Long Time, No Post

Okay, so it isn't like I've had nothing to say. I have. I just haven't had the time.

We spent the week following our trip to Europe getting over colds. All of us had one. We were miserable and no fun to be around. We were going to bed at 8:00 p.m. every night, if we could stay up that late.

Then daylight savings happened. And Chase's sleep schedule is SO messed-up, she didn't fall asleep until around 9:00 p.m. last night, not that we would know, we were both zonked out on either side of her. We woke up at 11:00 - she was fast asleep, nestled between us.

So what else? Well, Chase is gorgeous as always. Pictures from Budapest still to come (when I actually have a few minutes).

Perhaps the biggest hurdle we are facing at the moment is that Chase is terrified of water. It just happened. She hates the bathtub. I took her to the swimming pool yesterday (yes, I got into a bathing suit), and she screamed "no, no, no" the entire time. We spent 15 minutes there and then decided it was not worth the drama - or the trauma.

Today I ventured to the gym, for the first time in TWO years. It was fabulous. I ran for 15 minutes and felt pretty good about myself, because it was (1) the first time in two years, (2) at high altitude and (3) the first time in two years. Oh and it was the first time in two years. And then I went to collect Chase from the childcare facility, only to find her sobbing so hard she couldn't breath. And the childcare guy wasn't even paying attention to her. I wanted to grab him by his 24-hour fitness polo shirt and scream at him "why didn't you page me?" But instead I asked him the question in a calm, yet terse voice. He said, "oh, she'd cry and then stop and then cry and then stop." O-MY-GOSH-MAN. So we're never going back. Even if Chase is unhappy, she never screams like that.

So now it's back to trying to figure out how to get exercise - with her. Maybe we should just make monthly trips to Budapest.

"Mommy, YAY!" "Daddy, YAY!"

Possibly the cutest thing ever. Chase has started adding "YAY" to words she really likes. And we are lucky enough that mommy and daddy are on that list.

On that note, she is doing a lot more talking these days. Naming everything she sees. I have to remind myself that she doesn't want everything she names, that she is simply naming items to show me how much she knows.

And speaking of our little know it all, while we were in Budapest Chase counted to 10. Yes, that's right. I'm not kidding. She was just counting rocks - and adding the number to each. It was UN-BELIEVABLE.

She also loves singing to herself - and to others. She was singing to Taggart this morning. Super, uber-doober cute.

For The Love Of Travel

So we've finally "settled" back in to Denver. Pictures from our trip will be posted soon.

I have to say this trip to Europe was easily the most difficult trip we've made to date. Why? I think it was because Chase is nearly two. This means she (1) actually realizes she has feelings and wants to do things a certain way, (2) likes to walk in the opposite direction of where we need to go, (3) likes to snack all the time, and (4) is getting way too heavy to carry all-day-long.

We thought we had it all figured out. We have a hip carrier that we carefully placed in the car. And then left it in the car once we got to the airport. By mistake. Or should I say, BIG mistake. We tried to buy a stroller for Chase on three different occasions - and each time Chase shook her head, "no," and arched her back when we tried to place her in it. Hubs even tried not so subliminal methods to influencer her, "see?" he'd say to her (arms burning). "That baby is very happy in his stroller. And look, he can even play with toys and read a book while he's in it." Hubs must have pointed out every stroller he saw on DAY 3. Miss Chase was still adamant she would NOT NOT NOT be one of those happy babies. She was quite happy, thank you very much, being so close to us.

So that aside, she was really an amazing little traveler. Oh, and besides the fact she did not sleep through a single night (and got up the first four to color, read, play), she really did very well. Her parents, on the other hand, were so b-l-e-e-p-i-n-g tired by the end of it, we could barely talk to each other without getting snippy. It didn't help we were both sick out of our heads on the last day and couldn't even hear each other - and couldn't talk any louder because our throats hurt.

But seriously, it was good be out and about again. I found myself with a renewed level of appreciation for our home, our life.

I found there were things I really didn't miss: (1) city air, (2) city playgrounds, (3) rough toilet paper, (4) check out people at the grocery store who are mean, (5) buying things I think are one thing and then finding they are something else (in Budapest I kept meaning to buy yogurt, but ended up with sour cream, quark and something in between. I also wanted to buy milk, but somehow ended up with chocolate milk, cheese that was too strong for Chase to eat, an unidentifiable meat product cut in to slices and sparking water when I wanted still).

But on the bright side of it all, Budapest was really lovely. The weather was warm, the sky was blue. I would, however, compare Budapest to a tired old lady, who used to be exceptionally beautiful, but now has lots of scars. The buildings that were once grand and falling apart. There is little in the way of color (I recall Prague's buildings were all gorgeous terracotta, greens, pale yellows, creams). The streets are larger and straighter (as compared to Prague's winding, cobblestones). Budapest was bigger (sort like how Seattle is to Portland). And there wasn't much in the way of a local art scene (Prague was filled with galleries).

But there was great food (goulash, stuffed cabbage, strudel). And most likely a great night life - although Hubs and I were back at the hotel by 8:30 p.m. each night. If one was young and hip, and without a toddler in tow, one might really enjoy it there.

We were really lucky in the hotel we selected (Hotel Starlight). It was inexpensive and clean. The room was large and had a living room, bedroom and large bathroom. The location couldn't be beat, and there was a playground right down the street that Chase loved. The only down side was that there wasn't a kitchen in the hotel, so we had to fly by the seat of our pants when it came to feeding Chase.

Lessons learned on this trip? We are definitely not doing any "city breaks" again anytime soon. I think from here on out we're going to be resort-bound --- at least for a little while.

Friends

What a whirlwind adventure our trip to Europe was - we arrived at 6 a.m. on Saturday, after a 10 hour flight, had breakie with our friends the Suni-Andersons, showered and headed out to a pub-"D0." Unfortunately, we were utterly exhausted and forgot our camera, but our friends Isaac and Elaina captured some great shots of Chase with her two friends, Felix and Callia.

Felix, it is worth noting, was born exactly a month before Chase and her mom, Emma (pictured), was one of the people I spent the most time with in the last couple months before Chase was born. We grumbled to each other when our husbands got tired of listening to the aches and pains that come with the third trimester.

It was amazing to see Felix - he was soooo grown up and so handsome. Callia was a beauty as well. Elaina, bless her, made the trip out with Callia and the newest member of their family - her two week old daughter (thank you)!

I do hope all the kiddos can all keep in touch in the years to come.

Oh, and pay no attention to Chase's hair. It was utterly unkempt. The entire time. Both because she refuses to bathe (grubby girl) and because we found ourselves in an environment where there was actually moisture in the air (in Denver, her hair is flat, flat, flat).

Whatever It Is YOU Do

I have been really bad at updates. I know. I have been even worse at taking pictures.

So let's see, what has happened since my last update?

• Chase had a full blown tantrum in Target (read: screaming, arching back, kicking, rolling around on the floor), because she didn't want to wear her shoes. Oh, and it was lunch time and she was hungry and tired. Yah, note to self.

• We enrolled her in a tiny tot soccer program. She even has a uniform. She starts in March.
  

• Chase's Mandarin is coming along. She loves her tutor. Her pronunciation is improving.
  

• We're heading to London next week with plans to spend a couple days in Budapest to celebrate Chase's second birthday. (wow, has it really been two years?)
  

• NeeNee KarKar and Poppa Joe have been out visiting - it has been wonderful! Pictures to come.
  

A little story from yesterday - so Karla (Hub's mom) and I are in the fabric store looking for curtain material. We found a beautiful green silk (so yummy). And the lady behind the counter, who had quite the approach to life, laid into me here and there because I don't really "get" sewing. Like, I'm trying to learn, okay? So at the end of our time there, she said to me, in a sardonic tone, "well honey, I'm sure that whatever it is YOU do, you're very good at it."

Zoo Fundraiser

I have talked a local coffee shop in to hosting a fundraiser.

Chase has painted 6 pieces of art, each will be sold for $10.00 - and all proceeds will be donated to the Denver Zoo's Red Apple Fund, a fund that helps children who can't afford the zoo with an opportunity to visit the zoo.

Our goal is to sell each of the following pieces before the show (which is slated for March).

So family members, please let me know which piece to reserve for you. I will mail them to you following her show - so you will receive them in April. Please send checks or cash to Chase Allbritton. All donations are welcome.

Canvases are 6" x 8" - mixed media (acrylic paint with glitter pen) - so without further ado:

"Monkey House"














"Giraffe" (SOLD) - Thanks to Aunt Michelle!














"Hippo" (SOLD) - I'm keeping one!














"Cheetah" (SOLD!) Thanks Joe & Karla!














"Polar Bear" (SOLD!) - Thanks, Dad!














"Elephant" - (SOLD) Thanks, Mom!

Doll House

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

I must admit something.

I really was planning on celebrating the Chinese New Year, but I became overwhelmed with cleaning and straightening up the house after my mom - and husband - confirmed I am a slob.

I prefer to think of myself as having better things to do with my time then spend it cleaning. Like taking care of a 2-year-old, who delights in unpacking shelves. And it's not like we live in a messy-mess.

At first glance everything looks pretty good. It's just if you open a cabinet or closet, you see things are jammed inside. Hubs tried to make me feel better, "Don't worry, I knew you were a slob when I married you." Thanks, hon.

But I digress.

So I was planning on doing some New Year celebrations - and I think I will go buy some oranges, flowers, dumplings and spring rolls today (so we can enjoy them tomorrow). But it just doesn't feel the same. The celebrations here aren't as grand. We don't have fireworks going off EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY for months before (and after).

So on to the Year of The Rat...
Following are some predictions from Paul NG. (http://www.paulng.com/CMS/index.php?/archives/18-PREDICTIONS-FOR-2008-Year-of-Earth-Rat.html)

- There are 3 “wood” elements in this combination, resulting in good news concerning land and real estate.
- This may be a record year for single old ladies to re-marry.
- Marriage involving older women and younger men would continue.
- The world’s political picture, especially USA and UK, could be very dark, owing to many terrorist attacks.
- There would be plenty of water problems worldwide, such as flooding.
- The polar ice will speed up its melting process, thus increasing the water level in the oceans.
- On the bright side, this is a good year for economic recoveries. Many businesses would do well.
-There would be some kind of breakthroughs in cancer treatments.
- Food businesses would do well too, especially those targeting weddings and births.
- Gold and Metals would do well in general
-Textiles would do well, for the first time in many years, especially those targeting the Beijing Olympics.
- Metals businesses may suffer, especially Northern American cars . There would be major layoffs.
- Soda Water businesses also would be outperformed by Pure Water.
- Travel industry would do well in the north , especially mountainous areas .

Projection for the World Stock Markets:

February Positive

• March: Positive
• April: First half of month better than second half
• May Positive
• June Positive, but with volatility
• July Positive
• August : Negative
• September : Negative
• October: Second half of month better than first half
• November : First half of month better than second half
• December: First half of month better than second half
• January (2009): Positive

For more about each sign - visit:
http://www.usbridalguide.com/special/chinesehoroscopes/Rat.htm

Super Tuesday

Today Chase and I attended the Colorado Democratic Caucus.
It was packed. We were like Democratic sardines. Shoulder to shoulder.
My precinct had 160 people in it (and there were at least 5 precincts there).

Chase loved it.
When it came time to vote, she raised both her hands for Obama.
Not that she really had any idea what she was doing.
I think she was just caught up in the moment.

Hubs attended the Republican Caucus.
He had 10 people in his precinct.

At my Caucus, it was madness. Totally unorganized. Mayhem.
But it was totally fun - and totally American.
The election of the delegates was painful.
Our lead had no idea how to handle it.
After they were elected, we headed for the door.
Beat the rush, you know.
But Chase didn't want to go.
She LOVED it there.
Although she was exhausted out of her mind.

Overall, election night has been pretty interesting.

First - terrible news: seven people were killed in the South - due to Tornadoes.

Second - Chicago's first 20 voters were given styluses and their vote didn't register (so they are voting again).

Third - California is reporting they are running out of ballots due to high voter turn out.

Should be interesting to see the results tomorrow...

Super Tuesday

Tomorrow is "Super Tuesday."
Maybe I'll wear a cape.

Tomorrow is the first time I will have ever (a) voted on "Super Tuesday" and (b) been involved with a caucus.

And I'm looking forward to it.

I have been contacted by Obama's people four times (each time I spoke with a real, live, person).
Hillary, on the other hand, left a voice message.
And no, it wasn't live.

I have really been impressed by Obama's people.
I have not been very impressed by Hillary's ability to leave voice mail.

And so tomorrow I vote.

Nana Cris

Thank you so much to Nana Cris for making the trip to Denver.
We SO enjoyed spending time with you.
We loved the time at the Museum of Nature & Science.
Eating lunch in the car.
Walking Angel and Taggart.
The time at the zoo.
Playing hide & seek.

Totally fabulous.

I wish I had spent more time taking pictures.
Here are only a few...




















































































Chase already misses you - and Angel!
We tried playing hide & seek without you, and it's just not the same.

A special thank you from us parents - thanks so much for making omelettes, letting us take a night on the town and letting us sleep in (felt like a weekend away, even though we only slept in one hour).

Potty

Potty-talk has become all the rage in our house. Not a day goes by where the word potty, pee-pee and pooh-pooh are not uttered.

I bought Chase a little, blue, plastic toilet in China. It looks like a real toilet, but it is blue. Well, Chase liked it quite a bit, until it was actually time to sit on it. So I thought, maybe she needs a toilet insert - so she can use the big toilet. So we went to Target and she picked out a Dora "Let's Go" potty seat insert. But she won't sit on it.

She will tell me now, when she needs to go to the bathroom, but she won't sit on the potty. So what's holding me back from starting to potty train her?

With another international flight looming in March, I can just picture the fasten seat belt sign "on" while my daughter shrieks "pee pee, pooh pooh!" Going into airplane toilets is hard enough with a baby, I can't imagine doing it with a toddler that is just learning to use the bathroom.

Notes On The House

It occurred to me that I should post an entry about our house.

For the first time in four years, we actually have all of our art up, our furniture out, and our various bits and pieces that we've collected over the years - unpacked. And it feels great. It feels like home. It feels like a place I never want to leave, but don't want to be my whole life (I know, it's complicated, and bless Hubs, he "gets it.")

The house, which I was initially on the fence about (only because we bought it after looking at houses for two days), is really such a gem. Despite the fact I wish it was just a little bigger - and that we had just a little more land (like enough to have goats and chickens for Chase - or at least a proper length for lawn bowls or croquet), it is quite comfortable.

But, despite our best efforts, we have more dog doo in the backyard than will fit in a normal trash can. Why have we let so much accumulate out back? Because every time it snowed, the poo was covered. And yes, it took too much motivation to go outside and "hunt" for it. Not to mention, we have better things to do.

So we're getting a fence put in to confine the dog doodles to one area of the yard. It will actually be a good size run, so Taggart will not really be confined. This will allow for us to get our backyard in working order - and ensure that when we have friends over we don't have to scream, "watch out for doodles." Now we just have to motivate to go above and beyond and instead of just sliding the glass door - we'll have to walk him out to his run. That is, until we renovate the kitchen, which is now scheduled for August.

What else? Well, only because I'm here all the time. I happened to notice the entire house is painted yellow inside. Except the bedrooms. And while I have always liked yellow, I find myself needing more color. Deeper, darker, more intense colors. So that will be my new project, come Summer (when I can open windows).

All in all, the house is fabulous.

Return To Square One

It has been a LONG time since we properly entertained other people.

Like four years.
Yes, that's right.

And so I decided to start inviting people over to dinner.

I thought it would be easy, but instead I've found it a bit more difficult than I remember it. Maybe it's because I now have to cook for toddlers, too? Or maybe it's because we don't have an oven that works? Or maybe it's because I don't believe in microwaves? (my aunt told me they were bad, I didn't believe her, and then I did some research and found they alter the composition of food, significantly decrease nutrition levels and introduce toxins to the body) Plus, I have to learn how to cook at high altitude!

So long story short, everything has to be done stove top or in a crock pot or on the BBQ - and I still have very little idea as to how long things actually have to cook here. Even though water boils sooner, it takes meat longer to cook.

So what have I learned?

First the kid stuff:
1) You've got to take the kids meal as seriously as the adult meal. Only it's a different kind of serious. You have to make it nutritious, but "fun." I definitely didn't make the kids meals fun enough. The mac and cheese, that I thought would surely be a hit, was way over-cooked (thanks high-altitude) - all three times I made it (for the record, I don't have a great track record of cooking things out of boxes).

2) You've got to have "cool" drinks. Like Vanilla milk (organic) - and definitely a hit. And cool things to drink out of - the latest/greatest are Elmo plastic cups with lids. I hate them. But they are convenient and Chase LOVES them.

3) It's a good idea to have activity stations. And even though TV is NOT GOOD FOR KIDS, I have to say it really worked well to feed the kids first and then put Little Einsteins in and let the kids watch while the adults sat down at the dinner table. I thought the TV idea would be met with "what? put them in front of TV?" but instead, the adults were all like, "yah, that's a great idea."

4) Toothpicks (aka funpicks). Kids love 'em! And I lost my box. So I was fresh outta fun picks.

Now on to adults:
1) Don't plan anything too fancy (that requires any work while your guests are there). Do all prep work in advance so you can spend time talking and watching/playing with kids.

2) Don't expect your guests (or yourself) to be able to sit down at a certain time (this led to one of my meals becoming cold before we ate). So covered dishes are a must. I made the mistake of serving plates and that just didn't work well at all.

3) Don't worry about courses. Your guests are just happy to be "out."

4) Dessert. Might be best served in the living room where you can play/observe the kids. Same goes for apps.

All my secrets are out!

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I have always liked spicy food.
And when I was preggers with Chase I could not get enough of it.
I craved the heat. So much so, I always needed an extra bowl of chilies.
I would even put Tabasco on pizza.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Chase's new favorite jelly is Jalapeño Blueberry. I'm not kidding. She loves it on crackers or whole wheat mini beagles. It cracks me up.

Our Schedule Keeps Us Busy

So much in the pipeline!

Nana Cris is coming out this week. We can't wait to see her.
Then, in mid-February, NeeNee KarKar and Poppa Joe will be here.
Then, in late February, we're off to London and Scotland to celebrate Chase's 2nd birthday (Oh, and Brian might just sneak in a game of rugby with his mates from school).
Then, we have March to re-acclimate to this time zone, before heading down South to Mississippi.

Hopefully in May we can visit my Grandparents in Baltimore (fingers crossed!).

National Western Livestock Show

Linus, one of Chase's little friends, invited us to go to the National Western Livestock Show.

Okay, so he didn't actually invite us - his mom did.

Back story: We met them at the library when we first moved to Denver, and I immediately felt grateful to know them. As I meet more and more moms, I feel so blessed to have so many different parenting styles to learn from. Linus's mom favors books to TV, organic to non-organic, outdoor to indoor activities and is all about being there for Linus - every minute of every day. She has, perhaps, the closest parenting style to mine.

Here's Linus ... Isn't he cute?














And Chase...














Okay, so the place was MASSIVE. There was an entire floor dedicated to kiddos.




















Chase stayed VERY close to me (aka in my arms) for most of the morning. She did make a few exceptions. Like when she wanted to pat the bunny...














And look at the cows...














And play with the sheep, goats and pigs...

Okay, so this part was hilarious. They had a corner of the building fenced off with goats, pigs, lamas and lambs all running about. The kids could spend as much time petting the animals as they wanted. It was brilliant. We would have stayed longer, but my allergies gave me a clear signal it was time to go. (Maybe I'll ask Dada to take her back this weekend - she LOVED it).














And we had to stop to try on hats... (okay, bad picture, but I had to act quickly -she was moving faster than a top)...














All in all it was a good morning. She was exhausted (as was I) by noon. But somehow soldiered through until 4:30 p.m. (queen o' no naps).

But I tell you what, if it was feasible to own a farm where she could run free and play with sheep, pigs and goats, I would do it!

Date Night

We went out to Sushi Den last night. We arrived at 6:20; the wait for a table was an hour.

So we parked ourselves at the bar and "people watched." We met a little man, who played soccer with Manchester United (for one month) before he was sent home. We saw two women who were probably in their late 40s, who had so much work done there were only tiny lines that could tell who they once were. They both had massive, bee-stung lips that almost touched their nose.

Oh, and the sushi was - UNBELIEVABLE.

Tree Update

So we still have the tree.
I've contacted my family and I'm pretty sure I can find SOMEONE to plant it in Oregon.
The trick is - how to get it there.

My uncle, who works for the Department of Environmental Quality has indicated he thinks it will take more carbon to get the tree to Oregon, than the tree can consume once it's planted. Hmmm.

Maybe if I sent it to Oregon with a Diesel truck driver?

Favorites

Just a quick note that Chase no longer favors Curious George. He's so yesterday.

Elmo is so red and so NOW.

A close second is anything having anything to do with June, Leo, Quincy and Annie (Little Einsteins) ... or Winnie-the-Pooh. And Dora has somehow managed to stay popular.