Mulberry Street

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We had a wonderful Christmas holiday with friends, who are as close as family. We enjoyed great food and great company while we participated in various holiday activities. Thank you!

Figure 1 - Bigfoot sighted on 12/20/08 Bigfoot (genus homme faible ), also known as Sasquatch, is an alleged ape-like creature purportedly inhabiting forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America, particularly within 50 miles of Cabela's. Bigfoot is usually described as a large, hairy, humanoid who like other bipedal primates often leaves the toilet seat up. It is readily identified by the exotic patterns of facial hair, the length of which varies seasonally, and the random combinations of grunts and clicks that serve as the creature's primary means of communication. Bigfoot's diet largely consists of large game meat, but Bigfoot often supplements its diet with doughnuts. The scientific community considers Bigfoot to be a combination of folklore, misidentification, hoaxes, and candid photographs gone awry. Despite its dubious status, Bigfoot is one of the more famous examples of cryptozoology and has become a popular symbol among camouflage-clad hunters s...

I've said it before, you have to take 100 photos to get at least a few shots that turn out. I took 78 photos during this particular shoot and obviously, they didn't all turn out. However, I captured several different faces of Genevieve which you couldn't appreciate in just one photo. Did I mention that our camera finally reset it's internal numbering system? I guess it does that after you take 9999 photos. Apparently, we took A LOT of photos in one year's time.

We pulled out the Christmas tree on November 30th. Then it sat until I put it together on December 4th. It wasn't until December 9th that I finally "trimmed" the tree with ornaments. But, hey it still gave us a full 16 days to enjoy the fully decorated Christmas tree. Genevieve helped supervise the process, to make sure all the "fun" ornaments were on her eye level. Our annual Christmas photo after the firm Christmas party when we dress up and try to look like adults. Are you jealous of the cheesy "dance photo" pose? I put up a "baby" tree for Genevieve in an attempt to keep her fingers off the more fragile ornaments on the big tree. It works about 80% of the time, so I consider it a success. In the morning Genevieve takes all the ornaments off her tree and carries them around. Then she does it all over again the next day. A snowflake ornament made by my Grandma Noreen. Using the timer to take some Christmas photos of Genevieve and I. Gen...

This time around Genevieve didn't cry, but she didn't relieve her death grip from Eric's arm either. The entire time Santa was in the room Genevieve kept her eye on him, just to make sure he didn't make any sudden moves. She was however, very pleased with the gift Santa brought for her - a baby doll, complete with hat and binki. Maybe next year will be better.

Genevieve has a new clothing line coming out in 2009. It incorporates stripes, more stripes, and prints. Straight from the runways of Milan, be the first to wear this new stylish and modern look. (Did I really dress her in all stripes?! Eeek.)

This photograph pictures my favorite childhood ornament. I like this particular ornament because it is carved from wood and hand painted. As I recall, each of my siblings and I received similarly themed ornaments every year. A few of these ornaments include these wood dolls, glass rocking horses, and large gold circles with the year and a picture. As we got older, my mother would plan out ornaments we could make together during a December family home evening. Now that I have my own family, we select one ornament that represents something special from the year; like a train to remind of us of our trip to West Virginia. Photo by Alisha Photo date: December 16, 2008

At 6:30am this morning Eric left for a mountain bike ride. Yes, in the middle of December and in chilly 39 degrees with 70% humidity. Last night Eric said, "I'm going to get out whenever it gets above 40 degrees this winter." He better hope the temperature doesn't drop while he is on the trail. Better yet, I hope he doesn't wreck and fall off some invisible cliff, because, you and I both know nobody else is on the trail. Sometimes you aren't aware of everything your spouse is capable of, until they show you.

It may be improper etiquette to share two gross stories in the same week. However, to complete my five-days-in-a-row posting streak here goes... Have you ever set a mouse trap before? It is a little unnerving and because my hands were shaking the entire time, I was just sure to have "an accident" involving my body parts rather than the mouses’. Well, today I set four traps and I might get some more, just to be sure. We've lived in our home for over four years and never once encountered a mouse, until now. Well, we haven't encountered a mouse, only his/her tiny little poop. Luckily we caught on to their appearance quickly so with any luck we'll get rid of them quickly. They chewed into a bag of chocolate chips, one of those 64 oz bags from Costco so I am sure in just a few days time they've fattened up. Since chocolate is what they're accustomed too (rather fitting for my household actually) I set the traps with chocolate. Now, every day I have to check th...

Why do we all fear the dentist so much? Have you actually been harmed or hurt or scared by your dentist? While sitting through my cleaning this week I contemplated these things and more. I came to the conclusion that the reasons I am a little nervous, maybe even rigid, once I sit down in the chair include the following: -The position of the chair. It isn't just that you're reclined, but that they tip you down a tad, you know for a better view of your teeth. I'm all for a better view if it decreases the likelihood of "an accident" but it makes me feel like I am in an alien space ship, especially when they don their masks and pull out the light. -The sound of the tools. It is a good thing drills are reserved for "heavy" cleaning and cavities because I simply can't take the sound of it during every visit. And how about the sound of the suction tube and the 15 horsepower toothbrush. Due to the highly sensitive nerve endings ALL over my mouth it makes me ...

Do you know how to sign "all done" using sign language? With open palms you rotate your wrists back and forth. Genevieve recently received a round of shots at the doctors office. The nurse made the mistake, during the first or second shot out of three, by saying, "We're almost done." It was an attempt to calm Genevieve down. However, upon hearing the nurse say those words Genevieve began to sign and say, with tears in her eyes and desperation in her face "all done....all done...all done." It was heart wrenching because she wasn't done and her little plea was so intense. I hate taking Genevieve in for shots because along with the nurse, I am the bad guy. I think we should all take a vote as to whether or not Eric should take her in next time. My vote - Yay.

For a few years now, Eric's brother Rod has invited Eric to participate in an extreme adventure race in Moab, Utah. Eric has unfortunately told him "no" time and time again because of injuries or work commitments. However, 2009 appears to be the year for these two brothers to join forces and run the race together (with 2 other teammates making a total of 4). Eric will mountain bike, kayak, navigate, rappel, and trek (hike/run) for 12 grueling hours during the race . Although the race is at the end of March, Eric is already ramping up his exercise regimen to make sure he doesn't "disappoint Rod." As some of you may be aware, these two brothers have a bit of a fitness competition (all in a kind, good-natured, brotherly sort of way - remember this post ? Eric recently said the following regarding this very ride, "Neither brother wanted to admit defeat, so they completed the ride and both suffered a little frostbite in their fingers." Type A's what...

Suddenly I felt like I needed a snack. After I surveyed my choices; yogurt, fruit leather, veggies, crackers, cheese, etc. I settled on a glass of milk and a Caramello. May I add that even though it was the least healthy choice I could have made, it is the best tasting choice.

I'm pretty sure I ingested a paper napkin. Well, at least half of a paper napkin. How does that happen. I'll tell you... Saturday night we attended a Christmas Party with lots of hot chocolate, wassail, and egg nog. After my first mug I placed my napkin in the bottom of my cup because I thought I was done. Then when I went to rinse my cup I saw the "spicy hot chocolate" and thought I'd give it a try. When I was 2/3's done with the cup I noticed something in my mouth. Braces, no it wasn't that. There was something chunky, but elusive and I couldn't pull it out of my mouth. So mid-conversation I walked to the sink and dumped the mug. What remained was all that remained of yes, my napkin. Gross huh. Maybe if I hadn't added all those marshmallows I would have noticed it sooner. So sorry to Ie Li for just walking away and never finding my way back. I was embarrassed to admit what had happened, until now. Needless to say, I lost my desire for any more ho...

Last night we attended our church's annual Christmas party. We enjoyed good food, good company, and good entertainment. We also enjoyed watching the children's growing excitement, then reactions to Santa Claus. I was asked to take the photos of all the kids sitting on Santa's lap and since Eric treated me to a new flash for the camera, I agreed. There are always kids who love to see Santa and there are always children who hate to see Santa. As you can guess we saw a mixed bag with the 100+ kids. While I would love to show off my favorites (smiles and screams), I'll respect the privacy of others and just show you Genevieve. We were betting that even though Genevieve was a good sport last year, her sportsmanship may be lacking this year. Here are the results: Genevieve & Santa, 2007 Santa, Genevieve & Eric, 2008 (Click to enlarge the second photo and you can really see the terror on her face.) What happened to the happy little elf we brought with us last year?...

We're headed to warmer weather for a post-Christmas trip and ever since I told Genevieve about it, she has insisted on packing up the essentials - bathing suits. Each day she pulls out all the bathing suits from a drawer and proceeds to put them on, in layers of course so in case she gets too warm she can shed them. Genevieve has entered the dress-up stage, officially. She even likes to dress up in goggles (pictured above). Photo by Alisha Photo date: December 9, 2008 Below is the progression of her dress up. She starts with one item and ends with six. Once she was too tired to play she took a rest, but wanted to keep her bathing suit on. At least she has the presence of mind to do this over her sleeper so she stays warm.

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens Brown paper packages tied up with strings These are a few of my favorite things " It's hard to believe that Genevieve is old enough to have specific interests. It might be a stretch to call these interests or items "favorite things" but since The Sound of Music created the timeless classic song, we'll call the following Genevieve's favorite things. Blueberries : Fresh, frozen or dried, (she might even eat them fried) Genevieve will eat blueberries until she turns blue. Do you remember the scene from “Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory” when Violet turns blue and blows up into a round ball, because she ate blueberry candy? I’m pretty sure Genevieve would get to this point, without supervision. Babies : Baby dolls and stuffed animals (and clown). Genevieve spends a lot of time moving each of the said items from place to place; from the couch to the stairs; from the stairs to the kitchen; from kitchen to the b...