A few more park pics

Sun in February???

So today, I cooked with my dear friend Angela Murphy for a couple of hours and made about 15 meals to put in the freezer...things like teriyaki tri-tip steak, chicken noodle soup, and parmesan chicken. Anyway, the sun was out, and the kitchen got warm, so when we finished, I asked Matt if we could go to the local park for a picnic.
As you can tell from these pictures, we did go, but we failed to imagine the impact of the shade trees which make the park so cool in the dead of summer. Well, in February, it blocks the sun which changes the temperature from about 50 degrees, to just about 40 degrees. That 10 degrees makes a huge difference!

Mateo loved the merry-go-rounds...both the horse-y version for little kids, and the big kid version. The city plans to replace the park equipment this year...which will be nice. The same metal that is hot hot hot in the summer, is cold cold cold in the winter!

Yeah, the crocuses are coming up...it makes me remember that spring is just around the corner! They reach upwards towards the sun, much like I do when it graces us with its presence. How glorious is February with sunshine!!!!!!

Mateo is perched upon one of the fabulous rock walls that Matt slaved over...and the crocus garden is at the base of our lilac bushes...which should bloom gloriously this year! What an amazing spring it will be.

Here's to hoping there is sun where you live!! Hugs, Sarah & Matt & Mateo

Annual Pilgrimage to the Sun

So each year in February, we take a trip to the sun. It was part of the deal about moving to Oregon from Boise. In Boise, the sun shines 300+ days of the year, and in Oregon, it rains like 300 days out of the year (so, not really 300, but it sure seems like it). So, by February, I have had enough and we go somewhere sunny. It is also a celebration month for us (my birthday, Valentine's day, our wedding anniversary, and Matt's birthday are all within 20 days of each other.)

The first year we were married we went to Sedona, Arizona...the second we went to Big Island, Hawaii...the third we went to Guatemala to meet Mateo for the first time...last year, we stayed close to home and went to the Beach one weekend when it was sunny. This year, we made last minute plans to head to Las Vegas.

Matt and Mateo flew down on Thursday morning, to hang out with Matt's college friend Troy Baker and his family (mom=Kristi, daughter=Morgan, son=Kyle). Matt was such good friends with them, that he was the videographer when Kristi delivered Morgan more than 13 years ago. Anyway, the gang hung out and did all that stuff (like reminiscing about the ol' days) and I flew down on Saturday afternoon. Troy scored us a room at Caesar's Palace and show tickets to see Riveria (sort of like Cirque de Soleil on Ice). Plus, they even kept Mateo on Saturday night for us.

Yesterday, we were hanging out with the family and even made dinner together. Today, we took Morgan & Kyle with us to see the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay. Everybody agreed that the coolest part was the touch pool, where kids with long enough arms got to touch manta rays.

LEAVE IT TO MAMA TO MISS THE GOOD SHOT...

THE TWO KIDS HAD THE RIGHT IDEA!

I am headed home tonight and the boys will come home tomorrow. Of course, Murphy's Law is that it has been wonderful weather in Oregon this week...and the rain is scheduled to return on Tuesday. Oh well...we are well sunned, no matter where it occurred.

We are now officially three holidays down in February...only one more to go. Have I told you lately how much I love Mateo's smile? He has learned to rub noses for kissing...which makes my heart melt. Hard to tell who was my bigger Valentine this year...the dada or the baby. Kind of nice to get to have two!!

Love from Las Vegas...Sarah & the boys.

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies

So I hear that many of you have been checking the blog to see what we would have to say about the Patriots loss last Sunday. Well, the mourning is officially over at our house. Mateo helped me make football sugar cookies...helmets and footballs. He is an expert helper...and he loves the football sprinkles.

Mateo is experiencing all five senses on a regular basis. Today he turned the baby yogurt ramekin upside down and played in it. Matt was inspired by his food art, so he shot this picture.
We have had a couple of birthdays...I turned 33 on Tuesday. Nona made a feast of crab to celebrate...topped off with a Lemon Chiffon pie. It's the kind of pie that when you are full to your eyeballs of crab, you can still make room for it. MMM...good.

Today, our goddaughter Maddie turned six. She came over to our house to make chocolate chip cookies to celebrate. Here she is scooping the "fruits of her labor"...and taste wise...
...well the smile says it all. Happy birthday to my favorite six year old god daughter.

Hugs from Silverton, Sarah

New York, New York

So Joe was able to get a pass for the weekend to come hang out in NYC with me, and my friend Kristi Rose. Most of you know Kristi (from Book Club) has been studying at medical school in Salt Lake City for the past four years. She will graduate with an MD in May from the University of Utah, and she has been interviewing all over the country for medical residency programs. Her second to last interview was at Columbia so I flew out to spend the weekend with her. It was really nice to hang out with Joe...I like who he is becoming as an adult!!

It was COLD in NYC...the overall temperature wasn't so bad (like about 25 degrees or so), but the wind...the wind felt like it was about 25 below zero! I ended up buying a dorky little stocking cap from Little Italy just to keep my ears from freezing off! This is us outside of our hotel...which was very near everything cool in NYC...we were across the street from Carnegie Hall, about 6 blocks from times square, and very near all the Broadway theaters!

The thing that was most amazing to me about that sign, is I took this picture from almost a block away...the lights and advertising make Las Vegas pail in comparison! I bought Matt some M&Ms in Patriots colors for the Superbowl party we are hosting on Sunday. On a strange note, in the 48+ hours I was in NYC, I did not see one person wearing NY Giant paraphernalia...there were no "Go Giants" signs anywhere. It was so crazy!!

So, out the back door of our hotel was this little theater--home to David Letterman. Had we stayed one more night, we could have gotten tickets to a show. Oh well, we'll save that experience for next time!

Did I mention how obnoxious all the lights are??? I took this shot when we were walking from seeing Monty Python's Spamalot...which I highly recommend. It was so funny! We also saw a play called, The SeaFarer...it was ok, but I am disinclined to see a play again on Broadway...a play is a play is a play...but musicals are AMAZING!

I have a friend from my National Catholic Student Coalition days, Paul Snatchko, who lives in NYC and spent most of the weekend showing us the sites...we had a great time hanging out with him and we are grateful for his hospitality.

It was a great (but way too short) trip. I left my house at 3:30AM on Friday morning to catch a six o'clock plane flight, and I got home at almost midnight on Monday night/Tuesday morning. I don't regret it at all, but I must admit it has taken me most of the week to recover from it!

We'll try to take some pictures of the football action on Sunday.
Hope you are all well, and "Go Pats!!"

Hugs from Oregon, Sarah