Fluffy white stuff

SNOW! I was so dreading the thought of having my long list of errands for today ruined by snow and the traffic that comes along with it. Then it hit me that the best possible time to go to Costco the week of Thanksgiving would probably be during a snowstorm-perfect! Stay home people, I have shopping to do!!! And sure enough, Costco was a breeze. Phew. I think I will try to plan my trips around inclement weather again next time. I can't stand Costco around this time of year--the place is nuts! Anyway, back to the white stuff.

Graham was off today but spent all but about an hour of the day locked in the bedroom, writing papers as we are nearing the end of the quarter. He emerged midday for a snow break, which we were happy to oblige. Little did I know, he had thrown a pair of tights under Isla's pants when he dressed her this morning, hoping the snow would stick around long enough for her to go out for a frolic.

 Isla doesn't have snow clothes yet so we decked her out in her tights plus 2 pairs of socks, 2 pairs of pants, a long sleeve shirt, winter coat, mittens, hat and her lady bug rain boots (that are 1 1/2 sizes too large). The poor girl could not walk on the flat carpet inside let along on the lumpy snow.

 "What is this stuff!?"

"Dad, don't let go of me. I will so fall over if you let go!" 

 "Hey, maybe it's not so bad. I guess I can try it by myself."

 "Yee-haw! Look at me go!"

 "I so got this."

SMACK!!

 

 "Don't just stand there and stare, DO SOMETHING!"

 We had to giggle a bit at the whole scenario--it was too funny not to snap a quick photo. After her initial spill, Isla was in heaven, tromping along in her rain boots and chasing her Daddy. Her pure joy and everlasting energy are infectious lately!

 Graham and I spent some time this evening pondering what we would have been doing with ourselves these past 15 months if Isla  hadn't come into our lives. She has added so much to our family that we just can't imagine life without her (and we don't want to!)

 I have been feeling especially overcome this week, realizing how great of a blessing she is to me and how wonderful it is to be her mama. I'm so proud of the little girl she is becoming and am just so thankful that God chose to give her to us.

We stayed out and played in the white stuff until we realized Isla was walking around with only one boot on...

And as I was getting her ready for her bath tonight, I realized she'd spent the remainder of the day with one foot adorned in only tights, while the other sported a thick layer of tights and two pairs of socks. I'm surprised she wasn't walking around in circles all afternoon with the difference in height!

What fun....stay safe everyone!

It's just that kind of day...

We have a running joke in our family surrounding whipped cream. I don't quite recall how it started but somehow whipped cream quickly became known as the cure-all for depression. Whenever it is part of a meal, one of us is bound to start feeling "depressed" which means we have full permission to open up and enjoy an entire mouthful of the stuff. Gross? Maybe. But I PROMISE it always lightens the mood!

 (No, she never did actually get her mouth on it in case you were wondering...)

"But, I don't know how to raise a lefty!"

Stricken with panic, these words escaped my lips yesterday after Graham nodded at Isla, who was scooping spoonfuls of creamy soup into her mouth with the greatest of ease.....using her left hand. Her left hand!

I'm a righty, born and raised in the midst of 5 other rightys--how on earth am I going to know how to raise a lefty!? The whole idea feels foreign to me.

Graham says it's easy. "The first step is to stop calling her 'a lefty.' The next step is to buy her a left-handed pair of scissors and then the rest is all the same."

"Left-handed scissors?" I cry. This only exposes my naivety. "They make left-handed scissors? What is the difference?!" Then it dawns on me and I feel ashamed. Just one piece of evidence illustrating my lack of proper training in this matter.

My mind begins racing. How will I teach her to write? What if she decides to play softball? Or golf? I won't be able to show her what to do since she'll be facing the opposite direction. Oh and how will I comfort her when she comes home from school after writing on a white board for the first time only to discover her perfect letters were erased only moments after they were formed!?

Leftys (excuse me!....Left-Handed People), please understand that I say this mostly in jest. But if God indeed has blessed me with a left-handed child, I could (obviously!) use some enlightening. I don't know how to raise a lefty.

"Hat" and other Isla talk

Santa Barbara

Because we felt like we hadn't done quite enough traveling yet this year (NOT!), Graham and I decided to make one last trip in 2010, this time alone. Our good friend Jeremy was having a 30th birthday bash in his college town of Santa Barbara and we weren't about to miss it, particularly since we'd only have to pay for airfare. Jeremy and his wife Rachel rented a gorgeous house right near the beach that the non-local guests stayed in.

  There was much eating, sand sports and sunbathing done by all and it was quite the merry time...with the exception of one evening. Let's just say I got to spend some time getting to know two lovely Santa Barbaran cops (who were a little rough around the edges, to put it nicely). I am happy to say though that still, to this day, Kelsie Crozier has a clean driving record (my canoeing record in the state of Texas on the other hand is a whole different story...)

After two nights with the gang, the rest of the group headed for home and Graham and I headed for the mountains (hills?) of the Santa Ynez Valley for some fabulous wine tasting. Our favorite stop by far was at Beckman Vineyards, whose Grenache was recently served by President Obama at a White House State Dinner.  

 We had a wonderful 24 hours, just the two of us while Isla spent time in Bellingham with her Grandma and Grandpa Wilson.

 We booked a hotel for our 3rd and final night away in downtown Santa Barbara. We invested a good 10-15 hours scrounging the internet in search of the perfect place at a perfectly discounted price. The latter was not to be had, but we definitely found the perfect place, The Canary Hotel. The decor was Spanish/Moroccan with dark hardwoods and bright blue and yellow accents mixed in with lovely green walls.

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Check out the lights in our bathroom!

The rooftop deck/pool was breathtaking. I only wish we would have had more time to lounge!

We spent the evening strolling the shops on State St (including a consignment store where I found a steal of a dress coat that had never been worn!) followed by an incredible dinner at Bouchon. If ever you take a trip to SB and have a few pennies to spare, dine there for fabulous local fare!

It was so wonderful to spend some cherished moments alone with Graham before we flew back to the grind which we now find ourselves in. I missed Isla dearly but was quite pleased by my ability to leave her for a 4 day stretch (I was afraid I'd be a mess-I definitely was the night before we left!!) I think all the activity kept me healthfully distracted and we were able to Skype with her so that was quite fun. Watching her face light up with glee when our picture popped up on the screen warmed my heart! My parents practically begged us to go on a trip so Isla could spend some extended time with them which made it that much easier to go.

Muchas, muchas gracias to my parents for playing with Isla so we could getaway!

My Little Sunshine

It's hard to capture pictures of my busy girl these days. She rarely sits still! But we had a some fun playing by the sunny window today and I came out with a few good ones. I love this yellow top on her and of course she's sporting her favorite duck.

In search of a decent pumpkin....

Okay, so lesson learned: never try to find a pumpkin the day before Halloween. Our mistake. Look! There were at least 10 pumpkins in the "patch" to choose from....too bad the cheapest ones were 20 bucks a pop because the only ones left were so huge. 

 But Isla caught a ride on the hay bail, making our family trip to the patch in the pouring rain all worthwhile.

Michael found the world's first (pardon my French) butt-crack pumpkin that we almost adopted, just for giggles. 

 Even Gideon came out for the fun with his mommy, the birthday girl.

 The two grocery stores we stopped at were also out of pumpkins so we didn't end up doing any carving as planned.

But, at least we can say we made it out to the pumpkin patch this year!