got our picture taken.  It's so nice to get a picture of all four of us.  Exploring with these two never gets old.  

The Flying Zarembas

No, thank goodness the kids haven't taken up the trapeze yet but they are well on their way.  We were invited to a pool party at one of McKenzie's soccer teammates house after a game and the kids put on quite a show.  Kenzie and Ben were the first kids in the water and they insisted on going in with a splash.  Ben went off the pool slide and Kenzie off the diving board.  Matt and I weren't even in the pool but they did have their floaties on.  As the other kids slowly got into the pool, most with full life jackets clinging to parents, Kenzie decided to take it up a notch.

We are not even sure where she learned this, Matt told her it was okay to dive from the diving board since this pool was deeper than the gym pool where diving is not allowed.  The go ahead to dive turned into her doing flips off the diving board.  The other parents were amazed and so were we!

Kenzie must have done twenty flips off the board and would have kept going but we decided to call it a day before things got any wilder.  Maybe she'll become an Olympic diver - who knows!  We are looking forward to more diving practice next summer at Grandma and Grandpa Z's pool which was  renovated this summer.  

The Great Outdoors

One of the key things Matt and I want to ensure our kids keep as they grow up in our world of video games, cell phones and other technical gadgets is a love of being outdoors.  We have been looking around for local hikes to take them on and we discovered that Lord Hill Park is very close to our house and offers miles of hiking.  We had a rare weekend day free in early September so we packed up a lunch and headed out to enjoy the day.

The kids loved the hike at first with Ben running wildly along the path yelling "run, run, run, jump" and doing just that as he narrowly missed tripping on roots, rocks, and all sorts of obstacles in his path.  He is nimble like a cat which is very lucky given the rate of speed he chooses.  

When we stopped for lunch we tried to get the kids to pose for a picture in this cute little clearing but what we got instead was stinging nettles. You can see in this picture that Ben is just discovering that something is hurting his legs.  Kenzie managed to walk right through them unharmed but Ben got a few bumps but didn't seem to care after I rescued him from clearing.  You have to be tough if you're going to play outside!

  

We ended up hiking about two miles which I think is pretty good given we didn't carry the kids at all.  They did pretty good on the way out but on the way back having some treats to use as incentives to keep them moving helped.  The most exciting thing we saw was horses.  This is a horse park as well as a hiking park.  We probably saw ten different horses on parts of the path with us.

Here's Matt and the kids taking a break on a bench.  I love seeing their happy faces as they enjoy some great family time hiking.

It was a great way to spend a sunny day and we will definitely be returning to Lord Hill Park in the near future for more adventures.  Maybe we can make it three miles next time!