Christmas 2010 (in sepia)

Here are a few pictures from Christmas 2010.



I love Sam's expression in this photo


Sam on Christmas morning with her new Hex Bugs


Rocking the personalized duct tape scarf I received from Missi's sister Ella


The kids had to solve a puzzle that spelled out "Great Wolf Lodge," and represented a family trip we are taking there in February


Missi and the kids at the Farm on Christmas morning





One of the most fun parts of Christmas was the opportunity to do some target shooting with our good friend Jesse. Drew had been looking forward to this for a loooong time, so he was really excited when we surprised him with it on Christmas morning. Here is Drew shooting Jesse's .22 rifle.


Sam of course loved seeing Jesse and Nicole's daughter Taylor


Missi and Nicole


Here is Drew shooting Jesse's AR-15


Even Missi got into the act, and it was her very first time shooting a gun in her life.

Drew's Oregon Ducks Playlist

If you've been living under a rock for the past 6-8 weeks or have absolutely no interest in sports, you might be among the very few people who don't realize that our beloved Oregon Ducks are playing against the Auburn Tigers in the BCS Championship game on Monday. Suffice it to say, we are all very excited about the game and will be rooting like crazy for our Ducks.

Drew has a great teacher this year - a really good guy who was also Drew's teacher for fourth grade. One of the many reasons why Drew and his classmates (and their parents) like this teacher so much is because of the CD player he has in the classroom and the music that he often plays throughout the day. He even allows students to bring in their own music to join the playlist.

If I were a mathematician, the equation might look like this:

(Drew's love for the Ducks) + (the BCS Championship game on Monday) + (Drew's teacher allowing students to listen to music) = Drew's Awesome Oregon Ducks Playlist.

That's right...one of Drew's main request for this weekend was that I help him burn a CD full of all his favorite Duck songs so he could take it to school on Monday and play it all day long in anticipation of 'the Natty!

Here are the songs that made the playlist:

1. Call Me a Duck by On The Rocks
2. Green and Yellow by SpeedyGunz
3. University of Oregon Fight Song (original version)
4. I Smell Roses (I Love My Ducks) by Supwitchugirl
5. Return of the Quack by Supwitchugirl
6. Oregon Ducks Fight Song (electronic jazz version)

And, we also had to put I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas on the mix, cause we are really hoping that Monday night will be "a good, good night..." The icing on the cake with this awesomeness is that Drew asked me to take him to school on Monday so we could blast the playlist from our car with the windows down as we rolled up to the school. Love this boy!

The Tooth Fairy Visits the Wilsons

As you have probably noticed from prior posts, I love getting notes from our kids. I love seeing their handwriting, spelling, phrasing, etc...It isn't uncommon for me to take pictures of these notes or writings so they are preserved as memories.

We had an exciting event in our house last night - Sam lost yet another tooth. The girl is definitely going a phase where here baby teeth are falling out at a rapid pace. As our family's "tooth fairy," I have the honor/privilege/responsibility/burden of writing a note to each of the kids when they lose a tooth. I always "disguise" my writing in some crazy handwriting and then burn the edges of the paper for effect. It's quite a process, especially late at night right before I'm trying to go to bed.

Here is the note the "tooth fairy" received from "Toothless Sam" last night, and the response that was left behind with a few dollars.



Dear Tooth Fairy,
I am Sam. I lost my tooth. I am giv??? [giving] it to you. Please leave me a present.
Love, Toothless Sam

My favorite part of this note? That she signed it "Toothless Sam."



Dear Toothless Sam,

Thank you for your kind note and for your tooth! It is a nice tooth! I have left you a few dollars as a thank you for your tooth. Thanks again and always remember to brush your chompers!

Your friend,

T.F.

Banished Words List

I'm a big fan of words, and all the unique "quirks" that accompany them. I'm guessing this has its root in my love of reading and all of the time I spend at work writing. So, it wasn't hard to predict that I absolutely LOVE this list of the most overused words of the past year. The list was put out by, of all people, Lake Superior State University, and it looks as those they receive nominations from the public for these words throughout the year. For those who want a little sneak preview of what words made this infamous list, both "epic" and "fail" are on the list.

Drew and his most recent passion

Our son Drew is now 10 years old, and his latest passion is something called "airsoft" or "airsofting." If you aren't familiar with "airsofting," it is an activity where you have a gun and you attempt to shoot your opponents with small plastic BBs. The guns are usually battery powered (sometimes gas), and you can usually hold a few hundred rounds of ammunition in your clip. As we have learned, there is a whole subculture of people who really, REALLY get into airsofting. I mean, you can spend several hundred dollars on your gun, then several hundred more on various other equipment and supplies. Many airsofting enthusiasts also produce videos of their battles and then post them on Youtube for others to view. And Drew has been bitten HARD by the airsofting bug. We are now on his third or fourth gun, each of them successively more powerful than the previous gun, and he has a full wardrobe of camouflage fatigues, a helmet, a facemask, etc...Several of Drew's friends are also interested in airsofting, so Drew has organized "battles" in the forest near our house.

But his favorite place is certainly an airsofting-specific facility called "Tacoma Tactical." I took Drew and a few friends down to Tacoma Tactical over the winter break and we had a great time! It's basically a large warehouse with several small "rooms" that provide cover.

Here are a few photos of Drew in action.



This is Drew at Tacoma Tactical. He is on the "red team," which is why he had the red headband on his helmet.







Being completely honest, I have mixed feelings about Drew's most recent passion for airsoft. On the one hand, I recognize that this is an "all boy" activity, and I like the fact that Drew is working on developing traits like leadership, courage, and fighting for what is good and right. On the other hand, I'm not a fan of airsofting because I think it might foster a false impression of war (which is horrible) and firearms (which are dangerous and deadly). When done the right way, airsoft is actually pretty safe. You always wear eye protection, and when you get it hit it feels like you are being pinched. Also, to be completely honest, I wish that Drew would be passionate for a sport like soccer or baseball, but I understand I can't force that on him right now. For now, we are letting Drew explore this recent passion, but we are attempting to moderate it.

Daddy Date!

It has become something of a tradition for Sam and I to go on a holiday season "Daddy Date" to the Garden D'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens. This is a really amazing display of Christmas lights in various landscapes and animal shapes. Before we go to see the lights, Sam gets to pick out a place where we go to get dinner (this year it was pizza) and then we get dessert afterwards. I always love it when Missi helps Sam gets dressed up in a pretty Christmas dress and does her hair. This is always one of the highlights of the holidays for me!


My pretty date!


At the Garden D' Lights!


There are some really amazing lights displays.



At dessert after Garden D'Lights.