More - The Games

The Games are in full force and it seems that Boise is pumping with the energy of the athlete's excitement. I've spent the last 6 days in the middle of the chaos; however, every time I speak to another staff member I realize they are more stressed/sleep deprived/chaotic than me. I was asked to help out with Food and Beverage. Never having been a part of an event before, I didn't really know what that meant.
Friday I visited the Floor Hockey events (they were "divisioning", or playing to determine skill level and who they would play against in competition) and then I worked in their dining hall (tent). What that meant for me was clearing tables as fast as possible in order that athlete's with full plates could find a place to sit. Athlete's were very excited and were singing and dancing in the isles. It was fantastic! When that rush had passed I was pulled into a Floor Hockey Coaches meeting. I learned my lesson quickly - stop offering to help! I was assigned to taking meeting minutes, which was horribly boring, although it did give me the opportunity to learn about floor hockey - something about which I knew nothing.
Saturday I was asked to work at a dining hall (HUGE tent) outside of Opening Ceremonies where I assisted in serving lunch and dinner to hundred's of athletes. This was very hectic, somewhat disorganized, but incredibly fun. I ducked out of there just in time to see the ceremonies and then quickly ducked back in to help serve dinner, and finally to clean up. I was exhausted at the end of the day, but rewarded by the smiling faces, hugs and cool pins I received from athletes.
Sunday I drove to Sun Valley (SV) to, again, help out with Food and Beverage. There is one dining hall in SV which is feeding all of the athlete's breakfast and dinner (boxed lunches are served at the venues). When I arrived there was a lot of confusion over various issues - specifically when the dairy truck would be arriving, final headcounts for meals, etc. Luckily I had a list of phone numbers and a cell phone, which made me incredibly useful to the caterers (Full Moon Catering, Sun Valley, Idaho). We were instant friends. I wish I had an event for which I could hire them, as they were fantastic people and absolute pros. I spent a total of 2 dinners and 2 breakfasts there, which required me to get up at 5am both mornings, but it was another awesome experience. Monday afternoon I was able to break away and check out the snowboarding venue on Dollar Mountain in SV. It was a blue bird day and there were school kids everywhere out on a field trip to cheer on the athlete's. It was great!
Today I am back to my "real" job - HR for this Organizing Committee. Sadly, all good things must come to an end, and these Games are celebrated with Closing Ceremonies in two days. With the closing of the Games comes the departure of some of the staff, and the wrap, up involving reports and closing down the building. I don't know how much longer I'll have a job, but for the short-term I have to make sure every one's departure is handled appropriately.
Tomorrow I hope to take Kate to some figure skating events, and maybe some speed skating. I don't feel like I've been able to enjoy these events as a bystander and I think that would be a great way to wrap up the week.
This has been an incredible experience - all due to the joy and excitement of the athlete's and the group of people who have planned this tremendous event in a short amount of time and on a shoestring budget.
For those of you out of the area, check out some of the coverage of the Games at www.ktvb.com!!

2009 Special Olympics World Winter Games Opening Ceremonies

Special Olympics Day of Fun

Pictures to follow, but I felt I had to share after such a day. I had the pleasure of helping to feed hundred's of Special Olympians in a huge tent just outside the Idaho Center, Nampa, ID. It was crazy at times, as well as confusing, fun, but mainly rewarding. I didn't realize how exhausted I would be at the end of two days serving food, wiping down tables, pretending to know when more food would arrive or when the buses would arrive and where. People confused me with someone who would know the answers to important questions because I wear a "staff" uniform. What they don't know is that all I did was hire the people who made the decisions about the important details. Regardless, it was a ton of fun, and the smiles of the athlete's will stay with me for ages to come. And the best part? Opening Ceremonies! My friend and neighbor, Jen P joined me, as well as Aunt Pat and a friend of hers. There were celebrities, politicians, Olympic athletes, and hundred's of Special Olympians. I can't wait to share my photos.

And then there was Brad's day with Kate. From the sounds of it, it was a day that Brad won't forget for a long time to come as well. He took Kate to see her first movie, with popcorn and everything.

After her nap they went for dinner and Kate received a fortune in her cookie stating, "Your charm has intrigued a secret admirer." I think the admirer is her Dad.

A Very Special Day!

Julie P (triplet mom) put it best in her blog, so I've provided a link here. Plus, her camera is fantastic! www.prairie3.blogspot.com

I will add that it is very exciting for me to see the hard work of my co-workers come to life with the arrival to Boise of the Torch and Athlete's from around the world. Over the course of the next 5+ days I get to help at various venues doing whatever they need two hands to do. I am very excited to be a part of the execution of the plans these people have been putting into place over the course of the last 2 years. It is bound to be an incredibly rewarding experience!

Check out our website at www.2009worldgames.org!

Boob Tube

Move over Disney Channel, there is a new tube in town. The cabin we've rented for the winter is located near a fantastic tubing hill and we've lucked out - the minimum age requirement happens to be 2. I see this as one of the first steps toward Brad and Kate zooming around on roller coasters. A baby step; however, Brad quickly realized that it isn't much of a baby step, as these hills are very fast. After the first run he decided to ride on his stomach in order to slow them down a little bit. Rules state that everyone has to be in their own tube and Kate apparently loves it. Unfortunately, much like roller coasters... no pregnant people allowed.

Sha Shwoosh Sha Shwoosh Sha Shwoosh

I had the pleasure of hearing the baby's heartbeat today. This is always a good thing. I also scheduled the ultrasound (late February) to catch a glimpse of this tiny person. Kate looks at my belly and says, "Hi baby!" and gives it a kiss. I hope she has the same enthusiasm in July.
Yesterday I had a great deal of emotion regarding the swearing in of our new president. It occurs to me that change is upon us, that yesterday made incredible history in this country, and that my babies will know Obama as their first president. Regardless of how you feel about him, it all strikes me as a very important part of their lives and it gives me even more hope for their happy futures.
That said, my future involves a long winter's nap...

A New Year, A New Look

Obviously I'm trying a little something new with the blog, and when God grants me more time in the day and fewer things to take care of in life I will try even more fun things. I thought maybe pink would be fun for a while... at least until I find out the sex of this new trouble-maker on the way.

There are no pictures from this week, but only a brief update. Brad went out of town to play with rockband .22 so I went to town on the house. This weekend I managed to tear apart a couple of closets, make large piles to donate to Goodwill, carry heavy furniture around (this is a specialty of mine when I'm pregnant), decide on big-girl bedding, and make decisions about who will go where when the baby gets here. Pretty soon Kate will have to make the move to a big girl bed, and I want to be strategic about placement and furniture decisions so that when the transition happens it is a done deal and Kate won't have to endure much change. She's definitely ready for a bed. Twice a week she's been going to McPhee's and nap time happens in a bed. Apparently Kate gave her grief on the first day, and since then it has been a smooth process. I'm very thankful to McPhee that she broke Kate in for me. As a matter of fact, McPhee does a lot of heavy lifting for me - all of which I'm grateful for.

The house is still in disarray and likely will be when UB walks in the door late tonight. But hey - Rome wasn't built in a day. Not to mention the couple of naps I had to fit in this weekend along with everything else. Oh, and then there was Kate, who when I'm busy with something loves to tug and pull for my attention. Go figure.

Happy New Year!

I think it is safe to say that I've been a blogging slacker as of late. Truth be told, I have an excellent excuse, but I'm not going to share it with you now. For now I'm just going to bring you up to speed on the travels and fun we've had since Kate's birthday. The weekend after her celebration we enjoyed a quiet weekend in McCall where we enjoyed a ton of fresh snow! It was very exciting for Kate, who was able to get in some fantastic snow time - quite frankly her first snow time.

On the way home from this weekend I was talking to Brad about how I haven't been feeling well at all lately. He suggested that Kate and I fly to Michigan to spend some time with Nanny and to allow myself to relax a little (and quite honestly, be taken care of). This sounded like a fantastic idea - especially since my generous Aunt Marilee had just offered her frequent flier miles for a Christmas trip to Michigan in order to surprise my mom. The next day I started looking at flights and that night decided to book a trip. THANK YOU, AUNT MARILEE!! It was all I could do to NOT tell my mom that we would be showing up on her doorstep a few nights later! I quickly started to prepare - which meant leaving the house and Annie The Dog for 2 weeks, a doctor's appointment for Kate, one for me, wrapping up work, a work holiday party, packing for 3 (Brad also booked a round trip to Chicago), Holiday cards distributed, Christmas gifts purchased (I skipped this step), etc etc etc. It was something. THEN, the night before we departed Brad booked us (him and me) a round trip from Michigan to Cabo San Lucas for 8 days. Needless to say, Brad left at 6am on Friday the 19th, Kate and I left at 1pm that same day. We both made it unscathed and I was able to surprise Nanny (with the help of Aunt Marilee and Grizz, Phatty and Mallory) on her doorstep at 11pm that night. Brad joined us the next day and on Monday he and I flew to Mexico for sun and relaxation. What a trip it was! Cabo was great and I have to say that the true beauty of it - besides the incredible weather - were the naps and the HBO movies. True relaxation! Ahhh. And so it didn't seem like Christmas on Christmas day in 80+ sunny weather; I knew Kate was in good hands and that Santa was visitng her on Christmas morning with lots of snow and family and fun.

Brad and I returned from Cabo sunned and relaxed. We questioned more than once why we choose to live in cold weather climates, but I think he'll remember once he gets to ski this coming weekend up at the cabin...
Just prior to our departure and just after our return I was able to join my Bylsma family in some Christmas celebrations. It was fantastic to see Kate running around with her cousins, getting to know them by name, and to hear her say, "I wuv you, Uncle Grizz!" without running away from him in fear.

Kate and I finally returned to Boise on Monday, 1/5, after getting delayed in Michigan without luggage for 2 extra days due to Minneaplis weather (oh well!!). It is good to be home and settled, but I have to admit, Grand Haven is home sweet home. I can't deny it.
Thank you to everyone who made the time to visit with us (especially Lauda, who drove all the way to spend a couple of days in GH!), to Nanny who gave up her life for 2 weeks to be with Kate, to those who helped Nanny out with watching Kate (especially Grace!! and thank you for the report card, Grace!), and a huge THANK YOU to Aunt Marilee, who made the entire trip possible in the first place. And thank you to my loving husband, who knew that a relaxing, sun-filled, pool-side pool was just what the doctor ordered. Thank you for a(nother) wonderful trip.
And for those of you who haven't figured it out, I'm 3 months pregnant and due in July. I haven't been blogging because a) I don't feel well enough to want to share our lives with you and b) haven't been doing much at all due to the fact that I feel so terrible! It has been a rough first trimester, but I am hoping that I will start to feel better soon. I must admit, having toast with Nanny's homemade jam at my beck and call durring our visit to Michigan made me feel TONS better. Thanks Nanny!! I'm sure it killed you that I wanted to eat toast in your bed, but it was wonderful!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Girl

I think it's official - I have to stop calling her Baby Girl, but alas, it has stuck for 2 years now. On her birthday we hosted our weekly playgroup AND the kids from our block. It was a great little party and Kate had a blast. Her true happiness began when she found out that under the pretty paper and ribbons were toys and books and surprises! Check out this face while opening gifts...

Hello!

We've rented a mountain cabin for the winter with our friends, the Bausch's. We're trying to make the most of this 6 month investment and have already made multiple trips there to enjoy the quiet of the woods, streams and mountains. The other day my mom asked me, "What do you guys do when you're there?" It took me a second, only to realize the answer was, "Nothing." And doesn't that sound wonderful?!? Here's a glimpse of the "nothingness."

Guess what I wished for when I blew out my candles!

Halloween 2008

Okay okay! Enough with our fans asking for the Halloween photos! I'm a busy girl, people!

Kate isn't quite sure what this Halloween business is all about. It was exciting and fun, but she was confused by her friends that didn't look quite the same and by all of the dad's answering the doors (men = scary!). Her costume, although SUPER CUTE, was hot and kept pecking her in the face. She wanted to eat the candy, but you'll see why that wasn't an option outside of her highchair in a photo below. Once the bigger kids started trick or treating she loved the continuous door bell ringing; however, once Brad scared the kids on the front step and they screamed in her face she pretty much panicked. An interesting night to be sure, and yet another event where I sum it up by saying, "she'll get it next year."

Pumpkin Weekend 2008

We had fantastic weather this weekend - and gladly took advantage of it. Friday afternoon we enjoyed our weekly playdate, which turned into good-timin on the back porch, ending with 4 of us huddled for warmth around charcoal on the grill while 2 little ones slept upstairs.

Saturday we had big plans to ride the Pumpkin Liner Train out of Horseshoe Bend; however, didn't realize that a lot of other folks had the same plan and that tickets would be sold out. Instead we headed to a pumpkin patch - the same one featured in pumpkin picking pictures approximately 1 year ago on this blog. This year we were able to take advantage of the super fun kid activities - which was delightful (for us to watch and for Kate to do). It was great fun seeing her do the big kid stuff. She had her first pony ride, first cow train ride (?), first public bouncy house thing, and lots of fun food! Oh, and we picked out some pumpkins, too.

Today we headed up to Horseshoe Bend early and took an 1 1/2 hr train ride to a pumpkin "patch" (a place where picked pumpkins are placed for families to come and make a selection). When we pulled up to the station Kate said, "choo choo!" She seemed to really enjoy the ride, and although it was nap time, she fared quite well (Brad gave her a B- for behavior, but I'd say it was a solid B).

This afternoon we've relaxed, watched a Packers victory! What a weekend!

Fall in McCall

Happy Birthday to The UB! We had a fabulous weekend in McCall with our dear friends at a great cabin in the woods. The weather was just as you would want it, and of course a trip to McCall means a trip to the lake. Here Kate is, discovering sand and the glory of letting it wiggle through your fingers, as well as learning the hard lesson that you can't go running into the water all year round. As you can see here, it was a very hard, sad, lesson.

Happy Birthday to my dear, sweet UB.

Michigan Recap

What a whirlwind trip. Every night after I put Kate to bed over the course of those 2 weeks I wanted to do nothing but go to bed myself. It was FANTASTIC seeing all of our family and ALMOST all of our friends. The 40 days and nights of rain, my sinus infection, Kate's ear infection and the 7 trips to Walgreens, did put a damper on things, and prevented us from seeing Lauda at her cottage and Steph and Paul; however, the number of visits we were able to squeeze in between the daily naps and the early bedtimes was still remarkable. Thank you to everyone who made time for us, fed us, and showered Kate with love and affection of the greatest kind! It was wonderful to see you all. And a special thanks to Grammie B - who set aside her life for 2 weeks and dragged us all over tarnation and back. We love and miss you!

More more and more Michigan!

Michigan! The Mother Land

Here we are in Michigan! I knew it was too good to be true - sunny, breezy days by the lake, cousins, aunts, uncles, Pronto Pups and Fricano's Pizza... and HORRIBLE allergies that I had long forgotten about. Unfortunately I'm sick as a dog, but we're making the most of it. Here are a few pictures from the first couple of days. We miss you, Dada!

Zoo, Friends and Good Times

We went to the zoo yesterday with the Triplets (and their mom, Jules) and Joey (and his mom, Courto). Good times.

Nothing to Share?

I feel a great deal of pressure from you all to post something each week, which can be difficult if there was a lull in activity or if we just didn't get out to do something fun and family friendly over the weekend. Unfortunately I suffer(ed) from the flu this week(end), and didn't really bother to take photos of Kate watching videos, recorded television and the Olympics (she loves the diving). #2 was able to get away yesterday for white water rafting with friends, but again, no pics. I do, however, have a great deal of video that I haven't bothered to put together until tonight, so please enjoy this hodge-podge of this and that (mainly Kate wandering around and being Kate).
Things you'll see here:
- Kate pushing baby Ben in her baby stroller. He didn't much care for it, but she thought it was pretty cool (although she has to work on looking where she's going, much like me)
- Kate enjoying the entertainment of our neighbors Esme and Isabelle. I don't know who enjoy's their company more, me or Kate
- Kate having fun in the pool with our friend, Bailey. Bailey taught Kate to say, "I did it!"
- Kate enjoying an Oreo cookie as a bedtime snack tonight. If you can catch it, we have the following exchange:
K: "What's that?"
G: "The power button."
K: "Good job, Mama."
G: "Thanks, Kate."
K: "You're welcome."
- Kate playing on the swings during our trip to Wisconsin. Leave it to Brad to stir things up
- A random assortment of pictures that I had yet to share with you all

Hodge Podge

On the Go

We've been going and going lately (hence the lack of updates). 2 weekends ago we enjoyed a great weekend in McCall with Peter, Kerry and Baby Ben. It was nice to get away and to relax in this beautiful town. Kerry took all the pictures, so I have none to share, but it was memorable due to the fact that Kate had the chance to feed a bottle to a REAL baby, instead of a creepy doll with a tuft of blond hair sticking out the top of her head. Thanks Peter and Kerry for a great time! Oh - and this trip taught us that Kate can climb out of a port-a-crib. It also taught Kate that she should try crawling out her crib back home (successfully).

This most recent weekend we headed to Cedar Rapids, IA for #2's 20-year high school class reunion and to visit Grandma S. We went to the St Jude's Sweet Corn Festival and made a trip to a local watering hole while reuniting/getting to know Brad's classmates. It was a great deal of fun. Saturday morning we headed off to Westby/Viroqua, WI to visit with the (Great) Grandma's for dinner and breakfast, followed by a trip back to IA and a flight back home on Sunday. It was a lot of time in the car and on planes, but it was also some wonderful, quality time with Grandma S and Kate's Great Grandma's. A special thanks to Grandma S for all of the time she gave us - sans Kate! A win-win for everyone involved.