Vacations

We took three vacations in two weeks! The first one was staying at the Parks' condo and watching Kurt finish the Xterra triathlon (more on that later). But the second one was attending our 4th russian heritage camp, now known as REECA (Russian, Eastern European, Central Asian) Heritage Camp.

REECA is held up at Snow Mountain Ranch every July. Here are a few pictures from this year's camp. Kurt went with us this time (he didn't go last year) and he and I were in charge of Field Day.

We were kinda nervous about it but we got it figured out and it turned out to be much better than we expected! We really had fun with it. We had several relays with each age group...doing things like carrying a Ukrainian egg in a spoon or dribbling a soccer ball around some cones. You can see more pictures at www.dallowphotos.shutterfly.com.

The kids weren't scared to go into their groups and both seemed to have a good time. I think they are finally understanding what adoption means. Evan understands it better because he remembers not living with us but Katerina has never seemed interested in learning about it, which is very normal. She doesn't know any different so to her, it's been a foreign concept.

But as they years go by, I hope they both enjoy REECA and feel a stronger connection to their homeland. Maybe someday they will be counselors themselves!

Another nice thing about camp is that I get to run on the Granby-to-Frasier bike path. I love doing that because it winds around the hillside, in and out of trees and through some meadows. I ran 2.5 hrs this time! Then on the way home, Kurt dropped me off at truckstop near Longmont and I rode my bike home. That was a really different experience!

All in all, we had a good time. I will post more about the other trips soon.

New era

K and E have done something new this week: they have gone to the pool by themselves for the first time. It doesn't sound like anything earth-shattering but for us, it's a BIG deal. Yet, on the other hand, it feels very natural.

The idea just popped into my head the other day when I was stressing about how much work I have to do and the kids wanted to go to the pool. I thought, how nice it would be if they could go and I could stay here....then, I thought "well, they're 8 now, that seems like it should be old enough".

So I asked them if they would feel safe and they said yes. Off we went.

Today is the third time they've gone without me and I have such mixed emotions about it. I miss them and worry that I am not available enough to them...that I"m letting them "go" too soon....that they'll be forever damaged because I'm not there playing with them in the pool (just kidding!). I know they won't be damaged but I do worry that we will lose our close connection too soon and that's very hard for me.

But I"m proud of them too. They're growing up so fast. And I've got so much on my mind and so much to do that I treasure the time alone.

Today it was extra hard to drop them off because Evan got in trouble before I took them there. I had given him a bowl of soup that was very, very hot. I had to use pot-holders to hold the bowl because it was so hot. I set it down in front of him, warning him that it was too hot to touch. Katerina put her finger on the bowl (of course!) and Evan grabbed her wrist and held it there, keeping her finger on the hot bowl.

Now, I can keep my cool about most things but when it comes to physically hurting someone else, I get angry. I didn't yell or scream but very firmly (and angrily) told him that he did a very mean thing, that he hurt his sister, and that I was very disappointed in him. I said "how would you feel if I held your finger on this hot bowl right now?" and he said, very solemnly "sad". I was REALLY angry.

So, at first I told him to go to his room. Then I realized that that wouldn't punish him because all of his toys are in his room. So I said that he would have to make it up to her by vaccuuming her room (in addition to his). I thought that was pretty fair. But he got very upset and cried loudly. I still felt ok with this idea but he was very solemn (aka, pouty) for a long time after that.

I'm not sure if that was the right thing to do or not but I don't think it was too bad. Oh well...at least I have some time now to write and reflect on it....the joys of raising children!

Miscellaneous...

Because I started this blog as a way to record our memories, for my kids to read when they grow up, I think I'll jot down a few things right now. I always think that I should only write about the "big stuff" but really, it's all the little details in life that matter. Plus, I want my kids to know what their daily life was like when they are young, since the probably wont remember a lot of it when they grow up.

Not sure that makes sense but it's probably because I wait until it's past my bedtime to write in this darn thing and by then, my mind is fried.

First, let's talk about swim team. K and E are on the Hillside swim team like they were last year. Practice is M-F, 10:40 - 11:10 (although they start warming up at 10:20, outside the pool). We ride our bikes to practice so in the summer, we have all morning to have breakfast, clean up, play, whatever. I love the late practice time because we have PLENTY of time to eat and get ready.

And riding our bikes to the pool couldn't be any easier. It's not even a mile to the pool so it takes literally a few mins to get there.

The coaches are great - Patrick and Bradley - and the team is pretty big. Not sure how many kids are on it but its a lot.

Today we had a swim meet at the Greeley Country Club. Katerina hasn't wanted to do meets this year but she decided to try this one. Evan wants to do meets this year. We got a few relays in before the rain came but unfortunatley, it was cancelled due to rain.

We were waiting out the first rain when I heard a woman telling her husband that Michael Jackson died. Wow! Farrah Fawcett also died today. Very sad about FF but it was expected. But MJ, what a huge shock.

We went to Grandma's house to help her with her computer. It was raining so hard that I could hardly see to drive.

Later, we came home and watched all the hoopla re MJ's death on CNN. Then I decided to show the kids Thriller on YouTube but that was a mistake - it really scared them! Kurt's on call so they decided that they wanted to sleep in my room. Evan is on the floor and K is bed - they are too scared to sleep in their rooms. Bad mommy, me!

But I really enjoyed laying on the bed with both kids and listening to Evan read a story. He did a great job. Katerina wanted to look at her book re rockets so we did for awhile...too funny. I love times like that when we're relaxed and connected. We need more times like that!

More on that later.

Kansas Trip - Part 2

Here are some pictures of the family "reunion". We spent Saturday celebrating Andre's first birthday and Sunday (supposedly) celebrating Katerina's birthday. On Monday, we went to Worlds of Fun and that happened to be Austin's birthday.

It was great seeing everyone but to be honest, I came home feeling pretty sad. We are not as close as I would like us to be. No one's fault...just the way it is.

I enjoyed seeing the new babies, Andre and Miah, and seeing Kai and Austin again. They are all darling children and I look forward to seeing them grow up.

And even though Rick and I are political opposites, I feel strangely connected to him. I love my brother immensely and wish I could see him more often.

And Kelly is great, I enjoy staying at her house.

That's all I can say here. Not that anyone in my family reads our blog anyway but I'll write more in my own personal diary. I'm glad we made the trip but I'm it will be a long time before I do it again.

Reunion Trip - Part One

There's so much to write about this trip that I don't know where to begin. First, where did we go: Kansas. Why: for me to attend my 30 yr high school reunion and to see my family for a quasi-family-reunion. Several family members had birthdays this weekend (including Katerina) so the plan (I thought) was to celebrate them all together.

Let's talk about the class reunion first. We met on Friday and Saturday night in Gardner. I was a little nervous about it as I had not seen anyone from my high school graduating class in 10 yrs (I went to our 20th). Plus, not having good memories of my senior year, I was not super excited about it.

I had a great time! I really enjoyed seeing everyone and got some good "vibes" in return. As I mentioned, my senior year in high school - actually my junior AND senior years - were two of the worst years of my life. Too long to write here (and way too personal) but believe me when I say it was a dark time in my life.

As a result, I left Gardner ASAP after graduating and never looked back. I completely blocked those years (and everyone in them) out of my mind. So going back is surreal...it's like going back to another lifetime.

But I really had a great time. The one person I was really happy to see was Steve Reimers. He and I had crushes on each other in high school and I think I still have one on him! But now, it's a different kind of crush - a "respectful" one, if that makes sense. He is just such a great guy and I have a tremendous amt of respect for him. We really connected and it was so nice to talk to him. We really re-connected.

And the other person I enjoyed seeing was Bob McCarthy. He was/is one of the most well-liked kids in my class. He's funny (and ornery) and an all-around nice guy. Kurt and i stayed after the reunion and talked with a group of people for a long time and Bob was one of them. My other good friend, Theresa, was there too and we just had a nice time talking with them.

Then on Sunday night, Bob asked us over to his house (he lives across the street from my brother). Theresa and Steve were there and so was Robyn and a few others. I stayed for 2 hrs while the kids swam in their pool. Just had a wonderful time.

The one nice thing about this trip is that Kurt had a good time meeting my high school classmates! He is not usually interested in meeting old friends of mine and originally, he was not happy about going on this trip. But he really connected with both Steve's (Wallace and Reimers) and he thought Bob was a great guy. That was a nice change - for Kurt to really enjoy meeting people from my past life.

More on the reunion in the next posting....

Bolder Boulder

We walked the Bolder Boulder on Memorial Day with Olzhas and had a blast. The weather was cloudy but warm and the rain held off until right after the military ceremony, which was great because the kids didn't get to see it last year.

We really had a fun time and the kids did great. This was my 20th Bolder Boulder and the first time I registered as a walker instead of a runner!

Fun Plex Field Trip

Evan's first grade class went on a field trip to the Fun Plex last Tuesday and I went as a parent chaperone. We played putt-putt in the morning (which was a hoot), red rover over the TWO HOUR lunch break (who's idea was that???) and we swam in the afternoon.

Putt putt with 100 first graders is an interesting experience. Well, actually, we had only half of them in the morning and I was chaperoning a group of 6 (see above). But the teachers didn't want them to keep score so it was basically a free-for-all. The kids just hit the balls randomly and couldn't seem to get the concept of taking turns. But we had fun anyway.

The lunch break was way too long. It wasn't the teacher's fault, it was the Fun Plex. They close the pool from 11:00 to 1:00 and because we got done with putt-putt so fast, we had all this time on our hands. We played Red Rover and Duck Duck Goose Goose for a loooonnnnnngggg time and then finally, we brought them inside to the gym where they could run play volleyball and basketball. It was a madhouse!

The swimming was fun but way too short. Evan and I swam together in the lap pool for awhile. He went down the slides a few times but wanted to dive in the deep part of the lap pool. A couple of girls came over to join him so I just treaded water and watched them. Then i took a few of the girls to the lazy river. All in all, we had a good time.

Community Classic Bike Tour

Kurt and I did the CCBT last Sunday and had a great time. We had perfect weather which was nice because I'm writing this a week later and it's cloudy and rainy outside. We rode it mostly with Lynne and Marshall Parks and Charlie Zucker but I couldn't keep up with them. Kurt hung back with me which was VERY nice (he got big points for that!).

The ride is 62 miles long with lots of big hills. We ride up to Carter Lake, through Masonville, and up the backside of Horsetooth Reservoir. For me, it was a big confidence builder for the Ironman!

Catching up

There's several things to write about...since it's late and I'm tired, I'll start withh tonight and work my way backwards.

Went to track tonight - first time in over a year. I've been running with Doug Bell's track team for almost 20 years now. I think I was one of the "originals" - way back in the early 90's we started running on Weds nights at Heath Junior High. I remember Geoff Muntz being there....and Jenny and a few others. I've been running with this group ever since.

But this year I probably won't do track. The Ironman training calls for more endurance and track is mostly about speed. And i have to be honest, I'm not very fast anymore! I've really lost my "edge" and it bothers me a little bit. I know it shouldn't but it does. I see people who I used to beat run right by me.

But I wanted to write about the kids. They have so much fun at track. They ride their bikes over there and then ride around the track while we run. Now, they're almost the oldest kids there. They used to be the youngest. How time flies!

Tomorrow is their last day of school. Evan will finish first grade and Katerina, second grade. They did so good in school this year!

I vowed to write down the "little stuff" in this blog, instead of just accomplishments. Well, today the kids and I rode our bikes to school. It was a beautiful morning and we left (for once) in plenty of time. We crossed 23rd Avenue and the fire station. There is a small park there with a winding cobblestone pathway that weaves through the flowers and bushes. It's very short but the kids love riding through it. They call it "the bumpy road". I chuckled as I heard them say excitedly "mom, can we ride on the bumpy road please???"

I know I'll laugh when I drive by that little park after they've grown up, always remembering "the bumpy road".

And here they are...the three Muskateers! The girls had a great time and won their soccer game today. Katerina played goalie for the first time and didn't do so well...but she made up for it by scoring two goals later on.

Evan went to a birthday party today and was excited about that (a girl's party!). Going to my moms house today to do yardwork and running the Title 9k in Boulder tomorrow. It's a good life!

First Sleepover

Katerina is having her first sleepover guest: Addie Randel, who is the daughter of her soccer coach. We've known Addie since last fall when Katerina played on Addie's team. We really like Addie's dad - he's been a super coach and Katerina has blossomed as a darn good soccer player on this team. She and Addie are definitely the best players on the team (and I'm not bragging...it's just the way it is!) so it's fun to have Addie here tonight.

And there are two other reasons why I'm happy that Addie is here. One, Katerina has not had any girl friends, only boy friends (not boyfriends but friends who are boys!). So it's nice to finally see her find someone she likes. Addie is not a girlie-girl at all, like Katerina. Addie is an amazing athlete and I think Katerina likes that.

The second reason is that Addie is also adopted. She was born in Haiti and adopted at a young age. Her parents have 3 older bio kids and then they adopted Addie, similar to our family. Scot and Tracy are now planning to adopt 2 more (and they're older than we are!).

I do have to brag though, how good Katerina and Addie are at soccer. All the parents comment on it all the time, that they are the star players. Katerina is an excellent kicker; she can kick the ball a long way and she makes most of the goals. Addie is a fast runner and good dribbler - she takes the ball down the field like you wouldn't believe. I love watching their games because these two girls do so well.

So, tonight Addie is here and the kids are all downstairs. Addie is actually playing Lego's with Evan while Katerina is laying on the couch watching TV. Sasha is down there with them and Kurt is at a neighborhood meeting around the corner (I was supposed to go but I decided to stay put - it's cold and windy outside and I have a headache).

Kurt and I went for a short, fast bike ride today. It was so windy that I almost blew off my bike! We asked Sarah Adams to go with us - she works at UNC and is training for triathlons too.

I'm getting nervous for the big IM training plan, which is supposed to start on Sunday (Mother's Day). What makes me nervous is how far Marshall is ahead of me! I really have to stop worrying about that....have to do my own thing and not worry too much.

I lifted weights tonight and for the first time in my life, I have seen improvement in my upper body strength! My arms feel bigger and the amt of wt I'm lifting is feeling pretty easy. I hope it helps my swimming because I really need it!

I'll post some pic's of Addie and Katerina tomorrow.

Battle of the Books

This was the first year for the kids to do Battle of the Books. It's a reading program here in our district where kids read books and then compete by answering questions about the books.

Evan's team was called Lion Readers and Katerina's team was the Blue Star Readers. I was Katerina's coach because she had asked me first. I always felt like we were behind yet we came out in 2nd place! Evan's team didn't do quite so good but really, none of he 1st grade teams did well (I was one of the timer's for the competition and got to see how they all did). But we had fun and it was a good exeperience, overall.

Exhaling....

It's Friday night and I just got the kids to bed. Whew. I'm loving the silence. They didn't behave well tonight. Took them (and Sasha) to the Monfort Carnival and they seemed to fight about everything. Evan wasn't listening well and I was losing my patience. But we made it through alright and then headed home where it was more of the same.

Having Sasha here these last 9 months has provided somewhat of a buffer between me and the kids. She's always around for them to play with (although it always ends in a fight) and I'm able to tend to dinner, housework, phone calls, etc, much easier because they have someone else to pester. But Sasha is leaving in 3 weeks and I'll be on my own again this summer.

But.....I'm actually looking forward to it. I'm craving time alone with my kids. Yet, I'm keenly aware of how they ramp up my blood pressure in seconds. I don't want to have any big blow ups (like we've had in the past) so I need to come with some strategies. More on that later.

Lately, I've been going on Facebook at 9:00 PM, mainly out of curiousity, and I end up reading everything and goofing around with it until it's time to go to bed. But tonight I feel like Facebook is one big loud noisy party and I just want time alone. I've always been kind of leary of large groups....one foot in and one foot out. I decided that I don't want to waste my time on Facebook every night. I'll check it once in awile but I want to use my precious free time enriching my brain other ways.

I have to say that I appreciate the communication I have with my niece's Erin and Laura. They seem interested in my life, unlike other members of my family (but that's another story), and I enjoy chatting with them. They've always been friendly and I love them for it.

Winding Down

Tonight was our last choir practice and Weds "church night". Whew - it was a long haul but well worth it. Our church provides dinner every Weds night and we have a program called Christ's Kids that my kids go to AND choir practice - it's a busy night. This spring the choir director, Dorothy Elder, decided to put on a musical for the congregation called Jonah and the Whale (1st - 5th graders). So they've been practicing every Weds night for the last 3 months. The performance is on Sunday.

I love our Weds nights at church but by the time we get home, the kids are wired and I am tired! It's the one weeknight that I drink a beer and enjoy every drop of it! Our church has been having some problems so I've gotten more involved and like any organization undergoing lots of change, it's a bit stressful at times. But I like the people and feel committed to staying.

Soccer is almost done and we have one more month of school - woo hoo! Both kids practice on Tues and Thurs nights and games are on Saturdays. I really enjoy watching them practice and their games. Katerina is more into it than Evan is and she has become quite the star player on their team. Evan is more into individual sports, like swimming and cycling (hmmm....future triathlete???)

I started this blog so that it could be a diary for my kids so I want to record a few things that I'd like them to know someday....Evan, you looked SO cute in your new shorts today. They fit you well (for once) and your sweet smile just made my day. Thank you so much for all the darling love notes that you've been writing me (he'll kill me for writing this someday!). He is THE sweetest little boy in the world!

I went on the most awesome bike ride today...it was 77 degrees and the roads were calling my name. Kurt had the day off so I felt safe riding alone (cause I can call him if I flat). It was soooo nice...everything is so green right now and the flowers and crabapple trees are in full bloom....and there's still some snow on the mountains in the distance - so beautiful.

I took O Street out to Kodak and back. Had a nice tailwind on the way out there but holey-moley was it hard to pedal on the way back! But I didn't care, I just rode at a moderately-hard pace and enjoyed the time alone.

More soon.

YouTube Material?

A few weeks ago the kids were talking about skiing the black slopes for the first time and I happened to have my camera near me so I thought, what the heck, I'd "interview" them about this experience. It was too funny not to upload (but no, I won't put it on YouTube!).

And btw, I have decided to delete my other blog (or put it on hold) and write more in here. I really want a diary for the kids to read when they grow up and this seems to be the easiest way to do it. Plus, anyone in our family can read it too (although I don't think anyone does). So, stay tuned for more episodes of "life at the Dallow ranch"!

Ketchup

OK, it's been awhile since I've posted and there's a lot to write about. First, we went to Ogden, Utah, in early March to watch Kurt compete in the Xterra World Championship Winter Quadrathlon (seriously). It was an amazing event that includes mountain biking in snow, snow-shoeing, x-c skiing (UP a ski slope) and running on snow.

I've never seen Kurt so exhausted in all of our 15 yrs of marriage! It took him over 4 hrs to finish (partly due to going off-course - more on that later) and he was going all-out pretty much the entire time. I'm really impressed that he did it.

We stayed with our really good friends, the Hansen's: Julie (my long-time close friend) and her husband, Rod, and kids, Ruselle and Isaac. Julie is a dietitian from Kansas, just like me, and we've been friends for a long time. She used to live in Ft. Collins and Rod got his PhD in nutrition the same time I did so we have a lot in common.

We had a really good time staying at their house. Julie is a really good runner but this time we didn't get to run together because she just had surgery to remove a benign cyst. But I got in a couple of really good long runs while I was there and we got to go shopping together (Julie is THE best person to shop with!). We hope to go see them at least once a year.

Kurt took the kids skiing on Saturday and then he did the race on Sunday (see pic's below). Julie and Rod came up to watch with me. Fortunately, it was a relatively warm, sunny day because we waited for Kurt to finish for a REALLY long time (like 90 mins or so). We had timed it so that we would get there about the time he would finish but little did we know, he had gone off course. At a key turning point, there wasn't a race marshall there and he missed the turn. So he had to re-do a section of the course and that took an extra half hour. But he finished anyway and was happy that he did it.

I do have to mention how he came across the finish line because I've never seen this happen before....he ski'ed down the hill toward the finish line, just like everyone else, but as he slowed himself to a stop, he just fell and layed there...he didn't get up! We all ran over to him and he just layed there. A medical person came running over too but as soon as I saw a smile on his face, I waved the official off. He was that tired; he just couldn't get up. Later, at the awards ceremony, he was literally laying his head on Katerina's shoulder and groaning. I have never seen him this wiped out before!

But all in all, it was a good trip. Even the drive there and back (8 hrs, with stop for lunch), the kids did really well (thank God for DVD players!). We played the alphabet game for the first time, read books, sang, and had our first taste of a road trip with the kids. Hope to go on more in the future.

Close Call

It all happened so quickly. I didn't even hear anything...I just remember turning around and seeing him there in the water...arms frantically waving.... and then it was like someone turned up the volume and I heard him screaming for me.....it was surreal, like a nightmare.

We went with a church group up to Beaver Meadows Resort and Ranch (northwest of Ft. Collins) to do some fun winter activities. They had tubing, snow-shoeing, x-c skiing, ice skating, etc.

When we first got there, I saw lots of kids on the frozen pond sliding around. I knew that it was frozen solid because Mike, the guy who organized the trip, told me that they had told him it was 18 - 24" thick. So I wasn't worried. Tyler, Mike's son, asked me if I wanted him to take the kids over to the pond while I got us registered and paid for. I said sure.

My mother came with us and she was sitting in the lodge by the fire, which was really big and producing lots of warmth. I was standing there talking to her when Tyler brings the kids in and Evan is sobbing. I look down and he is soaked from mid-thigh down. Just soaked.

He apparently had been walking near the edge of the pond in an area that is shallow and fell through the ice. We calmed him down, took his wet clothes off (fortunately, I had brought an extra set) and hung his bibs and socks by the fire. He would need the bibs to go tubing.

Finally, everything was dry and we headed for the tubing hill. What fun! There was not much snow so the tubes were kind of slow but the kids had fun anyway.

Then it was time to go ice-skating. I love to skate and grew up skating on our pond in Kansas. Evan didn't want to skate but said he would walk around by the pond. Fine. That's when he fell through - AGAIN.

Only this time, it was worse. He fell in up to his chest! A group of teenagers heard him screaming and went to pull him out. I got there as they pulled him out and have never seen a child so upset. He was sobbing uncontrollably, as any child would be having fallen through the ice twice. But he could've slipped under easily and/or not be seen for awhile and as cold as the water was, he would've gotten hypothermia.

But it all turned out well. He's fine and now has a healthy dose of fear that will hopefully make him think twice about walking on thin ice again. But I will say this: it wasn't his fault, really. When Kurt went over to the area he was walking in, it looked like a snowy bank, not a part of the pond. I could see why he didn't know there was ice below him.

More soon...gotta sign off now but have more updates to write.

Birthday Boy and Ski Trip

Silence.....is golden, they say. I'm enjoying some of that right now while Kurt took the kids swimming. We are up at Winter Park on President's Day and I'm lounging in one of the nicest condo's I've ever seen.

We came up Sunday afternoon to ski on Monday and Tuesday. The kids have Monday off (Pres Day) and we are taking them out of school on Tuesday to ski. How fun! This is the first time we've ever taken them out of school and we feel a bit heathenistic but oh well!

First, let's catch up a bit. Evan's birthday was on Valentine's Day and he is now 8 yrs old. We had a party at our house (pic's coming soon) and overall, we had a great time. He had 8 kids over and they played inside and outside. He invited two girls, Haley and Mara, but as can be expected, the girls separated from the boys. But it seemed to be ok with everyone.

Unfotunately, Evan got into a little trouble during the party and I lost my cool with him. We had a rough week this last week with the kids (more on that later) and I was in "last straw" kind of mood. He knee'd Haley in the eye (on purpose), causing her to cry, and I sent him to his room. I was pretty calm at that point (disappointed, but calm) and told him to put the fort that he had made in his room away. Well, he went ballistic! He cried loud and hard and I got pretty angry at him. Long story short, I reminded myself that this was his birthday and I let him go early but it wasn't pretty for awhile.

Kurt set up the race car set and all the boys huddled around the table. Then we went out to do the pinata. The pinata wouldn't break but the plastic handle holding it up broke so the whole thing fell to the ground, without breaking apart. So we let the kids take turns bashing it in with a big stick! It was pretty funny.

We had cake and ice cream and sang happy birthday. Evan opened his presents and fortunately, he got a lot of cool stuff. He would have been upset if he hadn't, considering how upset he was earlier. Kent and Kendall called, which was very nice too.

Then, on Sunday, the kids and I went to church. I taught Sunday school, which I really enjoy. I don't get into all the biblical details but I really enjoy being with the kids. I had 3rd and 5th graders this time. I've known these kids for several years now and look forward to seeing them all grow up. I really believe in the vows we say out loud in church during the baptism ceremony....the vows that say to the congregation something like "do you promise to help raise this child in the church.....?" I take them seriously. I want all of the kids that I know in church to feel that I'm another adult in their lives watching out for them.

OK, I digress....anyway, we left for Winter Park later that afternoon. Sasha, our exchange student chose not to go with us and I have to say that I was glad. I like having Sasha go with us and she is an excellent skier but we haven't had family time (with just us) in a long time. We really needed this time together.

And, the cool part is, this condo is sooooo nice! It's gorgeous. It's close to the ski area and surrounded by forest. The view from all the windows is beautiful. The furnishings are very nice. I want to get a condo so bad! Now that the kids are skiing, it would be a worthwhile investment. I love being in the mountains - more than ever. We have a lot of kid years ahead of us and I would love to have a place to go to once a month or so. Kurt likes the idea too so we are looking into it.

So here I sit, in this gorgeous condo, feet propped up on the coffee table, laptop on my lap, mind dulled by the margarita I just drank an hour ago, contemplating life. I feel happy to have such wonderful children and a good husband and such a "cush" life....but also sad that Evan and I have hit a rough patch lately. But one of the reasons I decided to write this blog is to record our family life, warts and all. I'd rather be honest and "aunthentic" than fake and gushy. So there you have it!

And to Evan, who may read this someday: I love you very much and I'm sorry for getting so short with you lately. I know I've hurt you and I'm sorry for that. But in some ways, I feel we're getting closer. Just hang in there with me, kiddo, and we'll do just fine!

Pic's from Ski Trip

Ski Trip (pictures coming soon!)

We went skiing last weekend in Winter Park and had a great time! This time we rented a condo in Frasier, which is a lot closer to the slopes than where we usually stay - Snow Mountain Ranch.

We went up Friday night and came home on Sunday, during the Super Bowl. We thought it would be less crowded on I-70 because of the game but it wasn't! We stopped in Idaho Springs to eat at Beaujeau's Pizza and watched the game there.

But the skiing was great. We had fabulous weather - we actually got hot! Blue sky, no wind, and lots of powder. You can't get any better than that!

The kids did really well. They are getting to be really good skiers. Katerina is much more cautious than Evan. He tends to race down the hill and is not always using good form. But I am proud of him and how fearless he is. And guess what? Kurt entered both kids in a race! They started in the blocks, just like in the Olympics, and raced down the hill, weaving around hurdles - I'll upload a short video I took of them next time - it was amazing. They finished without crashing (my major concern!) and even won a medal.

Sasha was with us and she did well too. She is a very good skiier. It was nice to have one more "adult" to help manage the kids.

Kurt and I went for an awesome run on Sunday morning. Our condo was way up on a hill so we had to run down into town. We took a few side roads that went through the woods and ran for over an hour. The sun wasn't all the way up so it quiet and serene...the snow on the mountains looked so pretty.

I felt really good and kept on running after Kurt turned off to get the kids ready for skiing. I cranked up my Ipod as soon as he left and charged up the hill. I felt really strong. When I got to the long driveway, I turned off the music and just looked out over the valley...the sun coming up over the mountains was spectacular. I could see my breath in the cold air but I was warm and toasty from the long run. I said a prayer and thought about all that I have to be thankful for....two wonderful children who were anxiously waiting for my return, a hard-working, honest, funny, and kind (most of the time!) husband, and so much more....it's times like this that I appreciate so much.

We did have some rough times this weekend. The kids were fighting nonstop (it seemed) and I lost my cool in a big way. I screamed at them, which is something I haven't done in a long time. It definitely quieted them down! Kurt was a little too hard on them too. He has high expectations of their ability to get themselves ready, packed, and out the door. This was all on Saturday so the wonderful run we had on Sun morning really relaxed me....it was like a long yoga session.....and I needed it to deal with the kids!

But we made it back in one piece. The pizza was good at Beaujeau's and we enjoyed watching Bruce Springsteen's halftime performance (although we couldn't hear it!). I was rooting for the Cardinals and was SO bummed to hear they had lost it in the last few seconds. Oh well....maybe the Bronco's will be there next year!

We went sledding after school on Monday. We had gotten just barely enough snow but I decided that since the kids get out of school early on Mondays, that we should give it a try. Check out the video!

When there's more snow, they go a lot faster. But it was fun anyway. Evan saw a young man (probably a college kid) working on building a ramp by shoveling snow into a garbage can and dumping it onto a hand-built ramp. Evan wanted to help him so he went over there to help this guy. I overheard him saying something to the young man so I asked him what he said to the guy and he said "oh, I was giving him advice"! How cute!

Evan spent about a half an hour helping this young man build the ramp. I kept thinking "I hope this guy let's Evan use the ramp!" You never know with college kids.....alas, he did. But Evan didn't get much sledding in because he spent so much time helping to build the ramp.

It was very, very cold; about 10 degrees or less. It took a long time just getting the kids layered up to go. Sashas stayed home, which was a good idea. I stayed warm most of the time but got cold toward the end. I decided to sled too and just spent the time sledding on the Radio flyer (old wooden sled), which works quite well. Katerina used the blue plastic sled but it doesn't go very fast. Neither kid likes to use the wooden sled because you can't go over ramps with it. But I think it works great.

We went home and had hot cocoa and pop corn. I love days like this!

Ketchup

January is cruising right along. Kurt took the kids and Sasha skiing last weekend and I got to have what every mom dreams of: a weekend alone! I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed that!

Not much time now, so quick recap of the last few weeks:

The kids starting swim lessons down at the Rec Center but I'm not sure they are liking it too much. The coach is nice but it's obvious this is not a team for young kids. It's all business with him. K and E are the youngest kids on the team and struggling quite a bit with the strokes. Plus, the water is really cold! I've been swimming while they swim and I have hard time staying warm so I know they do (at least Evan does). But we'll stick it out for awhile and see how it goes.

I'm loving not teaching this semester! I'm liking it so much that I'm thinking I don't want to teach anymore. I'd like to pursue other activities in my profession, like teaching the class I developed at CSU for large women....more on that later.

Because I'm not teaching, I am picking the kids up at school almost every day and they really like that. We usually stay awhile and play on the playground, even in cold weather. I am amazed that no one else does that. We are always the only kids on the playground. The cars are all lined up at the school picking up kids and then they disappear and it's like a ghost town....why not stay and let kids play for awhile? I bet most of them go home and sit and front of a tv!

Katerina likes to play football and Evan likes to play cops and robbers. I have to say I'm partial to doing something with a ball, whether it's football, basketball, tether ball, wall ball, etc. With cops and robbers I end up having to run all over the playground and I'm usually sore from triathlon training! But Evan is OK with it and just glad that we're playing outside for awhile.

It is 7:25 AM and Kurt is still asleep!!!! In all of our 15 yrs of marriage, I have never seen him sleep in this late! I wonder if I should make sure he's breathing!

The kids are sleeping too, which is late for them, but they went to bed at 10:00 PM last night. We went out to a movie with Lynne and Marshall Parks, close friends of ours. Actually, we went to dinner with them and then Marshall went home and Lynne went to the movie with us. We saw Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood. Wow! Did that ever remind me of my dad!

I will have to tell my brother to watch this movie too. Rick would love it....in fact, I could see him being "Walt" when he gets older.....

It's snowing right now and it's so pretty. A gentle falling snow....all is quiet in the house right now and I'm loving it. Daisy sleeping by my side....

Kurt and I have been talking about home-schooling someday. I'm curious about it. I can easily see the pros and cons. I never thought I'd say this (in fact, I use to be quite emphatic about never wanting to homeschool!) but the idea intrigues me. But only because I see it as a way to give my kids a very enriched education. And because the schools in Greeley have not been doing well these last few years (state testing reports). Monfort Elementary, where the kids go, has done very well but the middle and high schools have not scored well.

But Lynne thinks that home-schooled kids are "nerdy". I'm not so sure about that. Stay tuned on this issue.

Not much more to say....ta ta!

Holy Night Supper

On Saturday we went to a very special event. It is called Holy Night Supper and it was started by our close friend, Sarah Siegler, and her husband, Eric. We went to Ukraine with Eric and Sarah to adopt our children - they adopted Matthew and we adopted Katerina, both in the same orphanage outside of Lugansk, Ukraine. That was in 2002, when Katerina was 8 months old and Matthew was 14 months old.



Flash forward a few years and there we all are at the Siegler household every January on the Saturday night closest to the Russian celebration of Christmas (Jan. 7th). Sarah's grandparents were Ukrainian and they did HNS every year when she was growing up. She is continuing the tradition with her kids and we are fortunate enough to be a part of it.



So what exactly do we do at HNS? Well, Sarah prepares a meal that is similar to the traditional Ukrainian Christmas/New Year meal. And it doesn't stop there. Each food has a special meaning and there are certain rules we must follow. For example, we must wash our hands with silver coins to bring wealth into the new year. We have an empty chair at the table to represent the seat for the Christ Child that will be coming in the new year. We kiss the four corners of the table while we hold hands to indicate sharing love with all four corners of the earth....etc. It's a very special dinner and we love it.

We usually go down early enough for the kids to play and help Sarah and Eric prepare the dinner, so we have plenty of time to talk. We only see them a few times a year so there's a lot to catch up on!

After dinner, we open a few gifts and play with the kids. It's a very special time and we treasure our friendship with the Sieglers very much.

See the photos at www.dallowphotos.shutterfly.com. I'll probably write more about it later but I'm too tired to write anything now! Have more to write because the day after HNS is Grandfather Frost...another special event. More soon!

Yesterday was a typical busy weekend day. It started with me leaving at 7:45 AM to run with my friend, Brenda. I look forward to my long runs on Saturday morning so I was happy to go. Kurt stayed at the hospital the night before (on call) so he wasn't here. But since we have Sasha here and the kids are old enough to sorta take care of themselves, I can leave without getting a babysitter.

Had a nice but very cold long run. Kevin Magee showed up as well. It was snowing by the time we got back. Ran 9 miles.

Came home, showered, ate lunch, talked with kids. Sasha still asleep. Needed to prime Katerina's cabinet so went downstairs to do that. Katerina had been watching tv the entire time I was gone so I wanted her to stop watching tv, but since I was down there priming (and the tv was on), she stayed down there too. Both kids had a bad case of cabin fever!Sasha got up and joined us in the basement. Katerina wanted to walk/run on the treadmill so I let her turn it on. Mistake! She was doing fine with it, although starting to get a little too daring by standing sideways and "flying" off the end of it and then, of course, Evan comes downstairs and wants to do taht too. Before I knew it, both kids were "flying" off the end of it so we had a "discussion" and the treadmill was turned off.

We were watching What Not to Wear while I was priming the cabinet. I like that show (find it interesting and obnoxious at the same time) but wasn't sure I wanted Katerina to see it. She's at a very impressionable age and of course, all they talk about is appearance....what looks good, what doesn't....and I don't want her to think that what she wears is that important. More on that later.

After lunch and several squabbles and meltdowns between the kids, I decide we need to get them out of the house. But it's REALLY cold outside, probably around 18 degrees with wind chill colder than that. Kurt comes home and starts ranting on the house so I figure we need to get him out as well, so off we go: kids, dogs, Kurt, and me.

We walk to UNC, like we always do, and the dogs have a blast. Evan likes to run all the way around the playing fields with Daisy (and I followed him). Katerina and Kurt played catch with the football. We had a great time. I thought to myself, "only this family would be out on such a cold day just playing around"!

Evan and I came back from our short little walk and joined Kurt and Katerina for a little touch footbball. We were having a great time but the dogs got overly excited and Daisy bit Evan. It was a playful bite but there were teethmarks behind his ear (ouch!). And before that, Evan was running full-steam with the ball and he collided with Daisy who was also running full-steam in the other direction. They collided with full-force, knocking Evan to the ground. Kurt and Katerina busted out laughing and since I saw Evan laughing too, I laughed a little...but I scolded both Kurt and Katerina for not checking to see if he was ok before laughing. They didn't listen, of course. Then on the next play, Daisy dove on Evan and "accidentally" bit his head, behind the ear. We stopped playing and went home.

Kurt took Katerina over to my mom's house for her first sewing lesson! Kat got a sewing machine for Christmas. She seems to like it so far. I hope she sticks with it!Evan and I sat on the couch and read a book. He has to read 16 books over the Christmas break! He's getting better at reading but still a little behind where he should be.

I also read for awhile, something I never get to do! I'm reading a book called Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time. Wow....amazing, eye-opening book....more on that later too. It's totally changing my view of Christianity.

Ok, now for the evening, which was quite eventful. First, we had spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner. I dished up a big dish from the stove and handed it to Katerina to take to the table, something I never do (give her a big dish to carry). Like any 7 yr old, she proceeds to carry it with one hand and of course, the entire pile of spaghetti with sauce slides out of the plate onto our $2000 rug. Normally, when the kids spill things, I don't get mad. There are other things they do that "get me" but not spilling things. But this time it got me. Not only did I lose my dinner (it was my plate she was carrying and I was really hungry) but spaghetti sauce can permanently stain a carpet and there was a huge pile on the carpet. I got angry and Kurt got REALLY angry. Katerina was paralyzed....she couldn't move. Kurt was yellling at her to do something, but she couldn't (and this has happened before). Long story short, we had a quiet dinner with a very sad little girl.

Next, we all went downstairs to watch Narnia. We rarely watch movies together so this was a "treat". We watched the entire movie and everyone was really into it. All of us on the couch, lights out, dogs at our feet - I love it when we're together like this!I was a little unhappy with the yet another children's tale where there's an evil woman and a loving, all-knowing, noble male figure. More on that later.

After the movie, we go upstairs to go to bed. It's after 10:00 PM and as we walk through the kitchen, Kurt suddenly says "I smell gas!" and runs to the stove, where he sees that one of the gas burners is still on. I immediately smell it too. We run to the windows and through them open. The kids are alarmed and we calmly explain to them why this is bad. But the movie had them a little spooked already and they were suddenly hyped up. The smell was really bad so i took them outside. I decided to call the fire department but Kurt argued with me, saying that it will dissipate. But there was no way I was going to shut the windows with gas in the house. So I called 911!

I've never called 911 before. I told the dispatcher that this was not an emergency but that I would like someone to come over and check the gas level in the house. He asked if we needed an ambulance, if anyone was feeling sick and I said NO! But they sent one anyway!

Before I knew it, here comes a big firetruck. I should back up and say that Katerina was absolutley horrified at the prospect of firefighters coming to our house and was shaking and crying. She is petrified of anyone with a mask on their faces. She was truly petrified, not faking it at all or dramatizing....she was seriously scared. I had to make a decision - either not call 911 and hope that the gas was gone (to save her the emotional trauma) or call them and hope she'll get through it ok. I chose the latter....just knew I couldn't sleep with windows shut and gas in the house.

She ran outside and Kurt grabbed her and took her to her room. The firefighters came and treated the situation very seriously (which made me feel better that I had called them!). They came in and walked around the house checking the co2 levels. Kurt brought Katerina out and when she saw that they did not have masks on, she calmed down a bit. One of the firefighters talked to her in a very soothing way (loved him!!!). All was well and they left.

As I always say, never a dull moment in the Dallow household!

Day One

Greetings! This is Day One of our family blog. I have very mixed feelings about family blogs so this is somewhat of a bold step for me. But I really like keeping a journal of what we do as a family and this is a more attractive way to keep one (and easier too) than simply typing everything into a Word document.

Why not hand-write a journal, you ask? Because I HATE my handwriting and because I usually have so much to say that my hand gets tired of writing. Three other reasons for blogging vs private journaling: 1) if our computer crashes, it will not be lost, 2) I can do it anywhere, and 3) I like adding pictures now and then.

Oh yeah, one more: my extended family can access it too if they want to take a peak at what we've been up to (although I probably won't give out the address for awhile; I want to make sure I will actually do this!).

I guess I could do a Facebook page but I've never used Facebook and it seems more "open to the public" than blogging. This just feels "safer" to me, for some odd reason.

And when we got back from Ukraine the 2nd time, a woman we know printed out our blog and put it into a nice binder for us to keep. I was so surprised....and it looked so nice! I thought "wow, this is a nice way to document a trip" and it will be nice for Evan and Katerina to read someday.

I'm hoping Kurt will join me in blogging some of our activities too.

Sooooo......what are we up to today, this second day of the New Year? I'm finishing a project in Katerina's room, Kurt is working, and the kids are going to the Family FunPlex this afternoon with some friends. They are very excited!

Sasha, our exchange student will be here too because school hasn't started back up yet.

Speaking of school, I can't wait for it to start on Monday! School for the kids, that is. I'm not teaching this semester - woo hoo! This will be the first semester in almost 5 years that I'm not teaching and it feels so weird (yet sooooo good). I love teaching but it's more work than anyone realizes (unless they've done it) and I stress about it a lot. I spend a lot of time making powerpoint presentations, handouts, case studies, lectures, class projects, etc, and I end up feeling like I have NO time to do anything else.

I become tired, cranky, impatient, and just not fun to be around when I'm teaching. I don't have time to volunteer at my church or school or do anything extra (other than running, which I have to do to keep my sanity) and I don't like that.

So this is the first time in many years that I'm not gainfully employed. I will be doing some consulting for the athletic team at UNC and giving some talks at Aims Community College but not teaching and I'm very excited about it.

That's enough for now....plus, Kurt needs my help carrying the yellow cabinet (that I'll be painting today for Katerina's room) up out of the basement into the breezeway.....ta ta for now!