'77 Holst

On the drive to O'hare my dad and I talked a little about our favorite memories over the last Christmas holiday. He told me that his was waking up with the babies and watching them interact while the other "adults" slept in. I would have to say that this was a highlight for me as well (watching the babies, not sleeping in, although the latter is sorely missed these days and most appreciated). It was so wonderful to spend time with my entire family, and I always feel a little sad when we have to part ways. If Clara and Lucas were able to articulate what their favorite times over the holiday were, I'm guessing that they would have something to do with the car that my grandfather built for my older brother Jon in 1977. (It sounds like there is a twin out there that was built for Ben). The kids spent a majority of their time crawling in and out of this wonderful little car. Clara would get a serious look on her face as she placed the key in the ignition and turned it just like mom and dad. Next time we all get together it will be interesting to see if Clara has learned to share yet. :)

Mountain Splendor

In an attempt to work off the loads of food that we have ingested in the last 48 hours we decided to go on a hike today. The road to our original destination ended up being a bit too snowy so we ended up turning onto a random road, parking, and going for a walk. Beautiful views, and a happy family.

Biggest gift EVER

Had the Moonwards/Linder gift exchange today, and Clara made a killing. Mor Mor just had to give the best gift, and boy did she ever. Having a great time in Bailey, enjoying being with family and taking in the mountains.

It's A Wonderful Life...it really is!

Major shoutout to my mother who got all of us tickets to see "It's a Wonderful Life" on stage at the Arvada theatre. What a great time. We saw an entire play and had dinner together sans bebe! It was a blast. This story ALWAYS reminds me of what is truly important in life. I feel like a wealthy woman because of the friends and family I have. Thanks to you all and Merry Christmas!
Thanks Mom! You are the BEST.

Sleigh Bells Ring...Are You Listening

We drove up to Estes Park this afternoon for our traditional sleigh ride. So much fun to see Clara's delight this year, as she slept the entire time last year. So much fun to enjoy this tradition- we are so glad to live in such a beautiful place where we can take a sleigh ride every Christmas! It started to snow that unique Colorado snow right in the middle of the ride. We are so glad to have make it home safely because we ended up driving through a nasty snowstorm. Ahhhh, Christmas- here you are!

She has lots to say...

I know we have gone a bit video crazy here, but we have an excuse! Our DVD recorder will not let us upload footage unless we finish and finalize an entire DVD, which means we have to wait and wait until our disc is full and then we get to go post crazy and upload all our videos!!
This clip is hilarious for several reasons.
Mainly because Clara always says, "Mama" in a totally normal voice, no theatrics involved, but almost ALWAYS says, "Papa" in this secretive almost mischievous whisper. I think she feels like he is the fun one and I'm just boring old mom! Ha!
Anyway, sorry about Oscar's insufferable whining in the video. Sometimes it feels like we have two toddlers.

whisper

Somebody please tell me what this girl is saying! I actually think she is just showing off.

pete's entry

Clara walking to Horowitz in Moscow.  Such a treat to watch her skills improve every day.  A nice break from studying as well :)

Walking... for real

So. Clara really began walking on Thanksgiving Day.  Peter and I were both Thankful for that as it was so much fun to see how proud she was of that.  We think that a lot of the joy in parenthood is to be able to witness the sincere pride in our daughter's little accomplishments...such as walking.

Enjoy.

The Santa Claus Dilemma

In his book, "Dress Your Family in Corduroy & Denim" David Sedaris does an excellent job of articulating the strange and hilarious, yet important and meaningful ideas surrounding the notion of Santa Claus.  In one particular story he tells, he is in a taxi cab in Europe and has a discussion with the driver about how different cultures view Santa.  It is laugh out loud funny as he illustrates how attached we are to our own traditions and views of Santa and how utterly rediculous other depictions of the "Santa Story" seem to us Americans.  

In my work here at the hospital as a Music Therapist, I find myself in a myriad of situations and discussions with patients about all sorts of things you would never believe.  Each Friday afternoon I facilitate a support group in the Psychiatric unit, which is usually both a joy and a real trip.  I learn so much from these patients- they will never know!  Anyway- somehow we got to talking about trust and the holidays this past Friday and then people started talking about how they each "found out" about Santa.  It was fascinating to hear their stories.  

It also happened that later that night, Peter and I took Clara to see the "real"?? Santa Claus for her first time downtown.  I guess it seems like the thing to do to take your child to see Santa.  Am I depriving her of this meaningful experience if I don't?  Is this really for her or for me??  

My parents did a great job of dealing with the whole "Santa Dilemma" when we were growing up. They always told us the story of the historical figure and how he is still honored by people dressing up like him, and he reminds us to be kind and generous.  As a child this started to annoy me!  I felt like I was getting jip'd.  Why on earth couldn't they just humor me?  If you talk to my mother she will tell you the story about the time she was honestly and thoughtfully trying to explain the real meaning of Santa to me, and I precociously replied, "Mommy- you can believe what you believe and I can believe what I believe!"  

After listening to several stories of my patients telling me of finding out about Santa and how it made them feel, I began to realize that maybe my mom & dad had the right idea. 

Why do I feel this need to take my child to see Santa?  C'mon it's fun, right?  But then again, is their something kind of creepy to forcing your little girl to sit on some strange old man's lap?!

Yikes!

For now, I am glad that I have some time before I have to answer Clara's more challenging questions.  I have plenty of time to decide how to handle our own "Santa Dilemma."  Maybe it's harmless, maybe not.  I have absolutely no idea.  For now, I am just happy to share these photos of Miss Clara's first experience with St. Nick himself!  We ended up having a mostly good time.  She was more interested in smiling at him from behind Peter's leg, and was fine with hi-fiving him, but when we put her on his lap, she looked like we had just sold her into slavery!  I immediately removed her and felt kind of bad.  That is why the picture is kind of blurry.  However, she quickly recovered and we had a great time the rest of the night.  

Will we do the same thing next year?  Not sure and glad I have a year to decide!  

Bring it on!!!

I am seriously totally and completely nuts-o excited about Christmas this year.  I love the cold weather and snow because it gives us all an excuse to be cozy at home and make lots of yummy food!  What could possibly be better?

We got our Christmas tree together the first weekend in December and decorated the house.  

It was striking to watch Clara's eyes as the tree, lights, stockings and other decorations materialized in our house.  She just stands in front of the tree and waves her arms like she's conducting!  It's so funny to me that this is how she expresses her excitement for Christmas time!

It's better that she do that than trying to destroy the tree & ornaments which I was really worried about.  

I know Clara was around last Christmas, but she is able to notice so much more and participate in things with us now than she was last year.  It feels like her first Christmas in so many ways.

Thanksgiving!!!

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving with our good friends a few weeks ago.  Alex & Carrie Luttrell hosted several of our friends and various family members.  It feels good to know that we truly have a "Colorado Family" here.  My dad came out for a visit and was delighted by all of Miss CJ's tricks which now include walking EVERYWHERE, saying "bye bye" 2 million times a day and laughing hysterically at Oscar when he bounces around like a nut!  

We brought the famous Thanksgiving crescent rolls that Peter's mother makes every holiday, as well as my apple sage sausage stuffing.... so yummy! 

It was a wonderful time- all the adults (wow, are we actually adults now!?) got to relax and talk as we watched our growing kiddos run around together.  

It feels like society, especially during a recession can really make people (okay ME) yearn for what I don't have.  I focus a lot on thinking about if I could just have this or that... fill in the blank, then life would be easier.  

Thanksgiving is a welcome break from that pattern of thinking for me, and for all of us.  I am grateful for a day that reminds us of the necessity to celebrate all we do have, rather than dream away about what we don't.  

It is a nice way of leading into the Christmas season, which sometimes can cause people to think about all that is missing in their lives- like a bigger paycheck, or bigger house, different job or that iphone! 

My hope for this season is to carry with me the spirit of gratitude that we celebrate during Thanksgiving.  

French Onion Soup

Originally I'd intended this blog to be about faith, family, food and reflections on all related subjects.  I think I've certainly gotten to the family, and some of the faith part- but I completely forgot about the FOOD part!!!  Seriously- I do love food.  I love creating it and eating it!  It is so healing for me... for the most part! 

This, like lots of things, can be kind of hard when you are living within pretty limited financial constraints.  I have oodles of foodie mags laying around taunting me with all the wonderful things I could be making, but with a husband in law school, a busy toddler, and a part time job that well... I won't be getting rich from- you have to get creative.  Nevertheless, food is one of the many things in life I love.  It allows me to be creative, zone in on the task at hand, forget about life's stresses and it nurtures people.  

So with a VERY limited budget I play this, "what can I make with what we have" game.  It's actually kind of fun & challenging. I was looking around our kitchen sometime a few weeks ago and we didn't have much, but this gigantic onion.  This onion soon became this lovely soup, which I have adapted from the Mennonite "More With Less Cookbook.  The Mennonites are very good at living this example.  They are the true origianl "Green and Simple Living" folks, before "Green" was "In".  A large piece of their faith is expressed by their beliefs that we must try to be good stewards of the earth God created by living simply, using what we have, being conscious in our decision making and valuing people and relationships above material goods.  If I'm being honest, I admit that is a tall order sometimes!  Mennonites don't mess around- they're awesome.

Back to soup- some folks have asked for the recipe so here you have it:

1 large onion

2 T. butter

2T. flour  

salt to taste

4-5 C. beef broth (homemade is the best)

french bread

cheese (ideally swiss, but we had some mozzarella)

*Slice an ENTIRE onion, trying not to cry.  Ha!  In large stock pot, brown the slices in butter about 15mn. until a bit carmalized.  Add the flour and stir until coated and brown bits accumulate on the bottom of your pan.  Stir in broth, scraping brown bits up to boost flavor.  Simmer for 30 mn. (honestly, I can rarely be this patient).  But if you have the time its worth it.  Meanwhile, toast several slices of bread (any good crusty bread is great), place bread on top.

Top with cheese and place under broiler 3-5mn.  Serve up into bowls with a green salad and enjoy!!!  This is an awesome meal for cozy, cold Autumn evenings!!!

Speaking of food- Happy Turkey Day!  We all have so much to be grateful for.

Obble Bobble

Okay- So I know I promised a walking video, which will no doubt be up and running soon!  Peter & I are still figuring out our MacBook and how to use iMovie etc.  Here is a hilarious clip we came across.  One of Clara's MANY silly traits is this phase she's going through where she rubs her lips really quickly with her hands and sings, "obble, bobble bobble."  Maybe this is the type of thing only truly funny to parents of their child, but I thought I'd share!  Here's to you, Clara and your "Obble Bobble" days.

Enjoy!

Walking

So it's official. I have a toddler! Clara Jane is actually walking. A few days ago she took her first step. She stood up and took one step over to me. It was so exciting to witness this milestone in my little person's life! Now she will teeder over to us taking about 5 steps at a time before falling on her bootie looking VERY pleased with herself. Where did the baby go?! Video footage to come...I promise.

Halloween with Auntie Suz

We had a wonderful Halloween weekend with Suzanne, Peter's sister this past weekend.  Some highlight included dressing Clara in her Ladybug costume and parading her around Pearl St. in Boulder, cooking nice meals and a morning hike in Lyons, CO on Saturday morning.  Thanks to Suz for braving the rediculous crowd with us in downtown Boulder on Halloween and enduring the moments on the hike when Clara had other opinions on how to spend the morning!  One thing I am realizing as Clara gets a bit older and embarks on full-blown toddlerdom is that she is no longer a baby.

She has opinions, she knows stuff.  This portion of life is a lesson for me in relinquishing control.  I can't make her eat, I can't force her to sleep and I can't ensure that she won't mess her diaper the second after I change her! I can't even predict entirely how she will respond to a new situation. Of course there is always lots of preparation involved, but for the most part I realize that as she grows the sands of control slowly slip from my fingertips. It's funny how the people that come into your life shape who you are in ways you don't realize until after the moments have passed.
I hope that I don't miss the precious lessons this little person has in store for me along the way, however frustrating it may feel at times.  I will tell you, that when you are covered in banana two minutes before leaving for work and have to wash the blueberry syrup out of your toddler's hair- it's pretty darn easy to miss the forest for the trees!  I digress...

Most of all- I am thankful today for the wonderful family we have far and wide.  Thank you Suz for coming out and celebrating Halloween with us.  You are a wonderful Aunt and Clara is lucky to have someone like you in her life.  It makes me smile and laugh out loud when I think of each person Clara has as her Aunt and Uncle.  We are so blessed to know & love these individuals who shape our own lives, and even more so when I think of what they all mean to this little girl. After all, I know that Aunts & Uncles are ALWAYS "cooler" than "Mom & Dad!"

Happy Halloween!!!!  

Clara's first political rally

The day my friends left we found out that Obama was speaking on the oval in Ft. Collins. Clara and I had some time to kill as Peter was studying all day, and instead of feeling sad & lonely missing my friends I decided to head up to the Fort to try to see Barack! Well, Clara and I got in and actually saw him! I will never forget this experience for two reasons. First was how compelling Barack is live and in person. He spoke about the importance of education and investing in our future and our children. That message never rang truer to me as I held Clara in my arms listening to this great man speak.

The second reason that made this experience unforgettable was the fact that Clara is really into clapping when she sees others applaud these days. Every time the crowd went wild and started cheering, she looked around beaming and clapped herself- as if 45,000 people had gathered to cheer just for her! Ha. Priceless.

I get by with a little help from my friends

The weekend after our get away, I had the good fortune to be visited by my dear friends from Grad School.  There are not words to articulate what these women mean to me.  We kept each other afloat during some very challenging years.  I have never laughed harder in my life than I have with these ladies.  The stories are endless!  

Peggy flew in from CA on thursday and then we were joined by Mollie, Kimberly and her son Jameson (2yrs) who is one of Clara's buddies. 

We made meals, drank wine, made doughnuts, carved pumpkins, reminisced, and enjoyed some live Jazz at Jay's Bistro in Ft. Collins.

Thank you ladies.  Friends like you come once in a lifetime.  I am honored to know you each.

48 Hours Without Clara

For our anniversary Peter and I took our first trip away.  We spent two whole entire days without Clara Jane!  My mom generously volunteered to come to our house and spend the weekend with Clara so that we could get away!  I owe her a major shout out for this, as we had a wonderful time.

I did, however realize several things on our weekend away.  The first of which was that we both missed her as much as we enjoyed our time away.  That was a strange and unexpected feeling.  Don't get me wrong, I was prepared to miss her but I couldn't help feeling the entire time like I had forgotten something.  

I also realized that I still love cooking.  I miss the enjoyable parts of cooking so much!  These days, it feels so much more like a task- something we need to do merely for survival, and not as much for enjoyment.  We spent two days in a cabin in Poudre Canyon north of Ft. Collins and were totally free!  The first night we made seared chicken breasts stuffed with ham, swiss and garden greens.  They were dusted with flour and parmesan, seared and baked. This is one of Peter's favorites.  The next night we made chipoltle marinated steaks on the grill with green beans and goat cheese crustinis.  The artistic process of meal planning and preparation is something that feels like such a luxury these days.

 I was reminded as well, that Peter and I are still best friends.  We could hardly believe that we could move at our own pace and set our own schedule those two days.  

We cooked nice meals, didn't have to cut up small bites for Clara to throw on the floor, we were able to finish sentences, soak in the hot tub and look up at the stars, and go on a hike without worrying about diaper changes on the trail or feeding a fussy Clara cheerios.  It was wonderful.  

Here are some pictures as proof of our time away.  It was renewing in every way, and come Sunday morning we were literally RACING to pack and get home to our little girl!

10 Years...

To my dearest Peter on our 10 year anniversary,

I know that you might kill me for posting this on our blog, so please forgive me. I just wanted to make sure that we remember where we've been and where we are going...together, forever.

It has been my greatest fortune to have met you, and have fallen in love with you 10 years ago on this day. I still can't believe that you actually loved me back, and still do. Thank you for being my best friend and partner all this time. You are a friend in the "valley" and a friend on "the mountaintop" in good times and hard times. I cannot imagine a life without you. We have sort of "grown up" together, huh? I think the first thing I said to you was probably the dumbest thing ever... "My name is Liz and I like to have fun!" Thank you for loving me anyway! I will never forget the whirlwind of our Freshman year together, and I even forgive you for falling down the library stairs while carrying me on your shoulders at 2:30 AM!

I have never laughed harder than I have with you. There aren't adaquate words either to describe the deep sense of safety and peace I feel, held in the steadfast and persistant love you show me every single day. Every single year. You were there for me after my car accident, you take the trash out b/c you know I hate it, you always eat my food graciously, we have moved together more times than anyone really should, you are a wonderful father, you work and study ceaselessly to provide for our family, you leave me chilled coffee every morning even though you think it's wierd that I love cold coffee. You are nothing less than a very tangible symbol of redemtion in my life. I love you. My treasure, my friend. The memories are too numerious to list, and some as you know, are to scandelous to post so here is the short list. Here is our top 10 at 10:

1. Passing notes in U of I School of Music practice rooms (i'm still sorry about the highlighter incident!)

2. Interlocken Arts Camp canoe trips

3. Shark bowls at R&R's and Pokey sticks

4. October 15, 1998...Friday afternoon outside the U of I Music School. Planning the first date.

Elizabeth: "Peter do you want to go see this play with me this weekend?"

Peter: "Sure, I guess"

(a few hours pass and elizabeth calls peter's dorm room)

Elizabeth: "So, I just realized the play isn't until November... Sorry."

Peter: "Oh"

Elizabeth: "So I guess I'll see you in November. Like Wyclef...ha ha ha"

(Read here: This is the part where I was waiting for you to say something like, 'Oh no- I couldn't possibly wait that long to go out with you. What are you doing tonight?' But no! Instead...

Peter: "Okay, see you in November"

(Obviously, we ended up managing to get together at some point)

5. The Horsetooth Resevior insident... my partner in crime

6. Driving from Calvin to MSU every. single. weekend.

7. Our front porch on Ethel St. in Grand Rapids

8. Seeing you dressed up as a blue care bear on Halloween

9. Clara Jane

10. Waking up next to my best friend every morning

You are engraved in my heart forever.

Love,

Elizabeth

Linderpalooza, Fall '08

This past weekend we had a wonderful visit with Grandma & Grandpa Linder and Great Aunt Mary.  She really is a GREAT Aunt. She and Oscar were fast friends!  It rained and was nasty and cold on Sat and Sun, so we were house bound a lot.  We spend a cozy weekend together reading by the fireplace, cooking meals, drinking wine, being entertained by Clara & Oscar's antics, laughing a lot and chatting...generally just catching up and being cozy around the house.  Mary bought Clara a push toy that makes this jingly music box-like sound when she pushes it.  We are trying to get Clara to walk and this toy is somewhat motivating for that.  We'll keep you posted!  Here are some pix from the weekend together as a family.  We miss you G'pa's and Aunt Mary!!!!  Wish we lived closer, and thanks so much for coming to see us!  Clara really hit the jackpot in the Grandparent department. We love you guys more than you know.

Zoo Day

The other week we had a perfect Colorado fall day. The cool and cloudy in the morning turned into a crisp and sunny Autumn day.

So my good friend Carrie (Max's mom) and I decided to head down to the Denver zoo which neither of us had been too. Carrie and I have Thursdays at home with our kiddos and often spend that day of the week together.

It's funny how having a baby allows you to do all the things that sound like fun, but you might feel silly doing sans children. The zoo is one of them! Soooo.... here is a list of Clara's fav 5 regarding the Denver Zoo:

1. Pointing at every animal, gasping in awe and exclaiming, "Oscar!" (Every non-human is an "Oscar" in her mind!)

2. Holding hands with her friend Max and warning the polar bears to stay away from Sarah Palin.

3. Watching the monkeys climb all over each other, giggling... it's amazing how much alike humans and monkeys are. We have 99% identical DNA makeup.

2. Stealing cheddar bunnies from Max, and throwing her cherrios all over the primate house!

1. Strolling around the zoo in her cozy hat and mittens imitating the bird noises, "Quack, quack.."

Fantastic Fall Weekend

We had the best time this past weekend just hanging out in our neck of the woods. On Friday night we drove into the mountains north of Ft. Collins to attend a "Raising Party" for Frameworks Timber Framing Co.  Peter used to work for these guys, who throw a huge bash every time they finish a job.  We got to eat local organic DELICIOUS food, and listen to the band who won the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this year!  Best of all, it was totally free.  Thanks again to Isaac and Adrian for the invite.  On Saturday we decided it was time to go to our local pumpkin patch and stock up on pumpkins and cider.  I have to give a shout out here to my hometown pumpkin patch, Sunny Acres, which no pumpkin patch will ever hold a candle too!  But we managed to have a fantastic time and nothing in the world beets pulling your baby girl around in a old school radio flier!  We couldn't resist the cheesy family photo opts!  Then on Sunday, we headed down to our favorite local farm.  Cure farm does a pig roast party every Fall to celebrate the Harvest and to celebrate the community.  We were fortunate enough to be able to see our dear friend Chloe there who is moving back here to Boulder from Vermont!  We can't wait to be able to hang out with our friends Alex & Chloe, who recently got hitched!!  Yeah....   

It was all in all a very exciting weekend.  Take a look at the link to the left here and check out our photos on Picasa.