Daddy's shoes... and a Hazmat suit

Just had to share with you one of our favorite Autumn photos of all time... earlier this week she decided that she wanted to host a "girl party" and bluntly informed Evan that he was not invited. She eagerly got all dressed up for it: Sun hat, pink dress, and Daddy's work shoes. Then she gathered a few of her friends (in her arms) to scope out a party location, and proceeded to set her friends up in a row and acted out the whole scene.

As for Daddy, he recently traded his usual work outfit for a Hazardous Materials suit - the one on the right in the pic - complete with a SCBA (Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus), during some Hazmat training with Emergency Responders in northeastern Kentucky. You can read plenty more about it, and some other things Mark has been up to at work ("Forecasters Hold Their Feet to the Fire" article) in the Summer 2007 edition of the Central Appalachian & Middle Ohio River Valley Weather Review, a newsletter distributed by the National Weather Service in Charleston.

Summer Starts with a Bang... at $3.54 a gallon

I think we set a record for cramming the most into three days over several different states this weekend! The first change from our usual road trip was that we decided to forego the minivan in favor of the somewhat more gas-efficient Buick (that we got a smashing deal on from my Grandpa last summer!). It actually went very well and I was proud of our ability to downsize on packing. And we figure we saved about $60-70 on gas. We spent Thursday driving up to Chicago to visit my bestest buddy since the fourth grade, Alex, her husband Darin, and their 1-yr-old twin girls, whom we haven’t seen since last summer, in their new home in the north burbs. We had such a blast, chilling out all day Friday and just enjoying the kids all together.

Saturday we drove to Grand Rapids, stopping to see Great Grandpa Tony and then Nana before crashing at Joe and Judy’s place. There we tended to a slimy-nosed Danny and a puking Autumn and Evan! We figured it had to be lunch, as the kids tried roast beef at Arby’s while Mark and I stuck with poultry. Sunday proved more enjoyable, as Judy and I got to go to church and the Dads hung out with the kids. The sun came out as we took a long walk and the boys all played frisbee golf in the back yard.

Then Mark and I headed down to Mendon, MI for WMU friend Chris Stoven’s wedding to Jen Weaver, which was just beautiful! We had a great time reconnecting with old friends and sharing memories. The reception was outdoors at a quaint restaurant along the shore of the St. Joe River, and the night was perfect. The kids seemed to do pretty well for Aunt Judy and Uncle Joe, too! Thanks so much guys!

Monday a.m. we visited my brother Joel in his amazing new apartment, a loft in a downtown GR art community! We are so happy for him. We then had a very long drive home yesterday, but aside from Evan throwing a drawing pad out the window somewhere in Ohio (he said he was trying to fly a kite), the kids were total champs. And we are happy that we have no more travel plans until mid-July! -Marisa

Mr. Daddy goes to Washington

"Carry me, Daddy! Carry me!" After being away from the kids last week attending a workshop near Washington DC (and just before a string of five midnight shifts), I heard a lot of those competing pleas during my one day off. :) By the end of our little nature hike here at Valley Park, my arms were about to fall off.


The DC course was about the Hysplit model, which is used to forecast the track and concentration of pollutants/gases - in the event of a large hazardous chemical release, or wildfire (smoke), or heaven forbid a nuclear meltdown (fallout/radiation). Other more common applications are identifying possible source regions for pollutants and aerosols.
Of the 16 students, 6 had Ph.D.'s, and the rest were much more computer savvy than me, so at times I felt like a 5th grade student in a Calculus class. Pretty tough to keep pace, but it was a great course. After class one evening, I had the chance to drop a message off at the White House:

And now, the fine print: The opinions expressed at this blog site are those of the author, on his own personal time, and are not representative of the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, nor the National Weather Service.

Mother's Day in Findlay, OH!

The kids and I met Grandma Laurie in Ohio for a fun weekend together! Highlights include a trip to Fort Findlay, a giant wooden interactive playground full of fun obstacles and unique climbing structures, and a ride on the historic (miniature) Findley railroad (above) which was extraordinarily cute. Not so highlights included managing my offspring in various restaurants. Overall though we had a great time - thanks Grandma Laurie!

Mark is in DC for a training this week, and then we're off to Chicago and southwest Michigan next week! And thanks to everyone who inquired about our health - we're better for the most part but we're worried that Evan may have aquired the asthma genes... take care everyone!

Thanks Mom

Happy Mother's Day to Grandma Linda, Grandma Laurie, Nana, Aunt Mel, Aunt Judy, Cousin Andrea, and all others who know the joys and challenges of raising their young'uns past and present!

Play slime... and coughing up real slime

What do you get when you combine daddy's Metamucil, water, and a few minutes on the stove? A good slime, anytime. Marisa got the recipe for this fun slime from Wondertime magazine. What is ironic is just how much it looks like the stuff daddy has been coughing up the last couple days (just slightly off on the color). I have been practically bed-ridden at times because my strep throat was so bad, I couldn't swallow.
At some point, I also pulled a neck muscle, so I can't really move it all that much. Today (Thursday) is the first day where I feel like I've turned the corner... enough to where I can muster enough for a pellfam post! :) This whole thing started late Sunday. It still hurts and all, but not nearly to the point where it was yesterday (when I was laying and wondering if I had some sort of rare disease worse than strep).

Somehow, Marisa has been resilient in all of this (not sick - YET), despite the kids having spent the last week coughing with ear infections and even green slime - yes, more slime! - as a result of pink eye. That, and the kids have had a terrible time listening lately, particularly the young man. Time outs are becoming so common that their meaning is becoming diluted. We're wondering if we have to step it up some more... perhaps by implementing a sort of "good listening tickets" system that we've read about, where a ticket is taken away for every act of sassiness. You start each day with a certain number of tickets, and if you run out, you're sent to your room for the rest of the day and go to bed early. Since we can't get Evan to stay in his room I don't know how this will work. Our main problems are Evan being aggressive and the kids having a lot of difficulty sitting at mealtime. At this point, I invite comments/suggestions from all current and former parents of 3 year olds. -Mark

P.S. - the slime recipe: mix 2 tsp. coarse-milled Metamucil with 1 cup water. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, continue stirring occasionally until it cools. I doubled the recipe for two kids. Cook longer for firmer slime, shorter for runnier slime. Have fun!

Top 10 Things Learned From Camping Trip...

We just returned from an enlightening 24 hour stay at Kanawha State Forest near Charleston. Top Ten Things Learned from our First Pellfam Camping Trip Ever:

10. If you bought your camping can opener from a dollar store, prepare to rename it the CAN'T opener.

9. Melted marshmallow does not come out of curly hair until after you return home.

8. Also, when fishing, marshmallow is a pathetic bait substitute if you forgot to bring worms.

7. Three-year old twins cannot sleep in the same tent, even with Mama and Daddy present.

6. Driving around the campground at 10 pm may be the only way to actually get your 3-year-olds asleep.

5. It is would be a great idea to bring at least one more blanket than you think is needed.

4. No matter how good natured you think your three-year-olds are, one will inevitably try to poke the other with the burning end of a stick from the campfire.

3. Underwear makes a fine alternative to a swim suit while camping.


2. No matter how much the campground host trumpets the quality of the water, bring your own.

1. Against our better judgment, we'll probably try camping again soon.


Enjoy the two new videos on the right: one is a camping highlight reel a couple minutes long; the other is a brief impromptu scene that emerged while Autumn and Evan stood in the creek next to our campsite. -Mark

A Little Appalachia

Autumn: "Hello today. My name is Autumn. Sitting on hay... see players to play. I like the one with a red and black shirt."

Evan: "We listened to the song. Loud. And we jumped on the jumping thing." (see below).
This weekend Mark has been at a haz-mat training, and the kids and I have been bopping around town. Yesterday I took them down to the Capitol Market- where local farmers sell produce and plants - for Springfest. The kids enjoyed the Bluegrass band and I could've sat there much longer listening to the great music, but they spotted the "jumping thing," which I considered offering our savings to purchase for our backyard. A parent's dream - a contained, soft environment that requires extreme energy expenditure on the part of the active youth, hence deeper sleep. The kids also got their faces painted and were very proud of their "tattoos."

Needless to say, we are thrilled to have Mark home and off of work for a few days... we're even trying to get it together to go camping nearby tommorrow. It would be the kids first camping trip - out of the womb, that is!

!!!!!!WOW!!!Crazy Craptacular Circus!!!!!!

After talking about it for several weeks, the day finally came. The kids were so excited they insisted on wearing their clown outfits (Marisa wore these when she was their age!).

Last Saturday, the eagerly anticipated Greatest Show on Earth whisped through town. The I'm sure that the kids would tell you how much they enjoyed it; if we could bring them back into this dimension.

Seriously, I think they had a good time. But it was all very larger-than-life... perhaps a bit too much for them to handle. The two main ingredients were loud over-the-top noise and high fructose corn syrup. Imagine being told by a woman who barely speaks English, that the cotton candy she just shoved into the grateful arms of Autumn and Evan... is $10 a bag. Now try removing said cotton candy (in the end we could only declare a moral victory since we all shared only one bag).

The actual performances were rather underwhelming, from not-quite-together choreography, to the World's Strongest Man having to "catch" a cannonball that had been intended for "hitting" his stomach to prove his might, to sassy tigers that would not quite listen to their master (who, by reluctantly uttering "good job" hoped the audience didn't notice the tigers' blatant disregard for the commands). But all of it was effectively covered up by constant short-attention-span distractions to all of the senses.

We left before the end, because the kids were zoned and exhausted by the unending lights/noise/sugar/etc. Looks like P.T. Barnum will have to wait many more years to see the return of the pellfam! (pictured at right: the unbelievable amazing incredible world famous unforgettable... $8 snow cone. What can we say? The kids were both hot an thirsty during intermission.)

Tulip Time

Spring has sprung in WV! The kids explore the result of dozens of tulip bulbs that were planted last Fall. We just got back from our Michigan trip a few days ago - Go to our Flickr Photos Page to see our "Easter in Michigan" collection of 24 photos.

Flooded Country Roads

The kids and I had a long drive back from Michigan yesterday, but we are so blessed that they are good travelers! Luckily we didn't have to pass through any of the many flooded areas of our hilly state. When Mark got home from work this morning, we took a drive out to a town called Tornado to take a look at the river.

Our trip to Michigan was wonderful! We got lots of quality time with Grandma Laurie in her lovely new condo, plus visits with Grandma Linda, Uncle Joel, and many other dear relatives and friends. A highlight for me was attending a surprise birthday party for my high school friend, Deania, whom I hadn't seen in several years. It was held at the same place, the Rochester Brewery, where Mark and I had our rehearsal dinner, and I got to catch up with some other fabulous classmates that I hadn't seen since high school! Thanks to all who made time to see us during our trip. Enjoy the pics... more from our trip will be coming soon on flickr, so check back soon!

Nostalgic video trip back to '06 Egg Hunt in MT

Happy Easter! Marisa and the kids are in Michigan enjoying some time with the Grandmas. Though I'd like to say I'm savoring my temporary bachelorhood, the truth is I have a bad cold, the refrigerator and cupboards are down to less-appealing items... and, well, I'm reviewing video from LAST Easter. You might even say that I miss them dearly. :)

Thought I'd like to share that video with you. A chorus of eager voices rises, as parents verbally nudge their toddlers to chaotically scramble for Easter eggs. In mere moments, hundreds of candy-bearing plastic shells are scooped up, mostly by the slightly older kids who actually understand what is going on. After Autumn and Evan each finished with only three eggs of melting chocolate, it became obvious to us that they didn't quite "get it" (can you imagine this spectacle for the first time?). So, we conducted a second egg-hunting mission in our house, free from the pressures of competition. They probably could have used this training ahead of time. Enjoy with me, this nostalgic trip back to Glasgow, Montana... Easter 2006. -Mark

Big-time April Showers!!! (with new video)

Last night at 10pm, I was wearing Autumn's puke, trying to calm her through an awful barking croup cough. We later even called Blue Cross for help determining when/if we should go to the Emergency Room. But you know what? According to what we heard from Blue Cross and WebMD, for croup cough, we are advised to take Autumn outside to breathe cool, moist air. The weather today was just too awesome to ignore that kind of advice. I'm guessing that this is not quite what they had in mind... though the air couldn't have been any more moist!

So out we all went around 5pm, to play in the neighborhood during what was the FOURTH batch of rain today. Heavy downpours, thunder, puddles, eddies, street-rivers, a rainbow, and even sunshine rounded out a truly wonderful episode of Mother Nature. Check out the NEW VIDEO posted on the right if you'd like to see for yourself, or click HERE for a larger version. And by the way, since we went out in that rain, Autumn's cough has pretty much stopped!
-Mark

Another Average Day: Meeting John Edwards and Chuck E. Cheese

Last night I got a huge surprise - an invite from our realtor’s sister Karen, who is involved with the Democratic Party, to join her in seeing John Edwards today in his visit to Charleston! What an opportunity! So after a hectic day Mark and I managed to meet in Charleston, swap kids and vehicles, and I was off to meet the former Senator/current Presidential Candidate. Karen was a riot (this was my first time meeting her) and with some of her friends we had a blast at a private, invitation-only event at the Marriott! John was so friendly and personable - and I was thrilled to get to shake his hand and wish him well. His speech was very real, down-to-earth, and inspiring, and I am just so grateful that I got to experience such a cool event. On the way out, a local news reporter asked if I’d mind giving a response, and Karen snapped this pic while I was talking.

When I got home at 7:30, I was worried because Mark and the kids weren’t home yet. They pulled up a few minutes later bubbling with excitement that Daddy had taken them to Chuck E. Cheese. They had a great time, and even got to meet the rodent himself, who as Evan said was “walking around and patting heads.” They had this machine that (after snapping an image) pretended to "sketch" Autumn and Evan; souveneirs of their fun little trip. What an exciting day in pellfam world!

Summer Fake-Out

We've been enjoying nearly a week of 80 degree days and watching trees blossom! It's been amazing. On Monday we took a little mountain hike at a county park near our home, and the kids climbed pretty well. We just got a new metal roof put on last week and according to my friend next-door, we are the talk of the neighborhood for trying something new. We had friends over for dinner on Saturday and you'd swear it was a 4th of July party as we lounged in the grass at dusk swatting bugs, chasing kids, and eating cheesecake. Simply fabulous. Last fall, the kids and I planted about 40 tulip bulbs all around the yard, and they are just days away now from opening up. It is so refreshing to experience spring with little ones. We've enjoyed the summer tease thoroughly - though a cold front tonight will knock us all the way down to the 60s tomorrow. Just a couple weeks ago, "60s" seemed very warm!

Cityscapes

Having just passed the Vernal Equinox, Spring is being felt in our corner of the world. Marisa and the kids are spending at least 2-3 hours a day outside planting, playing, walking, etc. As for me, it's nice to be able to roll down the window on the way back from work... lately, we've had some afternoons in the 60s/70s. Everything is still just pre-greenup, but the higher sun angles and mild temps are making for some beautiful days. Taking it all in, I snapped a few pics of downtown Charleston in the past week. But for a more "current" view, the WCHS-TV Charleston SkyCam has been added on the right bar, which you can click for a bigger version.

Speaking of Charleston, if you want some more intimate views and blurbs about our fair State Capitol, I highly suggest a stroll over to the DowntownWV Blog of "The Gazz." It's part of the Charleston Gazette Newspaper's web site. I got hooked on it during our last couple months in Montana, when we were eagerly awaiting our move to West Virginia. Lots of local flavor, including cool old architecture, city quirks, etc. Enjoy! -Mark

And from the homefront...

Yesterday got so warm and muggy that we actually turned the AC on for a little while! The children of the neighborhood were frolicking about the streets in last summer's clothes, that don't quite fit anymore. Today was cold and rainy, and this jaunt you see here was, for the first day in a very long time, the only time the kids and I left the house all day. I forced myself to stay home, which is hard for me! We all have colds, and a big weekend ahead, so we played dollhouse and did puzzles and paints and watched some videos. It was quite cozy and nice. I've been getting ready for our huge MOPS consignment sale this weekend - I'm selling a ton of stuff! It will be quite the event with over 90 consignors and 50 volunteers, including security! I'm really excited about it, except for having to take the kids with me tommorrow for consignor drop-off - it will be an absolute zoo. But my dear neighbor Teresa is watching the kids tommorrow evening so I can go to the volunteer-only pre-sale (yeay!) and then pick up Mark from the airport. We are excited to have him back home!

Bonjour from Boise

It's the third day of IMET (Incident Meteorologist) training in Boise Idaho, where I have joined roughly 7 dozen or so colleagues from across the country... from rookies and veterans. Today, I even met the Director of the National Weather Service, General Johnson. He just sat down next to me and said, "So, what should I talk about?" a couple minutes before addressing all of the IMETs. Pretty funny. I am overwhelmed by all that I have learned here; feelings of "where do I begin" since I am a rookie and have so much to learn. But I also really know now that THIS is the program in which I belong, where I will be dispatched to hazardous incidents - wildfires, chemical releases, etc. - to provide weather support. Basically, having incident responders/firefighters/others directly relying on me to break down the computer models into an absolutely clear, concrete forecast, from which they can initiate their strategy for the day. Well, gotta go... heading to the IMET dinner. -Mark

Seedlings

We've been enjoying watching our seeds sprout indoors, however, the pumpkins weren't quite necessary to start this early. You can see them on the right straining to get into the picture. In other news, we've been very busy lately and it's caught up with me and Mark; we've both got a bug now and I'm hoping the kids don't get too sick. Mark leaves tomorrow for a week-long training in Boise on fire weather, and we've been busy with meetings, birthday parties, church activities, and playing outside in the recent warm days. Today was also a big day for my mom, who moved into her new condo! I wish I could've been there to help, but with the kids in tow I am usually more of a hinderance than help. We'll be in MI for Easter to check out the new digs. We also enjoyed a spontaneous visit on Wednesday from Popski and Dixie as part of a 4,000 mile road trip! Thanks for helping to fix our door, Popski!

Dad Day

On Thursday, I had an all-day training for West Virginia Birth-Three, a program I will be enrolling with as an independant contractual social worker. This was very exciting for me, as I've been out of the professional world for some time now! It was also exciting for the kids as they got to spend an entire day just with Dad. In the morning he took them to the park, and in the afternoon he took them swimming at YMCA. And when I came in at 4:30, here they were, all plum-tuckered out on Daddy's lap!

Preparing for Spring

I've been dreaming up our garden for days now, sketching different layouts, figuring out what food we should grow, and wondering if the kids will get into it. Well, here we are digging up sod in our new garden patch! The kids delighted in finding and torturing worms and helping me locate and throw clumps of roots into the "compost pile", a huge mountain of yard waste that our former owners left. I don't mind, I'm just not sure how to contain a half-rotted mound that keeps growing. Any ideas, gardeners and appreciators of compost? We also stopped today and picked out seeds; Autumn held up a bag of pumpkin seeds and said "Can we get Halloween?"

Our yard is very exposed - we share a big open conglomeration of lots and I'm sure people are looking out their windows wondering what that crazy lady is doing, just like they did in Hickory Corners when I attempted to annihilate 200 square feet of grass in order to bring back a "native prairie." Of course, our farmer neighbors didn't tell us until we were about to move that they had enjoyed our ill-fated attempts at maintaining and beautifying our country yard. Including the fact that Mark would wear full body coverage when using our sparkly brand-new tractor mower, such as safety goggles, air-purifying mask, and long pants with socks and toe-covering shoes, as specified in the owner's manual. Alas, we never got to see the results of our hard work as our life circumstances then carried us across the country. This was what one might call a tangent, but now you might understand why I'm a bit self-conscious while working in our new yard.

Back from Florida

We made it back! Our Florida trip was every bit of what we had hoped for and more. Here is a sampling of photos... many more can be found by clicking this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pellfam/


Among the highlights of the trip: Celebrating Popski's 64th birthday, making Valentines, going to the beach a few times, rowing the boat in the canal from the back yard, and (on the way back) visiting Marisa's college friend Bryan and his daughter in GA. And of course, a rare Valentine's Day date for Mark and Marisa... mini-golf, dinner, and the beach at sunset! :)

Quotable Notables here in Florida

Pics will be forthcoming after we return from vacation, but for now, just a few cute quotes from our trip to Florida...

"My mouth is too small."
-Autumn trying to swallow an entire large piece of cake

"I guess I'll go back and sit down now." (forlornly)
-Evan after he tried and failed at rowing a boat for the first time

"I want to shovel now!"
-Autumn then wanting her turn rowing

"It feels so good to pee in the jungle!"
-Evan upon whizzing in the woods (we couldn't get to a bathroom)

Sparkling Powder!

At last, a really good snow found its way to Scott Depot. 4-5 inches of absolute dry fluff fell a couple nights ago. Also that previous morning, Charleston and Huntington dropped below zero for the first time in 7 and 11 years, respectively. Yesterday, the kids here made snow angels and went sledding. They were very delighted, but it was not long before they whined of cold, and we retreated to the fireplace with hot chocolate. Okay, we got winter! Now on to the warm stuff... we're taking off for Florida tomorrow (pending Evan's recovery from his fever today; he seems already to be on the mend). Hopefully, by the time we get back, the weather pattern will have changed for the milder.

Winter Days

Our little darlings are exhausting. Or maybe it's me, their mother, who tries to do too much with them. Mark's been working nights and sleeping days lately, but the kids and I have managed to do a few fun things. The snow is nothing like Michigan or Montana (we haven't even had enough to make a decent snowman!) but the kids enjoy flying off of our neighbor's slide in their snowpants. A blessing and a curse on these long winter days has been the kids' newfound interest in 25-piece puzzles. A blessing in that it occupies Evan for a good 10-20 minutes on his own (expect for the occasional whine, "Mom I no know where it goes!"; a curse in that when they get overexcited the children like to gaily toss the puzzles in the air, scrambling the pieces everywhere. And this evening, Mark had woken up and we tried watching the superbowl while entrusting the kids to play downstairs together for awhile sans supervision. Mistake. End result: a hole in the wall after Autumn threw a toy chair into their "fort." Her explanation: they were fending off the dragon. AHHHH!

WOO HOO, VIDEO! and Totsicles

YEAH, WE'VE GOT VIDEO, BABY! Something we were not able to do on our old website. Look to the bar on the right, that will be the place to find video, which we will update from time-to time.

Today was our second outing to the South Charleston Ice Arena, where the ice is open Thursday mornings to little ones just getting their feet on the ice. Last week I took them myself and we had a blast, though Autumn and Evan clung to me as they slipped around on their rental skates.

Mark was able to come with us this time, and the kids seemed a lot more confident, going off on their own to skate. Autumn actually pushed my hand away several times; she wanted to skate herself! Afterwards they served cookies and cocoa and read a story to the kids by the fireplace. So cute!