February Birthday Boys

This past weekend we had a chance to celebrate both Hayden (#5) and Gabe’s(#8) Birthdays! When we asked them a couple of weeks ago what they wanted to do, both turned down a chance for a big party with friends and instead said they wanted to go stay in a Hotel and go swimming! Jenn and I both quickly agreed that would be easy (and my desire to reach Gold status with Marriott Rewards had nothing to do with the decision). So, we spent Friday night going to their favorite restaurant Saltgrass where we were able to view lots of dead animal carcasses while downing our own versions of carnivorous platters. Afterwards we went to the Denver Marriott South and even though Gabe was worried upon our arrival that it would be crowded due to other cars in the parking lot, he was greatly relieved to have the swimming and hot tub completely empty.
We were all treated, literally, after 2 hours of swimming with enough sugar to make Uncle Spencer (the dentist) deeply disappointed, and unfortunately did not realize until it was too late that said sugar would keep Mr. Sugar himself (Hayden) up a good 2 hours past his bedtime. While the rest of us watched Spiderman on the hotel TV, Hayden actually was Spiderman jumping from chair to bed, to other pieces of furniture…etc.
The next morning we went swimming again for two hours from 6am-8am while Jenn slept in. Scary Blackberry experience occurred with Dad: I was intensely catching up on my emails as the boys swam and kept yelling at me to get in...apparently not thinking about anything other than the emails, I promptly disrobed my swimsuit (unknowingly) and got in the hot tub with the boys, buck naked. After laying my blackberry to the side of the hot tub, Gabe turned to me with his eyes as big as I've ever seen them and said, "Dad, why don't you have your swimsuit on!" I looked down and was completely mortified to find that I had absolutely nothing on and had strolled over from the lounging chair to the pool without any clothing. I looked up to see the 3 men on treadmills facing me and the pool through the glass wall and was praying they hadn't looked up from their treadmills. Gabe quickly jumped out and ran and grabbed my trunks for me, but definitely one of those unforgettable moments that proves the theory that with each child, you lose 25% of your remaining brain cells.
Later that morning at breakfast, Gabe ate 14 different items at the breakfast buffet that morning, Hayden just seven. Afterwards, we went home and enjoyed a more traditional party with the rest of the kids that included opening presents and enjoying a Rainbow Trout Birthday cake.

Recap: The Holiday Season

January 03,2010

This past Holiday Season was really wonderful. After a fun company party in Albuquerque with Jenn and all our employees at the Isleta Casino, we looked around at some real estate in the area just in case a move this summer is in the cards. I would put the chances of that happening somewhere around 10% due to the lost value in our Colorado home and the desire to raise our family in Denver over ABQ at the moment. Upon returning home, we had several quiet days to relax, prepare for Christmas, decorate the house, and enjoy time together. After relatively little snow in Parker for nearly a month, we were treated Christmas Eve day to 8 inches of snow and woke up on Christmas day to a beautiful morning. The kids were their usual over-excited selves, and we were our usual over indulging parents as we yet again vowed to make next Christmas season scaled down on the present front. It was a great day and one that I really tried to appreciate as the reality of our kids getting older has hit me of late. That night was a nice steak candelight dinner with our family, a quiet but celebratory-like night of just enjoying each other and in the Spirit of the Day.

The next day Miko and Dave surprised us by driving the entire way from California, all 16 hours, in one Day! They arrived Saturday night, and our kids were as excited about their arrival as any of the presents from Christmas Day. It was their first visit to our home here in Colorado and I was really excited they made the sacrifice to come all the way here. Sunday was spent at church and then a quick trip over to Castle Rock to enjoy a stroll down memory lane, as Miko and I reminisced our 7 years of growing up there. Monday morning Dave and I enjoyed a fun 7 miler down Democrat and back while the ladies hit the gym. The kids spent most of the day outside sledding and playing in the snow. Monday night Mom, dad, Ken, and his soon to be fiancé Ashley arrived. Tuesday we all headed to the gym for basketball, football, and racketball with Dad. That night Spencer and Sarah arrived from ABQ and SLC, respectively. Wednesday morning we all arose and went and did 280 baptisms for the dead and confirmations at the Denver Temple with all of the adults and the oldest boys. It was really neat to do that , and dad was able to get 4-6 family names that we were able to perform initiatories for as well. We went to Indochine Thai restaurant afterwards for a light lunch. That night Spencer and I took everyone to Flemings, an upscale steakhouse that we had purchased a $500 gift certificate for using our AMEX points. It was a fun and gluttonous evening and I really enjoyed the fact that everyone just ordered whatever and however much they wanted. It was fun to treat. Thursday was New Years Eve Day, and after a morning of getting a sectional sofa from down the road and exercising on a run down Democrat road with Miko, Dave, and Jenn, we all went to see Avatar, while Jenn took the little kids to 2 other movies. That night we all stayed up and rang in the New Year with a formal ham and potatoes dinner that Jenn cooked up. It was fabulous! New Years Day we headed to the church for a full fledged 5-on-5 basketball game with everyone. Other than a few flared tempers, it was a lot of fun to get everyone out on the floor together and it was pretty competitive. We headed back to the house to enjoy the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl games as the ladies went out for a little shopping spree. That night we all played games and enjoyed another fine asian meal cooked up by mom after she had been at it for more than 4 hours! Everyone, except Spencer and Sarah, left Saturday morning. The kids have all been bummed since, a major letdown for sure. Spencer and Sarah went down to the Springs to enjoy their 2^nd anniversary at the Broadmoor Hotel. In fact, we’ve all been in a little bit of a funk since everyone has left, as reality and the real world start up again tomorrow.

It was a great Holiday Season, and a great Year.

Writer's Strike Ends, Tasker Tidbits makes comeback

Let's face it, 2008 was a lost year, as the Tasker Tidbits publication went out of production. I blame Hollywood. For when the writers went on strike in 2007, I joined. Not for better benefits or compensation, although the stresses of self-employment did have me thinking, but because the well of creativity had been running dry for some time. Simply, I was protesting my long, drawn out funk... But, like most labor strikes of our day, progress was minimal. I guess when you walk out in a movement and the movement is yourself, it's not likely going to end spectacularly. To explain more straightforwardly, stress has an inverse relationship with creativity, and the end of 2007 brought on major employment changes starting my own company (see http://molarexpress.blogspot.com/.), more travel and less time at home with the new job, the tasks associated with running a household of 7 were in full motion, and it seemed any discretionary time was being eaten up by a church calling and the light exertions of dabbling into running marathons (the 26.2 mile kind).

So here it is 2009-new year, new resolutions (oh, and a new season of '24' to watch). The goal is to keep our little blog updated at least twice a month. To summarize and overly generalize our little clan at the moment, our family is going through a transition of sorts. From a 'physical maintenance' sort of orphanage full of nothing but little mouths to feed and non-stop messy diapers to one that resembles, say basic training. Even though outbursts and interruptions have no place in our regimented schedules simply to get everyone where they need to be, on time, we are reminded that we must take a timeout every now and then to deal with the following general conditions:
pre-teen emotions and the less innocent world of 7th grade, a basketball loss or a 'B' grade to a highly competitive somone in the household, impulsive rants by a 6 year old who yearns for free time away from the pressures and seemingly unending homework of 1st grade, and the soft spoken requests of a little human chocolate of a boy who innocently asks to hold hands and snuggle in bed for awhile (with his best friends, Tom & Jerry) during the afternoon.

This blog will be aimed at capturing the 'what', 'who', and 'where' that goes on in our household in 2009, and if the creativity juices begin to flow again, humorously dabble into the 'why' of things...