"Are you with the interpreter?"

A group of people approached me at the Idaho Democratic Caucus last night. Rachel and I had arrived earlier that evening intending to spend the time together at the lively event while voicing our support for Hillary Clinton as president. As an aside, I'll just say it's sort of bizarre being in the vast minority of Democrats, in a state where Democrats are already a vast minority to start with, knowing all the while that you stand with the majority of the American public (according to both polling data and betting odds). Idaho is interesting that way.

Anyway, like I said, we had planned on spending the evening together. Toward the beginning of the event however, a call went out to the group. "We have some deaf people at this caucus who would like to participate, and we don't have anyone here who knows sign language. Is anyone able to help?"

Rachel and I nodded at each other and Rachel stood up and raised her hand. Amidst applause, she took her place on the stage next to the presenter in front of the 2,100 people assembled. That is where she would stay for the next four hours.

*****

"Are you with the interpreter?"

"Yes, she is my wife."

"Well, you need to let her know that she is one of the most poised and professional people I have seen, not to mention entertaining."

"It's true," another person added. "I don't even know sign language and I am having more fun watching her than I am listening to the speakers she is interpreting for!"

Yep- that's my wife. Rachel is a classy, beautiful, and extremely talented person, and I am proud to be her husband, even (maybe especially) when that makes me an accessory at times. I love watching her do well in things, and there seems to be an ever growing list of areas where this is the case. From her interpreting prowess to her enthusiasm for biking to her complete mastery of the elusive soft skills of mothering and friendship- she never ceases to amaze me. So Rach- you are not only poised and professional like the people at the caucus said- you are that and so much more. You are the love of my life.

*****

OK- enough with the mushy stuff.

Besides the caucus, Rachel and I went on another date this week to two of our favorite places- Q'emiln park for rock climbing, and Bardenay after it got dark to get food. I love that climbing season is starting. I'll admit, I'm not quite into pushing the grade as much this year as I have been in years past, and mid-level 11s are probably about the highest I'd be able to lead right now. Even so, getting out on the rock is always very nice, and Rachel and I were able to get two routes in before darkness fell.

*****

As for the kids, they are doing awesome. Yesterday was their last day of school before Spring Break and they are excited to be visiting Grandma and Grandpa in a few days. Last week we got out on a family hike and it was fun watching the kids run ahead of us so they could climb on the rocks as we went. I remember it wasn't too long ago that we had to either carry them or else slow the pace way, way, WAY down for them to be able to keep up with us on hikes. Not any more! I think we have some actual backpacking trips in store for us this Summer!

*****

These are pictures of the kids on Sunday at church. The pony/donkey rides were part of a lesson and the kids loved it!

*****

Over the weekend I went shooting with a friend of mine. He is the kind of guy who's house I would go to if the Zombies attack- I'm pretty sure we'd be able to hold them off indefinitely with the arsenal at his disposal. On this particular trip we shot a .22, a 9mm mauser carbine, a 40 S&W handgun, an AR15, and a 300 WSM.

*****

Finally, some completely random bits of our week:

A walk to the dam that Rachel and I did with Maren and Lindsey while the other kids were at school

All in the name of science

This guy is totally going to be a climber one day

I went into my office at work after seeing a patient, and there on my desk was a present with wrapping paper and everything. It was from Jack. I opened it and found this picture along with this half-eaten piece of brownie. Now, it has been weeks since we made brownies, so I'm a little wary of that, but it was a really sweet thought. Thanks, Jack.

For the last couple of weeks it seems like life has sort of been on autopilot. You've been there before, where you are just in your groove and things are going smoothly, and it doesn't really seem like that much noteworthy stuff is happening? But then you wake up one morning and realize that in fact, lots of stuff has happened, and that you haven't recorded any of it, and you think "zut alors, I've better do a blog post!" Yeah, I'm sure it's happened to everybody.

Luckily, this oversight is not quite the calamity that it might seem at first glance. After all, we do have some pictures, and I happen to have an exceptional memory of the last two weeks worth of activity. So take a deep breath and try and relax while I give you a glimpse into what, for us, is pretty normal life.

Let's start with pictures of a bag full of random stuff (keys, climbing stuff, bits of food, etc.) and a sweet little girl. Lindsey is at an age where she is somehow EVERYWHERE AT ONCE and keeping up with her is becoming tricky. This makes it very difficult sometimes to have peace and quiet, like when you just want to take a Sunday afternoon nap. That's where the bag comes to the rescue. This is a trick that Rachel came up with and it worked perfectly. Older kids downstairs watching a movie, Lindsey in her room with the bag- and mom and dad enjoying a few moments of uninterrupted tranquility. It works like a charm.

Liberty Lake trail in the rain

Eating pie and ice cream at a favorite restaurant

Climbing some rocks

Watching the St. Patrick's Day parade (can you tell that we've gotten a lot of rain lately?)

Surprise treats at the grocery store

Hiking Tubbs Hill and discovering a new bouldering area that is under development

Next up are a lot of pictures of somewhat random things we have done- but not random at the same time because taken together they all tell the story of a family that doesn't sit still for very long. We are constantly out doing stuff. Spring is here (it'll be really rainy for the next month or so though) and getting out is getting easier and easier. I also shortened my work day to end at 5 rather than 6, and this combined with the recent daylight savings makes it even easier to live the highly active lifestyle that we love (and that our kids are forced into by virtue of their parents).

Also, note that the last picture in this series (the one with me and Ev) is so much more clear than the others. That is because I just upgraded to a new Galaxy S7 on the day of its release. Yep, I'm on the cutting edge of technology for at least the next three and a half weeks. This makes me feel powerful and important (and lucky that my upgrade date just happened to fall on the day of the S7 release). More notably, Rachel was finally convinced to ditch the ol' I-phone and get a Galaxy as well. I guess all these years I have been right after all, eh Rach?

Speaking of Rachel, this is a life-sized poster of her that sits in the Kroc Center (a local community center) right as you walk in for everyone to see. She's a celebrity! Actually, the Kroc Center has been very good for our family. Also, of all the organizations around here (businesses, churches, clubs, etc.), it is our feeling that the Kroc does more than its share of outreach into the community and Rachel has gone out of her way over the years to be a part of that outreach. The center is currently doing a "pay-it-forward" campaign and decided to highlight certain members as part of the marketing for this initiative. There is also a video of Rachel somewhere on their website, as well as a place to make donations to this great organization.

It's been a while since there was a work picture of me on this blog. Actually, I'm not working here. In fact, I'm paying money to be here. This is study club, and I am doing a pretty awesome surgery (Caldwell-Luc sinus lift with simultaneous implant placement) with Lynsay (assistant) and Sal (mentor) to make sure things go smoothly. They did, and before long I will be doing these procedures as a part of my regular practice. Can I just say that I love what I do? I do! I genuinely love going to work each day. I have an awesome team who keeps me entertained with their incredible singing and off-the-wall conversations. I have awesome patients who share a little bit of their lives with me each time they come in (sometimes more than a little bit). I have the privilege of taking part in a community of professionals who are working together to elevate our neighborhoods. And I get to do some really cool stuff every day that combines my intellectual love of science with technical skill in the hands. It is a profession which will always push me to be better, and which brings with it opportunities for real service in terms of income and skill-set which can be put to good use in a variety of settings.

Also, immediately after the study club was over I went and ran a 5k with a time of 19:30- not a bad showing considering the fact that I had just completed the most intricate procedure of my life. Not a bad day at all. Also, I should mention here that Rachel is riding her bike about 75 miles/week and is soon contesting my status as the most athletically fit person in our family (it's not hard when 5 out of 7 are under the age of nine). I really need to stop eating deep dish pizzas...but we all know that that's not really going to happen.

This is a throwback picture of our family a little more than six years ago. I don't really have a reason for including this other than I was thinking about it and I think it's nice.

Have a good week!

Our week in pictures

It is feeling like Spring here and I love it. We have gone on some nice walks/hikes. I have started running outdoors again in the mornings. Projects are starting to get underway that have been waiting. It's a good time of year.

It has also been a pretty busy week for us, as far as social stuff goes. Here are some pictures of our most recent exploits:

Evelyn's Birthday

Evelyn had her birthday party. This is the best group shot I could get even though there are some people missing. We had the party at a little ceramics studio where the kids each got to pick out something to paint. It was a lot of fun.

Here's the cake Rachel made. It is an art palate.

Here are the ceramic things the kids painted, ready to be fired. We will pick them up in about a week and see how they turned out.

Maren's Birthday

Maren did an "under the sea" theme at our house.

The snacks that Rachel made- gummy crabs, grape "seaweed" sticks, beach scene graham crackers, and a Little Mermaid cake.

I hung the octopus up. That was my creative contribution.

The kids painting seashells.

A Night Out

I realize these pictures are nearly identical, but they are at different places. This first is a nice dinner we had at Clinkerdaggers (a pretty nice local restaurant), and the second is at the theater where we saw the CYT production of the Mary Poppins Musical. It was a great night.

Random Stuff

This was where Lindsey stayed for almost the entirety of Maren's birthday party. She is a good sport.

Evelyn heading off to school. She has a style of her own and I like it (it was hat day in her class).

Jackson randomly decided that he was going to do exactly 100 healthy things. He made a grid on a paper with the numbers 1-100 printed off in the little squares, and he checks one off each time he is healthy. Here I caught him running laps up and down the stairs- with his shirt off, of course...because he's a guy and he can do that.

In the meantime, I am on sort of track for my personal goal of eating ONLY 1 Little Caesars Deep Dish Pizza each week. Jackson is my motivation.

Well, that's about it. This next week looks like it might be a little more relaxed, but that's not likely to last long. Especially not if the weather holds. Did I mention that I am excited for Spring?

Have a good week!

Rachel's update (I made a blog!)

Maren: Dad, what are those?
Dad: I am making pigs in a blanket for dinner
Maren: Those are pigs? But where are their tails?
Dad: That is a good question.
Maren: (in a very blunt voice) Are they dead?
Dad: What do you think?
Maren: Well... I once saw the Tooth Fairy eat a live baby pig.  It was late at night and I was on the couch...

Miss Maren is constantly surprising me with the things that come out of her mouth!  I love just listening to her talk because everything is inventive and a little bit strange.  This inventiveness generally matches her creative outfits.  For the past two months she has been constantly in skirts for preschool and her favorite outfit is a purple plaid skirt paired with a navy/red striped shirt.  I figure there is not much in this world that she has control over, and it is good to let your personality shine. Last week she had a selection of shoes and she decided to wear one purple boot and one pink boot because she couldn't decide.  I actually got a lot of positive feedback from her teachers that day about letting her do thing on her own. She knows the general concept of matching clothes, but she likes her own style.  Good for her.

I can understand wearing a skirt in the cold because I rarely get cold and she seems to be the same way (besides, generally she walks through the garage into a warm car and from a warm car to preschool. No problem).  I am, however, adamant that she wears shoes.  I know. I know. I am a horrible mom, right?  It would seem that way in the morning when the time arrives to put on her shoes.  She generally ends up in the car barefoot holding her shoes until we get to our destination.  Which is why when she chose two different boots I was just ecstatic that she put shoes on of her own accord.

Lindsey

"It's a stick!"

This is officially Lindsey's first full sentence.  Today was our first Sunday family hike for the year, and we had a great time hiking around and exploring Q'emlin park.  Logan took the kids up to see some caves and I hung around with Lindsey.  We walked hand in hand as she pointed to every loose stick and proudly proclaimed "It's a stick!"  I see many more Sunday Family Hikes in our future.

February is the month of Birthdays and parties.  We have had family parties for Maren and Evelyn, a Valentine's Day party in Rexburg (more about that visit below), I volunteered in four separate class Valentine's parties, and next weekend we have a friend party for Ev on Friday night and a friend party for Maren on Saturday.  You heard that right! It is a back to back party weekend!


From the minds of our children

Ok. I think I have each of our kids' reactions down pretty well when I ask them to do something.  Here is a slightly exaggerated example of what might go through each child's head on any given day when I ask the kids to get in the car.

Evelyn: Today has been SO completely difficult! Sure I went to a birthday party and I went to the park and played for two hours but I fell down and bumped my knee! My life is SO difficult and now is the perfect time to pout and burst into big hot crocodile tears!

Adalie: (disclaimer: Adalie is our peacemaker and the one that I can completely count on to do exactly as she is told without so much as a peep so this is her reaction when, on the completely off occasion, that I put her in a timeout. She had a timeout this week and it is, honestly, the first time in at least a year). Life is so good!  I think I am going to skip to time out and exclaim "I love sitting in this char!" with a super cute smile on my face. I know I am the favorite!

Jackson: Ok. Set your feet solidly shoulder width apart. Clench your jaw. Stare at Mom defiantly without twitching a muscle. Don't even blink.

Maren: Mom just asked me to go to the car. I am so MAD because she would not let me bring markers downstairs because she told me I have not proven myself to be responsible with them down there.   She is the meanest mom ever! I'll show her!  I am going to write all over Evelyn's closet wall.

Lindsey: Oh!  I am being picked up again and put in this chair.  Hmmm. Maybe I will squirm a... Oh look! A shiny mirror on the back of the headrest. I am so cute!

Thankfully all of these reactions don't happen every time, but these are funny caricatures for each of the kids.

Evelyn

Sweet Evelyn is now eight going on thirteen!  I swear she has that eye roll down to a science... And I thought those crazy emotions were not supposed to make an appearance for at least another few years.  The other day she informed me "If you can not find me be sure to look in my "miserable spot."  Okay. She gets a lot of flack for this (and, to our credit, a fair amount of listening ear from Logan and I), but I have to poke a little bit of fun at the situation. It helps me cope. Especially when the crocodile tears start coming.

On a better note, Evelyn is doing great in school and is now in accelerated programs for much of the time (in a wide variety of subjects).  I enjoy receiving letters from her on a weekly basis and responding to them through her cloud drive at school (what a great idea for a weekly assignment!).

Evelyn will be getting a dental appliance in her mouth to help her FINALLY stop sucking her thumb. She has mixed emotions about it, but overall I think she is excited for the boost of help because she has wanted to stop for a while.  We will see how this goes, but I am glad it is her decision and she looks forward to breaking the habit.

 Adalie

Addy is a very smart social butterfly.  She is in her own reading group at school because she is so far ahead of the other students.  In fact, this month she has started reading chapter books!  She devours any book she can find and has fun doing it.  Logan and I ask her questions after she is done and we have noticed that some chapter books she can easily answer questions while others she seems to have no clue what she just read.  We are now selecting books according to reading level so that her comprehension skills are emphasized.  Her current favorites are Evelyn's chapter books about fairies written by Daisy Meadows (PLEASE let that be a pen name!).

Adalie is still very recognizable by her cuddly nature.  Today I called her over to the couch just to give her a big hug.  She hugged me tight and ended up curled in my lap without even letting me go.  She snuggled there like a cozy little kitten.  I love Adalie snuggles and have no doubt what her love language is right now.

Adalie is our little peace maker.  She is kind, sweet, and does not seem to have a mean bone in her body.  One weird side to this is that sometimes she seems to have no opinion at all.  I wonder if this is because she is so eager to please others.  Whatever the reason, we definitely encourage having an opinion around here (for better or worse!).

Jackson

This boy is a very sweet-hearted instigator!  I think part of it is that he is a boy with a lot of energy in a house full of girls!  Poor kid...  I can't say that he is completely innocent though!  He has the sweet, caring brother role down, and he also has the irritating, pestering brother role down.

Jackson is my very best helper, and I am told he is an excellent helper in his Kindergarten class as well.  He loves to find extra jobs to do around the house, and he is always ready to earn money doing extra chores.  A few weeks after Christmas he approached me and asked if he could earn some extra money. When I asked him if he had anything in mind to buy he told me he wanted to bring it to the red kettle for the Salvation Army and donate it to kids who didn't have as much as he does.  He melts my heart!

Jack is doing very well in his Kindergarten class.  He has a group of friends who he loves to do art with.  He is very meticulous with his art (and any other project) and will work on it for as long as you will let him.  He is constantly drawing a variety of cool inventions and if you give him a second he will talk your ear off about each intricate detail. I love to listen to his imaginative ideas.

In church today Jackson was with a group of kids doing an object lesson. They were instructed to stand in a circle in front of the congregation and hold on to a bucket. Jackson noticed that the crowded group left out one crestfallen child who did not fit in the circle. Jack silently left the group, picked up a separate bucket, walked over to the little boy, and created a second circle with just the two of them for the remainder of the story. This melted my heart, and I think it affected everyone who saw it.  What a thoughtful boy!

Rexburg Trip

I absolutely love everything about living in Post Falls. The only thing that needs to happen is for families to move closer to us.  That is why weekends like last weekend are so special.  We packed up the car and headed to Rexburg to see grandparents and Griffin with his cute girls (we definitely noticed Ashland and Callen's absence).

Another great thing about these trips to Rexburg are that they begin and end with a road trip with the Love of my life (plus a few really good travelers). It is a win/win situation!

This trip did not disappoint. Here is a list of activities we did together.

• We had a great Valentine's day party complete with decorations, a wide variety of competitive balloon games, a heart Valentine/double birthday cake, birthday presents, and a lot of giggles and smiles.
• A visit to Grandma's Kindergarten complete with games in the gym, valentine decorating, cosmic yoga, and playing in the treehouse.
• Sledding- Including a CRAZY sledding accident involving our sweet Maren (details below).
• Spades with the adult
• The arcade

Thanks for the great time!  Now I need to get my own family closer so that a three day weekend is enough time for a great trip down there... hint, hint, hint...

"I made a sushi!"

On Saturday we went to a sushi night with the gals at Logan's office.  I loved the sushi!  This is saying something since Logan can be quoted saying, "Rachel does not eat anything that breathes underwater." This quote is not necessarily true because I really like shrimp and now I am a fan of sushi.  Maybe my tastes are finally growing up!

It must also be noted that I failed miserably in my attempts to create sushi.

Maren's preschool Valentine party



Notice the creepy baby in the background.

  

We have an EIGHT year old in the house!  I love this girl and I am so glad she is ours!

Valentine's party at Grandma and Grandpa Hazard's house

The first run of the day.  Picture a sweet little girl bouncing up the sledding hill excitedly trying to catch up to her dad.  Now enter the other cute child excited to go down her first run.  When these two desires collided this was the result.  Maren hit square on by an inner tube which caused her little body to be flipped completely over into a back bend while trapping her face flat in the snow as the tube continued down the hill.  This was one of the worst things I have witnessed as a parent.  I hope to never repeat any kind of experience like it! Thankfully, there were no permanent injuries and she took it like a champ (although she did spend the rest of the sledding trip in the car recovering).