Merry Christmas 2010!

Our Christmas tree, w/every ornament we own!

It's been a holiday weekend of fun and relaxation. We opted to stay at home in Eugene this Christmas. Doug had time off the week of Christmas but had to be back to work the morning of the 26th so traveling for the holiday wasn't really a great idea. We enjoyed the family traditions we've been building over recent years.

The fun began Christmas Eve morning with our yearly Christmas Eve breakfast at Shari's Restaurant (the equivalent of Denny's, for those of you not in the Northwest). Yes...Shari's. This tradition began a few years ago when we had an ice storm in Portland and we woke to no power on Christmas Eve. The house was cold and dark and Doug announced we should go out to breakfast. The kids, always begging to go to restaurants on their Mom's "not on your life" restaurant list (translation...KFC, Denny's, Golden Corral, etc) quickly chimed in with "Can we PLEASE go to Shari's??? Please??? It's Christmas Eve mom, please!?!" So I caved, telling myself it WAS the holiday and I can handle it just ONCE. And off we were to Shari's. Fast forward a few years and yes, we made the annual trek to Shari's for  our Christmas Eve breakfast.

Our other favorite Christmas Eve tradition is the annual swimming outing. We adopted this tradition from my sister's family when we were looking for something fun to do on Christmas Eve. Lucky for us, we've always had a selection of local indoor pools to hit for the holiday swim. This year, we've discovered Splash! Lively Swim Center with it's great wave pool and water slide. For the most part it was a great time, except for the phone call from the plumber in Beaverton informing us that our rental home there needed a new hot water heater. Good thing Christmas presents were already purchased or Christmas would have gotten a LOT smaller with that news. On the bright side, at least it happened on Christmas Eve during normal weekday hours and not ON Christmas with double the labor costs.

Christmas Eve night we enjoyed our normal traditions of the Christmas Story from the bible, other Christmas stories, games, and Secret Santa gift exchange. The kids also opened their new Christmas pajamas...provided this year by Grandma. She has a knack for picking out gifts for the kids that suit their personalities to a T. Note...Terry's shirt says "I'm pretty much one of the best people I know" and Zach's says "Awesome ends with ME."

We got the anxious kiddos to bed with an agreement reached of 6:45 a.m. for the wake-up call. But Trevian only made it to 5:30 before she began pestering us regularly. By 6:10 we couldn't take it anymore and the rest of the crew was wrestled out of bed for the fun to commence. The kids were thrilled with their gifts and off and playing, and Mom and Dad were nestled back snug in their bed by 7:00 for a Christmas morning nap! Of course, the new running shoes we each got (Doug and Heather) beckoned to us and we got a great holiday run in shortly after our nap. With some holiday movies, traditional Christmas dinner, and some board games, the rest of the day was a treat. It was a fairly low-key Christmas that will leave me with fond memories of peace and comfort at home with my family.

While the Kids Are Away...The Parents Will Play!

The perks of Doug's new work schedule are kicking in and we are enjoying new found time for play. We've found this fall that more frequent rounds of golf leads to playing golf a bit better...I guess practice really does make perfect??? Okay, our golf games are far from perfect, but it's just one activity we've found more time for now that Doug has abandoned the life and schedule of a medical resident/fellow!

Our latest discovery however...is SKIING! Yep--we've gotten back into skiing again. Okay, maybe Doug never really gave up skiing...he just didn't do it often. Me on the other hand...I abandoned the sport around age 12 after a youth church activity went bad. Or should I say my loving sister ruined it for me when she "accidentally" pushed me off the ski lift at Kelly Canyon. I've never been so grateful for a giant snow bank in my life! But I digress... 

  Last March we took a family trip with lots of family friends to Tahoe for spring break and introduced the kids to skiing. Everyone had a blast. And after a successful trip to the Eugene Ski Swap this fall, I was very inexpensively outfitted for the upcoming winter months. One of the docs Doug works with then tipped us off to our new found fun...HOURLY SKI PASSES at a nearby ski resort. So the new daily schedule when Doug has a weekday off that we can spare goes like this:




7:30-8:30 a.m.--kiss the kiddos goodbye and stick them on the school bus
8:45 a.m.--pack up the ski gear and hit the road
10:00 a.m.--on the slopes for 2-3 hours of kid-free skiing fun (that means only spending time on the green runs for my warm-up of the morning, the rest of the time on the steeper runs)
1:00 p.m.--lunch on the way home
2:30 p.m.--ski gear put away just in time to meet the bus at 3:00 p.m.

 We think it is pure genius!!! (The kids think it is so unfair--although last time we went, Terry had the day off from school for a trimester grading day and he opted to stay home, so it's hard to feel sorry for them).  We have promised them all their turn over winter break though to try out the slopes here near Eugene. And plans are formulating for another fun trip to Tahoe in the spring. But I guess I can say after a 20-some-odd-year hiatus, I am a skier again!

Eight is Great!

 What a special day for Trevian and Doug! Trevian was baptized on her 8th birthday (and her dad's 30-somethingth birthday). It was a wonderful day and a beautiful baptism. In our new ward in Eugene the primary is much smaller. So you get to schedule your baptism when you choose. With Trevian's birthday falling on Sunday, we felt it would be the perfect way to make her baptism extra memorable. She looked beautiful in her special white dress. And as customary in the Tyler family, Grandma Tyler brought Trevian her brand new set of scriptures (and cute carrying case too). She was all ready to go!

We were so lucky that both Grandma Tyler and Nana could come to Eugene for the special occasion. Uncle Ryan and Aunt Judy also made the trip from Washington to be here for the weekend. Grandma and Nana were both enlisted to give the talks (Grandma spoke about baptism and Nana spoke about the Holy Ghost). And Uncle Ryan was a witness. Our friend in the ward, Rusten Gomez, was the other witness. And Terry and Zach gave the prayers.

 I am very proud of Trevian and the decision she made to be baptized. She is a good example to her friends and to our family. She often does her part to be the peacemaker at home and she is always showing love for others. Thank you Trevian for being such a beautiful daughter--inside and out.

I love you, Mom

Nana & Trevian

Grandma Tyler & Trevian

Add caption

We Run to Stay Warm!

This weekend Doug and I ran our first half-marathon together (and the only race we've run together, other than Hood to Coast). We've been training this fall and were looking forward to 13.1 miles--our first race in Eugene. We discovered the perfect one--Run to Stay Warm, a race sponsored by the Eugene utility company and held as a fundraiser to help offset winter heating bills for local residents. The race was held on the running path that borders the Willamette River, making for a beautiful and scenic race course.

This was Doug's first half marathon and I was so proud of him for his training AND his performance on race day. I knew he had it in him--he finished the race in under 2 hours! The course had a short 1/2 mile out and back spot around mile 9 and as I knew when we passed each other on the path that he was bookin' that day. (We agreed to each run our own race that day so we could push ourselves to achieve our goals). My goal that day was for a PR--it was my 4th half-marathon and I wanted to break the 1:50:00 mark. My last half-marathon was an 8:34 pace and I came in this time with an 8:19 pace, a time of 1:48:00. I was really excited to reach my goal, and even more pleasantly surprised to find that I placed 3rd in my age group that day!

Now that the race is behind us, we're looking for our next goal to work toward. I'm thinking it's time to coerce Doug into training for a full marathon. It's so much easier to train when you have someone else you need to keep up with! We may not run all of our training runs together, but if one of us gets out for a run, the other one feels the need to get out there, too. It's been a fun year of running together--Eugene truly is Track Town USA with lots of great places to run. And I'm looking forward to many more races with Doug.

The Getaway

Key West, FL

 After a hectic summer of moving, starting a new job, and beginning life in a new city, Doug and I had the chance to get away for a short vacation. We've been planning for this trip for a few months. In March, we celebrated our 15th year anniversary. In September, my sister Peggy and her husband Jon celebrated their 20th anniversary. So we planned to take a vacation together for our special occasions.

Snorkeling trip in Key West

Thanks to Nana who took a week to come stay with the kiddos in Eugene and spoil them rotten, we were able to go to Florida and the Bahamas. We enjoyed visiting with my brother Jeremy and his wife Brandi and their kids in Ft. Lauderdale. From there we headed to the Florida Keys where we stayed in a gorgeous beach house in Key Largo and snorkeled in Key West. The weather in the Keys was slightly stormy as a few hurricanes had just made their way through the area. That led to about 3-4 foot swells while snorkeling. The snorkeling was still fantastic, up until the last few minutes when I realized that the motion of the ocean was catching up with me. But it was still the best snorkeling I've ever done. We saw rays, sharks, baracuda, dolphins, sea urchins, turtles, and plenty of other fish I couldn't name. The other highlight of our time in Key West...half-pound chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies! I did turn a blind "dietitian" eye to the calories that were likely hiding in them (I'm a cookie fanatic so those were worth tasting!).

Atlantis Resort, The Bahamas

 After the Keys we headed out on a 4-day cruise to the Bahamas. We've been to the Bahamas once before, but this time we spent one day at the Atlantis Resort. Our timing couldn't have been better--each day on our cruise the forecast was 50% chance of thunderstorms but we saw blue skies and high 80's every day. It was gorgeous! And since we were on the tail end of hurricane season, the resort wasn't the least bit crowded. There were no lines to wait in on the waterslides and plenty of sunshine to soak in. Who knew 4 adults could have so much fun on waterslides! Of course, who knew waterslides could also make you feel so sore the next day. :)

  We spent part of the day at Atlantis exploring their beautiful aquarium "The Dig." We found all sorts of interesting creatures, both beautiful...and not so much (I'm not sure what God was thinking when he created the eel--those things are nasty looking).

Doug on the "death drop" waterslide at Atlantis

After our time at Atlantis, we spent a day on the cruise ship's private island, enjoying more snorkeling, sunbathing, and pure R&R. And other than a small issue with our cruise ship bathroom (ugh--we'll spare you the details, but they did make amends with dinner in their specialty steak house and chocolate dipped strawberries in our cabin), the trip was a great success. We had fantastic company, terrific weather, and happy campers at home when we returned (thanks Nana!). We're already contemplating...WHERE TO NEXT!?!

The Iron Chef

I've been meaning to post our new favorite family activity. We've become fans of the Food Network's show Iron Chef. We've created our own Kitchen Stadium and host regular Iron Chef competitions amongst the family members. We have some budding culinary prodigies at our house, as you'll see in these clips of a recent competition between Cat Cora (aka Trevian) and Bobby Flay (aka Terry).

Cat Cora took the floor first, with her brown-nosing strategies:

Not to be outdone by the kiss-up Cat Cora, Bobby presents his signature "soup" dish (which we've now had several variations of).

New Beginnings

Well now that it has been 6 months since my last blog post, I guess it is time for another! I keep telling myself I will get better at keeping a blog up to date, but then we go and do something like uproot the whole family and move. And I get sidetracked. So time for a Leonard family update.

In June we made the move to Eugene, Oregon, about an hour and 45 minutes south of our home in Beaverton (which we have the privilege of still owning thanks to the wonderful housing market right now). But we are grateful for a nice rental home in Eugene that is giving us the chance to get to know our new surroundings and determine where we would like to live long term before we buy a house and truly put down roots.

Trevian started 2nd grade this week. She was so excited to start! She has been a wee bit bored this summer, having left all of her cul-de-sac friends behind in Beaverton. One day as I was getting after her for watching TV for too long, she looked at me and said "well Mom, if we hadn't moved I would be outside playing with my friends all day!" And it's true...she would have been outside from 9 a.m til 9 p.m. with her pals (Mollie, Nathan, Cassie, CeCe, and Nick) pausing only for the bathroom and to grab snacks. She misses them all, but she is starting to make new friends through school, church, and soccer.

Zach just started 5th grade. He seems too young to be the big man at the Elementary school, and WAY TOO YOUNG to be headed to middle school next year. But he is growing up! He has also started his fall soccer season and is quickly working his way into playing goalie...not where he wanted to be, but he's shown he's probably the best man for the job. All that time in the goalie box at recess this past year has paid off.

Terry started 7th grade this week. Of all the kids, we worried most about Terry and the move, how it would impact him and finding new friends. We have so hoped that he could find some good friends in Eugene, and our prayers were quickly answered. Our arrival in the ward here in Eugene doubled the size of the Deacon's Quorum at church...from 1 to 2. But Michael, the other 12-year-old, has fast become a best friend to Terry. And this led to Terry trying out for a soccer team with Michael. It was Terry's first time of legitimate tryouts for a sport--but he worked hard, gave it his all, and made the team. (I had to use this photo of Terry to document his "long hair" phase he went through this year. I was so relieved the day he came home from school and told me to shave it off!)

As the kids went back to school this week, again, I had no worries for Zach and Trev. I knew they had great teachers (met them at a welcome back night) and I knew they would make friends quickly. They were so excited to get to ride the school bus as well. I know the teary-eyed moms the first day of school are usually crying over their little babies heading off to the elementary school. So I was a bit surprised when I dropped Terry off at the middle school, that it was then that the tears started to flow. He will deny it til his death, but I could see the look in his eyes as he sat there at the office waiting to be shown where to go. He was nervous...the anxiety of the unknown hanging over him. I couldn't help but think of how I would have felt sitting in his shoes. And I said a silent prayer for him on my way to the parking lot.

So much more to post and get caught up on. That will come with time (my pledge to stay more current on the blog). I think I have lived the past 2 months with a silent prayer in my heart for each one of my kids...for Doug...and for myself. It's interesting to compare each move we've made in our lives and the opportunities and challenges that each one has brought. Each move we've made I can remember how it took months to a year to have that feeling that we were "home." But for some reason as I drive around Eugene or when we arrive in Eugene after a trip to Portland (heaven knows how many of those we've made in the past 2 months!) I feel like we are home...even though we are just beginning to discover this place we call home. I have no doubt in my mind that we are where the Lord wants us to be. And I feel so blessed to have that knowledge.

Happy Anniversary!

Well I have let the blog fall by the wayside for a while. But I am getting back to it today with a terrific theme--Happy 15th Anniversary! It's been 15 years today since I began living the best years of my life with the love of my life. :)

And in honor of our special day, I've rounded up some favorite photos, including our engagement photo and wedding photo, set to "our song." I love you sweetie!