Happy Birthday Randy

This past weekend we celebrated Randy's birthday! We (his work friends and I) attempted to surprise him with a dinner out at The Public House (a great Irish pub at Granite Park), but apparently our 30-something crowd is getting too old to remember how to keep a secret. Really, it wasn't a big deal. I just found it funny that practically every part of evening (from the who, to the where, to the cake) was "leaked" to Randy inadvertently over the 48 hours preceding the dinner! So anyways, we had a great dinner out with some of Randy's friends, home-made tres leches cake and apple crisp for dessert (the crisp was for Rocky, pictured above, whose birthday was last week also), and then headed to the theater just in time to see the last showing of Slumdog Millionaire. It was a very good movie, with creative storytelling, and smooth transitions between past and present. And even though practically half the movie is in Hindi, the subtitles were hardly a distraction. I would highly recommend this movie...although, a word of caution, there are some scenes that may be hard to watch (related to poverty and child abuse/extortion).

Saturday, to continue the birthday celebration, we packed up the Subaru and headed to the snow for the day. It rained on us the whole way up the hill, and two miles outside the park we were starting to get worried that it would never turn to snow, but it did! We drove towards Sequoia National Park (it was slushy rain/snow at Kings' Canyon, and the Sequoia side is higher elevation) and about 8 miles down the road found a great spot to pull over and trek around. We had lunch in the car, then piled on the snow clothes and got out for a fun time of snow ball throwing and sled-runs! After the kids got tired of that (and the snow let up a bit), we put on our snowshoes and headed down a trail nearby. Violet did it all on her own! All five of us on our own shoes! We didn't even go a mile, but it sure was fun walking, and getting into a small meadow that had a great echo! The powdery snow there was perfect for flopping down on your back and making snow angels! I couldn't help but think to myself (as the snow fell softly on my own little angels) that the "snow" in Disneyland is but a poor, human re-production of God's amazing natural wonderland. I had to hold back the tears as I formed another huge snowball to chuck at my son's backside! By the time we made it back to the car, the snow started coming down in piles. We took off our wet bibs and piled back in to enjoy some hot cocoa we'd brought along in a big Thermos. And now, heated inside and out, we headed home for a relaxing evening together. Yum! Hot chocolate! Isaac likes it too! Look at all that snow!
Happy Birthday Randy! We love you so much!

Beach weekend

This past weekend, with the kids having a three day break because of Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, we headed to a house at the beach for three nights. Our friends, Allen and Kristen Co, and their son Jackson joined us Saturday and Sunday, and Violet enjoyed having a buddy to play with that didn't want to go in the waves either. The weather was fantastic! The sun was out the entire time, warm temperatures. We spent hours just relaxing on the beach, playing in the sand, jumping in the water, and listening to the crashing waves. We also visited Natural Bridges State Park to see the monarch butterflies. There weren't near as many as I remembered from my childhood (my parents brought me here in the 80s). I was curious about it, so Kristen and I asked a park ranger that told us about the monarch butterflies' depleting numbers. This year, only 4500 butterflies were counted in the grove. Compare that to 120,000 in 1997, and somewhere upwards of 200,000 in years before that! Apparently, monarch butterflies feed ONLY on milkweed when they are in their caterpillar stage, and milkweed is usually killed off by pesticides nowadays. So she encouraged us to plant milkweed in our yards for monarchs to lay their eggs on! Despite the lack of butterflies, we enjoyed the drive to and from Santa Cruz, and had a great picnic lunch near the tidepools. The rest of the weekend was nothing but relaxing, and we returned home ready for the long haul of school days until Easter break.

Happy Birthday Great-Grandma Lena!

Actually, her birthday was a couple days after Christmas, but the extended Friesen family is so big it's hard to coordinate something in the month of December, so we opted for the second weekend in January. This past Saturday all 32 of us (Lena's kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids) were together in Reedley to commemorate Great-Grandma Lena's 95th birthday! It was a wonderful, sunny day and the kids enjoyed running around outside with all their cousins (actually Randy's cousins' kids...but same difference)! We had lunch, had cake, and many of Lena's friends and other extended family (cousins, nieces, nephews, sister, etc.) came to say hello and happy birthday as well! Isaac and cousin David Kroeker enjoying their carrot cake! Violet with her cousin Kevin Friesen. They had been climbing up the hill and then "scooting" down on their bottoms. I couldn't help take this picture of their dirty bums just as they were grabbing hands to head up again! Scooting down again!

Violet's first hair-cut

Well, it's not her first cut ever, but her first visit to a salon! She sat still for Amy, and came away with a super-cute short cut! Thanks Amy!

New Years' Eve

This year we did TWO fun things for New Years' Eve! Since Randy didn't have to work that day, we packed up the Subaru first thing in the morning and headed to the snow at Kings' Canyon. After spending a little time sledding down the little slopes near the visitor's center, we drove a couple miles further to Cherry Gap and ventured about a mile into the Nordic Ski Trail. We all had a great time, enjoying the views, trekking through fresh powder, finding and identifying animal tracks, and having a picnic lunch! Taking a break for lunch! Our picnic stop view. Violet and I. Randy and his girls. Isaac, relaxing at the store after the hike.

After the relaxing drive home (the girls slept, and Isaac was quiet), we showered off, changed clothes, and headed to our friends' house, Rod and Julie McNeely, to count down to the New Year! We had a great time with lots of friends, eating, playing games, and lots of laughing! All three kids were awake until midnight, and loving every minute of it! Here's a couple pics and some funny videos from the night. The girls in their dress-up clothes (L-R Lindsey, Audrey, Morgan, Alyssa, and Violet). Some of the boys putting on a crazy puppet show (Carson, Isaac, and Chase). Rod and Randy frying up the New Years' cookies. YUM! Megahn and I, enjoying some game time at the table! Matt, Carson, Isaac, Chris, John, and Randy playing Wii. What a ham! Happy New Year!

Isaac, no, Julie's got moves!


Isaac and Tyler dancing to High School Musical 2 "work this out"


Happy New Year!

New Years' Lists

The life of a stay-at-home mom is far from easy! Everything is just so...daily! I love the reminder each new year brings to look back and reflect on what you (or your kids) have accomplished! I also enjoy thinking ahead to a new year and making a resolution or challenge for myself of some sort! So, in looking back over 2008, here are some lists from the Mack family...

Violet's highlights of 2008

1. Breaking her thumb. Yup, only a week before her third birthday and a day before her new gymnastics class at Little Gym started, Violet rolled a crooked somersault in the living room and landed funny on her thumb, causing a clean break that took her to the emergency room that evening. She sported a super-cute purple cast for three weeks afterwards. She started her gymnastics class the very next week, eager to try out her grip strength on the uneven bars! You should see this girl go!

2. Riding a tricycle. By the end of summer her legs were finally long enough to reach the pedals!

3. Her "nastics" class. Violet loves jumping around at the Little Gym! She loves that she has a "class" all her own. And she loves that her friend Lolly is there with her! It has been quite a treat all year for Violet to have a friend her age living right around the corner (and, honestly, it's quite a treat for me that Lolly's mom happens to be such a wonderful friend)!

Isaac's highlights of 2008

1. Starting kindergarten. He loves his teacher, Mr. Dawson, and is so close to reading already!

2. Losing his first two baby teeth (bottom front) in two days. Along with a dollar he got a coupon for Baskin Robbins (which he used with Randy later that week).

3. Monster Truck Jam. For the second year in a row, Randy took Isaac to see the monster trucks with three other dads and sons. Super-loud, super-smashing, and super-cool. Isaac loved every minute of it!

Audrey's highlights of 2008

1. Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood. Although Audrey's performed in lots of little things at church, being a part of Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood at Robinson Elementary was a full 8 weeks of rehearsals, and she was on stage for the entire production. Way to go Audrey! We were so proud of you!

2. Riding on two wheels. After many a tentative ride up and down the street with Randy hanging on the seat, then just pushing herself along with her feet on the ground, Audrey finally mastered the art of riding a bicycle!

3. Valentines' Tea Party with Grandma Arlene. Grandma and Audrey hosted a tea party with seven little girls, accompanied by their grandmas. Audrey loved preparing everything with her grandma and dressing up in special hats with all her friends.

Randy's highlights of 2008

1. Completing his first half-marathon. This past November, Randy ran in the inaugural Two Cities Marathon through Fresno and Clovis. He has thoroughly enjoyed the training, and looks forward to running at least two more this year!

2. Snowshoeing. Randy's finally found a winter sport that he loves! He went snowshoeing four times in 2008, again with Aaron and Rod last weekend, and has two more trips planned before the end of January!

3. Training. I know this sounds redundant, but Randy really loves to run. This is the first year that Randy has been able to get back into the routine of running since before Audrey was born. Maybe it's because our kids are past the infant stage and a good night's sleep is more certain (thus allowing an extra hour for exercise in the evening), or maybe it's because the stage of life our kids are currently in is more demanding and Randy needs to find an outlet to vent his energy and tension, but either way, running a couple times a week has become a great part of Randy's year. An added bonus, Randy's gotten some new pants out of the deal since he's lost almost 2 inches off his waist. Take that with the new hair style he's sporting (he actually HAS a hair style for the first time in years) and he gets lots of comments about his new appearance.

Jamie's highlights of 2008

1. Eating local in August. After reading the book, Plenty, I decided to embark on a challenge, eating only food grown within a 100-mile radius for a whole month (since I am the one who buys and cooks all our food I could do this for the whole family). It was a fun and enlightening experience for me (you can read more about it on my original post. And ending the month at the Fig Festival was a treat as well!

2. Nights "off". Although this is not a one-time event, I had to mention it because, honestly, I can't do this mothering thing without some breaks, and some encouragement from my spouse, close friends and other moms! I have thoroughly enjoyed all the Thursday evenings spent with other moms from my church (a cooking night, a summer book study through Bringing Up Boys, meeting for coffee) or other nights out with girlfriends (shopping, wine tasting, or long, leisurely, hot dinners with adult conversation) or especially date nights with Randy!

3. Reading with my kids. I have always loved reading with my kids; but this year, with all three kids going to bed at the same time, we decided to try something new. We embarked on the journey of reading novels together. As part of our bedtime routine (most nights) we will sit together and read a chapter. We read through The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian this year. In fact, our dog is named after Queen Lucy. And we had a fun time watching the movie together as a family over Christmas vacation!

Family highlights of 2008

1. Sunday nights with college "kids". Our family loves to be a part of the college ministry at North Fresno Church! We, along with 2 other families, take turns hosting Sunday dinners with college kids. I love to cook for a crowd; Randy loves to eat, watch football, and usually play Mario Kart or some other Wii game with the guys after dinner; and the kiddos love to play with their friends, and soak up the attention from all their favorite babysitters!

2. Monday "family" nights. This year Randy and I made an intentional choice to set aside one night of the week that we were always home, with family. We eat dinner together, ask each other what is going on in our lives, and usually end the evening with a board game, story time, or maybe even some dancing to a favorite song as we do the dishes! Randy's mom and brother often join us too (they both live in town). We know that our kids are far from driving or having their own social calenders, and most nights we are usually home anyways; but we want to instill our family times as a priority before the time slips away. And we hope to create many good memories in the process. In fact, one present for each kid this Christmas was a turn picking the dinner and activity at an upcoming family night! It will be fun to see what they choose!

3. Trips to Kings' Canyon/Sequoia National Park! We made the short drive up the hill SIX times this year, twice last winter for snowshoeing (Audrey and Isaac's first time on their own shoes), twice for summer camping, once on Thanksgiving weekend, and one last snow trip on New Years' Eve! We went up with five pairs of snowshoes last week and let Violet try it out when we got there. But her feet are still just a tad too small and her stide a bit too narrow to get anywhere in a timely manner. So up she went on Randy's back for the hike (probably a little over a mile). Next winter for sure!

4. MCC Run for Relief! This was the first year that all five of us participated in the MCC Fun Run (the first Saturday of April). Randy ran the 10K race; Audrey, Isaac, Violet (in the jogging stoller) and I ran/walked the 2 mile. We were actually the last 2-milers to finish, having to get out of the way for the winner of the 10K to cross the finish line, but we had a great time doing it! It was COLD and windy! But the pancake and German sausage breakfast afterwards made it all better!

5. Adopting our dog, Lucy! This was no small decision for our family; Randy and I have wavered back and forth about when would be a good time to introduce a pet to the kids, . Living in the city, we needed to be sure we'd have the time to give her the walks and play-time she would need. Lucy has adjusted to our family amazingly well, allowing the kids to pick her up, drag her, squeeze her, and even (sadly) put clips in her hair, or stuff her in a bag in the play-fridge "so she can play hide-and-seek with us". Yup, being a member of the Mack family isn't always easy. But Lucy (or I) wouldn't trade the way things are for the world!

One Final "Christmas"

For us extroverts in the world, there's no better way to celebrate Christmas than with LOTS of people that you love! So even after all the get-togethers from the past week and a half, we still felt it necessary to plan one last "Christmas" with our neighbors (and great friends) the Wiens family, on the last possible day (December 30). We made beerocks for dinner and supplemented the rest of the meal with left-overs from the past week! YUM! Then, after a short time of gift-exchanging, we put the kids down to sleep and brought out the board games.

Choosing a game for the evening is always a challenge given the fact that Christa and I don't like games that last longer than an hour (Monopoly, Life, Risk), and playing a trivia game with Aaron, Randy, or Christa guarantees a loss on my part...ALWAYS! So games of random skill usually work the best for us (Apples to Apples, Cribbage, Cranium). This year we picked Boggle. Usually Randy is the winner; he grew up playing it with his Grandma and Grandpa Friesen. He always finds the words within words, always adds the s, and always manages to get the 6-letter words that no one else finds! Maybe it was the late hour, maybe it was the good food and drink impairing their vision (both boys have messed-up eyes to start with), but this year a girl was the winner! And write it down, it was Jamie! You may think this is a bit over the top, "Stop gloating, Jamie. No one likes a braggart." But I'm willing to take the heat. Yup, the person WITHOUT a doctorate degree, master's degree, or even teaching credential was the winner! I win so infrequently in the mix of Wiens/Mack families that I want this one recorded for future generations. Although, of course, this means that my chances of winning any time in the next ten years is next to nul. Oh well!