Hoops!

More Christmas to come in a future post but wanted to post this video of Benjamin with one of his favorite gifts this year. Grandma and Papa gave him this basketball hoop and he LOVES it. He is always saying "ball!" and "shoot!" Papa, you'd be proud :) Of course, Marty is sitting on the couch giving it his best announcer commentary.

Giving Back

Since June I have been working part time for a great non-profit, OSL (Operation: Sack Lunch) They are the largest meal provider to the hungry and homeless downtown Seattle. I only work 10-15 hours per week and typically just go into their offices in Pioneer Square for a long day on Mondays and the rest of the work I can do from home or a coffee shop. Mostly I'm working on marketing and fundraising for the organization. A couple highlights to each Monday is that I take the West Seattle Water Taxi to and from work (photo above) The dock is about a 3 minute drive from our house with free parking and the crossing time is always 10 minutes each way. You never have to worry about traffic or parking. In addition to the peaceful commute the second highlight is that I also get a delicious, nutritious, hot meal from the phenomenal chefs at OSL. Food always tastes so much better

when someone else does the cooking! Working at OSL as been a perfect outlet for me while being a Mom remains my full time gig. It is so rewarding to know that what I'm doing is helping people who have so very little. Yesterday Elli, Josie and I went down to help with their annual Christmas Eve celebration. Josie and Elli sorted through boxes of donated toiletries, scarves, hats and gloves and made gift bags for the clients that come through the lunch line every day.
After bagging up over 225 gift bags, the kids were put on cookie duty. Very tempting for kids to sort through and make 225+ bags filled with various cookies and NOT eat even a single cookie. But they all finished the project with flying colors. At the end they were each given a bag of cookies to eat at home.

Josie and Elli waiting to help serve lunch

Josie took wearing the gloves (and not spreading germs) very seriously!

I was so proud of our little girl. She stood out in front of the food line and offered each person a bag of cookies.

Elli serving food

After we were done we went up to Pioneer Square to look at the art exhibit - very cool, "sweater trees"

And Josie chasing the birds

Cookies

I had two little cooking elves happily help me with my Christmas baking this year. They both helped with one part or another of each of the cookies. They both also ate a fair share of the ingredients that go into the cookies. We started with the all-time favorite, Monster cookies. They helped gather all of the ingredients, sat up on the bar together and helped me combine everything using the hand held mixer. Benjamin, such a boy, loves anything that resembles a power tool and Josie being a great older sister let him do it!! I was amazed there wasn't more fighting. I don't have any photos of him doing it because I was too scared he'd accidently put his hands in the bowl along with the mixer but they both loved it.

All was going well until the chocolate chips and M&M's went in. Then they couldn't keep their hands out of the bowl. I can't blame them. They are pretty hard to resist.

Reaching in for more.

Mouth so full he can't even chew!

Taking a break from the baking to decorate our annual gingerbread house. It is all pre-made but Josie loves decorating it. After working with the gingerbread house and making real gingerbread cookies at preschool, she talked me into adding some gingerbread cookies to the usuall mix.

So, back to the bar to mix up the gingerbread dough

She decorated and decorated.

It took a couple of days but finally we got them all decorated.

The reason it took so long may have been because she did not skimp in her amount of decorations per cookie.

And no Christmas baking season would be complete without the red and white candy cane cookie.

Josie crushing the candy canes to sprinkle over the top.

And a few plates of cookies ready to go out to friends.

The Nutcracker

Marty got free tickets to the Nutcracker. In exchange he had to write a blog post for the KMTT website. Pretty good trade off, I'd say. So, here is his post for our family blog (with a few photos at the end by me)
It's a crime, really, to have lived in Seattle for as long as I have and not too have been to the Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker even once. It fuels the misconception that I'm a shut-in who rarely leaves my basement studio. He writes, while sitting in his basement studio.Two years ago I was asked to make a cameo appearance in the Nutcracker as Clara's Grandfather, a role I was destined to play ever since puberty. It didn't work out. My appearance in the show or my puberty. A freak Seattle snowstorm kept me trapped in my basement (purely coincidental that I was there) on the night I was to don my tights.My walk-on Nutcracker appearance had to be rescheduled for the 2012 Season. Just as well, for what right did I have appearing in a show that I had never seen? Last night, I am proud to say, I took the family for that long overdue trip to witness the Nutcracker - my wife, me, my five-year-old daughter, and my 20-month-old son. For them it was a glittery night out on the town. For me it was my apprenticeship. I had every suspicion that my daughter would love it, and she did. All of it. The festive atmosphere, the exotic Maurice Sendak sets, the fancy costumes and, of course, the princess. From the very first chime I could see that she had been transported to some fantastic, imaginary place. Only to crash back to earth at intermission when I took the photo below and she sternly told me that taking pictures in the theater "is strictly prohibited." It's good to know if she fails her future ballet audition she can fall back on a career as an usher. Or a bouncer.Bringing my son, though, might have been pushing our luck. Yet, he too was mesmerized. Sitting on my lap he didn't budge during the entire two hours, except to crane his neck to see the boy behind us get scolded by his mother for talking. Which I enjoyed watching as well (it's fun when it's someone else's kid). And whenever a young girl dancer appeared on stage my son would freak thinking it was his sister and yell out her name (it's more fun when it's someone else's kid). Of course, it wasn't his sister on stage, as she was sitting six inches to his left, but if you consider that most of the young Nutcracker ballerinas were dressed the way my daughter dresses 90% of the time, I totally understand his confusion.

Being that I had never been to the Nutcracker and that I'm not much of a classical music aficionado, I was surprised at how much of the soundtrack I recognized and genuinely enjoyed. I wanted to hum along, but was afraid my daughter would give me a stern shushing. My wife said numerous times what fun last night was, both for herself and to watch the kids light up. I completely understand why families in the area have made the Nutcracker an annual holiday tradition. But you ain't seen nothin' yet until you catch Grandfather 2012!

Afterward, Benjamin found a fountain. It was just on the ground where you could run through it. I'm sure that isn't what it was intended for but he was in heaven.

Josie knew it was a not really OK, but saw her brother having fun so she decided to join them. Only to have daddy coming in on the right to break up their fun.

Looking at all the lights and the big fountain at Seattle Center

It's hard to see because it is so dark but it is such a sweet photo of them holding hands.

And Josie who was still in her no photo mood.

Podcast

For nearly the past 2 years, Marty has been recording a live podcast every Friday from our basement. You can hear them here: http://www.martyriemer.com/
Actually, he was doing it every day for the first year+ but then decided the cut it back a little to one day a week. He normally has a co-host and guest or guests of some sort. Usually there is some kind of musical guest and when he has a really loud band the kids LOVE it. They stand up at the top of the stairs listening and dancing to the music through the closed door. They even clap loudly when they band finishes their song. At the end of this video, I cut it off to quickly but Benjamin was yelling for Josie "Do-do" to come dance with him.

And when there is no live music they just dance to the radio

Thanksgiving Part II

On Friday we all piled back in the car to drive up to Bellingham to spend our second Thanksgiving with my parents and sister and her family. Again, we were pretty much free-loaders and enjoyed several great meals. Thanks, Kim!
Mom and Dad flew in from Arizona.






Elli and I enjoying our dessert.

Fred

Lounging in the living room after dinner.

The majority of the next day the kids spent outside with Drew. Both kids, although living in the city, are country kids are heart and love the all the animals and "toys" that come with that kind of lifestyle.

Josie, very proud of herself for "driving" the 4 wheeler.

Drew is VERY helpful with the two kids and likes to show them the wonders of his outside world.

I'm sure Benjamin is thinking, "No way should you let my sister carry a CHAIN SAW! Are you crazy!"

Drew supervising.

Drew, hard at work, as usual.

Josie feeding the fire.

Big boy Benjamin.

Coming inside to warm up.

Jon who prefers his iPhone over any kind of outside activity.

The girls chatting in the kitchen.

Benjamin with his beloved bottle.