10 April 2010

Wow, time is flying by! Its been awhile since I’ve last updated the family website, so let me get you caught up.

Sierra and Cooper have adjusted to their new neighborhood and school with flying colors! They love being able to walk to school, and thoroughly enjoy all of the kids to play with in the neighborhood. Having a spoiling grandma and grandpa within biking distance is a bonus as well!

Fall was a big transition for the family, with Elaine being based out of New York City (that’s one-heck-of-a-commute from the west coast). Although her commuting is not ideal, it has worked out far better than we could have ever imagined, with her relative seniority moving up - meaning that she has much better quality trips and days off. This was the first time in her eighteen year career with Delta that she was able to have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter off; something that would not have happened had she been based in Portland. Also, in October I was able to join her as she worked a six day trip to Amman Jordan, where we saw the amazing ruins of Petra . . .so her flying out of NYC isn’t all bad.

I started working again at REI this fall, which has been fantastic! Being able to have “grown-up” talk as I sell outdoor products along with the discounted gear for the family makes going into work a joy! I’ve also been able to reacquaint myself with snowboarding on Mt. Hood, buying a season pass to Meadows, and getting free day passes to Timberline through REI. Between seeing friends on a more regular basis, snowboarding on Mt. Hood, and hiking in the gorge, I’m thrilled to be living back in the Northwest!

This fall also saw Sierra break her elbow (the bottom of the humerus was in two pieces), requiring emergency surgery, two pins, and countless visits to the surgeon and physical therapist offices. She weathered the pain and lack of mobility like a trooper, and we all hope that there will be no long-term effects. Based on her monkey bar abilities, I’m thinking she’ll be just fine. Sierra started piano lessons after the New Year (once her arm had healed) and just recently started gymnastics, reveling in both. She absolutely loves her teachers and friends at school, coming home full of excitement about the all of the things she has learned and the playground adventures with friends.

Cooper struggled the first week or so of the school year, with his separation anxiety coming back. After he made some friends and felt comfortable with his teachers, all of the sadness faded away, leading to smooth sailing ever since. He has earned two “Raven Spirit” awards (monthly achievement recognition) at school this year, so I’m going to jump out on a limb and say that he’s adjusted just fine. Cooper has also become a talented little gymnast, hand-springing and flipping his way on to the “pre team” at our local gym. Elaine and I are both excited for the skills he is learning, and a bit apprehensive of the potential time drain practice will require in the near future (from 2 hours a week this spring to 6 hours a week this fall). We are still debating on whether we want to make the time commitment . . . we’ll keep you posted.

The family took advantage of Elaine’s winter vacation by visiting Guatemala and Honduras for a couple of weeks in January and February. We saw the Mayan ruins of Tikal and Copan, the jungle rain forest of Rio Dulce, and finished it off with some beach time on the Bay Island of Roatan! The whole family had a great experience!

Spring break and Easter were also big hits, with us spending both at the McKenzie River cabin.

We are looking forward to the warm dry weather of summer and all of the playing in parks, hiking in the woods and National Park touring that will come with it!

I hope that everyone is doing well and has a good couple of months. Thanks for taking the time to visit the family website and please check in by dropping us a line . . . we would love to hear how you are doing!