Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jo Appreciation Day

So I was informed that last some of my family got together to have an appreciation dinner for my Grandparents, and since I can not be there to join them, I thought I would post some of my thoughts and stories here on the blog for the world to see.

But where to begin? My life has been so enriched by their presence and generosity. From summers of taking us up to the cabin to catch tadpoles and try oh-so-patiently to convince me to water ski. Fueling us up each morning with Grandma Jo's special french toast (no one can beat it!), and keeping us in good spirits with her hilarious patented sense of humor. To being there to see us walk down the aisle and dance at our reception (they have always been better dancers than I'll ever be).

They gave me the most amazing opportunity a girl could ever receive when I was only 11 years old. Growing up, I could only be described as horse crazy. Putting every cent of birthday and paper route money into my "horse account," and experiencing that secret disappointment every Christmas when even though I got a lot of wonderful gifts, Santa didn't leave a real horse in the back yard. Eventually I was given riding lessons for every gift giving occasion, and what a thrill! I couldn't have been happier, that is, until one day Grandpa and Grandma announced that I had worked so hard to save, that they would contribute half the cost of a horse, and, more importantly, the monthly board required to keep it. The search was on and my mom and I spent our Saturdays combing the classifieds and driving out to test ride quite a few horses in the area. But none of them were quite right. Until one day we met Cee-Jay, a little morgan horse who was so full of spunk and pep when riding, but so sweet and patient on the ground. After a cool down ride on my own with him I returned with a huge grin and we knew we would be perfect partners. I imagine that mucking out stalls in the cold January Oregon rain might not qualify as Shangri-la for many, but it was truly paradise for me and I spent every possible moment I could at that barn for the next several years. It is not many 11 year olds that can honestly say their dreams have come true, but I was one of the lucky ones.

And while sometimes they do make dreams come true, or give us the chance to attend colleges across the country, other times they may disappoint us, but they always have our best interests at heart (even if we don't think so at the time). Like when I was 17 and Grandpa went to the police station in Bath, England to ask if he should let me go out to the club I wanted to go out to that night (they said no, and I was furious at the time, but now, 17 years later, I guess I can see his point!)

And when our fury gets the best of us, there is no one like Grandma to put a smile on our face and pick up the pieces. Quite literally if necessary, like once when we were at their house in Neskowin. I must have been about 7 or 8 at the time and got so riled up by something Devin did or said (just what it was I have no idea now) that I threw my hair brush at him. He ducked. The window cracked, I cried and felt horrible and was so nervous about getting in trouble. All I remember happening next was Grandma coming into the room, hearing our story and looking at the window. She then walked over, pulled the shade down, and said "There, now Grandpa will never notice." And I never did hear another word of repercussion from it. Everyone needs a Grandma Jo, because with her on your side the world can never really come crashing down around you.

So, for all you have done and all that you do, Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jo, I love you with all of my heart.

Skiing with Grandpa

I actually wrote part of this story out several years ago. It was one of my favorite childhood memories. I thought I would share it today as part of Grandpa Bill and Grandma Jo Appreciation Day. The memories below more than make up for the memories of Grandpa opening our bedroom door at 5am to say "Everybody up, we gotta get to the mountain!"


I remember the fist time I went to the mountain with my family. Everybody said I was too little to ski, so Grandma stayed with me at the ski lodge all day. I slid around on my little cross country skis at the base of the mountain, and pouted and sulked and watched everybody else joyously riding up the lift and swooshing back down the mountain. It was a beautiful sunny day and the snow sparkled, and at the end of the day all of the tired skiers came in beaming with huge smiles and talking about what a perfect day it was. When Grandpa came down he said it was such a great day that he thought he would take one more run. I glowered knowing I would have to wait still longer, but then he surprised me and scooped me up in his arms and skied over to the lift, and sat me down as we rode it up together. Higher and higher we went, and when we got off the lift Grandpa swooshed down the mountain holding me between his legs on my little cross country skis. I could feel the wind blowing through my hair and the snow sliding smoothly beneath me, we were going so fast and it felt amazing. Sure it was really only the little baby lift, but it still lasts in my memory as one of the best runs down the mountain I have ever taken.

In the following years I was old enough to join everyone on the mountain, but I still got left behind when I tried to keep up with my brother Devin and cousin Justin. I got tired and frustrated being the littlest one, and my toes got cold, and I knew they really didn’t want me around. Then I realized, if I skied with Grandpa, when I got tired and my toes got cold he would take me into the lodge and sit with me and let me have a hot chocolate and a donut. And at the end of the brilliant sunny days if I asked “How about we do one more run?” Grandpa would smile and off we would go. 

P.S. Hi, this is Dan here. Katrin mentioned this family event and I wanted to get in on the action. Katrin and I have been together for going on 13 years now and in that time I've had a lot of opportunities to spend time with Bill and Jo, not only in Oregon but also even in Vermont and Hawaii. What strikes me more than anything is their generosity. They have always made me feel so welcome as a part of the family, showered me with smiles and kindness every time, and it's made me feel comfortably at home in their presence. I've heard it's not always easy marrying into a new family, but they sure have tried to make it easy for me. Please pass much love on from me to them.

Catching up

A Christmas Market in Vienna

It’s been a long time since we gave everyone an update on our adventures in Portugal. We have no excuses other than being busy with two small children and two jobs and four pets and some friendly visitors and traveling to interesting places and, and, and.

Port Wine Tasting with Kim and Patrick

October and November were good times to receive some friends and family in Portugal and to share the developments of Amelia and Tristan. In early October we had Gemma (Dan’s mom) here who came over to play with the grandkids. We also had our friends Kim and Patrick visit from Colorado who took the chance to explore Portugal and were able to visit with us for a few days. And then we had the chance to celebrate an early Thanksgiving with some family for the first time in several years as Grandpa Steve (Katrin’s dad) and Grandma Pam came over. It was great to have the chance to catch up with everyone and to see the kids play with some of their extended family members.

A Concert in Vienna

 In early December we decided to explore a little bit more of Europe and we flew to Vienna for a few days and then took a train from there to Prague. Our children remain enamored with traveling, especially Amelia who has now been in ten countries and is always talking of her next travel opportunity. As we schlepped all of our stuff down a flight of stairs to get on a bus to take us out to the plane in Barcelona and after being on the go for quite a while Amelia declared “I like taking a bus to get the plane because I am a traveler.”  The Christmas season was a great time to visit as the cities were lit up and revelers were everywhere and the famed Christmas markets were a fun adventure for the kids. The little ones weren’t used to the colder weather there but we got a bit lucky with temps in the low 40s and no rain. In Vienna we enjoyed touring the Spanish Riding School and walking through the gardens of the Schoenbrunn Palace and in Prague we mostly walked around saying “wow”. The innumerable spires, the old bridges across the river, the castle up on the hill and the general eclectic feel of the city left us breathless. 

Our Quaint Little Hotel Room in Prague

And the View from the Windows

We are now preparing for our next trip which will be to USA for the holidays. This year we’ll keep ourselves to the east coast where we’ll have the chance to visit old friends in DC, celebrate Christmas with family in New York, and ring in the new year in Miami.

Wheels on the Bus

This has been a huge hit for the last few weeks. Both kids like to pack their bags on go for a trip on our new bus. Unfortunately the bus has seen better days and may be taking a trip to the recycle bin soon, but it sure was fun while it lasted!

Thank You Binky Fairy!

So perhaps writing that last sentence of that last post gave us the push we needed, but shortly thereafter the binky became a thing of the past. We had already told Amelia that when she was ready to give up the pacifier the binky fairy would come and take all of her binkys to give to new babies and would leave Amelia a present in return. She was excited about the idea, so we made a special little box to give them away in and for months she would wake up and say she was ready to give the binkys to the binky fairy, but every evening she would declare "I'm not ready!" and then pop it back in her mouth, and it was often a struggle to enforce the binky only when hurt or sleeping rule.

Then, one evening when Dan was away for business for a few days, Amelia was lying in my bed with me. We had just finished reading and getting ready for bed, and she wanted to sleep in my bed since Dadda was gone. Tristan had just settled down in his crib nearby, and I was likewise ready for sleep when I heard "Mommmmy, biiiiiinky!" in a rather unpleasant whine. So out of exhaustion I replied "If you want to stay in Mommy's bed, then you have to sleep without a binky tonight. If you want me to go get the binky, then you will sleep in your bed." I'll admit it was taking a risk pitting her love for me up against that piece of plastic, but it paid off, since she decided to stay. The next morning I put out two new wrapped puzzles on the coffee table before she got up, and I told her the binky fairy had brought them since she slept without the binky for one night, and there would be more when she decided to give them away. The second night, the was the same. No binky if she wanted to sleep in my bed, and another puzzle when she got up. The morning after the third night I had no more stash of presents, so I was going to tell her the binky fairy was saving the rest for when she gave them up for good. Then the doorbell rang and I went out to pick up the package that arrived...

When I came back in, a bleary eyed Amelia was shuffling down the stairs and rubbing her eyes she looked at me sleepily and said "Mommy, was that the binky fairy?"

I looked down at the box I was holding in my hands, knowing full well it contained a supply of dress-up clothes for Amelia I had ordered, and then back out the window at the departing delivery guy. "Why yes, it was the binky fairy," I declared.

"Do you have to give her all of my binkys?"

I seized my opportunity. "Well, if you are ready to give them to the new babies, and if you want to see what is in this present, then yes, I have to give her all of the binkys."

"Mommy, I'm ready now."

I grabbed our binky box and ran out the door and threw them into the glove compartment of my car (just in case), then ran back in. Amelia was so excited about all of the dress up clothes, and didn't asked for her binky once that day. The next day was the big test. She fell in the driveway and started crying for her binky. After I reminded her we gave them away, she was OK with that. We saw other babies with pacifiers and that was OK too. Then Dadda came home and she slept in her own bed without it (well, for most of the night). I guess she really was ready. I know I was.

Here are a few photos of our doctor, fairy, bride and her brother enjoying their gifts.

Kiddo Update

Tristan has been changing at an amazingly fast rate. He turned one on August 1 while we were in Turkey, so he got to open some presents before we left and then we did a cake and more presents when we got back. He thought the boxes were pretty fun, but his older sister soon helped him figure out that there were cool things *inside* them as well. He started taking a few tentative steps a few weeks later, and then in early September  he decide that it was time to start walking everywhere, so that is what he does now. As a result he seems to have forgotten how to climb backwards down steps, so now he stops at the top and screeches as loud as he can until someone comes to help him. When he does Amelia has started going over and saying "Tristan sit down and go like this," then she proceeds to show him how he is supposed to go down, what an amazing big sister! Of course at other times she walks over and snatches whatever he is playing with and leaves him screeching all on his own. He is communicating a little bit, with words like "more (pronounced "muh")," "uh-oh," and  "ja esta" (all done). He thinks that all animals say "quack-quack," and all cats are called Ba ba (one of our cat's names) but is starting to get the hang of "moo," meow," and "woof-woof." And he recently began to differentiate between "Mama" and "Dadda." While he doesn't say much, he definitely has opinions and understands a lot. If he hears the word good-bye he will wave at everyone and head to the door, or if you say it is time for nap or bed he is on his way up the stairs. He loves music, both making it and dancing to it, and I must admit there isn't much cuter in this world then a baby bopping up and down in their perception of rhythm.

Amelia seems to be growing up right in front of us. Some of the sophistication in her statements and memory truly amaze me, and I can't get anything by her anymore! She is going to preschool 3 mornings per week and her Portuguese is improving in leaps and bounds. Now when she is playing on her own I often hear her talking to her stuffed animals in either language. And she always keeps them separate except when she doesn't know a word in Portuguese she will just throw in the English one.  Pretty amazing. Now if only we could get rid of that binky!

Turkey Part 3 - Cirali

Arriving at the Antalya airport on the Mediterranean only one word entered my mind...HOT. That was all that could break through the 100+ degree temperature. We took a van along the coast to the sleepy village of Cirali, where we spent the first day or two trying to make sure the kids (and us, too) didn't overheat. So we mixed it up between time at the pool and naps in our air-conditioned room. We found that the best time to visit the beach was after the sun sunk below the hills, but there was still plenty of light (and warmth) left.

During our leisurely week in Cirali we spent a day on a sailboat trip swimming and snorkeling in uninhabited coves; we traipsed through Greek mythology with visits to the ruins of ancient Olympus and the eternal flames of Chimaera where fire spills from the earth on one of the hillsides above the town; we dined on fresh seafood and consumed copious amounts of ice cream; and, of course, we spent many hours relaxing in and around the pool.

It was great to watch Amelia become totally enamored with the water. While we had done swimming lessons at home, she wasn't thrilled with the fact that she had to follow specific activities, and she hated it when the teacher put her underwater. So in Cirali we bought her a pair of water wings and a pool noodle and after we convinced her to try them out the only way to get her to take a break from the pool was to bribe her with an ice cream sundae.

Tristan made many friends everywhere we went, and in particular some special friends with a couple who was staying at our hotel. The young woman was completely in love with him and would shriek and come running over whenever we were coming or going. They spent a lot of time with him, and when it was time for them to leave we wanted to check their bags to make sure he wasn't packed in one of them! They definitely helped give Dan and I some extra time to relax, and they even bought him this fancy baby pool toy.

I also got to spend one very special morning watching WWF biologists assist in the hatching of the endangered caretta caretta turtles (loggerhead turtles). The turtles lay their eggs under the sand in June and July, and then around 50 days later the tiny hatchlings emerge and make their way to the sea under the cover of darkness. WWF tries to prevent people from going onto the beach at night, but at dawn the biologists can sometimes be found opening the nests that have recently hatched to help along any stragglers, giving us tourists a chance to witness. I got to see them take out 5 babies who then heroically started their 30-yard journey to the ocean. It was amazing to watch the little guys struggle through the sand, though it ended quite anticlimactically when the biologist strode over without a word and picked them each up and popped them into his backpack. He later explained that there were seagulls waiting for a baby turtle buffet, so they would all be released at night when it was safer.After our very pleasant week on the coast, it was time time to say good-bye to Turkey. We had a wonderful trip, and you can find some photos posted here.