Holiday Sledding Party

Today we took the grandkiddies to the High School for some quality sledding. It was Bryson's first time and after a couple of tentative solo trips, he really enjoyed going down the hill with Marie, Tessa and Ben and Uncle James. The trip with the wipeout with Mommy; not so much. The weather was a warm 38 degrees and after 2 hours we were all happy but exhausted.

Christmas in Denver 2009

Christmas Eve we all got into the big bed and snuggled and listened to a narration of Luke 1 and 2 and Matt 2


Jane's next idea was for us to all get up early and do housework BEFORE opening presents. This plan met with less than enthusiasm, so we all slept in except for Jane, who got up at 7am and did dishes. The rest of us got up at 9am. After a leasurely start, we opened our presents and got ready to go to Allie and James' in Johnstown about an hour away to spend the rest of the day.

The Thornbrues wanted a kind of old-fashioned Christmas so we kept the gifts light and high on imagination. This finger-puppet stage was an immediate hit.

We got James an indoor/outdoor thermometer. In Colorado, you HAVE to know what the temperature is. This one has a litte boy that dresses according to the weather and forcast; from bathing suit to full snow gear. It keeps track of barametric pressure and temperature. The kids can look at it and know how to dress in the morning before school.

Our family gift was Jane's baby chair being recovered by Allie and James. She had this chair when she was little. The fabric will accent our family room decor.

Grandma Judy sent $$ for locally purchased gifts, and these indian costumes have all kinds of imaginative play in store. Thank-you Grandma Judy!

The big treat Jane made for friends and neighbors are these cherry-filled braided Christmas "Candy Cane" breads. She made at least ten or twelve and gave them away. We even got one! YUM!

Surgery Result

My knee surgery went pretty well. The doctor found additional cartilage damage that was not obvious in the MRI, so he fixed that as well. He injected the knee with numbing stuff so I didn't get feeling in it for about 48 hours, but its not really sore; more like tender, but it is stiff. As you can see from the pictures there is some swelling, but those two little incisions with the stitches are the only external marks. I'm using crutches to give the swelling a chance to go down and staying in bed most of the time. Jane is giving me amazing service which is much appreciated. Jarom gives me injections of blood thinners every day to minimize the chance of a blood clot, and I got to take the bandages off and take a shower. I still have to keep the stitches dry but they gave me some plastic bandage stuff to cover them with. I see the doctor on Wednesday to take the stitches out; then its just a graduate ease back into walking.

Bummer! Knee Surgery on Dec 17th

On Sunday November 22nd I was running up the basement stairs when my knee gave a "pop" followed by a lot of pain that hasn't really been going away as quickly as I would have liked. I called my othopedic surgeon the next day and had my knee examined. The doctor couldn't be sure what was going on, so he order an MRI. I had that done on Monday, and I met with my doctor today (Wednesday) to hear the good news/bad news. The good news is that (from the written report) "The anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments are both well visualized and intact with no sign of a tear". The not so good news is "The medial meniscus has sustained a large horizontal tear of the posterior horn and mid body extending to the inferior surface of the meniscus. A moderate size joint effusion is present (swelling?) There is also a Baker's cyst approximately 2 x 2 x 5 cm in size. Since the meniscus does not have a blood supply, it can't heal by itself and I am schedule to have orthoscopic surgery on December 17th to repair the damage. I will be off my feet for 3 or 4 days (or on crutches) and then I can walk on it after that. I should be able to go skiing in February. Bummer!!!

Thanksgiving 2009 with Levi and Chelsey

This Thanksgiving Jane and I were invited by Levi and Chelsey to their house in Auburn, CA (near Sacramento) for Thankgiving. We arrived on Wednesday evening and did a little grocery shopping before Chelsey got home from work and then went out for a yummy dinner at a local BBQ restaurant.

Thursday AM we all slept in a bit but the cooking starting around 10am. Levi and I did short "double brine" of our Trader Joe's fresh/brined turkey while Chelsey and Jane made deviled eggs, green bean caserole, and artichoke dip. Levi and Chelsey made this AMAZING stuffing with fresh sour dough bread and the turkey went into the oven around noon. While the house slowly filled with delicious smells, we played cards and watched the National Dog Show. We had to put the pet gate in front of the TV because the dogs would get all excited and jump at the screen. The turkey was done to perfection around 3pm, and we ate outside on their huge deck overlooking eternity. Later that evening we played more cards, made pumpkin pie and cheesecake and ate that with leftover turkey sliders on Hawaiian sweet rolls.

Friday morning Levi went to work and Jane and I went Christmas shopping for Levi and Chelsey. When we arrived on Wednesday we started a list of gift ideas and it was pretty long by Friday AM. We had a lot of fun and it was so easy since we weren't guessing about what they would want/need. When Levi got home we had lunch at In-N-Out and drove up to Lake Tahoe to the Squaw Valley ski resort. Squaw Valley hosted the Winter Olympics in the '50s and it is where Levi and Chelsey have their season passes. We walked around the village and went into a pet speciality store where the dogs (Zoe and Ari) tried on various outfits. It snowed a little on the way home, but we had lots of time to nap and chat in the car. When we got home it was more turkey sliders, pie and cheese cake.

Saturday AM Jane got up early and wrapped the gifts that we had bought on Friday, then we went out for brunch at an amazing breakfast place in Auburn called "Awful Annies". The food was terrific and afterwards did a little shopping there in the village. When we got home Jane and I finished packing and we bid a happy/sad goodbye to Chelsey, Zoe and Ari (the cats Moe, Junior and Jim were indifferent to our departure) and Levi drove us to the airport.

Overall, we have never felt more loved and honored when visiting family and we hope to visit again soon. Thank-you Levi and Chelsey for one of the best Thanksgiving holidays that we can remember!

Taking Zoe and Ari on a walk through the neighborhood

Levi turns the turkey as part of the top-secret "double brine" process

Stuffing and deviled eggs

Zoe is intently watching the dog show

Hanging out and playing cards while the turkey cooks

Video highlights of the Zoe and Ari doing trickes, Levi's turkey and Chelsey's first foray into bread making

Carving the bird

Table is set and the plates are loaded; we're ready for the best food of the year

Packing the car for our trip to Tahoe/Squaw Valley

The dogs and cats were always around

Chelsey first homemade bread loaf turned out great; it was cinnamon bread.

Waiting for our table Saturday AM at Awful Annie's

One last walk with the dogs through rural Auburn. The picture was taken from the end of Levi and Chelsey's driveway.

Plague

Jane (Mom) called me yesterday from the Urgent Care clinic where they told her that she had tested positive for H1N1 flu. Bryson, Jarom and Melissa have the flu as well, so I am pretty sure they all have it. So here I am on travel, and completely without sympthoms. I was supposed to go home tomorrow, and then fly out for a conference in New Orleans the same day. But in the interest of public health (mine and about 1,000 college professors) I decided to find a nice laundromat here in Tucson, and then rent a car in Denver and work in the office for about six hours until my plane leaves. Jane got me a prescription for Tamiflu, but then shared it with Jarom and Melissa. Poor Seth... I'm not sure what he is going to do living in the death house. Maybe he won't get it. In the mean time, I'm afraid to go home until my travel season is over. We're supposed to go to Levi's for Thanksgiving. I hope everyone is well by then!

More October "Winter" Pics

I know Staci thinks we are all insane with our excitement about Winter weather, but we have found that having an amazingly fun winter hobby makes us love any weather. Last winter seemed too short, and I'm sure Staci wasn't feeling that way. So with Arapaho Basin open for ski season "hors d' oeuvres", a nice snowy fall day makes us happy. In fact I took a half-day off last Thursday just for a little quality father & son time. For those of you who have to commute long distances to snowboard or ski, we're here for you!

The following were taken last Thursday AM after it had snowed all day Wednesday. It is Saturday today and the last of the snow melted from the front yard and roof today.


This is what the Family Room looks like the night before we go skiing. We put the stuff downstairs so we don't make too much noise loading the car. We usually like to leave about 7am.

Pretty front yard at dawn

View of the front of the house. Notice the sweet ski racks that are an addition to our 2010 winter arsenal.

Seth has accumulated a very nice snowboarding wardrobe. He was wearing red tennis to top off the ensemble.

Seth is Principal Cellist

Yesterday (Sunday) the Arapaho Philharmonic Youth Orchestra had it's first concert of the season and Seth sat as the principal cellist. The first concert of the season is traditionally a "side-by-side" concert with the adult philharmonic, which allows them to play a little more challenging repertoire. Seth's stand partner was the principal cellist of the adult symphony. The program included Beethoven's 1st symphony, part of Copeland's Appalachian Spring, and a Straus march. The concert was very nice considering they have been working on the music for only four weeks. I've posted below my video of the Copeland.

Seth's Homecoming Week

This past week has been ThunderRidge High School's Homecoming. Every day there has been some kind of Spirit activity such as Powder Puff flag football, theme dress days, "Field Day", Bonfire, the Homecoming Game, and the Homecoming dance. Seth has really tried to get in the spirit of the week as the following pictures will attest.

The festivities started with Seth asking a girl on his cross country team to the Homecoming dance. He passed her with his shirt off during a practice. Jane did the writing.

Here he is getting ready for practice.

"Western Days" was one of the dress up days. Here is Seth in his rig.

Ever since July Seth has been letting his normally-short hair get a little long so he could sport a mohawk and war paint for Field Day and the Homecoming Parade and game. Here Seth and his friend Chris are giving each other their haircuts. Since they both have to go the dance and church, the sides were kept longer than total buzz.

Seth all decked out for Field Day in his mohawk and war paint, which is a afternoon of different athletic and skills events with the Freshman, Sophomore, Junior and Senior classes all compete. The Seniors killed the other classes this year.

This is the gym where Field Day takes place

Later that afternoon was the Homecoming Parade. The cross country team traditionally runs without shirts (girls in sports bras). Parade Day weather was rainy/snowy, but that didn't stop the tradition. Allie and her kids came down for the parade, because everyone in the parade throws candy and the kids all got a good bag full when it was over.

Grace and Bryson warmed up after the parade in the spa tub together.

That evening Grandma Jane, Marie, Tessa, Ben and I went to the bonfire, which is held in the back parking lot. They have a 30 foot square concrete pad made especially for the bonfire, which at its peak reaches 50 or 60 feet high. You can easily see it from our house, which is about a mile away from the high school.

While at the bonfire we ran into Seth and Kamila (his Homecoming Dance date).

Saturday was the Homecoming Dance. Seth's group met at the mall for pictures because the restaurant was nearby and the it was 24 degrees and snowing outside. Kamila looked great!