It's beginning to look a lot like...

...Christmas, finally, at the Deaver house. Joe's finals schedule really cramped our style this year, so we just got our Christmas tree this last weekend. Better late than never! Madison and Hayes wore their Christmas clothes to church yesterday, and looked pretty cute (especially in their opinion). Last night we decorated the tree, and it is hard to tell from the picture, but it is adorned with blue and orange twinkle lights. Go Broncos! Now we just have to finish our Christmas shopping.

I think Hayes is doing some kind of jazz hands/spirit fingers here. This is not the only picture of him in this pose.

*31*

Saturday was Joe's 31st birthday. He celebrated by going to the Apple Cup with one of his high school friends (UW vs. WSU football game). UW won, so I think he had a good birthday.

I am going to attempt a list of 31 things about Joe, but it will probably be super-controversial so I may regret this in the end.

1. He loves to play college bowl, a sort of trivia competition. This is actually how we met. He is really good at it. I am not.
2. He wears shorts almost everyday of the year. Even if it is cold outside.
3. He gets weird diseases and injuries, like hepatitis E.
4. He is really great at playing with the kids, they love to wrestle and tickle with him.
5. He is one of the hardest people I know to shop for; I dread present-related occasions because of him.
6. He loves to travel and see new things, if he ever has free time he starts planning elaborate road trips.
7. He is disgusted with toothbrushes that have soft bristles, he only likes the hard ones that scrape off pieces of his gums in the process.
8. He loves fantasy sports. He spends weeks planning and practicing his fantasy football draft, recruiting people to his league, and setting things up in general. He loves me so much that he actually will let me, the only girl in the league, participate.
9. He loves playing card games, especially spades, and has a spades night once a month with his med school friends.
10. He hates TV shows like sitcoms or dramas, and only likes to watch sports on TV. The only exceptions being Lost, Prison Break, Top Chef, and The Biggest Loser (where we have both actually teared-up).
11. He HATES/can't eat onions at all. If he bites into one he will throw it up (so he says).
12. He loves to golf, and is always sneaking out in good weather with his friends to a golf course.
13. He is not addicted to video games, and for that I am thankful.
14. He loves to cook and grill, and is really good at improvising in the kitchen.
15. He gets really into intramural sports. Even with his hurt ankle he still manages to dominate in softball, flag football, and volleyball.
16. He is very smart, was valedictorian in college, and has a great memory.
17. He is not a big reader, but does love to do Sudoku.
18. Sometimes he likes to get all dressed-up and take me out to really nice restaurants, even though he would be happy with little cheap restaurants that creep me out.
19. I think his dream career would be a doctor for an NFL or MLB team so he could meet the players and always go to all the games.
20. He seems to attract friends named Eric/Erik. He has at least 4 or 5 that I know of.
21. He has an obsession with the state of Maine, he has never been, but he is convinced that he will love it.
22. He doesn't let me get away with too much (in a good way). If he knows I don't want to do something because I am being lazy or am scared to do it, he makes me do it, which is good.
23. He thinks the worst gift I ever got him was the Sound of Music on DVD. He is probably right.
24. He has a "side of the bed." No matter where we are, he has to have his side of the bed. He even made me sleep on the crappier side of the bed when I was pregnant, and will probably never let that go!
25. He isn't a big fan of anything sweet, but he does love cheesecake, and is always trying to talk me into making chocolate chip cookies.
26. He likes everything to be logical.
27. He does not like the way that I drive, and pretty much never lets me drive if he is in the car.
28. If he does something he always does it well. He is meticulous and likes a good thorough job.
29. For one summer he was addicted to the movie version of Phantom of the Opera. Kind of out of character for him.
30. I don't think that he could ever turn down a plate of ribs.
31. Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday, New Year's is his least favorite.

Wow, I thought a list of 31 things was going to be hard, but it wasn't too bad. Happy Birthday, sweetums, don't expect a new list next year, I think I am out of ideas!

Thanksgiving

This year we let Hayes handle the photography for Thanksgiving. After weeding through about 30 pictures of his feet, this is what we came up with.

We spent Thanksgiving in Yakima with Joe's family, the kids were excited, as always, to see Grandma and Grandpa. We had a fun time. Dinner was great, and I contributed the pies this year. I do enjoy making and eating pies! We even got a couple of days of sunshine, which was so nice!

Boise/Halloween

On Thursday the kids and I flew to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Boise. We left Joe at home to study for his Cardiovascular final, fun! We had a great visit. Grandma and the kids decorated sugar cookies to look like pumpkins. We also were able to visit some friends, including Hayes' girlfriend Annie (ask him anytime who his girlfriend is, and he will tell you it is Annie, it's pretty funny).

Thursday night, my parents, my friend Melissa and I went to a dinner for Idaho Humanities. It was great. We heard prolific writer and Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer speak about the relevance of Lincoln today.

Friday I hit the Idaho State Archives for some research. It went well, now I just need to finish up my paper!

Saturday my dad and I went to the Boise State/San Jose State football game. I was so glad to be back at the blue turf. The game was a blast. My dad got picked to go on the field at half time to kick a 35 yard punt into the back of the orange Bronco truck to win it. He did a pretty good job, but we didn't make it home with the truck.

That night I took the kids trick-or-treating. They dressed up as their favorite band KISS. They had their guitars, tattoos, face paint, wigs, and black fingernails. They were the coolest kids on the block. We got to see a lot of friends from Boise, and the kids were glad to get a lot of candy!

We had a fun time in Boise!

*5*

So big! Madison turned five last Tuesday. It was a big day! Hayes and I took cupcakes to Madison's class at school. We got to sing happy birthday to her and Hayes and Madison passed out the cupcakes to her classmates. After school we opened presents at home with Aunt Melissa. That night we went to Madison's favorite spot: Chuck E. Cheese's. She had a blast playing the games and riding the little rides. We decided to hit Trophy Cupcake instead of making a cake this time. So we each got a birthday cupcake. Madison and Hayes had to have the Halloween-themed cupcakes and Joe and I split a snickerdoodle and red velvet cupcake. It was pretty fun. Madison is getting so old now! She loves school, playing with friends, watching movies, and reading.

Madison opening her present: Hayes all wrapped up!

Pohm School Field Trip

Last weekend Liz (SVU college roommate and friend-but that may be stretching it, J/K Liz) paid us a visit in Seattle. We had a whirlwind of adventures and were able to "catch-up." We got into Crush, a top Seattle restaurant, and got to participate in their tasting menu ($30 for 3 courses). Each course just got better and better, but the chocolate they gave us with the bill that contained Pop Rocks, was probably the most innovative. We hit Pike's Place market with the kids, and that was an adventure. The produce stands were gorgeous with the farm-fresh wares that all looked so good. Their were also a couple of stands crammed full of bouquets of flowers, which seemed like an unnecessary extravagance, but eventually I caved and bought $5 bouquet of oranges, yellows, and reds. We had a lunch of donuts that were pretty delicious and then headed to the waterfront park and Olympic Sculpture Park. The sculptures were impressive, the weather was beautiful, and we got great views of the Puget Sound.

The next day we took the ferry to the peninsula. While there we went to Fort Worden and went out on the beach. Liz and the kids really enjoyed playing in the sand. We could see Canada (it didn't look like they were up to anything, but you never really know). After that we got ice cream in Port Townsend and walked around the little shops.

Sunday night Mary came over and we really had an SVU reunion going. It was really fun to talk and hang out. Finally Liz had to go home and I think she took all of our sunshine because it is GONE. It has rained every day since she left! Thanks for coming out Liz!

Fan Appreciation Night

Last Friday night we went to Fan Appreciation night at Safeco Field. This was Hayes' first Mariner's game, and I think he wouldn't mind going again. We got a bag of peanuts and he was in heaven. The game was not very good (it was kind of boring and we lost), but we did have fun.

Whidbey Island Weekend

Two weekends ago (?) we took the Mukilteo ferry over to Whidbey Island for the weekend. We had a blast and the weather was pretty nice. We stopped at a kid's festival on the southern part of the island, which the kids loved. They got all kinds of free stuff, and got to do a bunch of fun things like play drums, go down big slides, and play with bubbles. It was definitely a hit. We went to Deception Pass State Park, and played on the beach for awhile (alright, I read), and then toured the bridge that connects Whidbey Island to another one. At Fort Casey they were having a kite festival so we went to check that out, and it was impressive. I had no idea that people did competitive flying to music (it was like couple's ice skating or something) it was pretty cool. Madison and Hayes also got to make and fly their own kites too! We definitely had a great trip.

Last Day of Summer

To celebrate a beautiful Seattle day and the last day of summer we went to our favorite park (Carkeek) for some beach time. The kids played for hours while I was able to lounge in the sand and read in the sunshine! A perfect afternoon.

Not a Nice Nature Post

Usually my blog is devoted to upbeat posts about our adventures in nature. This is not such a post. The pictures may seem cheery, but it is merely our feeble attempt to put a positive spin on the situation. Please do not let young children read it as it may contain language too strong for their delicate constitutions.

The Sunday night of Labor Day weekend we decided to take a scenic drive between Redmond and Northbend that promised views of two different waterfalls and some mountains and marshlands. That weekend had already been pretty rainy, but it wasn't too bad when we set off. The drive was nice, the marshlands and mountains were all that was promised. We saw where Snoqualmie Falls was on the drive (we didn't stop because we have already seen it a couple of times) and continued on to Twin Falls. We finally found Twin Falls state park. There were no signs indicating where the falls were at the entrance we were at but we found a trail that followed the river an assumed the falls were not far off. WRONG.

We started to hike, it was after six o'clock and we were in the trees on an overcast day, so the visibility wasn't great. The scenery was pretty, but there were a couple of major puddles to ford on our elusive trek to the falls. After about 30 minutes of hiking we finally made it to the top of a large hill, and I naively thought we had made it, when we saw two other hikers. They assured us that we were close (keep in mind we have two small children, which apparently did not factor into their time estimation). I expressed my opinion to Joe that it might be getting too dark for hiking and that perhaps we should turn back, but the hikers had somewhat convinced us that if we just went a little bit further our efforts would pay off. We started hiking back down the other side of the hill. The rain was starting to increase at this time, fortunately I had brought every one's coats. We made it to the bottom...and then the top of another hill until we finally found some slippery and steep stairs that led to a view point. Finally we made it to the falls, and decided that we could spend about 3 minutes looking at them because we obviously had a long walk back to the car. As soon was started to hike back it began to POUR RAIN. Thinking that we were merely going on a drive I had worn clogs with wooden soles, and was finding it seriously hard to walk because I could not feel the trail at all and was tripping on almost everything as I stumbled along in the dark. We marched back at a brisk pace unable to see even a couple of feet in front of us. I finally twisted my ankle, falling into a mud puddle and screaming obscenities (at least my interpretation of them, I did say "Judas!" Steph, a term I don't think that I have used in years). So we kept on going (limping in my case), walking cavalierly through puddles because we were already soaked now. We finally made it back to the car and had to strip the kids down and just wrap them in blankets because we were all soaked to the bone. Twin Falls State Park, I implore you to put up a sign actually informing unsuspecting hikers how far it really is to the falls. Joe says that sometime we should go back in better conditions and try it again. I say, "No." I never need to repeat the Hike from Hell again.

Western Washington State Fair

Saturday night we went to the State Fair in Puyallup. We enjoyed every minute of it. We started out by looking at the animals. Madison and Hayes practiced milking a fake cow. After that we hit up the fair food (Joe is a major fan). Madison and Hayes rode a couple rides. We did put Hayes on a little roller coaster (we had to sneak him on because he wasn't quite tall enough) and it was definitely a little mature for him. Held onto the bar for dear life and looked pretty pail, but he did it! We also went to a 3-D movie about the brain, which I think was a first for all of us. It was pretty fun. Going to the fair always seems like the event that signals the end of summer and the start of school, so I guess we are ready for fall (just hopefully not the rain!).

First Day of School

Madison had her first day of real school yesterday. She started a Lutheran preschool 3 times a week, and I think that she is going to LOVE it. Hayes and I went with her for an orientation yesterday. The teachers seemed fun, and Madison has plenty of new potential friends. I met a lot of the moms who were wearing professional wear and holding their Starbucks, and felt kind of funny because I still felt way less grown-up than them, but they were really nice. It is a religious preschool and they do sing a prayer before snack time, which I can honestly say I have never seen done before. I don't think Madison and Hayes realized they were praying, but thought it was fun anyway. After the orientation we went to chapel, and Madison and Hayes kept loudly asking what chapel was. I had to explain to them that it was kind of like church. Fortunately they enjoyed the new church, and Pastor Peterson's story about the creation. I think Madison is going to love it, and I was really impressed with the school!

Camping Extravaganza

Last week we went on our long-anticipated camping trip for the summer. This year we went to Ohanapecosh near Mt. Rainier. We stayed three nights and had great weather, almost too warm for a campfire! The kids loved it. Joe and the kids went swimming in the Blue Hole at La Wis Wis (those are really their names), it was way too cold for me. Madison and Hayes became Junior Rangers after completing their training at the visitor's center. We drove up to Mt. Rainier's visitor's centers at Paradise and Sunrise, and saw some pretty spectacular views of the Cascades and Mt. Rainier. We took a hike to the Grove of the Patriarchs, some 1000 year old trees in the area. We even ventured into the world of dutch oven cooking for the first time, and were pretty good at it, even if we do say so ourselves.

It was a fun trip, a great place to go. I did learn a lot about the volcanic capabilities of Mt. Rainier and I am torn between fearing a blast which would surely take-out our Seattle home, and secretly just wanting one anyway because it is so fascinating. I do love volcanoes.

Tasty Summer Lunch

This summer my favorite lunch has been hummus with whole wheat flat bread, so I thought that I would share the recipe! I got it from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook (shout out to Liz, our favorite editor there)and it is super easy and really good.

HUMMUS

1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup tahini*
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons lemon juice

*Tahini is sesame paste, and I found it in the international/Asian food aisle of the store. You have to stir it up pretty well before you use it because it separates in the can.

I throw all of the ingredients into the food processor until they are mixed, put it into a container, and refrigerate it for about half an hour before enjoying. In addition to being a great dip for flat bread, it is good on vegetables too!

City of Rocks

Joe and I put an offer on this house, the location is great, and there is a lot of room for us to put our personality in it.

This last weekend we drove down to the Idaho/Utah border and visited the City of the Rocks and Castle Rock. We had fun climbing around on the rocks and seeing the various formations.